Coffman
Commentaries on the Old and New Testament
Romans
12
Verse 1 I beseech
you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which
is your spiritual service.
How magnanimous is that authority which, having the power
to command, stoops to plead for mortal compliance with God's
will! "I beseech you ..." means "I beg of you, please ..."
F1
This admonition still lies under the spell of that heavenly
love radiating from the great doxology just concluded in Rom.
11, and relies strongly upon God's great love as the basic
motivation of all human obedience.
Present your bodies
... The body here is from the Greek word [soma],
meaning the physical body; and, despite that Batey and others
refer it to "the whole man," F2
the contrast with "mind" in the next verse focuses the thought
on the physical body here. Vincent, as quoted by Wuest, stated
that:
The body here is the physical body; and the word
for "present" is the technical term for presenting the
Levitical offerings and victims. F3
A living sacrifice
... Contrasts the slain offerings of the old
institution with the living sacrifices of the new.
The typical nature of the Old Testament regime, and the
prophetic intent of its sacrifices and ceremonials, required,
absolutely, that antitypes of the new covenant should be
changed to accommodate the new information brought by the
actual appearance of the Messiah upon the earth.
For example, the sacrificial lamb, slain upon countless
pre-Christian altars, was an eloquent and instructive type of
the Lord Jesus Christ; but, when Christ came and died for
man's sins as the type indicated he would, there followed the
resurrection of Christ from the dead, a fact incapable of
being prefigured by the slaughter of a lamb. In lieu of the
old sacrifice, therefore, God ordained that the Christian
himself be presented as a living sacrifice, dying to sin,
buried with Christ in baptism, and rising up to walk in
newness of life (Romans
6:1-4), and thus providing a continual witness of the
primary facts of the gospel (the death, burial, and
resurrection of Christ, 1 Corinthians
15:1-4), and pointing back to those blessed events
similarly to the manner in which the sacrificial lamb pointed
forward to them, but with the significant difference that the
new sacrifice referred far more emphatically to Christ than
did the ancient type. Thus, it is evident that, in the
Father's wise design, the Lord Jesus Christ is the focus of
all true religion, in both the Old Testament and the New
Testament alike. Every true Christian is himself a presented
sacrifice witnessing to the great facts of the Christian
gospel.
Batey was correct in the view that:
This living sacrifice can best be understood in
terms of dying and rising with Christ (Romans
6:1-11). F4
Even more than this, however, is certainly included. The
believer indeed presents his body for baptism, this being an
important element in the new birth itself, and thus
accomplishes a sacrifice which requires the volition and
assent of the whole person; but the presenting does not end at
the baptistry. There is also the formal and faithful
presentation of the body in public corporate worship,
regularly throughout the Christian's probation. Now, as in
Job's day, "when the sons of God came to present themselves
before the Lord" (Job
1:6), the sons of God still present themselves before the
Lord in the Lord's Day assemblies of the church (and other
times also), a duty which Christians are categorically
commanded not to neglect (Hebrews
10:25). Nor can it end there. The body is the chief
instrument of the person and is to be presented to God through
service to humanity, by preaching, teaching, ministering, and
helping people, and not merely for some space of time, but
throughout life.
Holy ... modifies
sacrifice; and, since the sacrifice in view is the body
([Greek: soma]), this amounts to an affirmation that the body,
as such, is not evil. Paul noted in another place that the
same body capable of being joined to a harlot, in the case of
the Corinthians, was actually the "temple of the Holy Spirit"
(1 Corinthians
6:12-20). Such teaching prohibits the view that the body
is in itself sinful or evil.
Acceptable to God
... is the pledge of inspiration that believers
presenting themselves in the manner indicated shall indeed be
accepted by God and blessed in so doing. The condition of
acceptance, stated here, is holiness; and, as Sanday observed:
The Christian sacrifice must be holy and pure in
God's sight; otherwise, it cannot be acceptable to him.
F5
Which is your reasonable service
... (as in the KJV) appears to be a better
rendition than the English Revised Version (1885), the
commentators being all in agreement that "pertaining to the
mind" is an essential element of the meaning here. Thayer said
that this "reasonable service" is "worship which is rendered
by the reason, or the soul." F6
The concept of what is the intended meaning, as viewed in this
commentary, is that which sees that nothing could possibly be
more reasonable, nor more in keeping with the conclusions of
the highest intelligence, than the fact that mortal man,
doomed to descend so shortly into the tomb, should rally all
of his soul's energies to seek the Lord and trust the Creator
alone who has the power to redeem him from the rottenness of
the grave and endow him with everlasting life, the agonizing
desire of which is the great passion of mankind.
Further, the most skillful exercise of intelligence, even
of the greatest minds ever to appear on earth, reveals that
such a seeking after God is fully consonant and harmonious
with all that really blesses man, even in this life, and with
all that in any way contributes to his peace and happiness
now. Let a man employ his mind, his reason and intelligence,
in the contemplation of one fact alone, namely, that God
created man; and then let him ask if it is reasonable, or not,
that such a being as God could have created man with such a
nature as to make him happier in the service of the devil than
in the service of God! In this single instance, and in a
million others, the most ardent application of discerning
intelligence will always reveal the reasonableness of serving
God. It is believed that this is what Paul affirmed here.
