Lesson 11: Ministry and Relationships

Part 6 of Romans (12:1–15:7) contains many practical instructions for life in the church, ministry, Christian relationships, and relationship with the government.

12:1-2 introduces Part 6, telling us that we are to be totally dedicated to the service of God. This follows from Paul’s statements in the preceding chapter: We owe everything to God (11:35); and God’s ways are absolutely wise (11:33).

Paul uses the illustration of a living sacrifice (12:1). Like a sacrifice that is to be killed, we are given up totally; but instead of dying, we live for God. That means the commitment must be maintained. Day by day we must refuse to allow any shift of our loyalty. The illustration of a living sacrifice emphasizes the totality of our offering. We cannot reserve a part of our life for ourselves apart from the will of God. We cannot protect certain desires or ambitions from the demands of total commitment to God.

This offering of self as a holy sacrifice is a spiritual worship, in contrast to merely formal religion.[1]

Totally devoted service is not possible without the transformation described in 12:2. We must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We are not to be conformed to the world in its values, behaviors, or opinions. The person who considers every question from the perspective of the perfect will of God will contrast to the world. He does not make allowance for any sinful desires; he does not tolerate them as normal.

Notice that the body is to be holy. Sin is not an essential aspect of the body that cannot be cleansed by God. The body is not sinful in itself and does not sin without the will but can be used for sin.

The verses from 12:1-15:7 describe how to live the devoted, transformed life.

► A student should read Romans 12 for the group.

[1] See the note on 1:9.

Notes Verse-by-Verse

(12:3) The grace given to Paul refers to his apostolic authority and gift of revelation.

We should be humble because everything we have has been given to us by God. A person with spiritual gifts should be humble realizing that the gifts come from God unearned and are for the purpose of serving others.

(12:4-5) As members of the body, we need others and are obligated to serve others. The metaphor of the body is described in 1 Corinthians 12:12-26.

(12:6-8) These verses name several ministries. Each believer is to follow the ministry he is called to and gifted for. If a person does not have grace-based humility, he may spend his effort the wrong way, (perhaps seeking human approval), and fail in his real calling.

The possessors of gifts are warned to use them properly. For example, the giver should give simply, not with the purpose of honoring himself. The administrator must be diligent – attentive to details and dependable all the time. The person who helps those in need should not do it with an arrogant or grudging attitude which humiliates the recipient.

► How do Christians use their spiritual gifts differently from the way people of the world use their abilities?

Notes Verse-by-Verse

(12:9) Love should be genuine and sincere. Reject the evil and hold to what is good. The increase of love is connected to improved discernment about what is good (Philippians 1:9-10).

(12:10) The church is the family of God, with many brothers and sisters. We should be willing for honor to go to others instead of ourselves.

(12:11) Don't be lazy in responsibilities. A Christian should be a model of good work ethics. He does not have much time to waste if he is living with God's purpose. He should work as if he is working for God (Ephesians 6:6-7).

(12:12) Our joy does not depend on our circumstances, because we have hope for eternity. To be patient means to endure by faith. A person should have a constant attitude of dependence on God, ready to pray at any time.

(12:13) Help other believers with their material needs. Hospitality means meeting the needs of others for food and shelter.

(12:14) Don't treat people as they deserve, but as Christ would treat them. To give people what you think they deserve is literally judging, which is a role reserved to God.

(12:15) Be ready to share in the sorrow or rejoicing of others.

(12:16) Don't be conscious of status symbols. Don't favor people of higher classes. Be respectful even to the poor. Don’t look for ways to put yourself above others.

(12:17) It is never right to harm someone because he has harmed you. We are not called to give people punishment, but to forgive.

Demonstrate honesty. If you want to be respected, it is not enough for you and God to know that you are honest; maintain policies that demonstrate honesty for everyone to see. It is easier to maintain a good reputation than to rebuild it after it is damaged.

(12:18) As much as it depends on you, live in peace with everyone. Peace at its best is a harmonious relationship. Sometimes peace requires an apology, even for unintentional offense. Sometimes it requires kind confrontation of a wrongdoer, so that an offense that hinders your relationship can be resolved. If you refuse either to apologize or to confront when it is needed, you are not doing what you can to maintain peace.

(12:19) Don't take revenge; instead, leave room for the wrath of God. If a person wants to be the punisher, he shows that he does not believe that God is doing his job right.

(12:20) Do good to others, rather than trying to give them what they deserve. To heap coals of fire does not mean to get revenge in a more subtle way, for that would contradict the main point of the verse. It could be a symbol of melting the hardness of a person's attitude.

(12:21) Don't let evil change you and defeat you spiritually. However, do not oppose it with evil, but with good. To become bitter and oppose it wrongly is to be spiritually defeated, even if you win the conflict.

► Think about how a person would not do well with these instructions if he is not completely committed to God. What is something in your life that should change because of these instructions?

