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III. HORTATORY. It is St. Paul's way to supplement his doctrinal treatises with detailed practical directions as to the conduct that should of necessity ensue on belief in the doctrines propounded. So also in Eph_4:1, etc., where, as here, he connects his exhortations with what has gone before by the initiatory παρακαλῶ οὖν . Beyond his exposition of the truth for its own sake, he has always a further practical aim. Saving faith is ever with him a living faith, to be shown by its fruits. Nor, according to him, will these fruits follow, unless the believer himself does his part in cultivating them: else were these earnest and particular exhortations needless. If, on the one hand, he is the great assertor of our salvation being through faith and all of grace, he is no less distinct for the necessity of works following, and of the power of man's free-will to use or resist grace; cf. 1Co_15:10, where, speaking of himself, he does not mean to say that grace had made him what he was in spite of himself, but that grace had not been in vain, because he himself had worked with grace. All was of grace, but he himself had laboured, assisted by grace working with him. It will be observed how comprehensive is the survey of Christian duty that here follows, reaching to all the relations of life, as well as to internal disposition.
Rom_13:1-14
E. Various practical duties enforced.
Rom_12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren (he does not command, as did Moses in the Law; he beseeches; he is but a fellow-servant, with his brethren, of Christ; he does not "lord it over God's heritage" (cf. 1Pe_5:3), but trusts that they will of their own accord respond to "the mercies of God" in Christ, which he has set before them), by the mercies of God ("Qui misericordia Dei recte movetur in omnem Dei voluntatem ingreditur. At anima irae obnoxia vix quiddam juvatur adhortationibus," Bengel), that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. The verb παραστῆσαι is the usual one for the presenting of sacrificial animals at the altar (Xen., 'Anab.,' 6.1.22; Lucian, 'De Sacrif.,' 13. The LXX in Le Rom_16:7, Rom_16:10, has στήσει . Cf. Luk_2:22 : Col_1:22, Col_1:28, and supra, 6.13). Our bodies are here specified, with probable reference to the bodies of victims which were offered in the old ritual. But our offering differs from them in being "a living sacrifice," replete with life and energy to do God's will (cf. Psa_40:6, Psa_40:7, Psa_40:8, and Heb_10:5, Heb_10:6, Heb_10:7), yea, and oven inspired with a new life—a life from the dead (Rom_6:13). Further, the thought is suggested of the abuse of the body to uncleanness prevalent in heathen society (cf. Rom_1:24). The bodies of Christians are "members of Christ," "temples of the Holy Ghost," consecrated to God, and to be devoted to his service (cf. 1Co_6:15, etc.); and not in heart only, but in actual life, of which the body is the agent, we are to offer ourselves, after the example of Christ. Your reasonable service ( τὴν λογικὴν λατρείαν ὑμῶν ) must be taken in apposition to "present your bodies, rather than to "sacrifice," it being the act of offering, and not the thing offered. that constitutes the λατρεία . This word is especially used for the ceremonial worship of the Old Testament (cf. Exo_12:25, Exo_12:26; Exo_13:5; Rom_9:4; Heb_8:5; Heb_9:1, Heb_9:6, Heb_9:9; Heb_10:2; Heb_13:10), the counterpart of which in Christians is, according to St. Paul, not ceremonial service, but rather that of a devoted life (cf. Act_27:23; Rom_1:9; Php_3:3; 2Ti_1:3; Hebrews 41:28). The epithet λογικὴν has been variously understood. It probably means rational, denoting a moral and spiritual serving of God, in implied opposition to mechanical acts of outward worship. "Respectu intellectus et voluntatis" (Bengel). It may be taken to express the same idea as οἱ Πνεῦματι Θεῷ λατρεύοντες (Php_3:3), and πνευματικὴν θυσίαν (1Pe_2:7; of. Joh_4:24). Though the offering of the body is being spoken of, yet "bodily self-sacrifice is an ethical act" (Meyer). Cf. 1Co_6:20. The word itself occurs in the New Testament only here and in 1Pe_2:2, where its meaning, though obscure, may be similar.