Verse 2 And be not
fashioned according to this world; but be ye transformed by
the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good
and acceptable and perfect will of God.
The world is very much with Christians, who, though not of
the world, are nevertheless still in it and subject to its
fashions and allurements, unless these shall be rejected; and
that rejection is the thing commanded here.
The world ... is not a
reference to the physical geography of the planet, but is
spoken of the natural habits, desires, and value judgments of
the natural man, the natural man being man apart from the
loving guidance of his Maker. The things of God's Spirit are
"foolishness" to the unregenerated (1 Corinthians
2:14); but the Christian must adopt an utterly different
set of value-judgments, based upon an utterly new and higher
concept of life, and thus encompassing a view of the eternal
things, rather than merely those of earth and time.
Significantly, both the mind and the physical body, in
these first two verses, are seen as consciously controlled and
directed. Therefore, even the mind, which is often thought of
as that portion of the person which does the controlling, must
itself be brought into subjection to God. And what is the
instrument by which that can be accomplished? It is the ego,
the "I," the essence of the person itself that must do this;
and, therefore, specific attention to that should be given.
That the inner monitor of life does indeed have control over
both mind and body is seen in the Old Testament statement:
He that ruleth his own spirit is greater than he
that taketh a city (Proverbs
16:32).
Whatever it is that rules man's spirit, that essential
center of human control, is the seat of all authority over
human thought and behavior.
Man is so created that the inner throne of life may not be
occupied by himself, because it was made for God's occupancy,
God being Spirit in nature; but, alas, due to the fall in
Eden, Satan, also spiritual, has been allowed by man to occupy
the place intended for God. Invariably, this throne, this
inner monitor of the total life, must be occupied either by
God or by Satan. Man may fancy that he may take the throne
himself; but if he does, his very act of dethroning God has
brought him under the sway of evil and elevated Satan to the
seat of authority in his life. There are, thus, not three
potential occupants of the soul-center, but only two.
That is why God's classification of human kind is always
dual, and never otherwise. Thus, such metaphors as the sheep
and the goats, the wheat and the chaff, the wise and the
foolish, those on the left and on the right, God and Mammon,
etc., are so prominent in scripture.
Through heredity and environment both, man has a natural
bent toward evil, thus giving Satan an advantage in seizing
control of the person, which always happens shortly after man
reaches an accountable age; but every soul ever born yet
retains enough of the image of God within to enable the soul
to dethrone the evil one and enthrone the rightful Occupant.
This is done by believing and obeying the gospel of Jesus
Christ. This change of masters within is the enabling charter,
the validating act, which enables the renewing of the mind
which Paul here commanded; but it cannot be accomplished in an
instant. That is why the command is here given to Christians
who were already baptized and risen with Christ to newness of
life (Romans
6:1-10). After justification, which took place in the new
birth, there is a growth process by which the mind is truly in
a state of being renewed throughout life. Through the
disciplines of prayer, study, worship, and meditation the
inward man is gloriously renewed, as long as the true Occupant
is maintained upon the proper eminence within. It was of this
that Paul wrote:
Though our outward man is decaying, yet our
inward man is renewed day by day (2 Corinthians
4:16).
This understanding that the mind itself is but one of the
instruments of the true person explains the atheism and
perversity which sometimes mark human intelligence. When Satan
is on the throne, the mind itself is not free, but subservient
to evil, all of the highest gifts of intelligence being
absolutely denied by Satan. It was of such persons that Paul
wrote:
The God of this world hath blinded the minds of
the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory
of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn upon
them (2 Corinthians
4:4).
The renewing of the mind is not possible except through the
maintenance of God upon that inner throne which monitors all
human activity, physical and mental. Under many different
expressions in the Holy Scriptures, the description of this
divine inner Control is presented. Here are some of them:
Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ
Jesus (Philippians
2:5).
Ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts
2:38f).
Which is Christ in you the hope of glory (Colossians
1:27).
The Spirit that dwelleth in us (James
4:5).
Even as God said I will dwell in them (2 Corinthians
6:16).
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly (Colossians
3:16), etc.
Manifestly, all of the above scriptures have reference to
exactly the same thing, the presence of God upon the inner
throne of life. Of all the above, said to dwell in the child
of God, none dwells without all the others.
That ye may prove
... indicates that the soul which does indeed
allow God to take over in his mind will enjoy the most
overwhelming proof imaginable that such a state is the highest
destiny of man, being in perfect harmony with the good and
acceptable will of God. God's way is the good way; his will is
the perfect way for people; and the soul that tries it shall
know it is true. His own experience will demonstrate it.
Verse 3 For I say,
through the grace that was given to me, to every man that is
among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought
to think: but so to think as to think soberly, according as
God hath dealt to each man a measure of faith.
