Sunday, January 1st, 2012 (New Year’s Day)
Romans 12:14-16; Mt 5:43-48; Lk 6:27-36
“Counter-Cultural Power”
Bible Memory Verse for the Week: We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world. — 1 Corinthians 4:12-13
Bible Memory Verse for the Week: To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. — 1 Peter 2:21-23
Background Information:
- “Bless” (NIV) (v. 14) eulogete (Greek) = eulogy (English) = speak well of , praise.
- Out of the entire range of verbs for how one speaks to or deals with another, Paul chooses euloge , which grew from a root meaning of praising or extolling others to signify “to ask God to bestow divine favor on, with the implication that the verbal act itself constitutes a significant benefit.” To bless our persecutors, then, does not mean that we quietly wish them well within ourselves. Rather, we respond to them vocally with the desire that God would provide them with benefits. Thus the action is no mere empty formality; it demands a commitment of us. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 227)
- The literal meaning of the word translated “bless” is “speak them good.” It comes to this: pray for those who persecute you; “speak them good,” even to God. Ask God to deal with them and to be merciful to them. Do them good in the highest way that you know of, which is to pray for them. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 431)
- The only place in the Roman empire where a slave did not have to worry about the authority a master possessed over him was in the church of Jesus Christ. There, a slave could actually be the presiding elder in authority over the entire church and the slave master a lay person who was subject to the authority of the slave. This was unthinkable anywhere else in the Roman empire.
The questions to be answered are . . . What is Paul saying here in this passage? How does one even begin to live at this level of counter-cultural selflessness?
Answer: Paul is showing us further what real agape love looks like. It goes even to the extreme of blessing and praying for your enemies, being able to empathize with anyone and even be closely connected with the disconnected, poor and/or marginalized.
The Word for the Day is . . . love
“The characteristics of Christian discipleship are, from the world’s perspective, the marks of losers.” “The characteristics of the ungodly are the marks of those who have made it.” (“A Christian Manifesto – Part 2” sermon by Alister Begg)
How can you know you are really loving in a counter-cultural way and honoring others above yourself?:
I. You bless (not curse) those who persecute you (Rom 12:14; Prv 16:7; Mt 5:11-12, 43-48; Lk 6:27-36; 23:34; Rom 5:8-10; 1 Pt 2:21-23)
Christians will be persecuted (Jn 15:18-21; 16:1-3)
Here is the Son of God come from heaven to earth. He did nothing but good. He “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38), relieving suffering and sickness, being kind to people, preaching the message of the love of God to a fallen world, and yet the world hated Him, rejected Him and in the end crucified Him. There you see the state of the world exposed, confirming what the Bible always says about it. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 430)
If you are not sorry for them, it means you are not a Christian. If you are a Christian, you are bound to be sorry for them, and that will lead you to pray for their salvation, for their deliverance and regeneration. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 437)
For any to wish for the damnation of another soul is an unthinkable grievance against the grace of God. Who am I to desire that someone else be damned when I escape damnation only through the grace of God and through the work that Christ has performed for me? (RC Sproul, The Gospel of God: Romans, 204)
Primitive people believed that one could pronounce a curse on his enemy and that deity or super-human beings could be enlisted to execute it. By this means all kinds of disaster, sickness, and hardship could be inflicted. Crop failure, mortality in herd and flock, defeat in battle, and general misfortune were believed possible by curses or spells. (Merrill C. Tenney, The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible: Vol. One, 1045)
Toward the beginning of his ministry, in the Sermon on the Mount, he uttered what we know as the Golden Rule: “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” (Mt 7:12). Many of the world’s cultures have it in negative form: “Do not do anything to another that you would not want them to do to you.” This is not surprising. It simply amounts to: “Don’t hit someone else unless you want to get hit yourself.” Anyone with even the smallest amount of wisdom can see the sense of that.
