The Christian's Relationship to Government

Romans 13:1-7

Everyone has a rebellious streak. We do not like being told what to do and how to do it.

Do you remember the days before seat belt laws and child safety seats? Laws vary by state, but in 1984, New York was the first state to make wearing seat belts mandatory.^[1]

This means that when I was growing up, seat belts were not required. From 1968, seat belts were required equipment on all cars in the United States,^[2] and I remember being fascinated with the sturdy nylon straps. However, we did not use them.

I remember one day mom was driving us home from school. This was an unusual treat because we usually rode the school bus. At the time, the freeway was being built along the route between our home and the school. So, the unbelievable happened in our little rural community, a traffic tie-up. Usually, traffic delays were only in spring and fall when the sheep were moved between the river valley and their summer grazing in the mountains.

Anyway, on this beautiful Idaho afternoon, my mom was driving us home. Mind you now, in those days the speed limit was 70 miles per hour. So, we came upon the traffic tie-up rather quickly. Now, my mom, bless her heart, wasted a lot of rubber getting the car from 70 to zero in just a few seconds. However, the law of inertia, while being overcome at the cost of rubber for the car, was not overcome for us occupants of the vehicle until we met with the solid parts of the interior of the vehicle. For us backseat occupants, this meant that we got up close and personal with the back of the front seat, but for the front seat occupants, this meant hitting the dashboard and it was rather solid.

We were fortunate that day. We came away with a few bruises, but we did not learn from the incident. One would think that after experiencing what happens just by hitting the brakes that we would start wearing our seatbelts. On the contrary, you should have heard the complaints and outright rebellion when seat belts became mandatory. Many treated the new law like it was a violation of our freedom.

There are many issues big and small where laws impact our daily lives. Some regulations are annoying, and other laws are more serious in their consequences. I have heard arguments that taxes are unconstitutional and that we should not pay them. Wouldn't we all love it if this was a legitimate argument! But, unless you wish to spend some time in jail, I would not push this one too far. There are other issues such as gun control and immigration that people are very passionate about. I have even heard the comment, "The only way they are taking my gun from me is from my cold dead hands." While that may be true, the government has the power and authority to make that happen as well.

What should the Christian's attitude be toward government?  We live in and serve Jesus in a world controlled by government. We cannot avoid it. We cannot ignore it. Whenever we perform a wedding, feed the homeless, help the needy or preach the gospel, our lives and ministries are affected by laws. So, what should our attitude be?

Romans 13:1-7 addresses the Christian's attitude toward government. In these verses, we will see three things the Christian should do in relation to government. These three things are:

1.       Be subject vs. 1-2

2.       Do good vs. 3-5

3.       Pay taxes vs. 6-7

We will address each of these in turn.

First, Romans 13:1-2 tells us that we are to be subject to the governing authorities.

Romans 13:1 says:

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. (Romans 13:1, ESV)

This verse addresses us in a unique way. Up to this point, the letter has been affectionately calling us "brothers and sisters." However, on this issue, the text literally says, "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities."

This brings home the significance of the principle involved. The principle involved is the principle of government. The principle of government applies to everyone equally. It makes no difference whether one is a Christian, Jew, Muslim, pagan, or atheist. Everyone is subject to government. At least, everyone is expected to be subject to government.

Romans 13:1 teaches us that God has established governing authority. While governments take on different forms, the principle of government or governing authority has been established by God. Whether that authority is wielded by a monarch or an elected legislature varies with the people involved.

Jesus recognized this principle at work when He said to Pilate, "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above." (John 19:11, ESV)

This principle cuts both ways. Jesus remained in subjection even though wrong was being done, but Pilate would have to answer to God for the injustice being done. This being the case, it is awesome to realize that Pilate will stand before Jesus to be judged in the final judgment. It was Pilate who said to Jesus, "Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?" (John 19:10, ESV) Oh Pilate, did you not know who you were talking to?

Jesus remained in subjection even though He was being treated unjustly. The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 3:13-14 that we are blessed if we suffer for doing what is right. It says:

Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. (1 Peter 3:13-14, NLT)

Romans 12:2 recaps the necessity for our subjection to the governing authorities when it says:

Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. (Romans 13:2, ESV)

Even in cases where the law of God supersedes the law of man, the Christian will incur judgment for breaking the laws of man. For example, where it is against the law to name the name of Christ, many of our brothers and sisters suffer the consequences, as did the Apostle Paul, who suffered for the sake of Christ.