Rom_12:2
And be not conformed to (rather, fashioned after; the verb is συσχηματίζεσθαι this world; but be ye transformed (the verb here is μεταμορφοῦσθαι ) by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove (or, discern) what is the will of God, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (So, rather than as in the Authorized Version; the epithets acceptable and perfect not being properly applicable to the will of God; and the translation given above being close to the original.) It is a matter of no importance for exegesis that ancient authorities leave it uncertain whether the verbs at the beginning of this verse should be read as imperatives ( συσχηματίζεσθε and μεταμορφοῦσθε ) or as infinitives ( συσχηματίζεσθαι and μεταμορφοῦσθαι ). In the latter case they depend, with παραστῆσαι in Rom_12:1, on παρακαλῶ . The meaning remains unaffected. As to the words themselves, Meyer's assertion that they stand in contrast only through the prepositions, without any difference of sense in the stem-words, is surely wrong. St. Paul is not in the habit of varying his expressions without a meaning; and he might have written μετασχηματίζεσθε (cf. 1Co_4:6; 2Co_11:13, 2Co_11:14; Php_3:21) instead of μεταμορφοῦσθε or συμμορφοῦσθε (cf. Php_3:10) instead of συσχηματίζεσθε . And there is an essential difference between the senses in which σχῆμα and μορφή may be used. The former denotes outward fashion, which may be fleeting, and belonging to accident and circumstance; the latter is used to express essential form, in virtue of which a thing is what it is; of. Php_3:21, and also (though Meyer denies any distinction here) Php_2:6, Php_2:7. The apostle warns his readers not to follow in their ways of life the fashions of this present world, which are both false and fleeting (cf. 1Co_7:31, Παράγει γὰρ τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου ), but to undergo such a change of essential form as to preclude their doing so. If they become συμμόρφοι with Christ (cf. Rom_8:29), the world's fashions will not affect them. The phrase, "this world" or "age". The transformation here spoken of consists in the renewal of the mind ( τοῦ νοὸς ), which denotes the Understanding, or thinking power, regarded as to its moral activity. And Christian renewal imparts not only the will and power to do God's will, but also intelligence to discern it. Hence follows εἰς τὸ δοκιμάζειν ὑμᾶς , etc.. It is to be observed, lastly, that the present tenses of the verbs συσχηματίζεσθε and μεταμορφοῦσθε , unlike the previous aorist παραστῆσαι , intimate progressive habits. The perfect Christian character is not formed all at once on conversion (of Php_3:12, seq.; see also previous note on Rom_6:13, with reference to παριστάνετε and παραστιήσατε ).
So far the exhortation has been general. The apostle now passes to particular directions; and first (Php_2:3-9) as to the use of gifts.
Rom_12:3
For I say, through the grace given unto me (the grace of apostleship to the Gentiles (cf. Rom_1:5; Rom_15:15). He is about to warn against either neglecting or exceeding the special graces given to each person; and he may, perhaps, mean to imply here that he himself, in giving these admonitions, is exercising, without exceeding, his own special grace) to every man that is among you (this is emphatic. The pretensions to superiority of some at Corinth who possessed more showy gifts than others had shown how the admonition might need to be pressed on all; and in a community like that of the Romans there might well be a special tendency to assumption on the part of some), not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly (rather, as in the Revised Version so to think as to think soberly, or, more literally, to be minded so as to be sober-minded), according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. Why of faith? One might have expected the expression to be, "of grace," as in Rom_12:6, "according to the grace that is given to us;" or as in Eph_4:7, "according to the measure [ μέτρον , as here] of the gift of Christ." It seems to be because by faith we become receptive of the grace given to each of us. Hence the faith assigned by God to each is regarded as "the regulative standard; the subjective condition" (Meyer)of the several gifts or graces. Cf. also Mat_17:20 and 1Co_13:2, where miraculous powers are spoken of as dependent on the amount of faith. Tholuck explains thus: "Faith in an unseen Christ brings man into connection with a world unseen, in which he moves without distinctly apprehending it; and in proportion as he learns to look with faith to that world, the more is the measure of his spiritual powers elevated."
Rom_12:4, Rom_12:5
For as in one body we have many members, but all the members have not the same office; so we, the many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. The illustration of the body with its members to set forth the mutual dependence on each other of the several members of the Church with their several gifts and functions, and the importance of all for the well-being of the whole, is further carried out in 1Co_12:12, seq. In Eph_1:22 and Eph_4:15, Eph_4:16, Christ is regarded, somewhat differently, as the exalted Head over the Church which is his body. Here and in 1Co_12:1-31., the head is not thus distinguished from the rest of the body (see 1Co_12:21); the whole is "one body in Christ," who is the living Person who unites and animates it.
Rom_12:6-8
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, according to the proportion of our faith; or ministry, in our ministry; or he that teacheth, in his teaching; or he that exhorteth, in his exhortation; he that giveth, in simplicity; he that ruleth, with (literally, in) diligence; he that showeth mercy, with (literally, in) cheerfulness. The elliptical form of the original has been retained in the above translation, without the words interposed for elucidation in the Authorized Version. There are two ways in which the construction of the passage might possibly be understood.
(1) Taking ἔχοντες δὲ in Rom_12:6 as dependent on ἐσμεν in Rom_12:5, and κατὰ τὴν ἀναλογίαν τῆς πίστεως , not as hortatory, but as parallel to κατὰ τὴν χάριν τὴν δοθεῖσαν ἡμῖν , and understanding in a like sense the clauses that follow. Thus the general meaning would be—we are all one body, etc., but having our several gifts, to be used in accordance with the purpose for which they are severally given.
