Tag: Discipleship

In Romans 12:1-15:13 Paul addresses three religious issues with his audience of both Jewish and Gentile believers in the Roman church. These same issues are present in many Christian churches today, so Paul’s advice is applicable for us as well. First, he gives instructions about living a life of sacrifice to the Lord. Second, he gives practical advice on how to live like a disciple. Third, he explains to the Jewish believers that Gentiles are included with the Jews in God’s plan of salvation. Paul spoke directly to the church about his concerns, their failures, and opportunities for improvement in their thinking about and understanding of salvation. The Roman church needed some theological help, which he provided. He was very honest, but loving, in correcting them where they needed it.

Instructions about living a life of sacrifice to the Lord (12:1-8)

Arguably, Paul’s first and second points regarding living a life of sacrifice and how to live like a disciple are closely related and likely difficult to distinguish because, by definition, the life of a disciple is a life of sacrifice to the Lord. However, in the first eight verses of chapter 12, Paul does specifically tell the church “to present your bodies as a living sacrifice.” He then instructs them more specifically on how to do that.

First, it is important to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” so as to discern God’s will (v. 2). How is this accomplished? It is not done completely by our own efforts. It begins with the Holy Spirit’s involvement in helping us change the way we think. When we receive the Holy Spirit, our minds begin a transformation. He helps us change what we desire to expose our minds to (music, movies, books, podcasts, friends, etc.) and how we think. What we consume affects how we think and when we change what we consume, our way of thinking will also shift.

Second, Paul tells them not to think of themselves more highly than they should, but rather “to think with sober judgment.” We are to think of ourselves in a humbler fashion than that of the world. Our culture places value on pride and arrogance, but Paul explains that this should not be the case for the disciple of Christ. We should not elevate ourselves above others, but put others ahead of ourselves. He then uses an analogy comparing the Church to the human body, (this is the same analogy he uses in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27). Just like every human body part has an important function, so does every member of the Church. Everyone has something to contribute. Some contributions are more public or highly praised than others, but they are no more important than the less public or less praised contributions. All contributions from the Body of Christ for the Kingdom are valuable. After the analogy, Paul lists gifts of the Spirit and says those who have such gifts ought to use them with gusto because those gifts have been given for the purpose of building the Kingdom.

Practical advice on how to live like a disciple (12:9-15:3)

Paul uses the majority of 12:1-15:13 to give the Roman church practical advice on how to live like a disciple. We are to love with authenticity (12:9-21). It should come as no surprise this is first in his list under the heading “Marks of the True Christian” (English Standard Version (ESV)) since love is the fulfillment of the Law (13:8-14). Love is also the first item in Paul’s list of Fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. It is through our love that the world will know we are disciples of Christ (John 13:35).

Paul also explains that disciples are to submit to the authorities (13:1-7). God has appointed the authorities to their positions, and a failure to submit to or respect the authority God has put in place would tarnish our witness. Disciples of Christ are to be law-abiding citizens unless the law commands evil and the governing authority expects the Christian to act in a way that is inconsistent with the teachings of Scripture. There are several examples of civil disobedience in the Bible, and I will briefly highlight two of them from the Old Testament. In Exodus 1, the Egyptian Pharaoh commanded the Hebrew midwives to kill all of the male Jewish babies. Instead of obeying Pharaoh, they lied to him and allowed the babies to live. God blessed the midwives, and Moses was one of the babies they spared. In Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar’s false idol, so he had them thrown into the fiery furnace and God proceeded to save them. They were not harmed in any way despite the flames. Paul’s next point is that disciples are not to judge others (14:1-12).

In the context of the passage, Some of the Jewish believers thought they should remain kosher, but others disagreed and since this issue is not a moral issue (and Jesus declared all foods clean in Matthew 15:11 and Mark 7:19), Paul told them to decide for themselves. When he says not to judge others, Paul means “mature Christians have a responsibility not to flaunt what they are free to do before God in ways that harm other Christians.”[1] Christians are still to hold one another accountable for sin. The last item Paul lists is that disciples are to live cautiously around others so we don’t cause them to stumble (14:13-23). For example, if you are aware of another believer who is working to overcome an alcohol addiction and you go out to dinner with them, don’t order an alcoholic beverage, because it may tempt them to order one as well. This is a small sacrifice to show love and concern for another believer because “it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble” (14:21).

Gentiles are included with Jews in salvation (15:4-13)

The apostle Paul wrote this letter to both Jews and Gentiles. One of the purposes of this letter was to address the issue of salvation – who is included? The Jewish believers, being part of God’s chosen people from the beginning, believed they were the only ones who could be saved and that Gentiles were not covered by Jesus’ blood. However, Paul gently corrects them. If we look back at Romans 11:11-24, he explains that the Gentiles have been grafted into salvation with the Jews. Another way to look at it is as adoption. The Jews are God’s original children and the Gentiles have been adopted into the family. They will receive the same love and care as the Jews. They will also receive the same inheritance. In 15:4-13, Paul further explains the Gentiles have been part of the plan since the beginning. In verses 9-12, he quotes four verses from the Old Testament the Jews would have known that point to salvation for the Gentiles: 2 Samuel 22:50, Deuteronomy 32:43, Psalm 117:1, and Isaiah 11:1. Jesus did not pick and choose those for whom he died. Salvation is for all.

Paul’s instructions to the Church are clear. He gives practical instructions for Christian living and discipleship: We are to use the gifts God has given us through his grace (12:4-8), love with authenticity (12:9-21), submit to the authorities (13:1-7), not judge others (14:1-12), and live cautiously around others so we don’t cause them to stumble (14:13-23). Ultimately, we are to live by Christ’s example (15:1-7).

[1] Ted Cabal, ed., The Apologetics Study Bible (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007), 1702.