Romans 12: Bible Study, Commentary and Summary

Romans 12: Bible Study, Commentary and Summary May 26, 2016

Here is a Bible study, commentary, and summary of Romans chapter twelve.

Romans 12:1-2 “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. 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.”

Put another way, our life is to be an ongoing, living sacrifice like the old sacrifices given to God as an offering in the Old Testament. The only difference is that our lives include our time, energy, love, money, and prayers and all should be given as part of our worship to God. The word for “transformed” in verse 2 is the same word that is used for the transfiguration that is recorded in Mark 9:2-9 where Jesus allowed Peter, James, and John to see the glory of God that Jesus had as God before He came to earth as a man. Sometimes the problem with being a living sacrifice is that we keep crawling off the altar.

Who is Paul talking about here?

What are the ways in which this can be lived out?

Where do these verses apply?

When are there opportunities to live this out?

Why is this important?

How can we fulfill these commands?

Romans 12:3-5 “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function.”

Paul is saying that we are to esteem others better than ourselves. We can do this by serving others with our God-given gifts that He has given to every believer. There are no believers who can say that they have no gifts of the Holy Spirit, therefore we are without excuse to say that we cannot serve somewhere or someone in the church.

What does it mean to think soberly of yourself?

What does Paul mean by saying that God has assigned each one a measure of faith?

Do you know what gifts you have?

Beloved-never-avenge (1)

Romans 12:6-8 “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”

Every believer has been given a gift by God and these gifts are different for every one of us. We might have the same gifts as others but none of us have exactly the same gifts. Some may be better at teaching while others excel at generosity. There is such a need in the church today for those who exhort, are generous, who show mercy, and who teaches. Any of these members that are missing or any members who don’t use their gifts are shortchanging the church.

How can you use your gifts?

Who are these gifts for?

What does it mean to esteem others better than yourself?

How can your gifts for God’s glory?

Romans 12:9-15 “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”

Love is expressed in service, not in words alone. It is patient, long-suffering, not accusing, honoring of others, doesn’t brag, isn’t revengeful, is harmonious, and let’s God be God and allowing Him to be judge. God is no respecter of persons and so neither should we be. God rejoices with us in our triumphs, hurts with us in our losses, mourns with us in our mourning, and celebrates with us in our victories, so should we do likewise with the other members of the body of Christ.

What does Paul mean about love being sincere?

In what ways can you bless those who persecute you?

Why does Paul say we should not be accusing others? Accuse them of what?

Do you associated with people of low position? Who are these people?

What does it mean that God is no respecter of persons?

When was the last time you mourned with someone who’s mourning?

When was the last time you rejoiced over someone’s triumph (or victory)?

Romans 12:17-21 “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

When we pay back others for persecuting us or hurting us, we take the place of God as judge and jury. Only a sovereign judge like God has the right and the authority to be judge over humanity. When we take matters into our own hands, we are nothing less than a one-man vigilante crew and nothing good ever comes from the wrath of man. In fact, God loved us, called us, and saved us even while we were His enemies (Rom 5:10) so when someone hurts us, we should love them, pray for them, and forgive them because this is exactly what the grace of God is all about; it is unmerited, undeserved, and unconditional.

Why is it important to do what is right in the eyes of everyone?

How can you feed a hungry enemy?

What does it mean to “heap burning coals on his head?”

Do you know a Christian who has taken vengeance in their own hands?

In what ways can we overcome evil with good?

Is it possible to live in peace with everyone?

Summary

By loving one another in and out of the church, by sacrificing our lives to God and to serve others, by praying for those who hate us, and forgiving when they don’t deserve it, we are more like God than at any other time. By this love they will know that we are the children of God. And that is a powerful magnet to draw others to Christ. What does that look like to you? How is it different in different people? What do you think other people see when they see you? Jesus said it is by this that others will know that we are His disciples (John 13:35). If they don’t see this in you, they’ll never know your Jesus’ disciples and that would be most tragic!

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.


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