(2) As in the Authorized Version, which is decidedly preferable, hortation being evidently intended from the beginning of Rom_12:6. The drift is that the various members of the body having various gifts, each is to be content to exercise his own gift in the line of usefulness it fits him for, and to do so well. The references are not to distinct orders of ministry, in the Church, but rather to gifts and consequent capacities of all Christians. The gift of prophecy, which is mentioned first, being of especial value and importance (cf. 1Co_14:1, seq.), was the gift of inspired utterance, not of necessity in the way of prediction, but also, and especially, for "edification, and exhortation, and comfort" (1Co_14:3), for "convincing," and for "making manifest the secrets of the heart" (1Co_14:24, 1Co_14:25). tie that has this special gift is to use it "according to the proportion of his faith;" for the meaning of which expression see on μέτρον πίστεως above (Rom_12:3). According to the prophet's power of faith to be receptive of this special gift, and to apprehend it if granted to him, would be the intensity and truth of its manifestation. It would seem that prophets might be in danger of mistaking their own ideas for a true Divine revelation (cf. Jer_23:28); and also that they might speak hastily and with a view to self-display (see 1Co_14:29-33), and that there was a further gift of διάκρισις πνευμάτων required for distinguishing between true and imagined inspiration (see 1Co_12:10; 1Co_14:29). Further, the spirits of the prophets were subject to the prophets (1Co_14:32); they were not carried away, as the heathen μάντις was supposed to be, by an irresistible Divine impulse; they retained their reason and consciousness, and were responsible for rightly estimating and faithfully rendering any revelation ( ἀποκάλυψις , 1Co_5:1-13 :30) granted to them. Delusion, inconsiderate utterance, extravagance, as well as repression of any real inspiration may be meant to be forbidden in the phrase. (The view of τῆς πίστεως being meant objectively of the general Christian doctrine, from which the prophecy was not to deviate—whence the common use of the expression, analogia fidei—is precluded by the whole drift of the passage. It is not found in the Greek Fathers, having been apparently suggested first by Thomas Aquinas.) The gift of ministry ( διακονία ) must be understood in a general sense, and not as having exclusive reference to the order of deacons (Act_6:1-6; Php_1:1; 1Ti_3:8; Rom_16:1), who were so called specifically because their office was one of διακονία . The words διακονεῖν διακονία διάκονος , though sometimes denoting any kind of ministry, even of the highest kind, were used and understood in a more specific sense with reference to subordinate ministrations, especially in temporal matters (cf. Act_6:2, "It is not reason that we should leave the Word of God, and serve tables ( διακονεῖν τραπέζως )"). If any had a gift for any such kind of administrative work under others, they were to devote themselves to it, and be content if they could do it well. Teaching ( διδασκαλία ) may denote a gift for mere instruction in facts or doctrines, catechetical or otherwise, different from that of the inspired eloquence of prophecy. Exhortation (as παράκλησις , which bears also the sense of consolation, seems here to be rightly rendered) may be understood with reference to admonitory addresses, in the congregation or in private, less inspired and rousing than prophetic utterances. In Act_13:15 the word παράκλησις denotes the exhortation which any person in the synagogue might be called upon by the rulers to address to the people after the reading ( ἀνάγνωσιν ) of the Law and the prophets; cf. 1Ti_4:13, where Timothy is told to give attendance to reading ( ἀνάγνωσιν ), to exhortation ( παράκλησιν ), and to teaching ( διδασκαλίαν ). He that giveth ( οὁ μεταδιδοὺς ) points to the gift of liberality, to the endowment with which both means supplied by Providence and a spirit of generosity might contribute. The almsgivers of the Church had their special gift and function; and they must exercise them in simplicity ( ἐν ἀπλότητι ), which may perhaps mean singleness of heart, without partiality, or ostentation, or secondary aims. But in 2Co_8:2; 2Co_9:11, 2Co_9:13, the word seems to have the sense of liberality, and this may be the meaning here. "Uti Deus dat, Jac. 2Co_1:5" (Bengel). In the 'Shepherd of Hermas' (written, it is supposed, not later than the first half of the second century) ἁπλῶς is explained thus: Πᾶσιν ὑστερουμένοις δίδου ἁπλῶς μὴ διστάζων τίνι δῷς ἠ τίνι μὴ δῷς πᾶσι δίδου ('Hermae Pastor,' mandatum 2.). Possibly this gives the true original conception, from which that of general liberality would follow. [The idea that the almoners of the Church, rather than the almsgivers, are intended, viz. the deacons (Act_6:3, seq.), is inconsistent with the general purport of the passage, as explained above. Besides, μεταδιδόναι means elsewhere to give up what is one's own, not to distribute the funds of others. Ὁ διαδιδούς might rather have been expected in the latter case (cf. Act_4:35).] He that ruleth ( ὁ προιστάμενος ) means, according to our view all along, any one in a leading position, with authority over others; and not, as some have thought, exclusively the presbyters. Such are not to presume on their position of superiority so as to relax in zealous attention to its duties. He that showeth mercy ( ὁ ἐλεῶν ) is one who is moved by the Spirit to devote himself especially to works of mercy, such as visiting the