But that is not what Jesus said. He expressed his “rule” in a positive form, saying that we are to seek out and, as far as possible, effect the good of other people, even our enemies. (James Montgomery Boice, Romans, Vol. 4, The New Humanity, 1609)
The more we stand out for Christ, the more we will be persecuted and the greater the danger of our wanting to strike back at our tormentors. (James Montgomery Boice, Romans, Vol. 4, The New Humanity, 1608)
My usual reaction to being hassled is to get angry and lash out bitterly. Paul knew that we would have a hard time accepting this exhortation, so he said it twice in the same verse. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 228)
“Why are we to love our enemies? Because we’re not sure who they are.” (Steve Brown,
“The Sure Things of Life” message)
The Bible tells us to love our neighbors and also to love our enemies, probably because they are generally the same people.
Lest anyone think he was speaking simply of kind feelings, the Lord gave several specific illustrations of what genuine love does in response to mistreatment. “Whoever hits you on the cheek,” He commands, “offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back” (Lk 6:29-30). Commenting further about our attitude in such situations, He explains, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same” (vv. 32-33). To truly bless those who persecute us is to treat them as if they were our friends. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Romans 9-16, 196)
Sad but true, Christians are often persecuted not for their Christianity, but for their lack of it. Sometimes they simply have unpleasing personalities. They are rude, insensitive, thoughtless–piously obnoxious. Some are rejected because they are discerned as proud and judgmental. Others are disliked because they are lazy and irresponsible. Either arrogance or incompetence mixed with piety is sure to bring rejection. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: Luke, Vol. One, 221)
The test of real love is that it should be unselfish–self-interest must play no part in it. Therefore the genuineness or unreality of a man’s love will be especially apparent in his attitude towards those who are evilly disposed to him. (Norval Geldenhuys, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel of Luke, 212)
29a. To the one who strikes you on the cheek offer also the other (cheek). What did he mean? That his words were not intended to be taken literally follows from his own reaction when he was struck in the face (Jn 18:22, 23). In fact, those who insist on interpreting every saying of Jesus literally get into difficulty again and again (Mt 16:6-12; Jn 2:18-21; 3:3-5; 4:10-14; 6:51-58; 11:11-14).
What, then, did Jesus mean? When his words are read in the light of what immediately precedes in verses 27, 28, and when Matthew’s parallel (5:39 f.) is read in the light of what follows in verses 43-48, it becomes clear that the key passage, identical in both Gospels, is, “love your enemies” (Mt 5:44; Lk 6:27). (William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Luke, 349)
When we do good to our enemies, we are like Christ. When we bless those who curse us, we are like Christ. When we pray for those who abuse us, we are like Christ. And that likeness is our reward. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: Luke, Vol. One, 228)
. . . Rom 12:14 seems to say, “Bless those persecuting you. Yes, you heard me right; I really mean that you can respond to persecutions with the opposite of cursing–indeed, with praise and love.” (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 228)
When we are not motivated by love, we become critical of others. We stop looking for good in them and see only their faults. Soon the unity of believers is broken. Have you talked behind someone’s back? Have you focused on others’ shortcomings instead of their strengths? Remind yourself of Jesus’ command to love others as you love yourself (Mt 22:39). When you begin to feel critical of someone, make a list of that person’s positive qualities. If there are problems that need to be addressed, it is better to confront in love than to gossip. (Life Application Study Bible, Tyndale House, Wheaton, IL, 1991, 2124)
Our temptations to curse are more likely to be in reaction to hostility that does us no life-threatening harm but causes us inconvenience or embarrassment. Some studies have indicated that much high blood pressure and other anxiety-related disease is caused not by serious, long-term problems and life-threatening pressures but by persistent attitudes of resentment and hostility that eat at people who habitually react negatively to unpleasant situations and people. It is often a host of “little foxes” that do the most damage in our spiritual and emotional “vineyards” (cf. Sg 2:15). (John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Romans 9-16, 197)
