2/25/07

The Practicals of the Christian Life, Part One

Romans 12:3, 9-21

[3]  For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to have sound judgment, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.  [9]  Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.   [10]  Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; [11]  not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; [12]  rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; [13]  contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. [14]  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. [15]  Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. [16]  Be of the same mind toward one another. do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. [17]  Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.  Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. [18]  If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. [21]  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. [20]  Therefore, "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head."  [19]  Beloved, never take your own revenge, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. 

Romans 12:3, 9-21

[3]  For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to have sound judgment, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

 Verse three really sets the stage for the rest of this chapter.  Without the ruling nature of this verse being active in a person’s heart, nothing else that Paul says to us will be of any affect.  The humility spoken of here is not shallow at all.  It will go to the depths of the spirit revealing the emptiness of life without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.  There is a kind of “humility” that is false.  It is self-imposed for one’s benefit…it is manipulatory, to gain favor from others.  It is the Philippians 2:5, it is the Luke 9:23, it is the James 4:10 kind of humility.  It is pure.  It does not look at what this will do for us.  It will not draw attention to us.  God’s kind of humility comes solely by the inner working of God’s grace in our lives.  God must grant it.  Were it not to come from Him, it would strictly be that which is force-produced by our flesh.  God’s humility is always for the benefit of others, not for ourselves.  As we look at these verses, we can see that humility is the hub of all the other activity that God calls us to.  We must be cautioned here.  Humility is not something we conjure up, as if I say, “I will be humble.”  Quite the contrary.  It is recognizing that I cannot be humble.  Everything in us calls for exaltation.  We want to be on top; we want to be first; we want to be the best; we want to be the most spiritual; we want to be the most admired, etc.  Therefore, the essence of humility is acknowledging that we are not.  A prayer like, “Heavenly Father, I know that what you call me to is impossibly fulfilled in the flesh.  Yet, you command me to be humble.  So I declare my desire to be obedient to your call and I desire to ‘have this mind which was also in Christ Jesus.’  You own Son set His heart and mind aside for Your glory (humility).  And, that is what I want for my life.  I thank You that You are even now working in my life imparting to me the power of Your Spirit enabling me to set aside my desires, so that Your power will rule my life, and enabling me to fulfill the commands seen in Your Word below.”

 [9]  Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.

 HIS humility working in one’s heart establishes the working of HIS AGAPE.  When AGAPE is ruling one’s heart, there is no way that it is false or insincere.   The word “abhor” in the Greek is rendered “hate.”  We must hate sin and what is evil.  The use of the term “poneros” (evil) in this syntax generally applies to that which has evil effect or influence on us.  We have been shown so many images of sin all doctored up by TV and the movies that we sometimes even think it to be exciting.  We face things like gossip, adultery, lust, greed, pride, self-centeredness, jealousy, demandingness, etc. in our lives.  On a Verizon commercial that I recently saw, they were bragging about their calls not being dropped…the phone is on, you can confidently connect “when you are ready to gossip.”  Now that is a brag I would want, huh?  If we don’t hate sin, Satan will make it look acceptable and palatable.  Rather, God says, we are to cling to what is good.  The word “cling” has a root that means “to be stuck to something.”  In our colloquial terms, we would say we should be “glued” or united to that which is good, that the essence of the “good” actually becomes a part of our nature.  The only goodness at our disposal is what the Holy Spirit is doing in us.  The word “cling”  is the same word used in Ephesians 5:31, where it says that “the man shall leave his mother and father and shall cleave to his wife.”  The word “cleave” is the same Greek root word “kollao”.  The essence is that whatever we cling to, we become one with what we are clinging to.  The more I cling to God, the less I am inclined to look at evil as good.

 [10]  Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;

 I want to re-assert the importance of these verses.  They not only have significant impact on the church, but they have their applicatory beginnings in the home.  Perhaps, because I am teaching the couple’s seminar at this time, the application of these verses cannot just be looked at in terms of the church.  I would say that if these actions are not in force at home, they will have no power in the church.  How am I to learn “kindly affection” that is to be dispensed within the church, if I am not experiencing it at home?  The term “kindly affection” has at its Greek root the sense of family affection.  The essence of the compound “philo” (kindly, genuine, revered) and “storge” (family affection) gives the understanding of tender and loving devotion.  You see, the homeland is the training ground for what goes on here.  It is unfortunate, but true, in the confines of the “mingled church” there is a lot of hypocrisy.  I have seen brothers in Christ rush up to another brother here and hug and say, “love ya, brother”, not long after seeing them have words with their children or wife in a very non-kindly affectionate manner.  This should not be.

