Romans 12:1-2

O eternal, almighty, and most gracious God: heaven is thy throne, and earth is thy footstool; holy and reverend is thy name. Thou art praised by the heavenly hosts, and in the congregation of thy saints on earth, and wilt be sanctified in all that come nigh unto thee. We are sinful and unworthy dust; but being invited by thee, we are bold, through our blessed Mediator, to present ourselves and our supplications before thee. Receive us graciously; help us by thy Spirit: let thy fear be upon us; let thy word come to us in power, and be received in love, with attentive, reverent, and obedient minds. Make it to us a savour of life unto life. Cause us to be fervent in prayer, and joyful in thy praises, and to serve thee this day without distraction; that we may find that a day in thy courts is better than a thousand, and that it is good for us to draw near to God; through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

Hughes, R. Kent. The Pastor's Book: A Comprehensive and Practical Guide to Pastoral Ministry (pp. 267-268). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

Intro

Introductory Matters (1:1–17)

God’s Righteousness Revealed in Condemnation (1:18–3:20)

Condemnation against pagan humanity

Condemnation according to divine standards

Condemnation to unfaithful Jews

Condemnation against all humanity

God’s Righteousness Revealed in Justification (3:21-5:21)

Provided righteousness explained

Provided righteousness illustrated

Provided righteousness righteousness enjoyed

Provided righteousness contrasted

God’s Righteousness Revealed in Sanctification (6-8)

Ground of sanctification

Attitudes of sanctification

Conflict in sanctification

Power of sanctification

Goal of sanctification

Certainty of sanctification

God’s Righteousness Revealed in Sovereign Choice (9-11)

God’s sovereign choice enunciated

God’s sovereign choice applied

God’s sovereign choice fulfilled

God’s Righteousness Revealed in Transformed Living (12-15)

Prayer

By your mercy

we might offer ourselves fully to you

we might have our minds renewed

We might pursue with vigor that which is good, right and perfect in your sight

Message

Give God your body

Give God your mind

sproul

Give God your will

Romans 12:1 ESV

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Romans 12:1–2 ESV

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

I appeal to you therefore

English Standard Version

1 Cor. 1:10; 2 Cor. 10:1; Eph. 4:1

Therefore

; ;

therefore...

; ;

therefore...

not just chap 11…

appeal = beg, plead, encourage, invite…etc.

Paul could have exerted authority but rather appealed to them for personal commitment…

brothers

= fellow believers

unbelievers have no desire to do this

unbelievers have no ability to do this

by the mercies of God

by = through, on behalf of, because of, on account of

mercy = define… why his argument is based off of this?

appealed to their duty…

appealed to their debt…

God’s mercy to whoever [, , ]

Israel’s mercy and mercy to gentiles []

by mercy Paul given a ministry [; ; ]

God’s mercy shown to those who believe [; ]

mercy of God bringing salvation [; ]

God as father of mercy []

appeal to logic!

The Message of Romans 17. Our Relationship to God: Consecrated Bodies and Renewed Minds (12:1–2)

F. F. Bruce has written: ‘It was well said by Thomas Erskine of Linlathen that “in the New Testament religion is grace, and ethics is gratitude”. It is not by accident that in Greek one and the same noun (charis) does duty for both “grace” and “gratitude”.’ God’s grace, far from encouraging or condoning sin, is the spring and foundation of righteous conduct.

to present your bodies as a living sacrifice

English Standard Version

ch. 6:13, 16, 19; [Ps. 50:13, 14; 1 Cor. 6:20]; See 1 Pet. 2:5

ch. , , ; [, ; ]; See *

as a living sacrifice

ch. 6:13, 16, 19; [, ; ]; See

present

Warren Wiersbe describes this:

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Eleven: Right Relationships Mean Right Living (Romans 12–13)

The verb “present” in this verse means “present once and for all.” It commands a definite commitment of the body to the Lord, just as a bride and groom in their wedding service commit themselves to each other. It is this once-for-all commitment that determines what they do with their bodies.