When a person deliberately makes life miserable for you and you ask God’s blessing on him–and mean it–that is powerfully Christian. The natural man RESENTS the abuse. He is ready to RETALIATE. But Christian love doesn’t retaliate. Moved by godly love, the believer forgives his persecutor. He even cares for him. Paul it not thinking merely of the words we say when we are abused, but also of our feelings later on. How do we FEEL about that man as we tell our friends of this incident? It’s our AFTER WORDS that concern the apostle. Does it sound as if we have really forgiven him? Or have we judged him in our HEARTS? The godly believer refrains from any INWARD judgments. He has no reservations at all. Should he fail to speak kindly of his antagonist later on, then he plainly didn’t mean it when he asked God to bless his persecutor. (C. S. Lovett, Lovett’s Lights on Romans, 332)
It is one thing not to curse your enemies, but entirely another to pray for their blessing. This is a life-changing call. The Arabs have a custom which (though practiced with differing levels of sincerity) symbolizes what is called for here. They touch the head, lips, and heart indicating, “I think highly of you, I speak well of you, my heart beats for you.” What a way to love the world! “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: Romans, 231)
The relation between the preceding paragraph (on brotherly love) and this one (on being persecuted) is not as remote as it may seem to be. In fact, there may be a twofold connection:
a. material. Offering hospitality (verse 13) amounts to being engaged in a good work. According to 1 Pt 3:17f. the anti-Christian world persecutes believers even for doing good! (William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Romans, 417)
II. You rejoice with those who rejoice (Rom 12:15; 1 Cor 12:26)
One way of proving to ourselves that our hearts are in the right place is to identify with other persons, so that we not only weep with those who weep but even rejoice with those who rejoice; and this not only with fellow-believers but with all those with whom we enter into a relationship of relative closeness, be they believers or unbelievers. If we truly love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Lk 10:27), this should be possible. But never will it be possible for us truly to identify with the other person, whether believer or unbeliever, unless by God’s sovereign grace the truth of Christ’s taking upon himself our guilt and misery is by the Holy Spirit deeply impressed upon our heart and mind. The result will certainly be the advancement of the glory of God (Mt 5:16), the entrance into our heart of the peace of God that surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7), and perhaps even the winning of the neighbor for Christ (1 Pt 3:1). (William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Romans, 418)
Long ago Chrysostom wrote on this passage: “It requires more of a high Christian temper to rejoice with them that do rejoice than to weep with them that weep. For this nature itself fulfills perfectly; and there is none so hard-hearted as not to weep over him that is in calamity; but the other requires a very noble soul, so as not only to keep from envying, but even to feel pleasure with the person who is in esteem.” It is, indeed, more difficult to congratulate another on his success, especially if his success involves disappointment to us, than it is to sympathize with his sorrow and his loss. It is only when self is dead that we can take as much joy in the success of others as in our own. (William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series: Romans, 168-69)
One difficulty with this text lies in its apparent contradiction with verse 9, which asserts that our love should be genuine. How can we be genuine in our ministry to others if we don’t feel like rejoicing or mourning when they are happy or grieving? Our definition of the love in verse 9, however, sets us free from this problem. Remember that we recognized agapē as intelligent love, purposefully directed toward the needs of the other. Thus, when we are trying to minister to others in their present emotions, genuine love will care enough to enter with them into that state of mind and psyche. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 232)
The third exhortation to believers filled with the Holy Spirit is that they are to rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. This does away with the long-faced travesty of Christianity which manifests sobriety without joy and seriousness without a sense of humor. There is no model for such in the Word of God. (Donald Grey Barnhouse, God’s Discipline, 87)
