Chapter Twelve

The entire life of a Christian, as a member of the Church, must be an act of worship (1–2). In the life of the Church, this must be expressed in the humble fulfillment of one’s calling (3–12). Above all, the Christian must maintain good relations with his brothers in the faith (13–21).

Romans 12:1. I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, well-pleasing to God, which is your reasonable worship, Having concluded the doctrinal portion of his epistle, the Apostle now turns to exhortations. He urges Christians, in view of God’s mercy toward them, to devote their bodies to the service of God and, having done with their former life, to begin a new, better life. “By the mercies of God.” Earlier the Apostle had encouraged his readers to grow in the Christian life either in view of man’s personal interests (Rom 6:19 and following), or on account of the obligations a person accepted at baptism (Rom 6:1 and following). Now he brings forward a new ground — a whole series of manifestations of divine mercy (in Greek the plural is used here — οἰκτιρμοί), directed toward the ordering of our salvation. — “Your bodies.” The Apostle assumes that the souls of his readers have already been given to God. But the body of a Christian has not yet become a submissive instrument of the new righteousness, and the task of believers is to free their bodies from subjection to sin (cf. Rom 6:13). By body we must understand in general the sensory side of the human being, which, under the influence of sin, becomes what the Apostle earlier called flesh (Rom 7). — “A living sacrifice.” The Christian’s dedication of himself to God, though it may also be called a dying like that which occurred in relation to the animals slaughtered in Old Testament sacrifices, yet here a person dies to sin and at the same time enters into true life (Rom 6:11). To show the superiority of this sacrifice over the Old Testament ones, the Apostle calls it holy (in the moral sense)³⁷ and well-pleasing to God, which the Old Testament sacrifice was not always (Isa 1:11). — “Your reasonable worship” — more accurately: “your rational worship.” These words form an appositive to the entire preceding clause beginning with the word present. The service of a Christian is called rational in contrast to the Old Testament, which corresponded to the childhood stage of humanity and represented only hints of the kind of service that is pleasing to God. This is the same as spiritual worship (1 Pet 2:5).

Romans 12:2. And do not conform to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what the will of God is — good, acceptable, and perfect. “And.” Here this particle has an explanatory meaning: namely. This age — this is the present life of the world, in which the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life hold sway (1 John 2:16). This life is under the influence of the flesh, which is in turn enslaved to sin. The Christian, on the contrary, must live under the influence of divine grace. — The renewal of the mind is necessary for new life, because the natural mind of man, according to the Apostle, is a perverted mind (Rom 1:28) and cannot know the will of God. This renewal has already been described in Rom 7:14 and following. It consists in the mind being freed from the fetters of the flesh, which had made it dark and powerless, and being joined with the Spirit of Christ. — “Discern.” The word δοκιμάζειν here has not only the meaning of “testing” but also points to the capacity to direct a person’s activity toward lofty goals (cf. Rom 14:22). This is the result of the transformation that a Christian must work in himself.

Romans 12:3. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you: do not think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. The first thing in which the inner change taking place in the Christian must be manifested is humility: this is the foundation of the proper Christian life as a member of the Church. Christians must humbly acknowledge that all their gifts of grace, by which they serve the Church, are the result of God’s mercy and were received by them through faith. The Apostle then urges Christians to put to work the gifts they have received — specifically, to use them in the service of the Church. In doing so, Christians must always be open, honest, and diligent in serving the Lord, not losing heart under any difficult circumstances. “By the grace given to me.” The Apostle here points to his high apostolic authority and calling (cf. Rom 15:15; 1 Cor 3:10). — “According to the measure of faith” that God has assigned to each. Here the talk is of faith as a gift of God. Therefore one should see in this faith not the justifying faith but the wonder-working faith, which was given to certain Christians of the apostolic era for the performance of deeds that benefited the whole Church (cf. 1 Cor 12:9). In the New Testament, even if it is said somewhere that saving faith is also in part a gift of God, nowhere is this gift described as distributed unequally.

Romans 12:4. For just as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, Romans 12:5. so we, though many, form one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. God gives to each member of the Church a definite measure of faith for a specific purpose. He wants us, each contributing his gift from different sides, to serve one common cause, just as the different organs of the body each in their own way sustain the body’s strength (for more detail on this, see 1 Cor 12:12-31).

Romans 12:6. And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, if prophecy — prophesy in proportion to the faith; Romans 12:7. if service — devote yourself to serving; if teaching — to teaching; Romans 12:8. if exhortation — to exhorting; if giving — give generously; if leading — lead with diligence; if showing mercy — do it with cheerfulness. The Apostle here enumerates several gifts of grace that existed in his time in the Christian Church. — “In proportion to the faith.” Here the Apostle has in mind the faith of the hearers of the one who prophesies, with whose condition the prophet — that is, the inspired teacher, the preacher — must take account in his speeches (prophecy is discussed in detail in 1 Cor 14:1-24)³⁸.