Even after Christ is enthroned in the heart, the old mental
habits and value-judgments of the natural man are prone to
reassert themselves, these being the most persistent and
pernicious of human sins. The body is relatively easy to bring
under control; but the pride, ambition, conceit, vainglory and
self-love of the mind can only be driven out by the filling of
the personality with the "mind of Christ" who "made himself of
no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant" (Philippians
2:5f), thus sacrificing the very thing to which the
natural human mind clings most tenaciously.
In this verse, Paul was still dealing with the problem of
getting a new mind into Christians. Paradoxically, even the
great spiritual emoluments of Christian service, the
achievement of a degree of human righteousness, as viewed by
human eyes, the gaining of respectability and reputation among
fellow mortals, all of the rewards and honors of godly living,
even such things as these, quite easily, and often do, lead to
pride, conceit, arrogance, and self-righteousness, which are
totally abhorrent to God. It cannot be doubted that this very
fact led to the fantastic emphasis in this epistle to the
effect that nobody, but nobody, ever deserved salvation.
Even the fulfillment of conditions upon which God gives
salvation cannot merit the gift. Salvation is the gift of God,
and only that, even though no one may receive it while
spurning the conditions upon which it is freely given.
More highly than he ought to think
... It was the primary sin of Israel that they
fell into the thinking prohibited here, a lapse which led at
last to their tragic hardening. In chapter 11, Paul strongly
warned against the same violation in the Gentiles, and that
warning is in view here. (See under Romans
11:18-20.) In this recurrence of the warning, he plainly
forbade that conceit which so naturally rises in the minds of
people who, through God's mercy, are permitted to enjoy some
little distinction of faith and piety.
Despite the warning, Paul's admonition was not directed to
the utter negation of self, nor the sinful depreciation of the
noble endowments God has granted mortal man; but it strikes a
perfect balance, admitting that it is right and proper for one
to think highly of himself, but not more highly than becomes a
sinner without merit of salvation, and certainly not so highly
as to produce any conceit that might arise from a comparison
of his own gifts with those of his fellow Christians.
Verses 4, 5 For
even as we have many members in one body, and all the members
have not the same office: so we, who are many, are one body in
Christ, and severally members one of another.
These verses touch upon the same view of the body of Christ
that Paul outlined in 1 Corinthians 12th chapter, where it is
declared that there "is but one body." All Christians are part
of the same entity. (See article "Christ Incorporated" under
3:24.)
Since Christians are all members of one body and therefore
intimately joined in one communion and fellowship with each
other, the savage competition for honors and preferments
should give place to loving concern on the part of every
member for every one of the others. The various gifts,
abilities, and "offices," or functions, as distributed among
the members of Christ's body should not become the occasion of
jealousy, envy, and deprecation on the park of the "have
not's," nor should arrogance, pride, conceit, and
self-importance mar the attitude of the "have's." To use the
analogy that Paul used in 1 Corinthians, it would be as
logical for the foot to be jealous of the ear, as for
Christians to corrupt their love of one another through pride,
envy or jealousy.
In Christ ... is a key
phrase, as often noted here, in the book of Romans. Those
alone who have been "baptized into Christ" are truly in him;
and this does not overlook the absolute necessity of faith and
repentance also. Can it really be said of any man who will not
be baptized, as Christ commanded all people to be - can it
truly be said of such a man that he BELIEVES (!) in Christ?
Let every man answer that one for himself.
Verses 6, 7, 8 And
having gifts differing according to the grace that was given
to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the
proportion of our faith; or ministry, let us give ourselves to
our ministry; or he that teacheth, to his teaching; or he that
exhorteth, to his exhorting: he that giveth, let him do it
with liberality; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that
showeth mercy, with cheerfulness.
In these verses, Paul enumerated, with appropriate
admonitions, some of the various gifts of Christians, the
overriding sentiment being that WHATEVER one does in Christ's
service, it should .be discharged with true faith in God who
provided the ability to do it, and with the intention of doing
it as perfectly as possible, and especially without reference
to odious comparisons, rankings, and preferments which appear
so generally in the patterns of human behavior.
Prophecy ... Although
there were prophets, in the usual present-day sense of the
word, in New Testament times, as, for example, Agabus (Acts
21:10), the meaning of the word here has a wider
application. Exo. 4:16; Exo. 7:1, shows that Aaron was Moses'
prophet, or spokesman; and, in that view, every preacher and
teacher of God's word is a prophet. This view is consistent
with 1 Cor. 14:3:
He that prophesieth speaking unto men unto
edification, and exhortation, and consolation.
Just what shade of meaning Paul had in mind, however, is
not the important consideration, because the admonition
attached is applicable to every kind of prophesying, being
this, that it should be done in proportion to the faith of
them doing it. Thus any preaching, or teaching, that does not
flow out of the vibrant, living faith of the teacher or
preacher himself is hollow, hypocritical, and ineffectual.