sick and succouring the distressed. Such a one is to allow no austerity or gloominess of demeanour to mar the sweetness of his charity. On the general subject of these gifts for various administrations (cf. 1Co_12:1-31., seq.; 1Co_14:1-40.; Eph_4:11, seq.) it is to be observed that in the apostolic period, though presbyters and deacons, under the general superintendence of the apostles, seem to have been appointed in all organized Churches for ordinary ministrations (Act_11:30; Act_14:23; Act_15:2, seq.; Act_16:4; Act_20:17; Act_21:18; Php_1:1; 1Ti_3:1-16. l, 8; 1Ti_5:17; Tit_1:5), yet there were other spiritual agencies in activity, recognized as divinely empowered. The "prophets and teachers" at Antioch (Act_13:1) who, moved by the Holy Ghost, separated and ordained Barnabas and Saul for apostolic ministry, do not appear to have been what we should now call the regular clergy of the place, but persons, whether in any definite office or not, divinely inspired with the gifts of προφητεία and διδασκαλία . In like manner, the appointment of Timothy to the office he was commissioned to fill, though he was formally ordained by the laying on of hands of St. Paul himself (2Ti_1:6) and of the presbyters (1Ti_4:14), appears to have been accompanied—perhaps sanctioned—by prophecy (1Ti_4:14). Persons thus divinely inspired, or supposed to be so, appear, as time went on, to have visited the various Churches, claiming authority—some, it would seem, even the authority of apostles; the term "apostle" not being then confined exclusively to the original twelve; else Barnabas could not have been called one, as he is (Act_14:14), or indeed even Paul himself. But such claims to inspiration were not always genuine; and against false prophets we find various warnings (cf. 2Co_11:3, seq.; Gal_1:6, seq.; Gal_3:1; 1Jn_4:1, seq.; 2Jn_1:10; Rev_2:2). Still, these extraordinary agencies and ministrations, in addition to the ordinary ministry of the presbyters and deacons, were recognized as part of the Divine order for the edification of the Church as long as the special charismata of the apostolic age continued. Afterwards, as is well known, the episcopate, in the later sense of the word as denoting an order above the general presbytery, succeeded the apostolate, though how soon this system of Church government became universal is still a subject of controversy. It appears, however, from 'The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles' ( Διδαχὴ τῶν Δώδεκα Ἁποστόλων ), recently brought to light by Archbishop Bryennius (the date of which appears to have been towards the end of the first century or the beginning of the second), that the earlier and less regular system continued, in some regions at least (it does not follow that it was so everywhere), after the original apostles had passed away. For in this early and interesting document, while directions are given for the ordination (or election; the word is χειροτονήσατε , the same as in Act_14:23) of bishops and deacons in the several Churches, there is no allusion to an episcopate of a higher order above them, but marked mention of teachers, apostles, and prophets (especially the last two, apostles being also spoken of as prophets), who appear to have been itinerant, visiting the various Churches from time to time, and claiming authority as "speaking in the Spirit." To these prophets great deference is to be paid; they are to be maintained during their sojourn; they are to be allowed to celebrate the Eucharist in such words as they will (cf. 1Co_14:16); while speaking in the Spirit they are not to be tried or proved ( οὐδὲ διακρινεῖτε ; cf. δια κρίσεις πνευμάτων , 1Co_14:10; and οἱ ἄλλοι διακρινέτωσαν , Rom_14:1-23 :29), lest risk be run of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. Still, among these itinerants there might often be false prophets, and the Churches are to exercise judgment in testing them. If they taught anything contrary to the received doctrine; if they remained for the sake of maintenance without working for mere than two days; if they asked in the Spirit for worldly goods for themselves; if their manner of life was not what it should be;—they were false prophets, and to be rejected, Similarly, in the 'Shepherd of Hermas' like directions are given for distinguishing between true and false prophets, between those who had τὸ Πνεῦ , α τὸ Θεῖον and those whose πνεῦμα was ἐπίγειον (mandatum 11.). And even in the 'Apostolical Constitutions' (a compilation supposed to date from the middle of the third to the middle of the fourth century) there is a passage corresponding to what is said in the Teaching about distinguishing between true and false prophets or teachers who might visit Churches (Rom_7:1-25 :28). The Teaching seems to denote a state of things, after the apostolic period, in which the special charismata of that period were believed to be still in activity, though with growing doubts as to their genuineness in all cases. As has been said above, it does not follow that this order of things continued everywhere at the time of the compilation of the Teaching; but that it was so, at any rate in some parts, seems evident; and hence some light is thrown on the system of things alluded to in the apostolical Epistles. It is quite consistent with the evidence of the Teaching to suppose that in Churches which had been organized by St. Paul or other true apostles, the more settled order of government which soon afterwards became universal, and the transition to which seems to be plainly marked in the pastoral Epistles, already prevailed.