The letters of Paul were written in response to specific situations: “Usually the occasion was some kind of behavior that needed correcting, or a doctrinal error that needed setting right, or a misunderstanding that needed further light.”[1] The letters are not in the form of systematic theology, but theology formed in response to a need. This theology is practical from the start. It was not developed in isolation from real life.

The New Testament epistles were not literary productions for the general public, but they were intended for more than a single recipient and immediate application. Paul told the Colossians that they should exchange with the Laodiceans the letters each church had received from him (Colossians 4:16). The church very early began to collect Paul's epistles and circulate them together. Therefore, we know that they saw the epistles as applicable to the church in all places and all times.

Even though a time and culture gap exists between us and the original recipients, the epistles were written to New Testament Christians facing problems very similar to ours. Therefore, the epistles of Paul are easier to apply to the modern church than some forms of literature found in scripture. They are not written specifically to the Jewish nation, nor are they addressing people under the Old Testament law.

The original situation of the writing provides the interpreter with a starting place for modern application. A principle of interpretation is that we can understand a writing better if we know who wrote it, who received it, and why it was written. The epistles provide the interpreter the advantage of knowing the identities of the author and recipients.

The book of Romans is the most formal of Paul's writings. It follows a planned structure. It is almost in the form of a theological treatise. Paul did not mention specific errors in the Roman church. He did not talk about specific situations, like he did in his letters to the churches he had founded and visited.

[1] Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1993) 48.

Main Point of 13:1-7

Believers should submit to civil government because government is instituted by God.

Note to class leader: There will probably be much discussion and disagreement as the group studies the next passage. You should try to get the members to let the passage correct their opinions.

► A student should read Romans 13:1-7 for the group.

Notes Verse-by-Verse

(13:1-2) God has established government. That does not mean that every ruler is righteous, but that God wants human authority to be established. To refuse to be under human authority is to rebel against God. Just as we do not truly love God if we do not love the brother who is visible, neither can we claim to be under God's authority while refusing to submit to visible human authority. A Christian should not treat officers of the law with disrespect.

(13:3-4) One of the purposes of government is to punish evildoers. When government is functioning properly, evildoers fear it. Under normal circumstances Christians will not conflict with government because Christian qualities make the Christian a good citizen. However, many times in history rulers have tried to demand loyalty that belongs only to God, and then they become persecutors of Christians.

Government that functions properly is consistent with the authority of God. Verse 4 tells us that government has authority from God to enforce laws even by killing evildoers.

Christians in some nations believe it is wrong to serve in a government position, especially a position that might require them to use violence. Many Christians with that belief live in countries where the government has persecuted Christians and is extremely corrupt. However, if government is functioning properly, it is not wrong for a Christian to serve in a government position because government is authorized by God.

(13:5) The Christian is supposed to submit to authority, not only for fear of governmental punishment, but for a clear conscience. To rebel against government or to refuse to obey laws is to deny the role of government. Not all decisions can be made by individuals if there is to be any government. Individual freedom has to be submitted to the authority that protects individual rights, even if we do not always agree with the way the protection is done.

(13:6-7) A Christian should pay the legitimate taxes of government. Follow customary ways of showing respect.

Main Point of 13:8-10

Love fulfills the law because it motivates the believer to do what is right toward others.

These verses prove that the law does not become irrelevant to the believer. The believer does fulfill the law, since by grace he can have the love described here. Grace is not merely a covering for violations of the law. Grace includes the work of God in us to fulfill his will for us.

► A student should read Romans 13:8-10 for the group.

Notes Verse-by-Verse

(13:8) To owe in this sense means to fail to give what is due to someone. Some types of obligations are listed in the previous verse. It is not wrong to borrow and repay on a schedule, if that is the agreed way to meet our obligations. We are commanded, as in verse 7, to give every person what is due to him from us.

► What are the results when a Christian does not pay what he has borrowed?

(13:9-10) If you truly love someone as yourself, you will not steal from him, lie to him, covet what he has, or violate his marriage. Mere friendship and love, such as are common in the world, do not always prevent these wrongs; but the love of Christ in us will prevent us from doing wrong even to strangers, to those who offend us, or to those who can afford it.

Most cultures and religions teach that we owe such love to some people, perhaps to family members and tribal members. But they think that to the rest of mankind, no such love is owed. They may consider it permissible to steal from foreigners or employers and to be rude to strangers. Christ commands us to extend love to every person we are in contact with. In Luke 10:25-37, to illustrate the command of loving your neighbor, Jesus told the story of a Samaritan who helped an injured Jew.

► A student should read Romans 13:11-14 for the group.

Notes Verse-by-Verse

(13:11) Salvation in this verse refers to ultimate salvation at the return of Christ. We are not to live as though this world will last forever. We should live as people who are expecting things to quickly pass.

(13:12) Night is a figure of speech that refers to the time leading up to the coming of the Lord. (See also 2 Peter 1:19.) Darkness in the New Testament is often associated with sinful actions. (See also 1 Thessalonians 5:4-8 and Ephesians 5:11-14.)