Ministry
... technically means the service of a deacon in
the church; but the word is used more generally to include
even the work of the apostles themselves, as indicated by
Paul's word "our" in this verse. It refers to any kind of
service undertaken for God's glory in the church; and the
instruction is that whatever is done should be done
enthusiastically and faithfully.
He that teacheth
... refers to teachers as distinguished from
prophets, some of the latter, at least, being inspired,
whereas teachers, in the sense here, are not; although they
must be understood as being faithful students and expositors
of the sacred word. 1 Cor. 12:28 gives the proper ranking of
"apostles, prophets, teachers, gifts of healings, miracles,
helps, governments, and divers kinds of tongues." It is of
surpassing interest that "governments" which receive such
inordinate rankings among people are actually near the bottom.
And as for "various kinds of tongues," that was the lowest
thing in the church! That Paul intended in that passage to
rank these things consciously, is proved by the repeated use
of such words as first, second, third, etc. The Christian
teacher is third in this echelon, being outranked only by the
inspired apostles and prophets.
Exhortation, liberality, showing
mercy ... are reference to various Christian
duties of a private and personal nature, the exhortation being
that grace, humility, faith, simplicity, and consideration for
others should always mark the services of them that have in
mind to please the Lord. The suggestion of "cheerfulness" as
an accompaniment of showing mercy is most appropriate, since
many a merciful or charitable deed has been nullified by the
grudging and censorious manner that accompanied it.
Verse 9 Let love be
without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that
which is good.
Hodge noted that:
The love intended by this verse is probably love
to all men, and not to Christians exclusively; as, in Rom.
12:10, BROTHERLY AFFECTION is particularly specified.
F7
Hypocrisy is, of all vices, one of the worst to which
Christians may be addicted. The most vehement denunciations of
the Master himself were directed against it (Matt. 23). The
last clauses here are two sides of the same virtue. Hating
evil and loving good are not separate and distinct virtues,
but part and parcel of each other. No man ever hated evil
without loving good, or vice versa. Again from Hodge:
The words rendered to ABHOR and to CLEAVE to are
particularly forcible, and express the highest degree of
hatred on the one hand, and of persevering devotion on the
other. F8
Verse 10 In love of
the brethren be tenderly affectioned one to another; in honor
preferring one another.
The Greek word for "love" in both this and the preceding
verses is [agape], that great New Testament word which has
captured the loving admiration of people in all generations,
meaning love in its most comprehensive and selfless qualities.
There are two qualifying words which are added here as
specifically applicable to members of the Christian family and
the kind of love they should bear each other. It is all that
the other is, and more. These qualifying words are [Greek:
philostorgio], meaning the kind of affection that exists in a
family, and [Greek: philadelphia], literally meaning brotherly
love. McGarvey described it as:
(Like that) of an animal for its offspring, a
parent for his child, a near relative for his close kin. Its
use here indicates that the church tie should rival that of
the family. F9
In honor preferring one another
... carries the connotation of setting an
example and taking the lead in the honoring of others. Instead
of coveting and trying to grasp honors for one's self, the
Christian should rather desire to exalt his fellow Christians,
even taking the lead in the conveyance of such honors to them;
and, as David Lipscomb stated it,
Instead of waiting for others to honor us, we
should lead them in the manifestation of esteem and respect.
F10
Verse 11 In
diligence not slothful; fervent in spirit; serving the
Lord.
A lazy Christian is a contradiction of terms. Having been
saved from the guilt and ravages of sin, the Christian is man
at the zenith of his best powers. Strength, zeal, enthusiasm,
vigor, and the full thrust of his total energy should
distinguish the Christian's performance in business, trade,
profession, study, artistic creation, or in anything else that
he pursues as a vocation; and, above everything, such
qualities should characterize his devotion and service in the
church. The opposite of what Paul commanded here is
lukewarmness, a negative condition represented as disgusting
to God himself (Revelation
3:16).
Verse 12 Rejoicing
in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing stedfastly in
prayer.
As the deeply spiritual R. C. Bell expressed it,
Our difficulty lies not in comprehending but in
obeying. F11
The glorious hope of the Christian is more than enough to
flood the soul with rejoicing, even in the midst of abounding
disappointments, provided it is kept in focus by the mind.
This hope is the anchor of the soul (Hebrews
6:19) which enables the child of God to endure whatever
storms may come, but not, however, without prayer. Prayer is
the breathing of the redeemed soul, and the cessation or
neglect of it will smother and destroy spiritual life.
Verse 13 Communicating to the necessities of the saints;
given to hospitality.
Communicating
... refers to the giving of money or supplies
and is the constant duty of every Christian, the first
priority in such sharing of God's gracious gifts going to
Christians, rather than to the world generally; and even the
Christian's claim upon the generosity of his fellows being
resident in his "necessities," and not merely in his desires
and wants. Many of the commentators translate "distributing"
for communicating; but, upon the assumption that the English
Revised Version (1885) is founded upon a necessary implication
of the word, it appears that the "sending of funds" is part of
the meaning of this word. At least, many New Testament
examples did involve the sending of contributions from one
part of the world to another. In this light, therefore, there
is indicated here the need for special concern for such needs
as those of missionaries and of communities visited by
calamity or disaster.