Rom_12:9-21
Various admonitions, applicable to all; headed by inculcation of the all-pervading principle of love.
Rom_12:9
Let love be unfeigned (so is rendered elsewhere ἀνυπόκριτος in the Authorized Version, cf. 2Co_6:6; 1Ti_1:5; 2Ti_1:5; 1Pe_1:22). Abhor (literally, abhorring) that which is evil; cleave (literally, cleaving) to that which is good. The participles ἀποστυγοῦντες , etc., here and afterwards, may be understood as mildly imperative. Or perhaps the apostle connected them in thought with ἡ ἀγάπη ἀνυπόκριτος , as if he had said, Love ye unfeignedly.
Rom_12:10
In brotherly love ( φιλαδελφίᾳ ) be kindly affectioned ( φιλόστοργοι ) one to another ( φιλαδελφία , expressing the love of Christians for each other, is a special form or manifestation of general ἀάπη . In it there should be ever the warmth of family affection, στοργή ); in honour preferring one another; literally, according to the proper sense of προηγούμενοι , taking the lead of each other in honour—i.e., in showing honour, rather than equivalent to ἀλλήλους ἡγούμενοι ὑπερέχοντας ἑαυτῶν in Php_2:3.
Rom_12:11
In business (rather, diligence) not slothful; in spirit fervent (we are to do with our might whatever our hand finds to do; yea, with fervent zeal); serving the Lord. For τῷ Κυρίῳ , (the Lord), some manuscripts have τῷ καιρῷ (the time, or the opportunity), which reading is preferred by some commentators on the ground that it is less likely to have been instituted for the familiar τῷ Κυρίῳ than vice versa. But τῷ Κυρίῳ is best supported, and has an obvious meaning, vie. that in the zealous performance of all our duties we are to feel that we are serving the Lord.
Rom_12:12-14
In hope rejoicing; in tribulation enduring; in prayer continuing instant; communicating to the necessities of the saints (i.e. Christians); given to (literally, pursuing) hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. In Rom_12:14 the form of the admonition passes from participles to direct imperatives, a positive command of Christ being adduced. In Rom_12:15 the gentler admonitory form of in the infinitive is taken up, passing to participles, as before in Rom_12:16.
Rom_12:15-17
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another (denoting mutual good feeling and unanimity of sentiment; not, of course, agreement in opinion on all subjects). Mind not high things, but condescend to (literally, being led away with) men of low estate. It is a question whether τοῖς ταπεινοῖς should not be understood as neuter, so as to correspond with τὰ ὐψηλὰ ; the meaning thus being that, instead of being ambitious, we should let ourselves be drawn willingly to the lowlier spheres of usefulness to which we may be called. The main objection to this view is that the adjective ταπεινὸς is not elsewhere applied to things, but to persons. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide (in the sense of take forethought for) things honest (or fair, or honourable) in the sight of all men. This is a citation from Pro_3:4, where the LXX. has, Προνοοῦ καλὰ ἀνώπιον Κυριόυ καὶ ἀνθρώπων . We are not only to do what we know to be right in the sight of God, but also to have regard to the view that will be taken of our conduct by other men; we must not give any just cause for our good being evil spoken of (cf. Pro_3:16 and 1Pe_2:12).