actively choosing obedience

those who would follow me must pick up their cross daily and follow me…

bodies

, , = instruments of unrighteousness

bodies only…? = we say hearts = Paul says bodies… /

ch. 6:13, 16, 19; [Ps. 50:13, 14; 1 Cor. 6:20]; See 1 Pet. 2:5holy and acceptable to God

Romans 3:13–18 ESV

13 “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” 14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 6:12–13 ESV

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

living sacrifice…

What comes to mind when you hear this?… What they heard… What we should hear…

OT sacrifices given started as living then died

Christ sacrifice is one that is living died and lives again

holy and acceptable to God

NT sacrifice is one not of death but of Christ living through us…

John Stott writes:

The Message of Romans 17. Our Relationship to God: Consecrated Bodies and Renewed Minds (12:1–2)

Then our feet will walk in his paths, our lips will speak the truth and spread the gospel, our tongues will bring healing, our hands will lift up those who have fallen, and perform many mundane tasks as well like cooking and cleaning, typing and mending; our arms will embrace the lonely and the unloved, our ears will listen to the cries of the distressed, and our eyes will look humbly and patiently towards God.

holy and acceptable to God

holy = pure

acceptable = pleasing

Does this statement challenge you!

bodies

Robert Mounce puts it this way:

, , = instruments of unrighteousness

The New American Commentary: Romans 1. Among Believers (12:1–21)

The possibility of bringing pleasure to God provides a powerful motivation for complete surrender of self.

The New American Commentary: Romans 1. Among Believers (12:1–21)

To teach that accepting the free gift of God’s grace does not necessarily involve a moral obligation on our part is a heresy of gigantic proportions. The popular cliche “He is Lord of all or not Lord at all” is absolutely right.

how is this even possible for us to do

which is your spiritual worship

spiritual = true to real nature, reasonable, sensible, rational

worship = divine service, ministry, service to God

logical creatures created in the image of God...

The Message of Romans 17. Our Relationship to God: Consecrated Bodies and Renewed Minds (12:1–2)

Epictetus, the first-century Stoic philosopher: ‘If I were a nightingale, I would do what is proper to a nightingale, and if I were a swan, what is proper to a swan. In fact I am logikos [sc. a rational being], so I must praise God.’

Paul is begging us in light of his letter to offer ourselves fully to God! As Christians that we would be true to our new natures toward God, giving Him His due worship and service in everything we are and do!

R.C. Sproul says:

The Gospel of God: Romans Living Sacrifices (12:1–2)

Some people think that all it takes to be a Christian is to scribble a cheque or to give a few hours of service here and there on special projects for the church. But that’s not what believers are called to. My life is to be set apart and consecrated to God. That is what is acceptable to him; that is what delights him; that is what pleases him; that is the appropriate response to him and for him.

This is an incredibly heavy request and yet one that our hearts ought to cry out for us to fulfill… Do you?… last weeks message… HOW!?

Romans 12:2 ESV

2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

first the negative / the positive

Do not be conformed to this world

1 Peter 1:14 ESV

14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,

*; [

1 John 2:15 ESV

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

; []

conformed = assimilation, shape ones behavior - systematization = fit to a pattern or a mold

world = evil age - aion = era, unit of time = world system - practices of those without God

Chameleon

R.C. Sproul

The Gospel of God: Romans Living Sacrifices (12:1–2)

The other danger to recognise is that nonconformity can be as vicious a trap as conformity. There is such a thing as nonconformity for nonconformity’s sake. We all want to be different, so that in the group we will stand out. There are Christian distortions at this point. Often Christian ethics is determined simply on the basis of antithesis—if the world wears lipstick, the Christian doesn’t wear lipstick, to show that she is spiritual rather than worldly. If the world goes to movies, Christians don’t go to movies, to show that they are more spiritual, more pious. That’s nonsense, that’s the kind of attitude the Pharisees had, which distorted the truth. Christ calls us to a special kind of nonconformity: a refusal to conform to the sinful patterns of the world, to patterns of disobedience.

but be transformed by the renewal of your mind

but - contrast

transformed = metamorphosis - change in the essential nature of something

caterpiller / butterfly

same word used in the transfiguration of Christ in the gospels

not just external - intrinsic nature

The Pillar New Testament Commentary: Paul’s Letter to the Romans A. The Basis of Paul’s Ethical Appeal, 12:1–2

suggests both that the transformation is effected by God, and that believers must cooperate in order that it take place.

