The Perfect Will of God
Notes
Transcript
The Context: “Therefore”
The Context: “Therefore”
This text is built upon all that Paul has said in Romans 1-11.
What is the theme and theology of Romans 1-11? Salvation and Sanctification
What is the point of our salvation and sanctification? Romans 11:36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
He created all things - “from Him”
He sustains all things - “through Him”
He possesses all things - “to Him”
For His glory
The Sense of Urgency
The Sense of Urgency
The Word Used
Parakaleo
Urge
Request
Appeal
Beseech
Exhort
Its semantic range lies somewhere between “request” and “command”
Urge is from parakaleō, which has the basic meaning of calling alongside in order to help or give aid. It later came to connote exhorting, admonishing, or encouraging. In His Upper Room discourse, shortly before His betrayal and arrest, Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the Paraklētos, our divine Helper (also translated Comforter, Counselor, Advocate). He would be “another Helper,” who in this present life takes the place of the incarnate Lord (John 14:16; cf. v. 26; 15:26; 16:7).
The Audience in Mind
The Audience in Mind
“Brethren”
What kind of brethren?
Israelites
Biological brothers
Roman Citizens
Brothers and sisters in Christ
The exhortation Paul gives in these verses are clearly intended for true believers in Christ.
The Foundation
The Foundation
The “therefore” already created one layer of our foundation.
The second is found here “by the mercies of God”
“Through the mercies of God” underscores the connection between what Paul now asks his readers to do and what he has told them earlier in the letter that God has done for them. All that Paul has written in the letter thus far may be summed up under the heading of the mercy of God in action.” - Douglas Moo
“by” - In other words it is the mercy itself that is exhorting us!
“mercies” - plural, what are the mercies of God? The things we receive because of His mercy.
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
forgiveness
adoption
The Holy Spirit
guaranteed hope
propitiation
reconciliation
justification
eternal life
sanctification
resurrection
glorification
The Exhortation
The Exhortation
Present as a Sacrifice - the action
An imperative verb, meaning it carries the weight of authority
paristēmi (to present) was often used as a technical term for a priest’s placing an offering on the altar.
This command or exhortation is requires us to perform a priestly act, that is to make a sacrifice.
As true disciples of Jesus we are all priests and thus qualified to make this sacrifice.
Our bodies - the object
Is Paul speaking purely in physical terms?
Paul is referring to the totality of our being. (His reference to the mind in verse 2 makes this clear.)
There is certainly a reference here to our flesh - Romans 7:22-23
The Qualifications
Living - shows the difference between this kind of sacrifice and those of the O.T.
Holy - set apart from the evil and profane for the purpose of service. This is what having an unblemished sacrifice pictured in the O.T.
Acceptable - only a living and holy sacrifice is acceptable to God
The Justification
The Justification
Why should I bother being a living, holy sacrifice unto the Lord?
Spiritual, Reasonable or Rational?
There are problems relating to both adjective and noun. Today most interpreters understand the adjective as spiritual, which makes good sense and is certainly in mind. But it is hard to think that the connection with “reason” has been completely lost, and there is something to be said for “intelligent worship” (Phillips) or JB’s “that is worthy of thinking beings”.
Given Paul’s point it is easy to see why he would state that offering ourselves as living sacrifices is the “reasonable” or logical thing to do.
However, the words connection to the inner man has been well established such that we cannot ignore the possibility that spiritual is the better translation.
Perhaps the accuracy of the Greek language allows us to keep both meaning in mind.
Service Worship (one Greek word)
Service = acts that are done for God’s glory
Worship = any act or word that communicates God is worthy of all glory
The Instructions
The Instructions
How are we to become living sacrifices?
The Steps
Step 1 - Negative: Do not be conformed to this world.
The world: “that floating mass of thoughts, opinions, maxims, speculations, hopes, impulses, aims, aspirations, at any time current in the world, which it may be impossible to seize and accurately define, but which constitute a most real and effective power, being the moral, or immoral atmosphere which at every moment of our lives we inhale, again inevitably to exhale” - Trench
Do not love the world nor the things of the world.
Remember that Satan and our flesh together create for each of us a unique brand of worldliness.
Step 2 - Positive: Be transformed by the renewing of you mind.
The Greek verb (metamorphoō) connotes change in outward appearance and is the term from which we get the English metamorphosis. Matthew used the word in describing Jesus’ transfiguration.
We are being transformed from world-lings into living sacrifices.
The vehicle of this transformation is the renewing of our minds.
This is something that the Holy Spirit does in the life of a believer
This is not something that an unbeliever can do to be saved.
Colossians 3:10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him
We are being renewed or transformed.
When we accept Christ our souls are immediately transformed, our minds on the other hand are a process.
The Result
The Result
When a believer’s mind is transformed and he or she has given themselves over as living sacrifices they are then able to discern God’s will for the choices in front of them.
Any Christian who is filled by the Spirit is in the will of God.
Who transforms our minds?
Who indwells the believer?
Don’t agonize over the will of God. Rather passionately pray to be filled by the Spirit so that your mind will be transformed and your body will be a living sacrifice.