We are talking about being subject to the governing authority, and this is an obligation we share with all mankind. Now we need to consider what this subjection looks like. This brings us to our second point. We are to do good.

I Peter 3:13 asked the question, "Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good?"

Romans 13:3 addresses this same question saying:

For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, (Romans 13:3 ESV)

The first reason given for doing good is fear. It is necessary for us to do good if we would live without fear. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 carries this a step further when it instructs us to pray for those in authority. Verse 2 says:

Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. (1 Timothy 2:2 NLT)

Living peaceful and quiet lives lends itself to the spreading of the gospel. It is much easier to share the gospel with our neighbors if we are not living in fear of the law, or in trouble with the law. This is consistent with Romans 12:18 that instructs us, “Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.” (NLT)

Living a life free of fear and in peace with one’s neighbors is one benefit of doing good, and Romans 13:4 gives another reason for doing good. It says:

...for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. (Romans 13:4 ESV)

This verse makes it clear that governing authorities exist in part to punish or restrain wrongdoing. The statement “he does not bear the sword in vain” points out the fact that the governing authority has the power of life and death over us. This is why it is never a good idea to be belligerent or aggressive when dealing with the police. So, the second reason given for doing good is the avoidance of punishment.

Romans 13:5 recaps the idea of doing good by saying:

Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. (Romans 13:5 ESV)

In this verse, the idea of conscience is introduced. This is another reason for doing good. Having a good conscience is invaluable. In speaking to his young protégé, Timothy, Paul gave these instructions:

...holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, (1 Timothy 1:19 ESV)

Keeping a good conscience is so important that not doing it can lead to the shipwreck of one’s faith.

Doing good is necessary then for three reasons: 1) freedom from fear, 2) avoiding punishment, and 3) keeping a good conscience.

So far we have seen that the Christian is to be in subjection and do good. Now, we have only to look at the issue of taxes. Romans 13:6-7 says:

For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. (Romans 13:6-7 ESV)

Verse 6 begins “For because of this...” indicating that it is for the reasons already listed that one should pay their taxes. So, one should pay their taxes to be free of fear, avoid punishment and keep a good conscience. However, there is one more reason given, and that is because the authorities are the servants of God.

Whether they acknowledge God or not, those in authority answer to God for their conduct. As believers, we are ambassadors for Christ, and we serve this function under the governing authorities of the world. The Bible is full of examples of men and women of God who participated in government to the glory of God even when those governments were ungodly. Daniel served in the courts of three pagan kings. Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther all served God in governments that did not fear God. God used these people in miraculous ways to accomplish His purposes.

On the other hand, we have many examples in Scripture of those who suffered persecution at the hands of the governing authorities. God used their suffering in miraculous ways to accomplish His purposes.

Romans 13:1-7 shows us that whether we are in government, persecuted by government or just putting up with the necessity of government, as believers we are to be subject to government, do good and pay our taxes.

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^[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seat_belt_legislation, accessed October 25, 2018.

^[2] Ibid.

Service in a Fallen World

Romans 12:9-21

Romans 12 appeals to us by the mercies of God to offer up ourselves as living sacrifices. Then it tells us that God has gifted each of us for service. By the grace of God, we are individually members one of another, forming a body, the Body of Christ. And, each of us has an important role to fill in the body.

This synopsis takes us through the first eight verses of Romans 12. Verses 9 through 21 show us what our service looks like in a fallen, hostile world. Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation,” (John 16:33) and Romans 12:9-21 shows us our response to the world’s hostility.

As Christians living in a fallen world, our faith should show three things to the world. Verses 9-13 show us how our faith should show our solidarity to the world. Verses 14-16 show us how our faith should show our meekness to the world. And, verses 17-21 show us how our faith should show our strength to the world.

The first issue addressed is that of our solidarity before the world. We are a body and as such our unity is essential, especially before the world. Romans 12:9-13 speaks to this issue. The first issue addressed is: “Let love be Genuine.” (Romans 12:9, ESV)

I love how the King James Version translates this sentence. “Let love be without dissimulation.” According to the dictionary, dissimulation means “concealment of one's thoughts, feelings, or character; pretense.”^[1] I found myself fascinated by the word used in the Greek which was simply “not hypocritical.”

It is easy to feign love, but to have genuine love requires the help of the Holy Spirit. We know the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and the second is like it in that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. However, do any of us keep these commandments? All the behaviors described in Romans 12:9-21 grow out of or are a result of genuine love.