It is simpler for us to be sympathetic towards those who are down than it is to rejoice with those who are up. But why is this? It is because the ultimate problem with every human being without a single exception is the problem of self, the problem of pride. The self is always looking at itself. It wants to be considered great and important. . . . And involved in pride, of course, is jealousy and envy. Now when a person is rejoicing, then he has some cause. He has been successful or he has had a piece of good fortune. Something good, something uplifting, has happened to him and he feels he is on his feet–so he is very pleased. And we are correspondingly jealous. All that is worst in self is involved at this point. It is certainly not natural to rejoice with those who rejoice. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 441)
About the highest the natural person can ever attain is to refrain from envy, and even that is well-nigh impossible. People can get to the stage of not showing their envy, but there is a very real difference between not showing it and not feeling it. The point is that we must not even feel it. But that is negative, whereas the apostle is very positive. He says you must take positive pleasure in the rejoicing of your fellow Christian, you must really enter into his happiness and be pleased with the success or whatever it is that leads to his rejoicing. The negative is not enough. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 442)
Indifference, non-commitment, disengagement, no sharing or caring…meals eaten with hi-fi headsets turned up loud, even separate bedrooms, each with a personal telephone, TV, and turntable, private toilet, and an it’s none-of-your-business attitude. No hassle…no conflict…no accountability. No need to share. Or reach out. Or give a rip. Just watch the numbers and look at nobody. (Charles R. Swindoll, Think It Over…Indifference)
George Fox, the great Quaker, recorded this prayer in his diary: I prayed to God that He would baptize my heart into all conditions so I might be able to enter the needs and conditions of all. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: Romans, 232)
III. You mourn with those who mourn (Rom 12:15; Prv 24:17; 1 Cor 12:26)
“When someone we love suffers, we suffer with that person, and we would not have it otherwise, because the suffering and the love are one, just as it is with God’s love for us.” (Frederick Buechner, The Hungering Dark)
At the same time, such intense pleasure over destruction of one’s enemy raises questions for a Christian. Is there any sense in which we can participate in such rejoicing? (Cf. Mt 5:43-48). First, it must be said that an evil principle is involved here more than a specific person. It is true that the fall and destruction of any individual is no cause for joy. Even the death of a Hitler is a loss to God. At the same time, there is no sense in which Christians are called upon to stand quietly by when the forces of evil are dealt a telling blow by the hand of God (Rv 19:1-8). Wherever evil is weakened and righteousness triumphs, there is cause for joy. (John N. Oswalt, The New International Commentary on the OT: The Book of Isaiah 1-39, 316)
The emphasis is on the “with-ness.” Our mourning with them dare not be in a condescending way, as if to say, “If you must cry, I’ll put up with it this time, but really you must get stronger so that you can face things better.”
What enables us to be genuine about the “with-ness” is the realization that we each have certain areas of weakness in which we need to be supported by the rest of the community. Paul began his discourse to the Romans with this assurance: “both you and I will be helped at the same time, you by my faith and I by yours” (1:12, TEV). The apostle knew that no one is greater or lesser among the people of God. We all have gifts to give to each other; we all have dimensions of maturity greater than others’ as well as phases of our existence in which we are not so strong. Thus, our mourning with others is genuine because we mourn for ourselves, too, at the same time, and for all the pain people have suffered and do suffer and will suffer as long as we are human. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 234)
God is called a compassionate God (Dt 4:31; Neh 9;17; Jl 2:13; Jon 4:2). He is so compassionate, so tender toward His people, that “His compassions never fail” (Lam 3:22). James speaks of Him as being “full of compassion” (Jas 5:11). We see this compassion, sympathy, and tenderheartedness of God in the tears of Jesus over the grave of Lazarus. He mingled His tears with those of Mary and Martha (Jn 11:35). Reminding us that we should reflect our Lord’s character, Paul said, “so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Col 3:12). (John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Romans 9-16, 197-98)
Our culture is not characterized by persons taking time for one another. Many factors of our society militate against such an investment of ourselves, yet the sacrifice of time always proves to be well worth the effort. Social scientists have commented in recent years that the need for psychologists and psychiatrists would be greatly reduced if we would return to such former patterns of caring as lap time for a child, neighborhood gatherings over coffee, family play times, or couples swinging on the front porch on summer evenings.