Saints ... Regarding
this, Thomas wrote:
Its simple meaning is "belonging to God," and
refers invariably to our position, not our condition, to our
standing in Christ, and not to our actual state. It is most
unfortunate that the word has been so frequently associated
with exceptional holiness, when it means nothing of the
kind, but only the actual fact that from the first moment of
conversion every Christian soul is consecrated and devoted
to God. The needs of God's people were great when these
words were written; and we know how keen Paul was in
encouraging the Gentiles to help their poorer brethren in
Jerusalem. In the same way, he appeals to all the Christians
in Rome to communicate to their fellow believers whatever
might be necessary. F12
In an affluent society like that in current U.S.A., the
desires of the so-called poor are frequently substituted for
necessities in the benevolent programs of both the church and
the secular society and government, and, in this, failing to
retain the Biblical concept of "need" as the basis of all true
benevolence; but, despite this, there are always examples of
Christian need in every community. It is the plain duty of the
more able to supply such needs, and the widespread neglect of
the Christian obligation of charity and hospitality must be
deplored. Lard went so far as to say:
I have never seen it practiced except upon a
scale so parsimonious as to render it a virtual nullity. The
scanty manner in which the rich disciples of the present day
share the wants (and one supposes Lard meant the needs of
the poor) of the poor is a sham. From their thousands, they
dole out dimes; and from their storehouses full, mete out
handfuls. This is no compliance with the precept; and it
were better for a Christian that he were without a coat to
his name, than, having two, not to give to his brother who
has none. Such precepts as the present will, in the day of
eternity, prove the fatal reef on which many a saintly bark
is stranded. F13
Given to hospitality
... in the Greek is "pursuing hospitality"
(margin); and, as Godet thought:
We are not to confine ourselves to according it
when it is asked, but we should ever seek opportunities of
exercising it. F14
Verse 14 Bless them
that persecute you; bless, and curse not.
In this extended enumeration of Christian obligations, most
of what Paul enjoined thus far was to have been expected as
the natural duties arising from the close and affectionate
relationship existing in God's family of Christians; but the
great and active principle of that great love which is the
hallmark of true discipleship goes beyond what we might have
expected. This principle begins to emerge in the preceding
verse, where the "communicating" to the saints' necessities is
not confined to alleviation of distress before one's very
eyes, but extends to meeting those needs of which he has
merely heard; and that principle emerges further in the
admonition that hospitality is not merely for our friends and
acquaintances, but is for strangers also. Now, in this verse,
the principle is extended to encompass doing good to wicked
and malevolent enemies of the child of God. Love is thus
revealed as the Christian weapon against evil itself, the
heavenly device by which evil itself may be overcome by good,
that being the great thought with which the chapter concludes.
Verse 15 Rejoice
with them that rejoice; weep with them that
weep.
This teaches the community of mankind. The Christian does
not exist in a state of isolation and indifference to the fate
of others, but, like his holy Master, has compassion, being
involved in and moved by the emotions of others, whether of
joy or sorrow. Only the wicked or the thoughtless are
calloused against the joys and sorrows of humanity; and, if
one permits himself to become hardened against concern for
fellow mortals, he thereby forfeits the likeness he might have
had for him who wept at the grave of Lazarus, had compassion
on the multitude, and replenished the wine at the wedding in
Cana.
Verse 16 Be of the
same mind one toward another. Set not your mind on high
things, but condescend to things that are lowly. Be not wise
in your own conceits.
Godet observed that this verse is commonly understood as a
reference to good feeling among members of the church, a
meaning which he rejected as being contrary to all sound
exegesis, saying:
The only possible meaning is: "aiming at the
same object for one another as for yourselves"; that is to
say, having each the same solicitude for the temporal and
spiritual well-being of his brethren as for his own. F15
This verse is a prohibition of partiality and respect of
persons within communities of Christians. The development
within congregations of small coteries of the allegedly elite,
the formation of inner circles of preference, the
stratification of churches along social, economic, or other
lines of demarcation these and all similar separations are
evil. Regardless of how naturally and conveniently such
divisions (yes, that is what they are) tend to appear, that
magnanimous and outreaching love of the true Christian will
resist and countermand them. Every member of the body of
Christ is a sacred person, every Christian the brother of
every other Christian; and God knows no aristocracy in his
holy church except that of loving service.
Set not your mind on high things
... does not contradict the Scripture which
says,
Set your mind on the things which are above (Colossians
3:2).
