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  1. So he justifies the wicked by faith, as Rom 4:5 indicates, but having been saved by faith apart from works, the wicked change their ways, not in order to be saved, but because they have been saved. "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope— the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." Titus 2:11-14 John describes the behavior of those who have been saved, and subsequently been born of God, this way, "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God." 1John 3:9 The Bible makes very clear the distinction between how to get saved, which is solely by faith apart from works, versus the evidences that follow having been saved.
  2. Sympathize Rom 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Jesus' friend Lazarus got sick and died, and yet Jesus did not mourn - not until he was among those who were mourning. Then "Jesus wept." John 11:35 And "we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses" Heb 4:15a Empathy is a virtue, but beware of conforming to the world. For "the heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked." Jer 17:9 And thus sympathizing with others could lead to a condoning of their sin. But nonetheless, "all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." 1Pet 3:8 And "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it." 1Cor 12:26 Thus Paul says, "Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?" 2Cor 11:29 And Hebrews instructs us to "remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." Heb 13:3 The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
  3. Bless Those who Curse You Rom 12:14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. This goes beyond the sermon on the mount where Jesus said, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." Mt 5:11 The Christian is not simply to tolerate insult and abuse, but to bless one's persecutor. Paul writes, "We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it" 1Cor 4:12 The challenge is to look with favor upon those who hate you. Jesus set the example in his blessing Saul who had been zealously persecuting Christians in an official capacity. But he blessed Saul, not only bringing him to saving faith, but establishing him as an apostle, giving him a worldwide ministry. Likewise Christians need to beware of getting angry at those who persecute our friends. Jesus was rejected from one village, and when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?" But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. "For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them." Luke 9:54-56 Beware of taking up arms in the name of defending fellow Christians. Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?" John 18:11 The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
  4. Practice Hospitality Rom 12:13 Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? Jam 2:15,16 Note that hospitality is not really about entertaining people's fancy. It's primarily about meeting essential needs. Therefore, "when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed" Luke 14:13,14 Also hospitality is not so much about how you treat your friends, but how you treat strangers. Though the rich man who ended up in hell in Luke 16 was hospitable to his own, yet he neglected the poor man. The word "hospitality" used here in Rom 12:13 is "philoxenia" - "philo" meaning "to like", and "xenia" meaning strangers. Thus hospitality is particularly a challenge for Christians who grew up in xenophobic cultures. Such Christians may also find it challenging to practice generosity. Hospitality was also recommended in the case of itinerant evangelists. "Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth." 3John 1:5-8 This is the particular case Jesus was alluding to in Matt 25:35 "I was a stranger and you invited me in" The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
  5. Persevere in Hope Rom 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." Jam 1:2,3 And besides that "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." Jam 1:12 "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." 1Peter 5:10 For these reason, and because of the hope that we have, we can be joyful despite afflictions and opposing circumstances, for whatever bad things may happen to us, there is good, there is benefit. And "devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." Col 4:2 For "we do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised." Heb 6:12 "Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Eph 6:18 The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
  6. Be Enthusiastic Rom 12:11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord Paul has already spoken of the dangers of having zeal without knowledge. This was not to discourage zealousness, but to apply it properly. For zeal is a good thing as he writes in Galatians, "It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you." Gal 4:18 But such zeal should be based upon proper information with a perspective of serving the Lord. As Paul warns in the book of Galatians, religious zealousness can often be self-serving, simply trying to gain popularity. "Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them." Gal 4:17 In contrast "he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." 2Cor 5:15 "We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure." Heb 6:11 The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
  7. Be Devoted to One Another Rom 12:10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. "Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another— and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Heb 10:24,25 For how can one be said to be devoted to another unless there is some contact and interaction between the two. So if you're not involved in some sort of Christian fellowship, get to it. Don't look for perfect Christians, but for a place in which you may be allowed to edify other Christians. And may it be said of you, as it was the household of Stephanas, "they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. I urge you, brothers, to submit to such as these and to everyone who joins in the work, and labors at it." 1Cor 16:15 Concerning honor, "it is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to seek one’s own honor." Pr 25:27 So "let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips." Pr 27:2 Consider giving recognition to others. The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
