Today’s reading is Job 29-33, Psalm 21, and Romans 11-12.
As I have mentioned, Romans is a very theological book. But one thing we can learn from Paul is that theology is pointless without application. Paul could have ended his epistle to the Romans after chapter 11, this is where his treatise on justification and who salvation is for ends, but Paul knew better. Inspired by the Holy Spirit Paul continues, telling us what we are to do with the information.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:1-2
Remember, Paul is writing to Jew and Gentile Christians. When he uses the Greek word αδελφοι (adelphoi) he is not just reminding them that they are his brothers and sisters, he is reminding them that they are brothers and sisters.
My youth pastor growing up would always say, “When you get to a ‘therefore,’ ask ‘what is it there for?'” Paul is about to tell the Christians at Roman what to do with all of this information. He is telling them, “since you are justified by faith; since you, Gentiles; have been grafted in; since you, Jews and Gentiles, are one, this is now how you ought to live.” And they are to live as living sacrifices, “holy and pleasing to God.” Why? Because “this is your true and proper worship” (emphasis added).
Since we are justified and a part of Israel, we are to worship God. How do we worship Him? By being a living sacrifice. Being a living sacrifice means we “do not conform to the pattern of this world” but instead conform to Christ. We conform to Christ “by the renewing of your mind.” When our mind is renewed, it is focused on God. Our mind being renewed means it has been made fresh.[1] If you are in Christ, when you conform to Him, your mind has had a complete change to be tuned in with His.
Paul continues, since our minds have been renewed and we are living as brothers and sisters and living sacrifices, we are to act as one body, the Church, using our gifts as we’ve been given.
Many of the Jewish believers saw them selves as superior to the Gentile believers because they were direct descendants from Abraham. In chapter 11 when Paul speaks about the Gentiles being grafted in, he also warns the Jewish believers that it is possible to be cut off. So he says to both the Jewish and Gentile believer, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” (Romans 12:3). God gave all of them faith – faith is a gift from – and He distributes it differently to each of us. This distribution includes the gifts He has given: prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, teaching, giving, leading, and showing mercy (Romans 12:6-8).[2]
Being the body of Christ is not just about using and sharing our gifts; it is also about being “devoted to one another in love” (Romans 12:10). Part of the reason we love each other is because we’ve share our gifts with each other and part of the reason we share our gifts with each other is because we love each other. It is a circle of mutual reciprocation.
Paul teaches us how to be devoted to one another in love: honor one another above ourselves (Romans 12:10b); share the Lord’s supper with one another (Romans 12:13); be hospitable (Romans 12:13); rejoice and mourn with one another (Romans 12:15); live in harmony by not being proud or conceited and associate with those who are in a low position (Romans 12:16). There are so many more ways to be devoted to one another in love, but our mind have to have been renewed in Christ. That is where is all begins.
As an aspiring student and teacher of theology, one of the things I must remember is that theology must be practical. For too long theology was done us in lofty towers (Luther did much of his theological work locked away in a tower at Wartburg castle). There is a new movement within many churches and traditions to bring theology back to the pews. Romans is a great book to remind us of this (as well as Ephesians and Colossians).
Romans can be a tough book to read. It is heady. A person has to have familiarity with the Old Testament and God’s promises to the Jews in order to understand some of Paul’s language. But we have the Old Testament, it is not reserved for tower theologians, it is for armchair theologians, too. For you and me. The work done by tower theologians can help and assist armchair theologians. But no matter what type of theologian we are, theology needs to be practical.
The theology of Romans is that we are saved by faith and it is a gift. The practical application of Romans is that we are the body of Christ and we are called to be living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. We are to use our gifts – given freely by God through the gift of faith – to love and devote ourselves to one another.
Notes:
[1] Renewing comes from the Greek word ἀνακαίνωσις (anakainósis). ἀνακαίνωσις has the preposition ανα (ana) which intensifies the root word, καινός (kainós), which means “fresh, new, unused, novel.” By adding the prefix ανα, which in this case means “up, completing a process,” renewing not only means our mind becomes new or novel, it is intensely new or novel. It has been given a “complete change for the better.” https://biblehub.com/greek/342.htm
[2] Romans 12:6-8 is only a partial list of the gifts we are given. Others are listed in 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4:11.
Join me in finishing this year by reading through the Bible through a Psalm a Day. Find my reading plan here.
All Scripture used on Oregon Christian Girl comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Unless otherwise noted.
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