We can’t mourn hurriedly. Nor can we drink deeply of the delights of our lives if we are always rushing through things. For “with-ness” to happen, we need to spend time in conversations, in worship, in wonder, in waiting. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 235-36)
For the time being, we feel that we are in a better position. We are not weeping–they are. We are up and they are down, so we can afford to weep with them. That is why it is more or less natural. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 441)
IV. You are willing to associate with people of low position (Rom 12:16; Mt 11:19; Gal 6:3; Phil 2:1-11; Jas 2:1-9; )
To choose to associate with humble things might also imply a rejection of the materialism in our world gone crazy over luxury and self-indulgence. To accommodate ourselves to humble ways flies in the face of the upward mobility of our culture, and it certainly sets the Christian community apart as an alternative society following the downward pattern demonstrated by Christ. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 247-48)
Not self-justification, which means the use of domination and force, but justification by grace, and therefore service, should govern the Christian community. Once a man has experienced the mercy of God in his life he will henceforth aspire only to serve. The proud throne of the judge no longer lures him; he wants to be down below with the lowly and the needy, because that is where God found him. “Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate” (Rom 12:16). (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, 94)
There is nothing more incongruous than social distinctions in the Christian church. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 452)
As was his custom as a very wise teacher, he goes on to show us that there are two things that tend to militate against Christian people having “the same mind one toward another.” The first he puts in these words: “Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate.” We dealt with that in the last lecture and saw that haughtiness and high-mindedness militate against this harmony, this agreement, this unity in the church. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 455)
A conceited, self-promoting Christian is a serious contradiction. Every believer should be humbly submissive to the will of God found in the Word of God, having no confidence in himself or in his own wisdom and talent. And sure there should be no social aristocracy in the church, neither there should be intellectual aristocracy. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Romans 9-16, 200)
Any desire of the heart for Christ, any secret brokenness, any godly sorrow over indwelling sin, any feeble going out of self and leaning on Jesus, is the gracious work of the Holy Ghost in the soul, and must not be undervalued or unacknowledged. A truly humble view of self, is one of the most precious fruits of the Spirit: it indicates more real fruitfulness, perhaps, than any other state of mind. That ear of corn which is the most full of grain, hangs the lowest; that bough which is the most heavily laden with fruit, bends the nearest to the ground. It is no unequivocal mark of great spiritual fruitfulness in a believer, when tenderness of conscience, contrition of spirit, low thoughts of self, and high thoughts of Jesus, mark the state of his soul. “Who hath despised the day of small things?”–not Jesus. (Octavius Winslow, Personal Declension and Revival of Religion in the Soul, 163)
John Bunyan, in his usual practical, down-to-earth manner, enforces this teaching by a last word: “He that is down need fear no fall.” (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 468)
He that is down need fear no fall;
He that is low, no pride;
He that is humble ever shall
Have God to be his guide. -John Bunyan
The command to “live in harmony with one another” (v. 16a) summarizes the overall thrust of these verses with specific reference to the believing community. Perhaps the greatest obstacle to this unity of mind and spirit is pride. As a result, as he does in Phil 2:1-4, Paul urges Christians to avoid pride and to humble themselves as the key step toward genuine unity. We are not to “be proud” (cf. Rom 11:20) but to “associate with people of low position” (NIV). (Douglas J. Moo, The NIV Application Commentary: Romans, 412)
A Christian who is elitist, who only associates with people of the same intellectual or academic or professional interests, is not living up to what the Scripture mandates. We are to have a heart open to the world. We are to pray for those who persecute us, to enter others’ joys and sorrows, to associate with everyone regardless of their station in life. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: Romans, 232)
(12:16) “People of low position” can also be translated “humble activities” (the Gk. Word can be either masculine or neuter). If Paul’s reference is to people who rank low on the world’s socioeconomic scale, he is urging Christians to imitate their Father in heaven, who frequently stresses his own concern for the “down and out” (e.g. Jgs 6:15; Ps 10:18). (Clinton E. Arnold, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, Vol. 3, 76)
CONCLUSION/APPLICATION: How do we begin to think only of others and not ourselves?:
A- You can’t (Mt 17:20; Lk 1:37; Jn 15:5; Rom 3:9-20; 8:1-17 )
A man or woman of the world, the “natural person,” cannot carry out Paul’s injunction. There is only one way whereby it becomes possible, and that is by the work of the Holy Spirit. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 443)
How is it possible to respond nonviolently to violence done to us? How is it possible to be generous with those who reject us? Granted the legitimacy of the principle–love your enemies–what resources make it possible? If there are no such resources, what good does it do to lay such a heavy burden on disciples’ backs? The narrative gives a clue as to how the evangelist would answer these questions. Jesus’ disciples before Pentecost tended to respond in kind (e.g., 9:52-54; 22:49-50); afterward they rejoiced “that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name” (Acts 5:41). Only God’s own powerful presence can enable a person to respond other than in kind; only Pentecost makes Jesus’ words anything other than an impossible ideal. (Charles H. Talbert, Reading Luke, 75)
There he was, Son of God incarnate, and yet He said: I know nothing of myself. “For I have not spoken of myself: but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment…even as the Father said unto me, so I speak” (Jn 12:49-50). I do not generate My words. I do not produce them.