The world is hostile to the Gospel and the Church, and the first thing the world needs to see is that we genuinely love one another. Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35 ESV)

This love is an integral part of our being a body and is part of the framework of our unity. Each command that follows in verses 9 through 13 is another piece of our unity as a body before the world. These verses read:

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. (Romans 12:9-13 ESV)

Should we as a body harbor evil? Can we stand if we do not hold fast to what is good?

How do we display brotherly affection? Is it not by considering others as more important than ourselves? Brotherly affection is followed naturally by the next command. “Outdo one another in showing honor.” Honoring each other is a natural part of genuine love. If it is feigned or fake, it will do much damage to the unity of the body. However, brotherly affection and honoring one another lead naturally to strengthening and building each other up. Solidarity means standing together, presenting a united front against the enemy who is out to destroy us. We must remember that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against evil in the heavenly places.

This spiritual battle is also why it is vital that we remain zealous and fervent in spirit. Let us take a warning from the church in Laodicea. When Jesus addressed this church He said:

I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16 ESV)

Zeal and passion for the service of the Lord, and the wellbeing of the body and of our brothers and sisters in Christ must set us apart from the world. These also are the marks of genuine love.

While this solidarity in the face of the enemy is essential for the body, it is not the only thing that is necessary. In verses 14-16, Romans shows us our need to demonstrate our faith through meekness. It begins this by stating, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” (Romans 12:14, ESV)

If you are tempted to think of meekness as weakness, this command should put that idea to rest. What kind of strength does it take to bless those who persecute you? Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5 ESV) True meekness displays strength and faith that will inherit the earth.

I liked the definition that Wikipedia provides:

Meekness is an attribute of human nature and behavior. It has been defined several ways: righteous, humble, teachable, and patient under suffering, long suffering, willing to follow gospel teachings; an attribute of a true disciple.

Meekness has been contrasted with humility as referring to behavior towards others, whereas humility refers to an attitude towards oneself – meekness meaning restraining one's own power, so as to allow room for others.^[2]

Meekness demonstrates faith as we trust in the justice, love, and faithfulness of our God and Father. Blessing those who curse us signals the ultimate defeat of our enemy. However, having spoken of the defeat of our enemy, we must once again remind ourselves that our enemy is not flesh and blood. This is why we bless those who curse us. This is why we pray for those who persecute us. (Matthew 5:44)

The attitude of meekness is shown in verses 15 and 16 in our attitude toward our neighbors. We rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. This mutual sharing of joys and sorrows is not limited to those in the Body of Christ. It is to be our practice wherever we are. Christians have always had unbelieving neighbors. The love of Christ compels us to show preference to them in love, to live in harmony with them and to not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.

Verse 16 ends with the admonition to “Never be wise in your own sight.” As Christians, we have the truth. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) Since we know the way, the truth, and the life, we can be tempted to think that we also know more or are somehow better than our unbelieving neighbor. Just as Romans 12:3 warns us not to overestimate our importance in the body, we also must not overestimate our wisdom in the world. An unbeliever may be more intelligent, better educated and more capable than a believer. It is not our wisdom or cleverness that has saved us. It is the grace of God that saves.

We must pray for the unbelieving. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 tells us:

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4 ESV)

In the case of the unbelieving, the god of this world has blinded their minds. This does not mean that they might not be much more intelligent than you or I. It does mean they need our prayers and it does mean that we might learn something by dialoguing with them. We do not have to win an argument or prove the truth. Instead of assuming we are wiser, it may be more productive to seek to understand.

Humility goes hand in hand with meekness. Meekness is humility clothed in strength, and that strength comes from faith in our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Are we so afraid of being overcome that we must bluster our way through when we do not know all the answers?

This leads us to the next thing that our faith should show to the world, our strength.

Strength is so closely related to meekness that I debated the wisdom of separating the two for our purposes today. For example, we demonstrate our strength when we bless those who persecute us, which is also a function of meekness. However, the admonitions of Romans 12:17-21 bring into clear focus the strength gained through faith.

When we do not repay evil for evil and when we leave vengeance to God, we demonstrate the strength that comes from the Spirit of God. Philippians 1:28 makes an excellent point about this when it says:

Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. (Philippians 1:28 NLT)

Our strength is demonstrated by overcoming evil with good, by returning kindness for cursing.

However, no matter how kind, loving and respectful we may be, not everyone will want to live peaceably with us. Romans 12:18 says:

 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. (Romans 12:18 ESV)

We will never live at peace with all men because not all men desire to be at peace with us. This is why it is necessary for us to trust God and leave room for His vengeance and judgment.

