No. 35. >> You mention that Romans Chapter 12 Verse 1 through Chapter 15 Verse 13 is the fourth major section of Paul's presentation in Romans. And that these chapters should be read together. Once again, it would be helpful if you could give us a general overview about what we will find this section of Romans. >>PROFESSOR DAVID I. M. LEWIS: Yes, David, thank you for that question. Yeah, we now enter into the fourth major section of the main body of the book of Romans. Now, again, in Fransman's outline that I commended to you earlier in this class, Fransman divides the body into these four sections. The first would be Romans 1:18 through the end of Chapter 5. And Fransman defines this section as the Gospel creates a new status in those who believe. And this is focusing again upon justification. God declares righteous those who believe in Jesus. And so just, righteous, becomes the new status they have through faith in Jesus Christ. The second section would be Romans 6 through 8. That Fransman calls the Gospel creates a new life in those who believe in Jesus. And of course 6, 7 and 8 talk about the -- our participation in Jesus' death and resurrection. That God has worked upon us in our baptism which creates now a life that is led by the Holy Spirit that we have received. A new and different life from the life in the flesh we had before we were saved. That is established by the Gospel. And that's the second major part. Now, the third major part according to Fransman is Romans Chapters 9, 10 and 11 where the Gospel creates a new Israel out of those who believe. And now finally Romans 12 Verse 1 through 15 Verse 13 would be the fourth major section of the body of this epistle. Fransman defines this part as the Gospel creates a new worship for the new people of God. In other words, now we get to the true practicality of how we live out this new status. How we live out this new life. How we exist as the new Israel, as this new community. As we live out our daily lives here in this time and in this place. And Fransman sees two major sections in this part of Romans. First Romans 12:1 through 13:14. Fransman says that this is about all life. In the church and in the world is a spiritual worship. And so Fransman says that Paul in Romans 12 and 13 is showing how the whole Christian life, both while we're in the community of the faithful and while we're out in the world, is a spiritual worship. Everything we do is worship to God. And then in Chapter 14 through 15:13 Fransman says that this is about how the weak and the strong in faith are united in one worship for the glory of God. And indeed, we'll see that Chapter 14 through 15 Verse 13 Paul in a lengthy address discusses the issue of the weak and the strong in the community of the faithful. Now, David, if you remember my six-part rhetorical outline, this is now the fifth part of that rhetorical outline, what I call the ***exhortatio or the exhortation section. Again, Paul gave us his theme in Romans 1:16 through 17. The Gospel is the power of God for the salvation to those who believe. Then in his narration in 1:18 through 3:20. Paul narrates the history of human sin with the conclusion that we're all liable to God's judgment court. Then in his proposition section, Romans 3:21 through 31, Paul establishes his proposition. The main proposition being but now a righteousness apart from the law has been manifested through faith in Jesus Christ to those who believe. That's his main proposition. A righteousness of God apart from the law through faith in Jesus Christ. God declares righteous those who believe in Jesus. It's not done on the basis of our keeping the law. Then the fourth section, the confirmation section is this very lengthy section that includes Romans 4 through Romans 11 where Paul proves his proposition, especially in Romans 4. And then really he talks through the implications of this in our life and then in our relationship with unbelieving Jews in this great confirmation section. And now you we get to you might say the practical section, the ***exhortatio. This is where Paul now is calling us to respond in a certain way to what he has said. In other words, he has told us Gentile believers that we have been saved by faith apart from works of the law. That this righteousness of God apart from the law has been made manifested to us. And now because of this we have peace with God. We have joy in our lives. And we have the Holy Spirit. We participated in Christ's crucifixion, burial and resurrection. We have a new life. He urges us to live in the Holy Spirit. And he discusses our relationship with national Israel. And specifically with the unbelieving Jews that we as Gentile believers should never be conceited and arrogant against them because they don't believe in Jesus. Rather, we should know that God extends to them his grace today. And like Paul, we should sorrow over their unbelief. And yes or no that they, too, would believe. So how do we respond to this Gospel that Paul has laid out? We find that