The high things mentioned here are the so-called high
things which constitute the difference between the preferred
and neglected Christians, things like wealth, privilege,
education, social grace, power, office, and position in the
world. Not setting the mind on such things means not being
influenced by them and not allowing them to be the basis of
one's attitude toward his brothers in Christ. The certainty of
this meaning derives from the second clause in which Paul
commanded the Christian to associate with the lowly. Instead
of being carried away with admiration of the rich and
powerful, Paul said, "Be carried away (this the exact meaning
in Greek, see margin) with the lowly."
This writer is personally indebted to the late
philanthropist and devout student of the word of God, Andrew
Mizell Burton, Nashville, Tennessee, for a focus upon the
meaning of this verse. He often spoke of it as his favorite
verse and attributed many of the greatest blessings of his
remarkable life to an observance of its teaching.
Be not wise in your own conceit
... This admonition was implied in Rom. 11:25,
being there a reflection of the sternest warnings against this
vice earlier in that chapter, and here it is stated
imperatively, having its immediate application to that form of
conceit which allows petty little human arrangements of a
"pecking order" among the sacred fellowship of the redeemed as
the basis upon which some associations are cultivated, and
others neglected.
Verse 17 Render to
no man evil for evil. Take thought for things honorable in the
sight of all men.
Evil for evil ... The
child of God may not set himself to "get even" with another,
nor retaliate in kind against any who might slight or wrong
him. The one who receives the Lord upon the inner throne of
his life and yields to the Divine Will will return good for
evil, bless them that curse, and do good to them that
despitefully use him. Such reaction to evil is the grand
strategy of God who will overcome evil with good; and the
announcement of that strategy, to be made at the end of the
chapter, had been in Paul's mind throughout the enumeration of
the admonitions listed here.
This has no reference at all to the duty of a magistrate
commissioned under the law to render the required penalty
against an evil doer as the just recompense of a crime. Murray
stated that
Misunderstanding of these admonitions arises
from a failure to see that they are concerned with our
private, individual, personal relations lo one another and
not with magisterial and judicial administration. It is
noteworthy that the apostle proceeds immediately after these
admonitions to deal with the prerogatives and functions of
the magistrate and therefore with the civil, judicial, and
penal institution. To the magistrate is given the power of
the sword to avenge the evil-doer (Rom. 13:4). If he avenges
wrongdoing he inflicts the evil of penalty. F16
Take thought for things honorable in
the sight of all men ... is a restriction of
Christian conduct to exclude anything held to be disreputable,
dishonorable, reprehensible, or detestable by human opinion in
society as a whole, or as officially expressed through the
regulations imposed by government. All illegal activity is
forbidden, being here condemned and proscribed, whether or not
the law may be based upon absolute truth, the mere fact of a
thing's being illegal under the laws of the state being
sufficient disqualification to deny it as permissible for a
Christian. Gambling, for example, will never be permissible
for any Christian, as long as it is illegal in fifty states.
It is not honorable in the sight of all the police
establishments in North America. Further, churches which stoop
to finance their activities by gambling, even if legally
permitted, fall under the judgment of this apostolic ban,
because, despite the legal exemption sometimes grafted
churches, vast numbers of enlightened people still consider it
evil. Things that are tainted in the popular view of society
as a whole are not for Christians, regardless of the specious
logic which would deny this.
Murray is correct in underscoring this verse as an
additional principle of Christian behavior, thus:
For the first time in this chapter, this type of
consideration appears, namely, the need for maintaining a
deportment that approves itself to men. The close parallel,
"We take thought for things honorable not only in the sight
of the Lord but also in the sight of men" (2 Corinthians
8:21), points up this consideration. F17
Such a decent respect to the opinions of mankind was
frequently noted by Paul, who commended himself to "every
conscience of men" (2 Corinthians
4:2), and who required that a Christian elder "must have a
good report of those who are without" (1 Timothy
3:7).
Verse 18 If it be
possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all
men.
This instruction to be at peace with all people is
conditioned upon the objective possibility of being so. The
subjective impossibility of the Christian's being unable to
restrain himself, or some such thing, is not in view here at
all. The impossibility allowed by Paul as a negation of this
precept would lie only in the kind of a situation where truth
and sacred duty would require resistance. Peace with some
people under some circumstances, impossible without the
sacrifice of sacred honor and duty, is not here enjoined. An
apostle said:
The wisdom which is from above is first pure,
then peaceable (James
3:17).
But, while allowing theoretical situations where peace
could not honorably be maintained, we should strictly heed the
principle of avoiding discord. Christ taught that people
should give the cloak also, go the second mile, turn the other
cheek, and avoid conflict by any honorable means whatsoever.
What a shameful contrast is the conduct of some persons,
allegedly Christian, who are ever spoiling for strife, and
who, far from avoiding it, actually seek and enjoy all kinds
of confrontations that lead to bitterness and contention.
Verse 19 Avenge not
yourselves, beloved; but give place unto the wrath of God: for
it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense,
saith the Lord.
