Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Romans 12

“Therefore” establishes a connection with the entire foregoing presentation in this letter. It particularly relates to 6:13, 19, as a comparison of the terminology will show. The apostle begins by urging his readers instead of simply instructing them (“urge” lies between commanding and beseeching). “Mercy” (GK 3880) denotes that quality in God that moved him to deliver sinners from their state of sin and misery and therefore underlies his saving activity in Christ. It serves here as the leverage for the appeal that follows. Whereas the heathen are prone to sacrifice in order to obtain mercy, biblical faith teaches that the divine mercy provides the basis for a life of sacrifice as the fitting response. Since the milieu of thought is so similar to ch. 6, it is natural to conclude that “bodies” (GK 3393) here include both the person (the volition of the one making the dedication) and the bodily powers that are thus set apart for God’s use. In Greek thought the body was considered the receptacle containing the soul, but this was not the Hebraic concept, which viewed the human being as a unit. Thus Paul is not urging the dedication of the body as an entity distinct from the inner self; rather, he views the body as the vehicle that implements the desires and choices of the redeemed spirit. Through the body we serve God.

The words “offer” and “sacrifices” are cultic terms (cf. 15:16). Before a priest in Israel could minister on behalf of others, he had to present himself in a consecrated state and the sacrifices he offered were to be without blemish (Malachi 1:8–13). “Holy” (GK 41) is a reminder of that necessity for the Christian, not in terms of rite or ritual but as renouncing the sins of the old life and being committed to a life of obedience to the divine will (cf. 6:19). The body is not evil in itself; if it were, God would not ask that it be offered to him. As an instrument, it is capable of expressing either sin or righteousness. If we do the latter, then we give an offering “pleasing to God.” The word “living” may glance by way of contrast to the animal sacrifices of the OT, which, when offered, no longer possessed life. But it is also a reminder that spiritual life, received from God in the new birth, is the presupposition of a sacrifice acceptable to him. Christian sacrifice has in view a total life of service to God. In Israel the whole burnt offering ascended to God and could never be reclaimed. It belonged to God.

Next, the living sacrifice is equated with “spiritual worship.” While the exact sense is difficult to determine, the main idea is that the sacrifice we render to God is intelligent and deliberate, in contrast to the sacrifices of the Jewish worship in which the animals had no part in determining what was to be done with them. “Worship” (GK 3301) is perhaps too narrow a translation, for in the strict sense worship is adoration of God, which does not fit well with the concept of “bodies.” The term “service” (KJV) has an advantage, since it covers the entire range of a Christian’s life and activity (cf. Dt 10:12). Serving God is the proper sequel to worship.

The dedicated life is also the transformed life. Whereas v.1 called for a decisive commitment, v.2 deals with the maintenance of that commitment. We must be continually vigilant lest our original decision to serve God is vitiated or weakened. The threat comes from “this world” (GK 172), whose ways and thoughts can so easily impinge on the child of God. Believers have been delivered from this present evil age (Galatians 1:4), which has Satan for its god (2 Corinthians 4:4), and they live by the powers of the age to come (Hebrews 6:5). But their heavenly calling includes residence in this world, among sinful people, where they must show forth the praises of him who called them out of darkness into God’s marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). They are in the world for witness, not for conformity to that which is a passing phenomenon (1 Corinthians 7:31).

Complementary to the refusal to be conformed to the pattern of this world is the command to be “transformed” (GK 5565). These two processes of renunciation and renewal are going on all the time. Our pattern is Christ, who refused Satan’s solicitations in his temptation and was transfigured in his acceptance of the path that led to Calvary (Mark 9:2–3). As his mission could be summarized in the affirmation that he had come to do the Father’s will , so the Christian’s service can be reduced to this simple description. But we must “test and approve,” refusing the norms of conduct employed by the sinful world and reaffirming for ourselves spiritual norms befitting the redeemed. Aiding this process is “the renewing of your mind”; i.e., believers must keep going back in their thoughts to their original commitment and reaffirm its necessity and legitimacy in the light of God’s grace extended to them. In this activity the working of the Holy Spirit is important (cf. Titus 3:5). Believers are not viewed as ignorant of God’s will, but as needing to avoid blurring its outline by failure to renew the mind continually (cf. Ephesians 5:8–10). Dedication leads to discernment and discernment to delight in God’s will. An intimate connection between certifying the will of God and making oneself a living sacrifice is demonstrated by the use of “pleasing” in each case (cf. Php 4:18; Hebrews 13:16).

The will of God (v.2) is identical for all believers in respect to holiness of life and completeness of dedication. But what that will involves for each one with respect to special service in the church may be considerably diverse. Since God also calls for individual application in a Christian’s life, the apostle must remind his readers of his authority to expound this subject even though he is unknown to most of them and their gifts are unknown to him (cf. 1:5; Galatians 2:9; Ephesians 3:7). But this reminder is not intended to erect a barrier between himself and them, because what he has by way of authority and teaching ability is traced to divine grace, the same grace that has bestowed spiritual gifts on them.

In addressing himself deliberately to “every one of you,” Paul grants that every believer has some spiritual gift (cf. v.6; 1 Peter 4:10). But his primary goal in getting their attention in this regard is to drive home the necessity of appropriating and using their gifts with utmost humility. After all, God did not have to spread his gifts around so lavishly. Paul recognizes the danger that the possession of a particular gift can easily result in pride (v.3; cf. his experience with the Corinthian church, 1 Corinthians 12:14–31; 13:4; 14:12, 20). He equates humility with “sober judgment,” in contrast to thinking of oneself more highly than one should (cf. also v.16). Obviously, there is less danger of a person’s depreciating himself than of exaggerating one’s own importance.

Is there some gauge that will enable a person to estimate his or her position with respect to spiritual gifts? Paul answers in the affirmative, pointing to “the measure of faith.” “Faith” (GK 4411) here, as elsewhere in Paul, is that which a Christian exercises; it is subjective rather than objective. One’s faith should provide the basis for a true estimation of oneself, since it reveals that each believer is dependent on the saving mercy of God. That, in turn, ought to induce humility.

To offset the danger of individualistic thinking with its resulting danger of pride, Paul refers to the human body—an illustration familiar from his earlier use of it in 1 Corinthians 12:12ff. Three truths are set forth: the unity of the body; the diversity of its members, with corresponding diversity in function; and the mutuality of the various members—“each member belongs to all the others.” The third item calls attention to the need of the various parts of the body for each other. None can work independently. Furthermore, each member profits from what the other members contribute to the whole. Reflection on these truths reduces preoccupation with one’s own gift and makes room for appreciation of other people and their gifts.

To offset the danger of individualistic thinking with its resulting danger of pride, Paul refers to the human body—an illustration familiar from his earlier use of it in 1 Corinthians 12:12ff. Three truths are set forth: the unity of the body; the diversity of its members, with corresponding diversity in function; and the mutuality of the various members—“each member belongs to all the others.” The third item calls attention to the need of the various parts of the body for each other. None can work independently. Furthermore, each member profits from what the other members contribute to the whole. Reflection on these truths reduces preoccupation with one’s own gift and makes room for appreciation of other people and their gifts.