  8. Godly Love, Godly Hatred Rom 12:9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Love must be genuine. In contrast are those who love for what they can get out of it, not for other people's benefit. More often than not the expression "I love you" does not express the love Paul is referring to. Rather "I love you" often means being with you makes me feel good, and so when I stop feeling good around you I won't love you anymore. Or the expression is used as a sort of magical incantation to get what you want. While the world relies upon such vain expressions, John writes, "let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1John 3:18 Christian love is expressed in deed, even as "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Rom 5:8 So also love for Jesus is expressed in deed. "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me." John 14:21 And to Peter he said "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep." John 21:17 Another misconception people often have is the idea that hatred is incompatible with love. In fact God both hates and loves. These are not incompatible. One cannot have a godly love unless they also have a godly hatred of what is evil. For note that in God's primary demonstration of love he did not compromise his hatred of sin, "who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." Titus 2:14 And despite his love for people, he will nonetheless condemn the majority to satisfy his judicial nature and holiness. "You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong. You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the LORD abhors." Ps 5:4-6 "To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech." Pr 8:13 So "let those who love the LORD hate evil" Ps 97:10a The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
  9. Godly Love, Godly Hatred Rom 12:9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Love must be genuine. In contrast are those who love for what they can get out of it, not for other people's benefit. More often than not the expression "I love you" does not express the love Paul is referring to. Rather "I love you" often means being with you makes me feel good, and so when I stop feeling good around you I won't love you anymore. Or the expression is used as a sort of magical incantation to get what you want. While the world relies upon such vain expressions, John writes, "let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1John 3:18 Christian love is expressed in deed, even as "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Rom 5:8 So also love for Jesus is expressed in deed. "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me." John 14:21 And to Peter he said "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep." John 21:17 Another misconception people often have is the idea that hatred is incompatible with love. In fact God both hates and loves. These are not incompatible. One cannot have a godly love unless they also have a godly hatred of what is evil. For note that in God's primary demonstration of love he did not compromise his hatred of sin, "who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." Titus 2:14 And despite his love for people, he will nonetheless condemn the majority to satisfy his judicial nature and holiness. "You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong. You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the LORD abhors." Ps 5:4-6 "To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech." Pr 8:13 So "let those who love the LORD hate evil" Ps 97:10a The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
  10. Yet More Gifts Rom 12:8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. "Encouraging" is more literally "exhortation", which encompasses both encouraging, warning, beseeching. We see for example Peter exercising this in Acts 2:40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation." Likewise Paul used this word in verse 1 of this chapter. "Contributing" refers to practicing generosity. Some have greater faith and resources in this matter than others. For example of the rich Paul instructs Timothy, "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share." 1Tim 6:17,18. If you're well off, God may have given you the gift of generosity. So practice it! Leadership may be referring to the gift of administration spoken of in 1Cor 12:28. This is an organizer. A CEO type of person who can both identify the giftedness and resources of others and desires to organize them efficiently. Nice gift for a church administrator. But let them not be lazy but govern diligently. For delegation can be an excuse for laziness. The one with the gift of mercy is focused on the person's emotional state, which is why it speaks of doing so cheerfully. The merciful primarily deal with emotionally hurt people, which can be depressing, and consequently the merciful must take heed not to become so wrapped up in that person's emotional state as to bring oneself down, else it's an unending spiral downwards. (That's the downside of empathy). But rather to cheer the person up. The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
  11. Serving and Teaching Rom 12:7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach These gifts of service and teaching are also mentioned here: "And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues." 1Cor 12:28 As I mentioned previously, prophecy and teaching are a couple of the most essential roles among the body of Christ, prophesying focuses on convicting the person of applications, and teaching focuses on explaining the scriptures. (For example you may have noted that I enjoy explaining things to death) But let those who teach or who want to teach take warning. For some "want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm." 1Tim 1:7 and in fact "Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly." Jam 3:1 And those who seek to be taught should likewise take heed. For there are those who in order "to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." 2Tim 4:3,4 Those with the gift of service focus on meeting practical needs. For example there were some women who cared for Jesus during his ministry. And when he was crucified, "some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs." Mk 15:40,41 For Paul it was Epaphroditus who was commended as, "my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs." Php 2:25 Christ himself set the example of service, for the "Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mt 20:28 And the apostle Paul also encouraged the Ephesian elders to relinquish their right to get paid, and opt rather to contribute. "You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions." Acts 20:34 The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