The child of God may not collect a blood debt, to borrow
the euphemism of the North Vietnamese who murdered 9,000
civilians in one of their Tet offensives. Vengeance is not a
Christian prerogative, this being true for a number of
reasons, such as: (1) God has forbidden it; (2) it is illegal
in any civilized state; and (3) it is contrary to the
Christian principle of overcoming evil with good, the latter
being the master strategy against evil. The punishment of
evil-doers is a prerogative of God and may not be usurped by
his children.
The quotation here is from Deut. 32:35, where the text has,
To me belongeth vengeance and recompense; their
foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity
is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make
haste.
Significantly, Paul did not use the exact words of
Deuteronomy, but stated the thought in a form found nowhere
else in scripture except in Heb. 10:30, where the appearance
of exactly the same words strongly suggests Pauline authorship
of Hebrews. Who but Paul, of all the people of that
generation, could have paraphrased a portion of Deuteronomy in
exactly the same words? There also seems to be a different
meaning from that of Moses, as similarly in other passages of
Romans (Romans
10:6-8), thus still further tying the peculiar arrangement
of these words to Paul alone. In Deuteronomy, the emphasis is
upon the occurrence of some disaster, accident, or calamity to
check the evil-doer, with the implication that God's agency
might cause such to occur; but here Paul's thought pointed to
the function of the magistrate and the legal system as the
agency through which God will execute vengeance upon
wrongdoing, which is exactly the subject Paul was about to
take up (Rom. 13). Whiteside especially understood this to be
the case. He said:
To punish evil-doers is God's prerogative; let
him do the punishing in his own appointed way. Paul's
quoting that statement (Deuteronomy
32:35) did not change its meaning nor its application.
It does not refer to the vengeance God will take on sinners
at the final judgment. Under the law of Moses, God took
vengeance upon evil-doers by the agency of chosen
authorities. Paul's quoting that part of the law did not
change its application, and the vengeance here mentioned
will be taken in the same way. A little later, Paul will
show how this is to be done. F18
Whatever is the full meaning of the question of God's
taking vengeance upon wicked men, the use of constituted
authorities is surely one way it is accomplished (see under 13:4);
but this writer believes that God may, for sufficient reason,
bring disaster upon a sinner, as surely implied in the
Deuteronomic passage cited. Also, the final judgment is
another theater of God's vengeance upon the wicked. The fact
of God's taking vengeance is here revealed, as in the Old
Testament; and at least three manifestations of that vengeance
are visible: (1) in the matter of direct providence (the case
of Herod in Acts 12); (2) through legal authorities; and (3)
at the final judgment. There are also possibly other ways in
which God executes vengeance which lie totally beyond our
human knowledge or understanding. The fact that vengeance will
truly be taken is a truth to be held in humility and awe.
Verse 20 But if
thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink:
for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his
head.
This is an amazing scripture. The writer once heard of a
woman involved in bitter quarrels with her husband. Seeking
counsel, she was asked, "Have you tried heaping coals of fire
on his head?" She replied, "No, but I tried a skillet of hot
grease!" She, like many others, failed to realize that Paul
here used a figure of speech, a style of rhetoric often found
in the sacred scriptures. As Batey noted:
The original meaning of this figure of speech
has been lost, but Paul suggests that the enemy will burn
with shame for his abuse of one who loves him. F19
Paul, throughout this chapter, has consistently elaborated
the strategy of overcoming evil with good, the same being the
ancient strategy of the Lord, announced centuries earlier in
the book of Proverbs, thus:
If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat;
and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: for thou
shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall
reward thee (Proverbs
25:21,22).
Rather than delving into the strange and even bizarre
interpretations people have suggested for this passage, it
seems that it would be better to accept the explanation
offered by Batey, to the effect that the actual meaning of the
figure is lost. Whatever might have been the meaning, the
motive of providing food and drink for an enemy cannot be that
of increasing his punishment, nor of aggravating his guilt,
the true purpose, or motive, being the effective discipline of
the Christian's own spirit and likewise the subduing of enmity
within the adversary. This alone would fit the strategy
announced in the next verse.
Verse 21 Be not
overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Here appears the real reason for extending kindness to
enemies. If the child of God should retaliate in kind for all
acts of enmity against himself, he would shortly find himself
engaging in all kinds of shameful and wicked conduct. To
prevent such an unwholesome development, the servant of the
Lord must launch a counter-attack, returning good for evil,
and deploying good actions against the evil actions of the
enemy.
Here in Rom. 12:21 is the grand strategy of God with regard
to human evil. The natural man finds himself living and
operating in a world where one rotten apple can make a barrel
of good apples rotten; but the spiritual man, having the mind
of the Spirit, proceeds upon the premise that one good apple
might make a barrel of rotten apples sound! The divine nature
of this priceless precept has elicited the most extravagant
praise, as well it should. Macknight wrote:
Blackwell, after praising the language in which
this precept is delivered, adds, "This is a noble strain of
Christian courage, prudence, and goodness, that nothing in
Epicitus, Plutarch, or Antonine can vie with. The moralists
and heroes of paganism could not write and act to the height
of this." F20
Greathouse has this:
Dodd considers the last sentence of this chapter
"an admirable summary of the teaching of the Sermon on the
Mount, about what is called non-resistance"; and it
expresses, he thinks, "the most creative element in
Christian ethics." F21
Thus, in view of the foregoing consideration, the spiritual
instinct of the humble Christian, as represented by such
congregations as the one mentioned at the head of this
chapter, is demonstrated to be correct by focusing upon this
magnificent chapter of practical Christian living.