Rom_12:18-21
If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto wrath. The thought in Rom_12:19 seems to follow from what precedes. It may sometimes be impossible to he at peace with all; but at any rate, do not increase bitterness by avenging yourselves. Give place unto wrath ( τῇ ὀργῇ ), has been taken by some to mean that we are to give scope to the wrath of our enemy, instead of being exasperated to resist it (cf. Mat_5:39, etc.). But there has been no particular reference to a wrathful adversary. Another view is that our own wrath is intended, to which we are to allow time to expend itself before following its impulse; δότε τόπον being taken as equivalent to data spatium in Latin; and this interpretation suits the usual sense of δότε τόπον . It is not thus implied that the falling of Divine vengeance on our enemy should be our desire and purpose, but only this—that, if punishment is due, we must leave it to the righteous God to inflict it; it is not for us to do so. And this interpretation suits what immediately follows. For it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord (Deu_32:35, quoted freely from the Hebrew, but with the words ἐκδίκησις and ἀνταποδώσω as found in the LXX. The fact that the same form of quotation occurs also in Heb_10:30 seems to show that it was one in current use). But (so rather than wherefore, as in the Authorized Version) if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. This whole verse is from Pro_25:21, Pro_25:22, where is added, "and the Lord shall reward thee." What is meant by the "coals of fire," both in the original and in St. Paul's citation, has been much discussed. Undoubtedly, the expression in itself, in view of its usual significance in the Old Testament, suggests only the idea of Divine vengeance (see Psa_18:12; Psa_120:4; Psa_140:10; and especially 2 Esdras 16:53. Cf. also Psa_11:6; Hab_3:5); and this especially as it occurs here almost immediately after "Vengeance is mine." Hence Chrysostom and other Fathers, as well as some moderns, have taken it to mean that by heaping benefits on our enemy we shall aggravate his guilt, and expose him to severer punishment from God. But it is surely incredible that the apostle should have meant to suggest such a motive for beneficence; and the whole tone of the context is against it, including that of Pro_25:21, which follows. Jerome saw this, writing," Carbones igitur congregabis super caput ejus, non in maledictum et condemnationem, ut plerique existimant, sed in correctionem et poenitudinem." But if the "coals of fire" mean the Divine judgment on our enemy, there is nothing to suggest a corrective purpose. The view, held by some, that the softening effect of fire on metals is intended, is hardly tenable. Heaping coals of fire on a person's head would be an unnatural way of denoting the softening of his heart. More likely is the view which retains the idea of coals of fire carrying with it, as elsewhere, that of punishment and the infliction of pain, but regards the pain as that of shame and compunction, which may induce penitence. This appears to be the most generally received view. It is, however, a question whether any such effect is definitely in the writer's view. He may mean simply this: Men in general desire vengeance on their enemies, expressed proverbially by heaping coals of fire on the head. Hast thou an enemy? Do him good. This is the only vengeance, the only coals of fire, allowed to a Christian. Then follows naturally, Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
I. Consider THE MOTIVE WHICH THE APOSTLE URGES in order to induce to consecration. "By the mercies of God." To every sensitive and appreciative mind this is a cogent motive. The mercies of God have been, and are, so many, so varied, so suited to our case, so unfailing, that we cannot meditate upon them without acknowledging the claim they constitute upon us. The word used here is peculiar; the apostle speaks of the pity, the compassions, of the Lord. Language this which brings out our condition as one of dependence, helplessness, and even misery, and which brings out also the condescension and loving-kindness of our heavenly Father. There is, no doubt, an especial reference to the spiritual favours which have been so fully and powerfully described in the earlier portion of the Epistle. The mercies of God are nowhere so apparent as in redemption; and human sin requires a great salvation. In exhibiting the marvellous interposition of Divine grace on behalf of sinful humanity, in explaining the reconciling work of Christ, in depicting the immunities, privileges, and hopes of those who receive the gospel, the apostle has laid a good foundation for the appeal of the text. Mercies may well excite gratitude, for they are undeserved, sovereign, and free; and gratitude in the mind of the Christian, who is under the influence of the Holy Spirit, is a motive of no mean order. And gratitude to such a God, and for such gifts, can only be a motive to virtue and holiness.
II. Consider WHAT THE APOSTLE ENJOINS US TO PRESENT TO GOD. "Your bodies." The vigorous understanding of St. Paul preserved him from that sentimental form of religion which many, professing to be his followers, have adopted and advocated. It will not do to treat men, to regard ourselves, as possessing only a spiritual nature. We have body as well as soul. The most ethereal and ecstatic spiritual experiences do not prove a man to be a true Christian. God requires that body, soul, and spirit should be consecrated to him. For the bodily nature is intended to express and manifest the character, the spiritual life, the true man. If the spirit be renewed and purified, the effect of this Divine work within will be apparent in the outer life. Thus it is that the new creation, which is the work of the Holy Spirit, extends to the whole nature and life. The body, therefore, shares in the death unto sin, and in the new life unto righteousness and holiness. The body is consecrated to him who has redeemed the body as well as the soul; and its members are employed as weapons or instruments, not of sin, but of righteousness. It cannot be supposed that the apostle intends us to understand that bodily service alone is sufficient. Nothing would have been more alien from his whole teaching, or from the spirit of the New Testament, than such a doctrine. Christ has taught us that worship, in order to being acceptable, must be in spirit and in truth; and St. Paul himself has assured us that bodily exercise profiteth nothing, that circumcision avalleth nothing, but a new creation. In presenting our bodies unto God, we offer the praises of our lips and the service of our hands. The body is the instrument of toil. The Christian's daily activity is consecrated to his redeeming God; and this is so, whatever be the employment to which Providence has called him. The body is also the agent of spiritual ministry. Accordingly, the Christian's special efforts to do good, his teaching and preaching, his ministering to the wants of his fellow-men and relieving them from their sufferings, his evangelistic journeys in order to seek the lost and to proclaim the gospel,—all are instances of his consecration of the body as well as of the soul to his redeeming Lord.