  12. A Diversity of Gifts Rom 12:6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. While we are to have unity with regards to truth and attitude, it is God's will that we be diverse with respect to ministry. For "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:" 1Cor 12:4-7 and "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms." 1Pet 4:10 In contrast the worldly get it backwards, demanding diversity where there should be unity, and unity where their should be diversity. And "The same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills." 1Cor 12: 11 Every believer has spiritual gifts and consequently has the responsibility to use them in service to God. If you want to identify your spiritual gift or gifts, then go and serve God, do some sort of ministry, and you'll discover what you're gifted at. With regards to prophecying, there are some different opinions as to what constitutes prophecying in the New Testament sense. But in any case it is spoken of in 1Corinthians as a very significant gift. "Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy." 1Cor 14:1 That chapter also indicates that some gifts are more essential and edifying than others. For example he says, "He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues" 1Cor 14:5b, the reason being because prophecy more effectively edifies the Church. Prophecying, along with teaching, are also two gifts which not only express what the person does, but also describes one of the essential roles or positions in the Church. "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers" Eph 4:11 You can get a taste for the exercise of such a role in 1Cor 14:29-31 "Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged." Note that their words are not to be taken as infallible, but to be scrutinized, weighed carefully. And not only with regards to truth, but also with regards to application, which I think is an essential part of the prophecy. In fact I think that prophecying in this sense is speaking out scriptural applications. There's a shade of difference in Teaching, in that teaching emphasizes explanation, and thus the teacher's goal is to bring revelation through explanation while the prophet's goal is convict the heart with regards to some application of a scriptural principle. The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
  13. Members of One Body Rom 12:4,5 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. Thus Paul likewise wrote in 1Cor 12:12-14 "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body— whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free— and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many." Now we often talk of the Christian community being a family, and indeed we are spoken of as being the family of God. But the illustration here is even more intimate, being members of the same body. Here he speaks of each member belonging to the others and consequently everyone child of God influences every other child of God. So if you're screwing up, that harms me and everyone else. And if you're living a spiritual healthy Christian life, that benefits me and everyone else. But contrary to much of the history of institutional Christianity, not only must each member do its part, as Paul writes, "we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." Eph 4:15,16, but also each member must be allowed, indeed encouraged, to do its part, exercising the particular giftedness which God has granted. For much of the history of institutionalized Christianity is simply a history of an audience watching a few players do the work, and the few players not allowing the audience to participate. Consequently the body of Christ has largely been asleep through the centuries, gagged and bound by the birds that nest in its branches. The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
  14. Reckon Yourself with Humility Rom 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has distributed to you. Humility is the most essential of all virtues. For all other virtues are dependent upon this one. But humility is not to be confused with unconfidence or having a poor self-image. Rather it's having realistic - sober - view of oneself in the light of what the Bible says. "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!" Php 2:4-8 But what does the last phrase "in accordance with the measure of faith God has distributed to you" mean? He's not talking about saving faith as that's not a matter of measure, and the Greek word for "distributed" is "merizo" which means to divide. What he's talking about is the distribution of spiritual gifts as he will elaborate upon in verses 6-8 For "we have different gifts, according to the grace given us." Rom 12:6a Notice also 1Cor 12:9 in the middle of a list of spiritual gifts it says, "To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit". Once again, "faith" certainly cannot refer to saving faith in such a context seeing as it implies not all those born of God have that gift, and yet to be a child of God and receive the Holy Spirit one must have saving faith to begin with. So there's a difference sense in which "faith" is used with respect to spiritual gifts than with respect to a requirement for salvation. And therefore also he is saying that we need to value ourselves in accordance with the spiritual gifts God has distributed to us, and likewise we need to value other Christians, who though different from us, have spiritual gifts essential to edifying the body of Christ. The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
  15. Be a Non-Conformist Rom 12:2 "Do not conform any longer 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." The first step in not conforming to the pattern of this world is identifying the distinction between the pattern of the world with the pattern of the Christian life taught in the Bible. Among other things it's going to involve making judgements based upon what the Bible says. What are the primary challenges today that Christians face with regards to this matter? While that's a matter of perspective, what got Paul most upset about the Corinthians was their disregard for what the Bible says concerning sexual immorality, as we read in 1Corinthians chapter 5. "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: " 1Cor 5:1 Likewise today there are many churches and consequently many Christians who disregard what the Bible says about sexual immorality, or more generally they disregard the very nature of the Biblical relationship between men and women, largely the result of the influence of feminism over the decades. For example while Jesus said, "at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female." Mark 10:6, there are Christians today who claim that God made them homosexual or transgender or other such foolishness. "Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." 1Cor 6:9,10 And there are those who despite what Jesus said, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery." Mk 10:11b,12 (for "a woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives." 1Cor 7:39a), will nonetheless willfully commit adultery in such a manner, let alone the fornicating Christians who don't even bother getting married. But perhaps the most insidious of all within the church is the disregard of what the Bible says concerning the subordinate role of women. For " I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man" 1Cor 11:3, for which reason Paul says, "A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent." 1Tim 2:11,12 These are some significant areas in which Christians have the opportunity to distinguish themselves from the world. But there are many more categories - money, purpose in life, view towards suffering, hope in the resurrection, and so forth. The world constantly tries to mold us into its image. It tries to shape our values, our morals, and our perspective on life. Those who don't conform to peer pressure are threatened with dishonor, contempt, hostility, loss of relationships and loss of security. But as Jesus said of his disciples "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." John 17:16. The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
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