in this section. This is the: How should we respond? And in this there's great importance that is placed upon the first two verses of this exhortation section, Romans 12:1 through 2. And I would like to talk through these two verses. First in Romans 1 Paul writes: Therefore, I exhort you, brothers. And I exhort you. I beseech you. This is why we call this exhortation. Because Paul is exhorting. And there is a little bit of a nuance difference between an exhortation and a command. Both of them use the imperative voice where you are actually giving an order. But the command is very much a law way of speaking. In other words, thou shall do this or else. The exhortation, though, really comes in the sense of encouragement. In other words, Paul is not so much commanding. But he is exhorting. And Martin Luther would say the difference between the command and the exhortation is that the exhortation Paul gives comes on the basis of the Gospel that he has so clearly presented in the earlier chapters. Keep in mind that part of that Gospel is that we have participated in Jesus' crucifixion, burial and resurrection. That God has acted upon us in our baptism in a unique way. That he's given us the Holy Spirit. And this is the importance of that simple word: Therefore. Therefore, I exhort you. Therefore. Therefore, based upon what? Therefore based upon what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. And so this is not a command: Do this and you will live. Don't do it, you will die. This is an exhortation. An encouragement to Christians. And in a sense this is how Paul always presents the exhortations, presents our response to us. It's always in light of what God has done for us. It's always in light of the Gospel. So that in a strange way Luther doesn't even consider this law. He considers this exhortation kind of the natural response to those who have been baptized and have the Holy Ghost, this is what you do when the Spirit is living in you, when the Spirit is leading you. This is how you respond. So you don't need to give commands. You just exhort, encourage. Then Paul writes: Therefore, I exhort you, brothers, through the mercy of God -- so notice that this exhortation is come in connection with grace -- to present your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God. This is your spiritual or your rational service. And here comes the chief exhortation of the book of Romans: Present your bodies as a sacrifice to God. A sacrifice that is living, holy and acceptable. And then Paul says that this is your rational service. This is your spiritual service. The word there in Greek could mean rational in the sense of logical or spiritual in the sense of a spiritual service. And many interpreters choose the spiritual idea because it seems to fit Christianity better. I however think there's something to the word logical or rational. In other words, what is the rational, the logical response of a Christian to a God who has given his only Son for them? Who has given them his Holy Spirit. Who has saved them where they cannot save themselves. And who has done it all so they will live in his mercy. What is the logical response to that? Well, the logical response is: Present your body. And I think body here just doesn't mean flesh. I think Paul is using body to mean your whole self. Present yourself as a sacrifice to God. Living, holy and acceptable. In other words, there is no exhortation in the whole Bible I think that matches this exhortation and what it is calling upon Christians to do. In other words, this is a very good first exhortation because this in a sense summarizes everything that comes next. What is the natural response to this God of grace? Well, it is that you give yourself completely to him as a living sacrifice. Notice that that word, living sacrifice, that's an oxymoron. You know that word oxymoron, David? An oxymoron is when you have two seemingly contradictory words put together. I remember some joke oxymorons we used to discuss at my home when I was growing up would be like jumbo shrimp. Jumbo is big but shrimp is little. How can you have a jumbo shrimp? Or my dad's favorite was military intelligence. After his short stint in the Air Force, he said there wasn't a lot of intelligence in the military so that's an oxymoron. Or the idea of a holy war. War is itself unholy so how can you have a holy war or a civil war? Well, a true oxymoron might be saying like cruel kindness. In other words, cruelty and kindness don't go together. But however there is such a thing as cruel kindness. Where the kind of thing to do to somebody is actually to do something that seems cruel. For instance, to take someone who is suffering from alcoholism and sequester them in a place where they cannot have alcohol. And they may suffer as they are going through withdrawal to their alcohol addiction. That may seem like a cruel thing to do. But actually it's a kind thing. So it's cruel kindness. Well, here is what the oxymoron is in Romans 12:1. A sacrifice is