While I have stressed that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, Romans 12:20 assumes that we will have enemies that we can minister to with water when they are thirsty and food when they are hungry. The whole world lies in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19), and therefore, we are instructed to be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves. While we are to be kind to and pray for our enemies, there are people under the control of the evil one that we would not want to be alone with, give the key to our house to or even our address. Romans 13 tells us that the civil authorities exist to deal with those who do wrong, and many people do wrong.

Jesus warned us (Matthew 10:16) that He was sending us out as sheep among wolves, making it clear that our service for Him would be carried out in a hostile world. Our faith shows itself to the world in our solidarity, meekness, and strength. We have looked briefly at Romans 12:9-21 at how these things work out practically in our lives. The point is that we are overcomers.  We overcome evil with good because we are victors in our Lord Jesus Christ. He has overcome the world, and our faith overcomes the world through Him.

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^[1] Google, accessed Oct 18, 2018.

^[2] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meekness, accessed October 20, 2018,

Measure of Faith

Romans 12:3-8

Romans 12:1-2 teaches us that all of our service for the Lord begins with offering up ourselves as living sacrifices. The remainder of the book of Romans shows us the many practical aspects of living as a sacrifice. The first thing we learn is that God has given each of us a measure of faith.

Our service for the Lord is motivated by the mercies of God which have been mapped out for us in the preceding chapters of Romans. Now, as we come to the mapping out of our service, the author, Paul, first establishes his authority or right to speak to us concerning our service for the Lord. He says, "For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you..." (Romans 12:3 ESV) His instruction is based on the "grace given" to him and his instruction is for "everyone among" us.

In Romans 15:15-16, Paul describes the grace given to him.

But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:15-16 ESV)

In these verses, Paul says that he was given grace to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. This echoes the first verses of the book of Romans where Paul describes himself as “...a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.” (Romans 1:1 ESV)

Paul was conscious of His special calling as the apostle of Christ to the Gentiles, and reminds us of it on a number of occasions. In 1 Corinthians 15:9-10, he says:

For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (1 Corinthians 15:9-10 ESV)

Paul says his calling as an apostle was by the grace of God, and it is to this grace that he refers in Romans 12:3 when he says, “For by the grace given to me...” As the Apostle of Christ to the Gentiles, he has both the right and responsibility to address us in regard to our service for Christ.

This leads us quite naturally to the part where he says, “...I say to everyone among you.” By this statement, he makes it abundantly clear that his words apply to us all. No one is exempt.

We all tend to think of ourselves as exceptions. When we speed or do not signal when we change lanes, it is no big deal. Maybe we just forgot to signal, and since we are late to work, we are justified to go a little over the speed limit. However, when someone else does these things, they are idiots who are making it unsafe to be on the road. God, however, is no respecter of persons. He shows no partiality. 

Paul’s statement is emphatic and cuts against our tendency to think of ourselves as exceptions. He is addressing each one of us. This emphatic statement is necessary because the first issue he addresses is common to all of us. He says, “...I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think.” (Romans 12:3 ESV)

Romans 12:3 is not the only place Paul addresses this human tendency to overestimate one’s own importance. In Philippians 2, he says:

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. (Philippians 2:3 ESV)

Repeated admonitions against thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought bring home to us the fact that this is a problem common to all. And, it is one of the chief threats to our effective service to the Lord.

Two Scriptural warnings come to mind as we think about this tendency to overestimate one’s self. First, Proverbs 26:12 says:

Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. (Proverbs 26:12 ESV)

Second, Galatians 6:3 says:

For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. (Galatians 6:3 ESV)

Isn’t it interesting? The devil is a deceiver, but if we think we are something when we are nothing, we apparently do his work for him.

In order to guard against this, Paul admonishes us to “...think with sober judgment.” (Romans 12:3) Sober-minded judgment comes with maturity in Christ. In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul says, “Brothers, do not be children in your thinking.” (1 Corinthians 14:20 ESV) It is instructive for us to note that in the church with the most strife, the most error and the most moral corruption, there was a problem with childish thinking.

Sober-minded thinking is necessary to our lives as children of God, followers of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Peter gives us two admonitions in 1 Peter reminding us to be sober minded. These are:

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:13 ESV)

This first admonition comes at the beginning of the letter as Peter lays the groundwork for what he is saying. The second comes at the end of the letter and is much more ominous in tone.

