Let me remind you what Romans is about. Paul is writing to a church he has never met. Paul hasn’t yet been to Rome, the center of the empire. But he writes as apostle to the gentiles, expecting them to help him to get to Spain on another mission. And he takes the opportunity to expound the gospel. He says in chapter 1 verses 16 to 17 that:
16I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, {17 Or is from faith to faith} just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." (Rom 1:16-17)
In Romans 1:18-3:20, Paul shows that all people are in bondage to sin. There is no-one righteous, not even one. But from chapter 3:21 to the end of chapter 5, he outlines the new way of righteousness. The new way of righteousness is by the imputation of righteousness because of Christ’s death and resurrection. We are not righteous in and of ourselves. But because of Christ’s obedient life, sin bearing death and victorious resurrection, we are counted as righteous. God doesn’t see us and our sin but he sees Jesus Christ and his righteousness. And this righteousness is imputed and credited to our account and comes to us as a free gift.
But this raises a question, “Shouldn’t we just keep sinning, given that if sin increases, grace increases all the more.” And Paul gives an unequivocal ‘no’! And from Romans 6-8, Paul shows that we are saved to serve. We are not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works (Eph 2:8-10). We have died to sin and the law and the sinful nature. So now we need to be what we are and live out the new life. So it involves putting to death sinful deeds by the Spirit. This involves a struggle, yes. Because when we want to do good, evil is right there with us. And God has subjected the world to frustration. But that just points us ahead to our hope of a sure and certain victory. We look to God to complete the work of conforming us into the image of his Son. And he will do it.
And over Romans chapters 9 to 11, Paul deals with question why the Jews, the people of Israel, have not accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ. Non-Jews have become Christians, and that’s good, but what about God’s Old Testament people? Many have rejected Jesus as the Christ. But Paul shows from the Old Testament that though this fact is sad, it is not surprising. It has always been that not all Israel is Israel. There has always been a remnant chosen by grace, and the rest, not. If you go back to the Old Testament, God’s people has always been remnant Jews together with elect gentiles, because God has bound all over to disobedience so he can have mercy on them all.
So Romans chapters 1-11 has given Paul opportunity to outline his gospel. All are subject to universal sin and condemnation. No one is righteous in and of themselves. But ungodly believers are called righteous in Christ. Salvation is found in Christ, by grace through faith apart from works. And they are called to be what they are in God’s sight: dead to sin and alive in Christ by the Spirit. And they will fight this battle, assured of victory, until God renews all things.
In Romans chapters 12 to 15, Paul outlines the specifics of the Christian life. We are called to put sin to death. OK, what does that look like? Where does the rubber hits the road? What must we do in response to the mercies of God?
Paul will talk about a number of things: how we should respecting rulers and obey the Law of Love (chapter 13); how even matters that don’t matter do matter when we remember our neighbor (chapter 14); how we should serve our neighbor, to build him up (chapter 15).
But Paul starts off with this one great plea: give yourself to God. A call for head to toe, full-body, whole being, sacrificial service.
Chapter 12 verse 1:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual {1 Or reasonable} act of worship.
This is blank cheque, bridge burning, all or nothing service that is called for. Look at what God has done for us? He has given up his Son, and given his Spirit without limit. So what is the reasonable, logical thing for us to do in response? It is to offer everything that we have as living sacrifices.
At the time of the reformation, the first protestant bishops in the Anglican church changed a number of things. One of the things they changed was communion. Roman Catholicism said that communion was really a priest offering a sacrificial offering on an altar to God to take away sin. The communion removed God’s anger in the same way that Jesus’ death did. The Anglican Bishops rejected this. And in 1555, Archbishop Cranmer, and Bishops Hooper, Ridley and Latimer were burnt alive because they rejected this doctrine. Just three years earlier, in 1552, they removed the sacrificial language from the supper, to after the communion.[1] And this is what they gave to the congregation to pray, on page 128 of our Green Prayerbooks.
And here we offer and present to you, O Lord, ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy and living sacrifice.
This is straight from Romans 12:1. So we have altars in the Anglican church. Where are the altars in Anglican churches? Where is the altar where a Christian priest offers a sacrifice? Can you point an altar out for me?
It’s not up the front behind the communion rail. It’s the pews. It’s where you are. You are pictured as a priest, offering yourself. In Disney Pixar’s, The Incredibles, Syndrome says about his inventions that give abilities like the Supers, that, when he’s had his fun, he’ll sell them, so that everyone can be supers. “And when everyone is a super, then nobody will be.” Likewise, when every Christian offers himself as a sacrifice day in and day out, we will understand that there is no sacrificing priest that stands between us and God, except our Lord Jesus Christ[2].