Sanctification process… process!

renewal = ; [; ; ; ]

Titus 3:5 ESV

5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

present tense = continual ongoing process

in the world but not of it

mind = psychological facility of understanding, reasoning, way of thinking, mental attitude

The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Epistle to the Romans A. The Christian Attitude to God, 12:1–2

The renewal of the mind enables the believer to discern what is good, what is pleasing to God, and what is perfect. And having discerned it, that same renewal sets him to the task of performing what is seen as the will of God.

; [; ; ; ]

How is your thinking different then it used to be because of God’s influence on you?… Is it?

What is God’s will for your life?… Do you really even want to know?

that by testing you may discern what is the will of God

by testing you may discern = documentation - examine, try it out, test, to learn the genuineness of through actual use

;

will of God

will = thelma - desire, wish, purpose, intent, inclination

The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Epistle to the Romans A. The Christian Attitude to God, 12:1–2

what is good and acceptable and perfect.

good = moral

acceptable = pleasing

perfect = genuine, complete, finished, mature

The New American Commentary: Romans 1. Among Believers (12:1–21)

It is good because it brings about moral and spiritual growth. It is pleasing to God because it is an expression of his nature. It is perfect in that no one could possibly improve on what God desires to happen.

The Gospel of God: Romans Living Sacrifices (12:1–2)

Do you want to know what the will of God is? You have to study the Word of God. You have to think like God. You have to have a new mind. And if you want a new mind you have to study the Word of God more rigorously than you have ever studied anything in your life. There is no magical way to know the will of God, apart from knowing the Word of God.

The Gospel of God: Romans Living Sacrifices (12:1–2)

The Message of Romans 17. Our Relationship to God: Consecrated Bodies and Renewed Minds (12:1–2)

To sum up, Paul’s appeal is addressed to the people of God, grounded on the mercies of God, and concerned with the will of God.

The Gospel of God: Romans Living Sacrifices (12:1–2)

If you want to live a godly life, then it is indispensable to your spiritual growth that you dig into the Scriptures deeply, to understand what God is revealing. This is part of the sacrifice of the Christian life. There is a sacrifice of your body and there is a sacrifice of your mind.

The only way to do this is by the renewal of our minds. By the constant intake of His word which works as a means of re-creation and transformation agent in us!

Paul is going back that we might go forward. We need the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, daily, continually, we are unable to do this on our own. This is a supernatural work, played out in the physical realm.

Close

The Message of Romans 17. Our Relationship to God: Consecrated Bodies and Renewed Minds (12:1–2)

To sum up, Paul’s appeal is addressed to the people of God, grounded on the mercies of God, and concerned with the will of God.

Give God your body

not just your heart

from you eyelashes to your pinky toe

be a living sacrifice, because through Christ you live!

Give God your mind

not just your faith

logic, emotions, memories, thoughts

allow him to redeem and use your intellect and worship him cognitively also

Give God your will

trust Him!

follow Him!

if you do you will be fulfilling your calling for your life and eternity!

The New American Commentary: Romans 1. Among Believers (12:1–21)

The possibility of bringing pleasure to God provides a powerful motivation for complete surrender of self.

Prayer

Because of your mercy we come to you and ask in confidence in accordance with your word...

that you would transform and renew our minds

that you would grant us the strength of your spirit to be living sacrifices for you

that you would help us to resign ourselves to your will which is good, acceptable and perfect

we might offer ourselves fully to you

we might have our minds renewed

We might pursue with vigor that which is good, right and perfect in your sight

Benediction

Romans 15:13 ESV

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

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