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8 ESV)

This verse brings home to us the importance of being sober-minded. A sober-minded assessment of one’s self begins with being transformed in one’s mind as Romans 12:2 has already instructed us, and it continues as we learn to base our assessment according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

Before we go much further we must clarify, sober does not mean somber. Somber means dark or gloomy. We have the joy of the Lord as our strength and are instructed to rejoice in the Lord always. We can rejoice and be glad in the Lord without being childish in our thinking and behavior. A sober assessment of ourselves in light of the grace of God brings us much cause for rejoicing and thanksgiving. The definition of sober I am working from is to be serious and sensible. A serious, sensible assessment of the grace of God brings joy.

Part of the grace of God is the faith that He has gifted us with. Each of us is given a measure of faith. As we see in Romans 12:3, each is given faith in a measure that God assigns. Ephesians 2:8 tells us:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God... (Ephesians 2:8 ESV)

We understand from this that even the faith we exercise in being saved is not of ourselves; it is the gift of God.

Romans 12:3-8 makes it clear that not all have the same measure of faith. If I am honest with myself, at times I am tempted to envy the faith of others. Some people seem to be gifted with great faith. In fact, faith is one of the spiritual gifts. However, God has a reason for giving each of us a different measure of faith. Romans 12:4-5 gives us that reason when it says:

For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. (Romans 12:4-5 ESV)

The reason God has given us a different measure of faith is that we are a body and individually members one of another. Each of us has a different function, and we are dependent on each other.

This is a crucial part of our service, and it is essential that we understand this. This is why a sober-minded assessment of ourselves is also important. We are individually members of one another.

It is important to realize that we are individuals. Each one is unique, and that uniqueness is both important to the body and necessary for the role the individual has to fill in the body. When we childishly think that our role is the most important, we hurt the body, and in the same way, when we think that we are not necessary to the body, we also hurt the body. Each part of the body has a function. In another place, using the analogy of a body, the Apostle Paul tells us that just as hands, feet and eyes have different functions and yet each is necessary, so it is with us. Each of us has a different function. Therefore, while it is important to realize that we are individuals, it is equally important to realize that we are joined together in a body. We are not independent of each other. Galatians 6:2 & 5 point out the two sides of this when they say:

Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

       and

For each will have to bear his own load.

(Galatians 6:2, 5 ESV)

Individually we are responsible for ourselves and yet corporately we are responsible for each other. This is where Romans 12:6 takes us.

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them... (Romans 12:6 ESV)

This is the whole point of the measure of faith that has been given to each of us; that we might use our gifts. Let’s read verses 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. (Romans 12:6-8 ESV)

In using the gifts God has given us, we exercise our faith. In these verses, we have listed several ways we can do this in prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, contributing, leading and mercy. This list represents the categories that we serve in. As individuals, we will all serve differently, but all of our service can be categorized under one of these from this list.

Paul’s instruction is to each one of us. As the Apostle to the Gentiles, he has the right and responsibility to instruct us. He clearly states that we each should be using our gifts.

If you are not using your gift, why not?

All our service begins with presenting our bodies as living sacrifices, and our service works itself out as we soberly assess our place in the Body of Christ.

Let us ask ourselves questions in keeping with Paul’s instruction.

Do I think of myself too highly? Am I serving?

Reasonable Service

Romans 12:1-2

The great Apostle Paul begins Romans 12 with an appeal. He urges us to take action. He pleads with us. He urges us to do two things. First, He urges us to present our bodies as living sacrifices, and, second, he urges us to not be conformed but rather, to be transformed.

We are going to focus on these two things, but before we do that we must consider the mercies of God. Paul’s plea or urging is based upon these mercies. He says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God...” (Romans 12:1, ESV)

“Therefore” in this sentence refers back to what has just been said. In chapter 11, concerning the mercy of God, Paul has just said, “For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.” (Romans 11:32 ESV)

God worked in such a way as to have mercy on us all.

As Jesus hung suffering on the cross, those who had put Him there stood by mocking. They were saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.” (Matthew 27:42 ESV) On either side of Jesus was a thief who was also being crucified. Matthew tells us that these two also joined in the mocking. Then came a moment when one of the thieves realized the truth of the situation and he said to the other thief, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” (Luke 23:40-41 ESV) This thief realized that his suffering was just. He deserved it, but Jesus did not. He then turned to Jesus and this was the exchange they had:

And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:42-43 ESV)

This is a picture of mercy. A man who by his own confession deserved to die for his sins is promised paradise simply because he asked. And what is more, at the very moment he asked, Jesus was suffering to pay the price for that man’s sins. We all deserve to die for our sins, and yet God has mercy on us all.