1 Corinthians 12:28. “Service” (διακονία) — this is a special gift; those who possessed it served the outward ordering of the Church, for example caring for the sick, the poor, and travelers (cf. 1 Cor 12:28, where this gift is called the gift of helping, and Acts 6:1 and following; 1 Tim 3:8). — “Teaching” (διδασκαλία) — in the context of the passage, not simple instruction but again a special gift for teaching in the truths of the Christian faith (cf. Eph 4:11). “Exhorter” — this is a preacher who, following the custom of the synagogue, appended exhortations to the passage of Holy Scripture that had been read (cf. Acts 4:36 and following). This capacity, like the following ministries, is also defined by the Apostle as a ministry founded on receiving special gifts from God. — “Giver” — this is a benefactor (Eph 4:28) who must carry out his acts of charity with generosity, without any self-serving calculations (cf. Matt 6:2 and following)³⁹. — “Leader” — more precisely: one who presides (ὁ προϊστάμενος). This is not an ordinary hierarchical person (bishop or presbyter) but a person who stands out in Christian society by virtue of his special administrative gifts, by which he becomes, in difficult circumstances, the guide of the Christian community. — “One who shows mercy” — more precisely: the merciful or compassionate toward the suffering and unfortunate, to whom he is able to speak a word of comfort and support. — “With cheerfulness” — more precisely: “with brightness,” or in such a way that all his consolation proceeds from a pure heart and raises no doubts in the sufferers.

Romans 12:9. Let love be genuine; recoil from what is evil, hold fast to what is good; Romans 12:10. Love one another with brotherly affection and tenderness; outdo one another in showing respect; From the various ministries — gifts — the Apostle now turns to the ordinary Christian virtues, placing love first among them. This love must be genuine. It therefore recoils from evil and exposes evil even in those it loves. For it, the highest thing is good, which it knows how to find and appreciate everywhere. Toward brothers in the faith, a love joined with tenderness must appear. It is also joined with respect for one’s neighbor. Each of us must strive to set an example of such respect.

Romans 12:11. Do not be slothful in zeal; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord; Romans 12:12. rejoice in hope; be patient in tribulation; be persistent in prayer; A Christian must be a zealous, fervent worker in the Church. Let him be set on fire by the (Holy) Spirit! Let him always act as a servant of the Lord (Christ), and not according to his own whims (Instead of: the Lord (Κυρίῳ), some codices read: the time (καιρῷ)). This would point to the necessity for the Christian to adjust his zeal to the demands of the time and circumstances, an example of which was given by the Apostle Paul himself (see 1 Cor 9:19 and following; Phil 4:12 and following). In tribulations, the Christian must be comforted by the hope of future glorification.

Romans 12:13. Contribute to the needs of the saints; pursue hospitality. Toward neighbors, the Christian must be solicitous about their needs, and even toward his enemies he must wish every good, carefully guarding against any desire for revenge. Hospitality, under the circumstances the Apostolic Church was experiencing — when Christians often had to leave their own cities and seek refuge in others — was a particularly important virtue. — Saints = Christians.

Romans 12:14. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Cf. Matt 5:44.

Romans 12:15. Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Sharing joy at another’s happiness and success requires a certain moral elevation, and the Apostle places this virtue before sympathy with another’s misfortunes.

Romans 12:16. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be proud, but associate with the lowly; do not be conceited about yourself; “Be of the same mind toward one another” — more accurately: have toward others the same disposition, the same feeling, that you have toward yourself. Cf. Matt 22:39. — “Do not be proud” — that is, do not exalt yourself in your fantasies, do not retreat from real life. — “Associate with the lowly” — that is, go to the poor and unfortunate, descend into those areas of life where there is greatest need for your care. — “Do not be conceited about yourself” — that is, about your own superiority. This will deprive you of interest in the needs of your neighbors.

Romans 12:17. Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is honorable in the sight of all people. “Take thought for what is honorable in the sight of all people” — that is, let even your outward behavior give no one cause to blaspheme the faith you profess (cf. Prov 3 in the LXX text).

Romans 12:18. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live at peace with all people. “If possible.” On our part we must always display a spirit of peace: no limitations can apply here. If peaceful relations nevertheless are not established — that is no longer your fault.

Romans 12:19. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God. For it is written: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay,” says the Lord. By pointing to God’s wrath against the wicked enemies of Christians, the Apostle does not at all intend to provide some satisfaction to Christians. He only wishes to dissuade those who suppose that our patient attitude toward the wrongs inflicted on us destroys the moral order of the world and that as a result evil people will triumph. No — says the Apostle — God Himself, as the most holy Judge, keeps watch over the life of the world and will not allow evil to triumph over good.

Romans 12:20. Therefore, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on his head. “You will heap burning coals on his head” — that is, you will prepare for him bitter remorse and shame, which will burn him like coals (Augustine, Jerome, Ambrose, and others).

Romans 12:21. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. “Do not be overcome by evil” — that is, do not yield to the feeling, the desire to take revenge for the evil done to you. Let the evil person gain the upper hand, let him — for a time — triumph. But evil will undoubtedly be defeated by the fact that the Christian will not want to imitate his offender and will not repay insult with insult. * * * Notes The body of a Christian, being sanctified by a pure life, thereby acquires the right to full vivification through the resurrection (Rom 6:22 and following; Rom 8:10-13). According to Zahn, the reference here is to the faith given to the prophet — that is, to his gift. The prophet should prophesy only so long as the prophetic inspiration speaks within him. Zahn understands this term as denoting the distribution not only of material goods but also of spiritual ones (Rom 15:27; 1 Cor 9:11).