III. Remark that such PRESENTATION ON THE PART OF THE CHRISTIAN IS REGARDED AS SACRIFICE. From a study of the religions of mankind, we learn that the sacrifices, alike of the heathen and of the Jews, may be regarded as
(1) offering, and
(2) propitiation.
Now, as far as expiation, propitiation, is concerned, we, as Christians, know that there has been one, and only one, real and acceptable sacrifice of this kind—the sacrifice of himself offered to the Father by our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the substance of which all that went before was merely the shadow, and which can neither be repeated nor imitated. But as far as the tribute of thanksgiving, adoration, and obedience is concerned, we are taught that this is to be offered to God continually (Heb_13:15, Heb_13:16). It is in this respect that all Christians are priests unto God; all, irrespective of the position they hold in the Church, or the special services they render in the congregations of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Jewish sacrifice, which this perpetual offering most closely resembles, is the burnt offering, which the Hebrew worshipper brought to Jehovah as the expression of his personal devotion and consecration to Heaven, as the public declaration that he owed everything to the Lord, and that he withheld from him nothing which he possessed. In like manner Christians present their bodies—their whole nature and life—to him who gave himself for them. "Ye are not your own; ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God with your bodies, which are his." Of this sacrifice, in which all Christians unite, the apostle reminds us that it possesses three qualities.
1. It is living. The sacrifices which the Jews offered were either living creatures, or substances which by their nature ministered to life; and in offering such gifts the worshipping was presenting a symbol of his own life. But ordinary sacrifices were slain; the life was consumed in the offering. The Christian's life is not forfeited in being presented to God. Yet in the presentation there is both death and life. It has been said, "There is in every sacrifice a death, and in this sacrifice a death unto sin, out of which there arises a new life of righteousness unto God. Thus the living sacrifice is that in which, though the natural life is not lost, a new life of holiness is gained." What a privilege is ours, who are expected to bring unto God, not the bodies of brute animals, not the blood of bulls and goats, but our own bodies—our very selves, our living nature—and gratefully and willingly to lay this sacrifice upon the altar of God!
2. It is holy. The animals which were presented under the Mosaic economy were, according to the prescribed regulations, to be free from blemish. This was doubtless an ordinance intended to impress upon the mind of the worshipper a sense of the holiness of the Being who was approached. All who officiated were to be ceremonially clean. The substance, of which these symbols were the shadow, was holiness, spiritual purity, freedom from iniquity. There is nothing upon which greater stress is laid than the requirement that every offering to God shall be such as a Being of perfect purity can accept. A sprinkled body is not sufficient; a pure heart is the demand of him who is himself the all-holy Lord.
3. And such an offering is well pleasing to God. This, indeed, may be inferred from a consideration of God's moral character as a truth-loving and holy Governor, who cannot endure dissimulation and hypocrisy. The enlightened among the ancient Hebrews saw clearly enough that ceremonial purity and ritual correctness were not enough to secure Divine acceptance and favour. And none who enters into the teaching of our Saviour, and sympathizes with the spirit of his religion, can fail to discern the necessity of a living and holy sacrifice in order to please the Searcher of hearts, and satisfy the requirements of Christ.
IV. The offering of the Christian is further represented as A REASONABLE SERVICE OR WORSHIP. The Revisers have, in the margin, "spiritual." It is a service rendered by the intelligent, reasonable, spiritual part of our nature. Though the body is presented, he presentation of the body is the expression of inner, spiritual worship. For the word means "worship"—"an outward act of religious worship." Worship is a universal expression of the religious nature of man. The heathen practised their ritual of ceremony, sacrifice, prayer, adoration; and the Jewish religion imposed an elaborate system of public worship. The superiority of Christian worship is marked. Obedience is the highest and most acceptable form of worship which can be offered to God. This "reasonable worship" is distinguished from worship that is merely mechanical and formal. It is similarly distinguished from all substitutionary worship. It is personal, not representative; not by a priest who worships for the congregation, and professes to offer sacrifice as their representative, but by each individual Christian who has his own tribute to offer, his own service to render.
APPLICATION. The language of the text appeals to those who neglect or withhold this sacrifice, this service, and reproaches them as unreasonable, ungrateful, indefensible, disobedient, self-destructive. It urges them to yield what God asks, through Christ, who makes obedience and praise acceptable offerings to God.