This mercy is our motivation for service. God can and does command our love. However, He seeks to woo us and draw us to Himself. As 1 John says, “We love him, because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19 KJV)

In view of this overwhelming love and mercy, we are called upon to serve God. Romans 12 and following will discuss our service and Romans 12:1-2 provides the synopsis of that service.

The first thing we are called upon to do is to present our bodies as living sacrifices.

Inherent in the word “sacrifice” is the idea of devotion. For example, a sacrifice on the altar was consumed by fire. Therefore, it was of no use to anyone else. It had been devoted to the Lord, and was therefore not to be used by anyone else.  A living sacrifice, therefore, means to live a life devoted to the Lord.

The biggest upshot of this is that we no longer live to please ourselves. This reminds me of the battle with the flesh that is spoken of in Romans 7. If we try to do this by the flesh, we will find that we do the very things that we do not want to do. We must rely on Jesus. Walk according to the Spirit and you will not fulfill the desires to the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)

Not only is the sacrifice said to be living it is said to be “holy and acceptable to God.” 

In the Old Testament, the animal that was sacrificed was to be without blemish, perfect. The idea of a holy and acceptable sacrifice implies a sacrifice without sin and impurity. My problem is that I know that I am not without sin. Certainly, on my own, my sacrifice of myself is not acceptable to God. We must not think that by sacrificing ourselves or even by throwing ourselves into the flames we are somehow made acceptable to God. If we do this, we will hear as Jesus Himself promised, “Depart from me; I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:23). We are made perfect in Jesus Christ. The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Our sacrifice is holy and acceptable because of Jesus, God’s Son and His sacrifice for us. It is important that we grasp this order of things. We are made holy and acceptable by Jesus Christ first and this is why we, in turn, are able to offer up ourselves as sacrifices. 

This sacrifice of ourselves is called our “reasonable service,” or, as the ESV has it, our “spiritual worship.” The word Paul uses for service here is a word that could be translated simply “worship.” It is used in Romans 9:4 to describe the ritual service and worship of the Temple as given to the Jews. Our true, or reasonable, or rational worship is found in devoting our lives completely to the Lord Jesus Christ. While singing songs of praise, praying and reading Scripture are forms of worship, our true worship begins in the heart wholly devoted to the Lord.

This week I read a passage in Ezekiel that brought me up short as it brought home to me how easily I am distracted from purity of devotion to Christ. In Ezekiel 14, the leaders of the Jews in captivity in Babylon came to Ezekiel seeking to hear from the Lord. And, the Lord said, “Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them?” (Ezekiel 14:3 ESV) If we have things, including self, in our hearts that we are more devoted to than Jesus, then we are not presenting ourselves as living sacrifices, and need to repent.

Along with presenting ourselves as living sacrifices, we are called upon to not be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Being conformed is a passive thing. We do not have to do anything to be conformed. Wake up in the morning and go to work and the world is busy from start to finish conforming us. We listen to the news. We listen to whatever music is playing. We watch our favorite sitcom. All these things are overwhelmingly shaped by the prince and the power of the air. If we are passive and do nothing, we will be shaped in our thinking in the manner in which the prince and the power of the air wants us to be. Paul’s appeal is in two parts. The first part is to not passively let the conforming process take place.

The second part is to actively participate in the renewal of our minds. We must be intentional about our spirituality, or our minds. Spiritual growth does not just “happen.” What mother would expect her baby to grow if she did not feed it? Yet many of us think we are spiritual giants because we memorized John 3:16. God has given us a whole book, a compilation of 66 books by 44 different authors revealed over almost 1,500 years. And, most of us have barely scratched the surface of knowing what it says. Do not read books about the Bible until you have read the Bible, several times. Maybe I am too harsh. However, we must read the Bible. This is the key to the second part of the two-part appeal. We are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

The renewal of our minds is a work of the Holy Spirit. My part is to yield to the Holy Spirit and to participate with the Holy Spirit. Intentionally putting God’s word in my heart is the chief way I participate with the Holy Spirit.

Romans 12:2 finishes off by saying, “...that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

This brings us back to the mercies of God. If we present our bodies as living sacrifices and are transformed by the renewing of our minds, we will test or prove what is the will of God. We will be able to discern the will of God. The testing or proving is the actual experience of these things. What is it that we experience? We experience that God is good. His will is good and acceptable and perfect. As Psalms 34:8 tells us, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” (Psalms 34:8 ESV)

Will you not taste and see how good the Lord is?