And when we offer ourselves, we don’t offer ourselves as a propitiation, to take away sin. No, that was what Jesus did. But we offer ourselves as a thank offering, a free will offering. As Psalm 116 says[3].
Psalm 116:12, What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me?
Psalm 116:16, you have freed me from my chains.
Psalm 116:17, I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD.
We offer God a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. And that is our whole life. As our Second Form of Holy Communion says, n Page 150.26, third last line, “Accept this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving”, and then we declare our intention to make it on page 151.27, “Father, we offer ourselves to you as a living sacrifice through Jesus Christ our Lord. Send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory.”
All of our lives, not just our time in church, are worship and service to God. So how do our bodies become living sacrifices? Let our eyes not delight in evil, but only look to do good and love. Let our tongues not slander, or swear, but speak to encourage and build up. Let our hands not hit, nor harm, but only help and heal. Let our feet not take us into sin or sexual immorality, but service of the saints.
And it all starts up stairs, in the mind. Verse 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.[4]
Sometimes we think that it doesn’t matter what we think. It doesn’t hurt anyone. No-one sees it. This is wrong on both counts. It hurts ourselves and others, because we say and do the things we think, and someone does see it, God.
So in view of what Jesus has done for us, we are called to metamorphysis. We are called to be transformed. We need to start thinking God’s way. It must be not just “What would Jesus do” but also “What would Jesus think”. And then we will say, “Yeah, that’s why God said that. That’s why God says that command. It’s such a good idea. Sex for marriage is a fantastic idea, thanks God for telling me. And not lying, wow, that is going to save me from lots of problems. And thinking about how I can rest one day as well as work 6, thanks God.”
And when there is something in the Bible you disagree with, some commandment that you think is unfair, or too harsh, or too difficult, then you and I are called to change our minds and agree with God. That’s repentance—a change of mind, so that we think God’s way after him, and do what God says. This is what it is to “test and approve” God’s will. And then we will discover, “Hey, God’s way is fantastic. It really is the best way to live. Hey God, I agree with you. I now see how right you are, now that I’ve tasted and seen that you are good.”
And the place where we start this renewal is our thinking about ourselves. God calls us to think realistically about ourselves. Verse 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 given you.[5]
And the place where we start is our thinking about ourselves. We aren’t called to be an ‘Ee Or’, the depressed donkey, who thinks nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I think I’ll go and eat worms. That’s not sober minded. Nor are we called to be ‘Owl’, who thinks far too highly of himself, nor ‘Tigger’, who doesn’t think about anyone else, so bounces them. That’s not sober-minded either.
We are called to be sober. We have to think accurately, to know ourselves. This is what I’m like. We are driven back to the reality of the facts about ourselves. On good evidence, I can say that I am like this, I am not like that.
Dirty Harry said, “A good man knows his limitations”. Mad Eye moody advised Harry Potter Number 3, about how to get the Dragon’s egg, to have a strategy that plays to his strengths. And a Christian is called to know his strengths and his limitations, to play to his strengths, and to guard against his weaknesses.
And when we do this, not only do we benefit, but the whole Church benefits, when we know ourselves and act accordingly. This is because we each belong to the other.
Verses 4 and 5:
4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others[6].
In the church, we are not all clones nor droids. We don’t all have the same functions. We are wired differently, for the good of the church—viva la difference. Any human organization needs different skills. A company needs managers and secretaries and technicians. The army needs engineers, infantry, artillery, cooks as well as commandos. The rugby team needs big wide props, tall thin second rowers, fast wingers, and short chunky breakaways. But all need to work towards the same goal.
And so Paul speaks about the different gifting of church members. But he also speaks about the way that they are to minister, fitted to their gifting. The manner members minister is much more important than the ministry the members minister in. Verses 6-8.
6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his {6Or better, ‘in agreement with the”} faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if 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.[7]
What are you good at? What has God built you to do? That’s an important question, and worth thinking about, because the fact is, we have different gifts. It is part of the way God has been kind to the church. You are a gift to the church, by your very presence. (Unless of course you are working against the body: then you are a cancer on the body.)
But from what I know of you, all of our regulars at this congregation are a gift to the church. So it’s a matter of thinking through how you are a gift, and testing that out. And sometimes it helps to have a good friend, someone who knows and loves us to say, “You know, I think you have a gift with this, but really, I don’t think you are gifted with that”. Gift identification is an important task.
But there is a more important question? Being gifted is one thing. But what you do with it is another. So every gift requires godliness, and godliness isn’t automatic with the gift. It is unfortunate to say that many gifted people don’t have the requisite godliness to exercise their gifts for the upbuilding of the body. We must use the gift to serve others, because a gift without godliness is wasting the gift.