This was our Lord, living life as a man, and He said that He was utterly dependent upon the Father. What He said was given to Him, what He did was given to Him in every single respect. He did not do anything of Himself. Far from boasting of His wisdom He was “the meek and lowly Jesus.” That is the astounding fact that one finds as one looks at Him in these portraits in the four Gospels. We see the lowliness and the meekness, the humility of the son of God incarnate. He is the perpetual rebuke to all who are tempted to feel “wise in their own conceits.” (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 463-64)
When we are wronged, often our first reaction is to get even. Instead Jesus said we should do good to those who wrong us! Our desire should not be to keep score, but to love and forgive. This is not natural–it is supernatural. Only God can give us the strength to love as he does. Instead of planning vengeance, pray for those who hurt you. (Tyndale House Publishers, Life Application Study Bible, 1656)
B- Look to Jesus (Jn 13:15; Rom 5:8-10; 1 Cor 11:1; Heb 12:2)
Such injunctions are again too large for us; trapped in our sinful human nature we find the challenge impossible. We know we don’t always act nobly; we can’t always live above criticism. Consequently, this verse drives us once again to the forgiveness and empowerment of God’s love. Only the Hilarity of knowing that God works through us gives us the courage to choose the character of Jesus for our life-style, to plan beforehand morally upright behavior. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 258)
O how mighty is the believer, who, in deep distrust of his own power, casting off from him all spirit of self-dependence, looks simply and fully at Jesus, and goes not forth to meet his enemy, only as he is “strong in the strength that is in Christ.” (Octavius Winslow, Personal Declension and Revival of Religion in the Soul, 199)
Note how often Jesus, the apostles, etc., emphasized the oft neglected truth that men should strive to be imitators of God, of Christ, of God in Christ. In addition to Lk 6:35 and the somewhat similar Mt 5:48 (see also Mt 11:29; 16:24; Jn 13:15, 34; 15:12; Rom 15:2, 3, 5, 7, 1 Cor 11:1; 2 Cor 8:7-9; 10:1; Eph 4:32-5:2; 5:25; Phil 2:3-8; Col 3:13; Heb 3:1f.; 12:2; 1 Pt 2:21-24; 1 Jn 3:16; 4:10, 11. Of course, it takes special grace to obey this command. But the responsibility rests on all men. (William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Luke, 355)
We cannot see God’s light alone. We need the Christian community to incarnate it for us. Similarly, our Joys are too great to hold within ourselves. The old saying that shared griefs are halved and shared Joys are doubled certainly is true within the Hilarity of the Christian community. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 241)
C- Die to self Become a new creation (2 Cor 5:17; Gal 2:20; Rom 7:14-8:17; Eph 4)
Because of their love for one another, Christians can have an impact that goes far beyond their neighborhoods and communities. Christian love comes from the Holy Spirit (see Gal 5:22). The Bible speaks of it as an action and attitude, not just an emotion. Love is a by-product of our new life in Christ (see Rom 5:5; 1 Cor 13). Christians have no excuse for not loving, because Christian love is a decision to act in the best interests of others. (Tyndale House Publishers, Life Application Study Bible, 2158)
Human beings cannot possibly live in the way that we are instructed to live here unless they are born again, unless they have the life of God in their souls, unless they are the possessors of new natures. There is no greater heresy–and it has been very common in the twentieth century–than the heresy of thinking that you can get Christian conduct from people who are not Christian. Incidentally, the essence of the heresy of pacifism is that it expects nations and people who are not Christians to implement these instructions. They cannot do it; it is impossible. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 429)
We might suppose from the Matthean Beatitudes that Jesus was setting an ethical standard for entry into the kingdom, and that men must earn their blessedness by being humble, merciful, and pure of heart. Luke’s simpler version guards against this misinterpretation. The one thing that Jesus requires in his disciples is an emptiness that God can fill, a discontent with the world which will lead them to the wealth, the satisfaction, the consolation, the comradeship of the kingdom. (G. B. Caird, The Pelican New Testament Commentaries, Saint Luke, p. 102)
The message of the gospel is not that the world is going to be made better but that you and I are saved out of it. Our blessed Lord Himself, with the great honesty and realism that we find everywhere, said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33). (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 429)
D- See the Grace of Jesus to you and extend that same grace to others (Rom 12:1-2; 2 Cor 5:13-17; 10:1-4; Phil 2:1-11)
One of the things that really helped me (better than anything I’ve ever read on this chapter) was a little line by a commentator (on the book of Luke) named Michael Wilcock and in it he was commentating on this chapter and he put it in a nutshell, he says: “In the life of God’s people, it will be seen first of all (as) a remarkable reversal of values. The people of God will prize what the world calls pitiable and suspect what the world thinks desirable”. . . Jesus is not saying to seek these things but to prize them.. And he is not saying to refuse these things but to suspect them.. He is not saying that you seek weakness and suffering and weeping, and but that you prize what you have. And he is not saying that you refuse power and success but you suspect it.