 And this is all to be done in “giving a higher place of value” (honor) to one another.  This is the same mindset that we find in Philippians 2:3, “…let each of you regard one another as more important than himself.”  Same Grk. Root word is used.  Whether in the church setting or at home, or wherever we find ourselves, humility should rule our hearts.  Isn’t this what allows the reflection of Christ in us.  When we are living for ourselves, when our own personal interests are competing against those around us, how is Christ seen?  Is it any wonder that during these times our witness to those around us is tasteless? 

 [11]   not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;

 Personally, I don’t know of anything that strikes a deeper cord in me than to see a Christian slacker…someone who hides out until absolutely necessary to do a job…someone who is not diligent, someone who is always making excuses when what was expected is not complete for finished.  I know that from time to time, we tire or have personal problems that will, cause us to be tardy in accomplishing tasks.  But, as a general rule, since Paul says in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. “  And then again in vs. 23, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men;”  Our work is not primarily for our boss or supervisor.  Our work is unto the Lord. 

 Some people have, I think, the misconception that the phrase “serve the Lord” applies only in the context of this building.  Wrong.  Out of 168 hours a week, minus, lets say, 60 hours for sleeping, and minus, at the very most, 4 hours on Sunday and 3 hours on Wednesday and a possible addition 2 hours at a Bible study, we are left with about 14 hours of time.  If we are thinking proudly that we “serve the Lord” nine percent of the time, well we have missed the point of Scripture.  That argument sounds like the “legal tither.”  I gave my tithe and the ninety percent is mine to do with as I please.  Wrong again.  It is not ours to do with as we please.   We are to be “fervent” in all we do.  The literal Grk. is “to boil.”  God wants us zealous in our service.  The term “serving” literally means “slaving.”  We are to have the attitude of a slave.  In ancient times, when this letter was written, a slave had no option of when he was a slave.  He didn’t think, “well, this is Monday, I must be a good slave this afternoon, but the rest of the week, the master will never miss me or care what I am doing.”  I don’t think so.  A slave was chattel…someone bought, and, therefore, had no ability to choose for himself.  Paul, the apostle, often referred to himself as a “bond slave”, one in chains, by choice and by calling.  It was not something he disdained.  It was something he “gloried” in.  We have been bought with a price.  Our debt is paid.  We are no longer owners of our lives, to live for ourselves, but we have been bought with a price in order to live for the glory of God.

 [12]   rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;

 Though the comparison of circumstantial realities of life are different from today and when Paul wrote this letter to the church at Rome, there is still the need for hope in our lives.  In the first century, common people little to be hopeful in.  There were tyrannical rules…one right after the other.  Life was hard.  And then, if your were a Christian, the “heat” was even more intense.  There was a blight on the name Christ and all his disciples.  Many Christians were crucified, burned to death, fed to animals in the arenas, tortured, sold into slavery and so forth.  And yet, the early church fathers, (Clement of Rome, Mathetes, Polycarp, Ignatius, Barnabas, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Origen, Theophilus, Clement of Alexandria) wrote of the exhilaration, a rejoicing spirit that was alive in the church.  It was so because there was hope.  The Grk. word for “hope” is elpis.  It implies expectation…the reality of something that before you see it.  The word “hope” and “faith” have a similar root.  It is the assurance and expectation that is based on something promised…literally, something eternal.

 The word “patient” comes from the compound “hupomeno” literally meaning, “to stay under or behind.”  From this we get the sense of perseverance and waiting on God to move.  James says that we are to “consider it all joy” when we encounter trials, all the while knowing that the trials bring “perseverance”. Peter says that the trials “are purifying us” to be more precious than gold. 

 We are not to run from the trials.  We are to stay in them.  How are we to endure?  We have the power to endure by calling upon the grace and strength of the Holy Spirit.  Our prayers do not unleash the power of God.  The power of God is always at work.  The Holy Spirit is always conforming us.  We are to pray so that our hearts are in agreement with what God is doing.  Have there been times when you have grumbled against what God is doing in your life through trials or tribulation?  I think we have all been there.  Where God wants us to be is in the place where we see His glorious hands at work in our lives and we are rejoicing, even though we are suffering, at the hope of the final product. 

[13]   contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

koinoneo; from Greek 2844 (koinonos); to have a share of :- contributing(1), participates(1), share(4), shared(2).

dioko; from a prolongation, causative form of a primitive verb dio (to flee); to put to flight, to pursue, by implication to persecute :- persecute(10), persecuted(13), persecuting(7), persecutor(1), practicing(m)(1), press on(2), pursue(7), pursuing(2), run after(1), seek after(1).

philoxenia; from Greek 5382 (philoxenos); love of strangers :- hospitality to strangers(1).

[14]   Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

[15]   Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

 [16]   Be of the same mind toward one another. do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

 [17]   Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.  Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.

 [18]   If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

[19]   Beloved, never take your own revenge, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.

 [20]   Therefore, "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head."

 [21]   Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.