something that is usually killed. It's offered to God. But it's killed. And Paul is now saying: Well, you offer yourselves as a living sacrifice. What this signifies of course is that the Christian life is giving to God. But we don't give by dieing. We continue to remain alive. So this would say our whole life is a sacrifice to God. That we're to offer our whole selves to God. And there's nothing in the law or any other exhortation that asks as much as the believer as this simple exhortation given by Paul here. But again, note the connection, therefore, through the mercies of God. This is not law in the second use of the law's sense. Paul is not saying this to us so he can accuse us of more sin. This is what we Lutherans would call third use of the law, exhortation. Paul is laying out that this is the logical response when you have a God who has done so much for you to this point. And again, I don't think we can disconnect this exhortation from Romans Chapter 8. What is the means by which we do this? Well, God has given us his Holy Ghost. And his Holy Ghost sets our minds on things of the Spirit. His Holy Ghost opposes our flesh and it's desires. His Holy Spirit takes over when we are too weak and prays for us. And so this is what the Spirit-filled life is. It is offering yourself as a living, holy and acceptable sacrifice to God. And then don't forget, also, that again in Romans Chapter 6, what God has done for us in our baptism. We have been crucified, died, buried and risen with Christ. And we are now in that new life. So this exhortation flows right out of the Gospel. And that's exactly how Luther interprets Paul's exhortation here and in other places. Well, as we go onto Verse 2, Paul writes: And do not be conformed to this age, to this world. But be changed, be transformed, by the renewal of the mind in order that you test what is the will of God, the good and pleasing and perfect will of God. And so here Paul is saying: Don't be conformed to the world. And we might think that this is what our sinful flesh would want, to be conformed to this world. But rather, be transformed by the renewal of the mind. And now, notice, it's kind of a strange command here: Be transformed. It's a passive command. In other words, in a sense we're not doing it. We're being acted upon again. Who is the agent of this transformation? Well, again Romans 6: What God has done for us in our baptism. Romans 8: Spirit filled life. God is the agent of this transformation of our mind. Nevertheless, that fallen will that we once had that was held in complete bondage when we did not believe in Jesus, that total depravity, that has changed in our baptism and when we've been called to faith. And now we are -- our will is being renewed. Going back to Romans 8. God is conforming us to the image of his Son. And so in the Christian we can say that because of the gift of the Holy Spirit, our will is renewed. And now for the first time we can choose to do what God wants. Again, not to save ourselves. But because we have been so richly and perfectly saved. That in the Spirit filled life we can choose to do what God wants. We now can look at God and say yes to him. And again what is the means of this? Well, this is the transformation that takes place which is work through the Holy Spirit. So you might say be transformed, what would the opposite of that be? Well, Paul is definitely telling us not to resist the Spirit. Not to reject the Spirit. Not to oppose the Spirit as he has his way with us but rather in a passive way be transformed by the renewal of your mind which is what God accomplishes in us. Now, these two verses stand apart and set the tone for everything that comes. So we might ask. Okay, how do I present myself as a living sacrifice to God? What do I do to do that? What is God's will? My mind should be transformed so I can test what God's will is. Well, what is God's will? And now Paul will in various paragraphs establish what God's will is for his people as they live together in the community of faith and as they live in the world. And so various parts in Romans 12 Verse 3 that follows this introductory exhortation, Paul discusses the gifts of grace that each of us in the church have received. And he talks about how we should live among each other making use of these gifts not selfishly for our own interests but for the sake of others. So what is part of the holy and acceptable, pleasing will of God? Is that we as Christians would use gifts he gives us in a way that would benefit our brothers and sisters in faith here in the community of the faithful. Then in Romans 12 Verse 9 Paul urges us to love one another. Now, he says: Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil. Hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. And again, he is talking about the role of love in the community of the faithful. In Romans 4 Verse 14 Paul gives a list of exhortations that kind of apply to our life among each other as Christians. But now even more our life in the world how we should live. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. And he goes onto discuss what the Christian life looks like in this world. Then in Romans 13:1 through 7, very significant passage. Paul talks about our attitude to the government, to the ruling authorities. Then in Romans 13 Verse 8 Paul gets back to the theme of love. Where he says: Owe no one anything except you love each other. For the one who loves has fulfilled the law. And so once again Paul here talks about the role of love in the life of a Christian. Then in Romans 13:11 Paul suddenly brings in an eschatological focus where he talks about the day. How we should live knowing that Jesus is going to come back. And here I think Paul kind of betrays what I might say is a Lutheran view of eschatology. Paul doesn't seem to think all of Israel needs to be saved before Jesus comes back. In this section he exhorts us to live in the light in this time of darkness, not to live in the darkness but in the light knowing indeed that Jesus could come back at any time. So we ought to live accordingly. Then when we get to Romans 14, Paul presents a very large argument where he addresses specifically this issue of how the weak Christians and the strong Christians should regard one another. And how they should live in unity. Especially when it comes to matters of you might say outward Christian piety. Eating, drinking, observing special days. Paul here is addressing specifically that one issue of how we should regard each other. And how we should live in unity. And not judge one another over external things that really don't matter. And then this exhortation goes into Chapter 15 where Paul presents the example of Jesus who did not live to please himself but lived to save us. And therefore, we who are strong in the faith ought to be as Jesus was and actually live not for ourselves but for the sake especially of our weaker brothers and sisters. And then in Romans 15 beginning at Verse 8 Paul talks about how we should welcome one another. Then this whole section concludes with Verse 13 of Romans Chapter 15 where Paul wishes this prayer: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing. So that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. I think that Verse 13 is a very good way to round off this series of exhortations. Because Paul begins with God's grace in Romans 12. It's through the mercy of God. And he ends by mentioning the power of the Holy Spirit. This becomes a good frame for these exhortations. Because it is very easy for us to hear even exhortation as law. You've got to do this. You've got to do this. You've got to do this. And when we have that frame of mind, then we might very easily in our thoughts fall under condemnation when I think: I can't do that. I haven't done that. That's why Paul frames this through the mercy of God. By the power of the Holy Spirit. That when he exhorts the Roman Christians to live this way and very boldly to even offer their bodies as living sacrifices to God, I think Paul knows that he is asking a lot. However, his exhortations are framed by God and what he does. It's framed by what the Gospel. The power of God for the salvation to everyone who believes. It's from what God has done. It extends from what God has done. Including that he has given us his Holy Spirit who lives in us and who leads and guides us. Who transforms our minds. That Paul makes these very bold exhortations to the Roman Christians. And then through this epistle to us who believe, as well. Again, I think there are no bolder exhortations than we find here in the book of Romans. Especially offer yourselves as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God. Nevertheless, Paul says this is your spiritual service or this is your rational service. This is your logical service. This makes complete sense if you believe in the Gospel and you see what God has done for you. And then not only that but it's in the Gospel that you live this life. And so Paul I think does not want us to hear this as second use of the law, further condemnation of our sins. Paul wants us to hear this as this is what the Christian life is. This is what the Holy Spirit leads us to do. There may indeed, be times where we fall short and have to confess that we have not loved one another as God has called us. Nevertheless, it's good to see that this exhortation is framed by God's mercy and the power of the Holy Spirit because those are the means by which we can hear Paul in the right way and know what the Christian life is. And then with God's help, live accordingly. David, I hope this gives you a good overview of this exhortation section of Romans. Just you know a warning: This is a section of Romans that Lutherans don't always get into. However, to read Paul right, we have to get into this fourth section and see this indeed is the life that we are called to live in Jesus Christ. Not to earn God's favor. But as the natural, spiritual, logical response to what God has done for us in Jesus Christ our Lord.