Now if you want to understand this, let me put it in a nutshell: Jesus says when you enter into a relationship with me, I create in your inner being a radical freedom, so that power, comfort, success and recognition have no control over you and once you get that radical freedom psychologically it also changes all of your social relationships. In other words, Jesus says when you enter into a relationship with me, I give you a radical freedom, so that you are free from the control by power, and comfort, and recognition, and status . . . (“The Community of Jesus” sermon by Tim Keller)
One boy does his piano practice because his parents bribe him, another because he wants to enjoy music. One man makes friends because they are useful to him in business, another because he enjoys friendship. The joys of the kingdom of God are the result of being a certain sort of person, one who will enjoy being forever with God because he has already found in God his exceeding great reward. (G. B. Caird, The Pelican New Testament Commentaries, Saint Luke, 103)
Stephen with Saul of the NT (Acts 7:59-60)
As Augustine said: “The Church owes Paul to the prayer of Stephen.” Many a persecutor has become a follower of the faith he once sought to destroy, because he has seen how a Christian can forgive. (William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series: Romans, 168)
Worship point: Try to love like this and then you will worship as you see that Jesus was really able to live all of this out.
Spiritual Challenge: Recognize your inability to bless your enemies or those who make life difficult for you, to empathize with others and identify with the poor, rejected and marginalized; then plead with God to fill you with His Spirit to allow you to become like Jesus. Never take your eyes off Jesus.
Watchman Nee tells about a new convert who came in deep distress to see him. “No matter how much I pray,” said the man, “no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot seem to be faithful to my Lord. I think I’m losing my salvation” And Nee said, “Do you see this dog here? He is my dog. He is house-trained; he never makes a mess; he is obedient; he is a pure delight to me. Out in the kitchen I have a son, a baby son. He makes a mess, he throws his food around, he fouls his clothes, he is a total mess. But who is going to inherit my kingdom? Not my dog; my son is my heir. You are Jesus Christ’s heir because it is for you that He died.” So it is with us. We are Christ’s heirs, not through our perfection but by means of His grace. (Lloyd J. Ogilvie, The Communicator’s Commentary: Luke, 127)
Quotes to Note:
We need to further explore the power of human love to feed our divine love. Rather than seeing marriage as a cosmic competitor with heaven, we can embrace it as a school of faith. Maximus the Confessor (580-662) observed that the love we have for God and the love we have for others are not two distinct loves, but “two aspects of a single total love.” Jesus suggested the same thing, when in response to a question about the “greatest” commandment he declared that there is not just one, but two–not only must we love God, but also our neighbors. (Gary Thomas, Sacred Marriage, 267)
Thinking and feeling and action are all inextricably mixed up together, so Paul, having said to the Roman Christians, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep,” now tells them–and this will help you to obey the earlier injunction–“Be of the same mind one toward another.” (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 446-47)
Remember that this warning applies to men and women who are truly Christian because the moment they become puffed up about their wisdom, they are proving that they have worldly wisdom and not the true wisdom. It eventually gives itself away, with tragic consequences. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 467)
True wisdom is always peaceable because it always leads to meekness and humility. People who have true wisdom are people of peace. They are also “gentle,” not puffed up, not proud. The wise man is truly a gentleman.
The truly wise are “easy to be entreated.” They are not intolerant. You can approach them and speak to them. They are ready to listen to you and are ready to take advice. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 467)
Men and women who have true wisdom are humble. They have self-control; they are in charge of themselves and control their thinking and everything else about themselves. They are loving and peace-making. And this is shown in their lives. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 468)
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