Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20080302.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Romans: Charter Of Salvation Grace
Part VI: The Practical Application Of God's Spiritual Provisions To Living
A. Applying God's Spiritual Provisions To Ourselves
(Romans 12:1-5)
  1. Introduction
    1. Once one has been justified and sanctified by God, he no longer belongs to himself, but to God: the believer owes his Lord the rest of his earthly LIFE to be lived as GOD wills that he live it!
    2. Romans 12:1-5 in view of the preceding context reveals this with a life-directing application (as follows):
  2. Applying God's Spiritual Provisions To Ourselves, Romans 12:1-5.
    1. In his opening phrase of Romans 12:1, when Paul referred to the "mercies" of God, he pointed back to the mercies described in the whole preceding part of his epistle of Romans 1:18-11:36 (as follows):
      1. In Romans 1:18-5:21, Paul wrote of God's mercy in justifying whoever believes in Christ for salvation.
      2. In Romans 6:1-8:39, Paul wrote of God's mercy in sanctifying all believers who rely on the Holy Spirit for victory over sin in their daily lives.
      3. In Romans 9:1-11:36, Paul wrote of God's varied mercies and great wisdom in working with both Gentiles and Israel to fulfill His original Abrahamic Covenant, a work that became complicated by Israel's current rebellious rejection of His Son, Jesus Christ, cf. Romans 11:25-26.
    2. Thus, God's merciful works toward him leave the believer obliged to present his body as a living sacrifice to be holy, acceptable unto God, involving his thinking versus mere formalism, Romans 12:1b, John Murray, Romans, 1968, p. 112.
    3. The mechanics of this "living sacrifice" process are briefly described in Romans 12:2 (as follows):
      1. Instead of letting himself be molded into the world's way of thinking, the believer is to let himself be continually maturing by the renewing of his mind in alignment with God's view, Romans 12:2a,b:
        1. The verb "be not conformed" (KJV, ESV) is syschematizo, "to form or mold after something," cf. Arndt & Ging., A Grk.-Engl. Lex. of the N. T., 1967, p. 803.
        2. Then, the verb "be transformed" (KJV, ESV, NIV) is metamorphoo, "to transform," Ibid., p. 513.
        3. The first verb is in the present tense with the subjunctive negative particle may, making Paul mean to STOP being molded into this present age's thought and action, cf. U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966 ed., p. 563; Zondervan's The Analytical Grk. Lex., 1972, p. 393.
        4. The second verb is also in the present tense, meaning a process where a believer is being changed in thought and action, Ibid., The Analytical Greek Lex., p. 266; John Murray, Romans , 1968, p. 114.
        5. So, Paul urged believers to cease heeding the world's view, but continually to be changed by God's thinking [through intake of His Word under the Spirit's lead, Rom. 15:4; 8:3-4], Rom. 12:2a,b.
      2. Thus mentally poised, the Christian can function in God's good, acceptable, perfect will, Rom. 12:2c.
    4. Just what that divine will involves for the believer is shown in Romans 12:3-5 [and the rest of the epistle]:
      1. Paul's introduction to verse 3 of "For I say, through the grace given unto me" ties verse 3 to verse 2, showing what in practice is involved in shifting from the worldly orientation to the godly one.
      2. Thus, the worldly view is that a believer overlooks God's mercies to him so that he thinks so highly of himself, he dominates others, or acts independent of them, or ignores them, etc. (Rom. 12:2-5 implied)!
      3. In deep contrast, the godly view is for the believer to realize he has been saved, sanctified and gifted to minister to others by God's mercies, leaving him obligated (among other duties revealed later in this epistle) humbly to minister his God-given gift in his local church to edify fellow believers VERSUS either selfishly dominating them, or ignoring or abandoning them, Romans 12:3-5!
Lesson: Due to God's immense mercies displayed in justifying, gifting and sanctifying the believer for effective living, EVERY believer is OBLIGATED before the LORD to USE his life to DO GOD'S WILL of HUMBLY MINISTERING to HELP OTHERS with his GIFTING, and that as GOD DIRECTS!

Application: May we SHIFT from the WORLD'S view to GOD'S viewpoint by heeding Scripture under the Holy Spirit's power that we LIVE lives that USE our God-given gifting GOD'S way to edify others!