Footnotes for Romans 12 1: Kenneth S. Wuest, Romans in the Greek New
Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 1955), p. 204. 2: Richard A. Batey,
The Letter of Paul to the Romans (Austin, Texas: R. B. Sweet
Company, 1969), p. 151. 3: Kenneth Wuest, op.
cit., p. 205. 4: Richard A. Batey, loc.
cit. 5: W. Sanday, Ellicott's Commentary on
the Holy Bible (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing
House, 1959), p. 251. 6: Kenneth Wuest, op.
cit., p. 206. 7: Charles Hodge, Commentary on
the Epistle to the Romans (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1968), p. 395. 8: Ibid., p. 396. 9: J. W.
McGarvey and Phillip Y. Pendleton, The Standard Bible
Commentary (Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing Company,
1916), p. 498. 10: David Lipscomb, A
Commentary on the New Testament Epistles (Nashville: Gospel
Advocate Company, 1969), p. 226. 11: R. C.
Bell, Studies in Romans (Austin, Texas: Firm Foundation
Publishing House, 1957), p. 138. 12:
Griffith Thomas, St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans (Grand
Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970),
p. 341. 13: Moses E. Lard, Commentary on
Paul's Letter to Romans (Cincinnati, Ohio: Christian Board of
Publication, 1914), p. 391. 14: F. Godet,
Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans (Grand Rapids,
Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1970), p. 436. 15: Ibid., p. 437. 16: John
Murray, The Epistle to the Romans (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm.
B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1968), Vol. II, p. 137. 17: Ibid., p. 138. 18: R. L.
Whiteside, A New Commentary on the Epistle of Paul to Saints
in Rome (Denton, Texas: Miss Inys Whiteside, 1945), p.
256. 19: Richard A. Batey, op. cit., p.
157. 20: James Macknight, Apostolic Epistles
(Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company, 1960), p. 121. 21: William M. Greathouse, Beacon Bible Commentary
(Kansas City, Missouri: Beacon Hill Press, 1968), p.
248. 22: R. C. H. Lenski, op. cit., p.
703. 23: Moses E. Lard, op. cit., p.
362. 24: C. K. Barrett, op. cit., p.
218. 25: Richard Trench, Notes on the
Parables (Westwood, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company,
1953), p. 164. 26: R. L. Whiteside, op.
cit., p. 241. 27: Moses E. Lard, op, cit.,
p. 370. 28: J. W. McGarvey and Phillip Y.
Pendleton, The Standard Bible Commentary (Cincinnati, Ohio,
Ohio: Standard Publishing Company, 1916), p. 473. 29: John Locke, Paraphrase and Notes on the
Epistles of St. Paul (Boston: 1832), p. 359. 30: Charles Hodge, op. cit., p. 273. 31: John Murray, op. cit., p. 302. 32: Charles Hodge, op. cit., p. 272. 33: The Emphatic Greek Diaglott, p. 531. 34: Charles Hodge, op. cit., p. 270. 35: John Locke, Paraphrase and Notes on the
Epistles of St. Paul (Boston, Mass., 1832), p. 331. 36: Emil Brunner, op. cit., p. 75. 37: James Macknight, Apostolical Epistles
(Nashville: The Gospel Advocate Company, 1960), p. 98. 38: Ibid. 39: John Locke, op.
cit., p. 332. 40: F. Godet, op. cit., p.
315. 41: James Macknight, op. cit., p.
98. 42: John Locke, op. cit., p. 332. 43: Emil Brunner, op. cit., p. 75. 44: Ibid. 45: W. Sanday, op.
cit., p. 237. 46: Moses E. Lard, Commentary
on Paul's Letter to Romans (Cincinnati, Ohio: Christian Board
of Publication, 1914), p. 277. 47: John
Locke, op. cit., p. 333. 48: F. Godet, op.
cit., p. 321. 49: John Locke, op. cit., p.
334. 50: Emil Brunner, op. cit., p.
77. 51: Sir Francis Bacon, in Bartlett's
Quotations, p. 109. 52: Moses E. Lard, op.
cit., p. 280. 53: Ibid. 54: Ibid., p. 281. 55: F. Godet,
op. cit., p. 325. 56: John Locke, op. cit.,
p. 334. 57: F. Godet, op. cit., p.
323. 58: W. Sanday, op. cit., p. 238. 59: Moses E. Lard, op. cit., p. 285. 60: John Locke, op. cit., p. 335. 61: Ibid. 62: R. L. Whiteside,
op. cit., p. 193. 63: H. C. G. Moule, op.
cit., pp.
242-243.
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