Rom_12:2
I. A DISSUASION; i.e. from conformity to the world. Human character and life are treated as something to be formed and fashioned by the personal will. We are dealt with as beings responsible for the form and fashion we impart to character and life. The apostle does not take it for granted that those living in a Christian community must, as a matter of course and necessity, attain to the Divine ideal. There is a temptation, a danger, against which it is prudent to be warned. It was, no doubt, easier to understand this dissuasion in the earliest days of Christianity than it is now. "This world!" "this age!"—what a fulness, an awful fulness of meaning this expression must have had for a Christian of the first century! Not the material world, of course, but the world of human society, of pagan idolatry, and sensuality, and cruelty, and scepticism, and despair, was the world present to the apostle's mind. Satan is termed in the New Testament "the prince of this world;" the unbelieving, unchristian population are designated "the children of this world." "The disputer of this world," "the wisdom of this world," apply to what is unspiritual and godless. The distinction between the heathen world and the Church of Christ must then have been sharp indeed. And no reader could be at a loss to understand Paul's advice to the Roman Christians not to be fashioned according to this world. For in Rome, perhaps above all other places, this world was the acknowledged mistress and sovereign of human society. And, as a matter of fact, the Christian community in this and in other cities of the empire did live a life in utter, manifest, obtrusive contrast to that lived by the multitude of ambitious, pleasure-loving, superstitious, cynical citizens, by whom they were surrounded. To make this a practical matter, let us ask—How does this dissuasion apply to us? What is the world of which we are to beware? Is there such a world in our England today? We meet with narrow and prejudiced opinion on these questions. Some people think it worldly to have anything to do with politics—especially on one side; others, to mix with general society; others, to take an interest in painting, architecture, music, and even literature. To such objections it is enough to answer that, in becoming a Christian, one does not cease to be a man, but rather learns to bring to bear upon human interests and occupations the principles of the highest life and calling. We must beware of narrow and merely technical definitions of "the world." In truth, to be "fashioned according to the world" is to conform to sinful and prevalent practices. What is worldliness? It is injustice, untruthfulness, impurity, avarice, slander. Some of these vices and sins are to be found amongst those who are very scrupulous in preserving what they call the line between the Church and the world. But bear in mind that a life devoted to selfish aggrandizement or pleasure, a life lacking in love and sympathy, is a worldly life. The same idea is dwelt upon with urgency by the other apostles. John admonishes, "Love not the world;" and Peter requires Christians "not to be fashioned according to their former lusts in their ignorance."
II. A DIRECTION; i.e. to spiritual renewal. That the followers of Christ might present themselves "a living sacrifice" to God, they were taught that they must become something very different from what they had been in their unbelieving, unregenerate days. The admonition of the apostle is very full and strong.
1. It is to a change. "Repent!" was the first Divine message to men—alike from the forerunner and from the Messiah. Christians they could not be, whether Jews or Gentiles, until changed. Religion cannot flatter, though priests may.
2. It is to renewal. How characteristic of the religion of the Lord Jesus is this counsel! We have a new covenant, and we need a new nature; we need to become a new creation, that we may live in newness of life, and so prepare to dwell in the new heavens and to join in the new song. Christianity is a gospel of renewal. The fact implies the abandonment and death and crucifixion of the old—the old nature, "the old man," as Paul calls it. Christ takes the individual, the society, in hand, and moulds all afresh from the beginning; implants new principles, new laws, new aims, new hopes. He makes one new man, one new humanity. What a gospel it is! It invites men to turn their back upon their old and sinful ways, to abjure their old and sinful self; to enter upon a new course—to become a new creation. Here, surely, is hope and promise for the downcast. Amendment may be impossible, but not renewal and regeneration; for the Spirit of God is the mightiest of all powers to transform.
3. It is to a mental, a spiritual renewal. We are invited to a renovation, which shall be not merely outward and bodily, but shall commence with the very centre and spring and root of our being. There is wisdom in this provision. It originates in the Author and Framer of our being, who knew what was in man. Let the heart be renewed, and, the fountain being cleansed, sweet water shall flow from it; and, the tree being made good, fruit ripe and wholesome shall be borne. Our Lord asks for the heart, and the heart only will he accept. "Be renewed," says the apostle elsewhere, "in the spirit of your mind." The Holy Spirit imparts new affections, new principles, new desires; encourages to new associations, and inspires with new aims and hopes.
III. AN INDUCEMENT; viz. by following the apostolic instructions the Christian will prove what God's will is. It seems a somewhat singular motive to present. Yet, to a believer in God, it must be a very powerful motive. The great question which interests men's minds today is just this—Are there in the universe signs of the presence, and energy, the moral character, and conscious purpose of Deity? Is there, in a word, such a thing as God's will? and, if so, what is it? According to the apostle, the consecrated and obedient Christian is in the way to settle this question in his own experience. It seems almost presumptuous to propose the testing of God's will. The boy proves the calculation he has m