That’s why Paul says, “if your gift is prophecy, do it in agreement with the faith”. Let your prophecy confirm the faith, not work against it. If it is giving, do it generously, not in a stingy way. If it is leading, do it zealously, earnestly, not reluctantly. If it is being merciful, do it cheerfully, nor grudgingly.
Someone once said, in the ministry ship, gifts are the rudder, but godliness is the propeller. Godliness will energize your ministry, but gifts will direct the area of your service.
What I would like you to do now is consider your giftedness. What do you think is your gift? What ability or talent do you think God have given you? God has given gifts, and you are a gift, but can you discern particular giftedness? Remember, we need sober judgement, and sometimes we need to test our giftedness and take feedback from others. We might think we have a gift, but others say, “hmm, no, definitely not!” And even if we do have it, maybe our ungodliness will mean we can’t exercise it because it won’t build up the church. And there might be gifts you want to develop and grow. And they need not be limited to the one Paul mentions here, for there are other gifts mentioned in the bible. See 1 Corinthians 7:7, 12:8-10, 28-31; 13:1-3; 14:12; Ephesians 4:11.
Now, what is the way that God would want you to use that gift? What is the godliness that gift requires, so that it is not wasted?
Just as a matter of interest, did anyone write, “I have the gift of washing up after dinner without complaining”? Or “I am really good at cleaning up after other people and need to exercise that gift”. Or “I have the gift of cleaning the toilets or taking out the garbage”. I’m sure that 95% of us have that gift.
It’s funny isn’t it, how we focus on the gifts that we want to do, not necessarily the gifts that the church needs done, that build up the body of Christ. In all this, what we need to remember is the goal of God giving gifts. It is not about me or you as individuals, serving ourselves. It’s not about, “Don’t stand in my way, this is my gift, and I’m going to use it!” That would be a bit like that quote on ‘Hey Hey it’s Saturday’, “I suffer for my music, and so should you”. It’s about, “how can I serve the body, and be the best servant I can be”. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14 that people who were gifted in different languages should not exercise it at church unless there was interpretation. He said that prophets had to be tested, and their prophecy weighed. So giftedness is not a license to impose ourselves on the congregation. It is an opportunity to serve, because that’s what a minister is: a servant. And if we have every member ministry, every member is a servant. And we do this remembering what Jesus says, “The one who is the greatest will be servant of all, and the one who is first will be last”. The engine room is godliness, even though the rudder is giftedness.
And so Paul spends much more time talking about godliness than gifts, because gifts will become clear, but godliness needs to be worked on. And the fuel of godliness is love.
There are two broad areas of love that Paul focuses on: first is loving the saints, that’s your brothers and sisters at church; and second is loving the enemy. Pretty much, that covers everyone on earth. And sometimes, unfortunately, your enemy is your brothers or sister at church. And when that happens, you know what you are called to do: love them.
First, how do we love God’s people, the saints. So verse 9 says, “Love must be sincere”, that is, we must not be hypocrites in our love. “Hate”, or be repulsed by, “what is evil” and “cling”, or be glued “to what is good”. Verse 10:
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves.
We are called to defer to one another, to think of others as more important than ourselves. That doesn’t come naturally, with our over-inflated views of ourselves. Verse 11:
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
In other words, we are called to not be reluctant, but enthusiastic, bright eyed and bushytailed, not always saying how we can’t do something, but trying to work out how we can. We are called to be ‘can do’ people, not ‘can’t do’. As the proverbs say:
As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is a sluggard to those who send him. (Prov 10:26 NIV)
Verse 12:
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
How’s your praying going? Have you given up lately? Well, God’s mercies are new every morning. Tomorrow is a different day. Start off with the Lord’s Prayer, and your family. Try and go for 5 minutes. And then get on with what you need to do. And when you’re in the middle of something, remember to shoot up an arrow prayer to God, maybe before you eat your lunch, pray for a couple of other things, as well as saying grace. Verse 13:
Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
How’s your generosity going? Do you find it easy to be generous with yourself, but harder with everyone else? Why not try to be generous and extravagant with others, as well as with yourself. That feeling of extravagance, of coming back from a shopping spree with bags, is not bad. It’s just that we also need to feel it when we give money away. After all, Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive”. Perhaps part of that blessing is the extravagance of having spent the money on someone else. Verse 15:
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
Sometimes we might not know what to say when someone is sad. Well, here is what we can do. We can feel with those who feel. That’s what sympathy is: suffering with people. Verse 16:
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.
