Paul Resolves the Touchy Issues Between Jews and Gentiles (12:1-15:13)

With all the gospel discussion so far, Paul is not complete until he addresses the touchy cultural differences between the Jews and the Gentiles, explaining how a transformed life can lead to unity between two vastly different cultures. In this chapter, he will begin with how their thinking affects love.

Dedicating Body, Renewing Thinking (1-2)

In the first two verses of Romans 12, Paul gets at the heart of how God's grace transforms the believers in the church at Rome:

• First, through consecration and the dedicating of their bodies and lives to God

• Second, by renewing their minds to think like Jesus by focusing their attention on God until they are able to discern God's will (1-2)

If these two groups, Jew and Gentile, are going to live together, they must be transformed people by changing the way they think.

Humility: Core to Renewed Thinking (3-5)

Paul then lays out the main virtue to flow from renewed thinking—humility concerning oneself. Paul makes it clear that humility is not to think highly of self by esteeming good works or personal gifts as more important than others. Paul called upon the church in Rome to think soberly and in faith. Faith was to be the instrument used to renew thought patterns. It was not, “What can I do better than others?” but, “What great things can Christ do through us?” (3) Paul then addresses how the church at Rome should see themselves, not as individuals but as a dynamic, spiritual incarnation of Christ.

Each person’s gift is essential and required for the God-mission of the fellowship to be realized. There are many different functions but each function is essential. There are many persons but one body, and individually they are like body parts of other people’s bodies (4-5). This is a difficult perspective for Western-thinking people who tend to exalt the individual ahead of the group, trying to figure out who they are based on how they are better than others at something. The thought of being submitted to others at any level is repugnant to Western culture, but to Paul, it was the heart of humility.

Putting Gifts in Perspective (6-8)

In Paul's gospel-controlled mind, gifts differed according to God's grace, not so much according to human effort. So in Paul's mind, gifts were to be used as:

• Grace in prophecy, which should be used in proportion to their faith (6)

• Grace in serving, which should be used every time they serve

• Grace in teaching, which should be used every time they teach (7)

• Grace in exhortation, which should be used every time they exhort

• Grace in generosity, which should be used whenever they make contributions

• Grace in leadership, which should always be expressed in their zeal for leading

• Grace in mercy, which should always be expressed with great cheer (8)

By leaning into the grace of God to exercise their gifts, the church at Rome should have been able to put themselves, others, and God in the right perspective and thus not think too much of themselves.

Putting Love in Perspective (9-17)

Paul continues describing the virtue of humility by describing its daily practice in their lives. Paul is not listing out character qualities to be followed but a description of how virtue would function as they denied themselves and loved others. Paul begins his treatment of the subject by telling the church to “let love be genuine” by:

• Hating evil by holding fast to the good (9)

• Loving with brotherly affection by seeking to outdo each other in showing honor (10)

• Not being lazy in their expression of excitement for the opportunity to serve (11)

• Finding a reason to rejoice in every difficulty by keeping constantly in prayer (12)

• Being generous in providing for the needs of the saints, especially inviting the needy into their homes for meals (13)

• Blessing those who were out to hurt them (14)

• Celebrating successes and weeping with those experiencing defeat (15)

• Living in harmony through making friends with people of different social demographics, thus never appearing to be wiser than someone else (16)

• Never seeking vengeance but treating even enemies with honor (17)

Thoughts on Vengeance (18-21)

Paul then digs into the real matter of genuine love—living peaceably with everyone. For Paul, love means one does not seek an argument nor stir up a conflict with others, especially enemies, but rather one seeks to promote a supportive and sympathetic spirit in all relationships (18).

Mostly Paul calls upon the Roman church never to avenge themselves, but instead leave all paybacks to the Lord (19). Paul was clear that those who hurt followers of Christ were to be cared for by believers when their moments of lack and difficulty came around. Paul then quotes Proverbs 25:21-22, using the imagery of heaping coals on the head of the enemy whom they were caring for. There is much debate over what this means, but likely coals refer to the imagery of God's presence; thus when being kind to an enemy, the presence of God is heaped upon his head, helping to bring one’s enemy to a change of mind and heart (20). Paul asserts that the rule of love is to overcome evil with good (21).