Are you willing to do menial work? Are you open to doing the dishes after dinner, the boring, mindless, never-ending jobs at home, cleaning up your room, taking out the garbage, filing, sorting out, looking after kids, licking stamps and putting them on envelopes, talking to that person who you don’t get on with, that job that you just look at and say, “No, please, not that!” and the job calls back and says, “Yes, me, I’m the job that you need to do.” That might well be your gift to your family and the church and the world.
But of course, there is the even harder job, the one Jesus made his life’s work: loving your enemy, and doing good to those who hate you, and saying about the person who is hurting you, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!”
So now, I want you to visualize a person who you don’t like, more than that, who makes your life difficult, who is opposed to you, and who stands in your way. They make your life miserable, a horror, a living hell. Think of Draco Malfoy to Harry Potter, Darth Vader to Obi Wan Kenobi, Sauron to Gandalf, The white witch to the four childrenin Narnia. It might be your economics teacher, a catty girl at school turning your friends against you, a difficult, rude, thoughtless, demanding, grumpy boss, a political enemy that would like nothing better than to humiliate you and bring you down, a determined opponent working against all your best ideas and thoughts, who hijacks your agenda and stonewalls your initiatives.
You’ve got a firm fix on them, locked their face into your minds eye? Good. Then listen to these verses, verse 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21.
14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. […] 17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," {19Deut. 32:35} says the Lord. 20On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." {20Prov. 25:21,22} 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.[9]
What does that mean for the flesh and blood enemy that you’ve had in mind? Is there a plan you need to drop? Is there a person you need to start praying for?
Notice, that injustice and wrongdoing still matter to God. There will be revenge, but not from you. It is God’s to pay back. And it will be scrupulously and rigorous fair. But you, you need to leave room for God’s wrath and not pay back, to bless, pray, and live at peace, as much as it depends on you.
Amen.
[1] D G Peterson, Prayer Book (MTC PTC Notes), 59; W H Griffith Thomas, The Catholic Faith, 413.
[2] “The Kingdom of Christ […] has no sacred days or seasons, no special sanctuaries, because every time and every place alike are holy. Above all it has no sacerdotal system. It interposes no sacrificial tribe or class between God and man, by whose intervention alone God is reconciled and man forgiven. Each individual member holds personal communion with the Divine Head. To Him immediately he is responsible, and from Him directly he obtains pardon and draws strength’: Bishop Lightfoot, ‘The Christian Ministry’ in Philippians, 181.
[3] See W A Van Gemeren, ‘Offerings and Sacrifices’ in EDT, 792. It is thus not propitiatory on analogy with the ‘sin’ or ‘guilt offering’. The propitiatory offering applied from the OT to the NT antiitypes is only that offered by Jesus Christ on the cross.
[4]2And don’t be conformed to this age. Rather, be metamorphosed by the renewal of the mind, so that you might approve after testing the good and pleasing and perfect will of God.
[5] Literally, verse 3: “For I say through the grace given to me to everyone among you, to not think [of yourselves] more highly than that which it is necessary to think, but rather think with a view to sober thought, each as God has divided up [a] distribution of faith.”
[6] Literally, verses 4-5: 4For just as in one body we have many members, but all the members don’t have the same function, 5in this way also we the many are one body in Christ, and [each one] is the member of the other.
[7] but having different gifts according to the grace given to us: if [the gift is] prophecy, [let him exercise it] according to the measuring rod of the[7] faith; or service in the [spirit] of service; or the teacher in the [Christian] teaching; or the exhorter/comforter in the [Christian] exhortation/comfort; or the one who is a giver of things in a simple, disinterested, sincere, generous way of giving; or the one who is a ruler in a diligent, earnest manner; or the one who shows mercy in cheerful gladness, the mark of true benevolence.
[8] 9Love is unhypocritical, utterly abhorring evil, being glued to the good, tenderly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, deferring to one another with honour, with enthusiasm not reluctant, boiling in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, being patient in trouble, persevering in prayer, sharing in the needs of the saints, pursuing love of the stranger/hospitality.[…] 15Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16Thinking the same things toward one another, not thinking things high, but associating with the lowly, do not become wise with yourself [in your own eyes/estimation].
[9] 14Bless those who pursue you (pl), bless and do not curse. […]17[Let] no-one pay back evil for evil, thinking ahead [to do] good things before all men. 18If it is a possible thing from you (pl), be at peace with all men. 19Not avenging yourselves, beloved, rather, give place for the wrath, for it is written, ‘to me [is] vengeance, I will repay, says [the] Lord. 20Rather, if your enemy might be hungry, supply him with food; if he might be thirsty, give him a drink, for doing this, you will heap up charcoal of fire upon his head. 21Do not be conquered by the evil, but conquer the evil with good.