(13:13) Here the life of the careless sinner is described. This is the person who does not care about the future, and especially does not think about eternity. He lives for pleasure without concern for morality. The life of a Christian is completely opposite to this.

(13:14) Don't make any allowance for sinful desires. Don’t use human nature as an excuse for sin. Live in the light and have nothing in your life that you should be ashamed of.

There will always be issues about which sincere believers disagree. Romans 14 gives instructions about how Christians who differ in some beliefs and practices can still love and respect one another and worship and serve together.

► A student should read Romans 14:1-23 for the group.

Notes Verse-by-Verse

(14:1) The weak brother is one who feels guilty for an action that is not really forbidden by God (see 1 Corinthians 8:7-12). A strong brother is one who can do an action without guilt because he knows the action is not really disobedience to God.

(14:2-3) The Jewish law had rules about food. There were many Jewish Christians in the church and Gentiles who had studied the Jewish laws. A person who feels free from any restrictions about food might be tempted to despise the one who feels restricted. The one who tries to follow rules about food might be tempted to judge others as sinners.

(14:4) God will judge his own servants and give them the grace they need. Do not judge others about things that are not clear in scripture.

Around the world there is diversity among believers regarding such things as methods of baptism, ways of serving the Lord’s Supper, choice of Bible translation, dress, and entertainment. We should maintain Christian unity but not expect uniformity within the body of Christ. Our motto should be: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; but in all things, love!”

(14:5-6) There were many Jewish feast days, with special customs for each. The Sabbath day was also controversial. The church began to meet and worship on the Lord's Day instead (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Revelation 1:10) and later Sunday became something like a Christian Sabbath. The principle of rest on the seventh day still has benefits that we should keep, since it is a creation principle and not just a custom instituted at the time that the law of Moses was given.

“…Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind” (14:5) shows that definite opinions are necessary. A person should not be vague in what he believes about issues. Tolerance of other opinions does not mean that we do not know what our own opinion is or that we ignore evidence and reasoning.

(14:7-9) We do not own ourselves. Each life should honor Christ. Christ’s death and resurrection redeems us, and we belong to him.

(14:10-12) Every person shall report to God at the judgment. Therefore, our opinions about each other are less important.

(14:13-15) It is important for us to try not to cause another believer to stumble. For the Christian, things are not unclean because everything belongs to God. But if a person thinks something is wrong and does it anyway, he has committed sin because he chose to do wrong. We cause someone to stumble if we influence him to do something he thinks is wrong. (Another scripture passage about this issue is 1 Corinthians 8.)

(14:16) A person may have right doctrine and yet do harm because of not caring about his influence on others.

(14:17) Christianity does not consist either in rules about lifestyle or in freedom. It is spiritual victory and life in the Spirit.

(14:18-19) God is pleased when we submit everything we do to Christ and do our best to build up others.

(14:20-23) All things belong to God, and the person who remembers that can have liberty. However, if a person does something he thinks is wrong, he is sinning by that choice. The brother who feels free should limit his freedom to avoid causing others to fall.

No directions are given to the weaker brother, except that he should not judge the one who has more liberty. The weaker one is bound by his conscience and cannot change his conduct, but the stronger brother has options.

There will probably be much discussion while covering the preceding passage, but some questions to consider are:

• What kinds of issues does our church leave to the members to decide individually?
• What differences do we see in other believers about which we should be more tolerant?
• How can we be faithful to apply the principles of this passage in our opinions of and interactions with other people?

The Judaizers were not simply followers of Judaism, the religion of the Jews. The Judaizers were Jews who claimed to be Christians but thought that Christians must fulfill the requirements of Judaism. It was not a problem for converted Jews to continue to practice Judaism. Many did, especially during the first generation of the New Testament church. The problem was when Jews who claimed to be converted did not understand the gospel of grace.

Judaizers thought that it was necessary for a Gentile convert to accept all of the rules of Judaism, including circumcision, in order to be saved. They did not preach the gospel to the unbelievers. Instead, they preached to the converts of others, bringing confusion and division. Their greatest recorded victory was in Galatia, where they led the whole church astray. Paul’s letter to the Galatians is intended to bring them back to the true gospel.

The issue of Jewish requirements was brought to a church council, recorded in Acts 15. The apostles realized that to follow the way of the Judaizers would be to deny the gospel of grace and to deny that the gospel was equally offered to Gentiles. The council’s decision corrected true believers who were sincerely misguided but did not stop those who had wrong motives. Paul considered the Judaizers to be enemies to the gospel.

Romans 14:1-15:12 applies the gospel truth that Paul had explained throughout the letter to the question of Jewish requirements. Believers were not to judge one another on their observance of Jewish religious scruples. The section ends with an emphasis that the gospel is for the whole world.

Other passages on this subject include Romans 4; Acts 15; Galatians 2, 3, 5; and Colossians 2:11-23.

Notes Verse-by-Verse continued

(15:1-4) The strong in faith, those who feel free, should be willing to give up some privileges to help those who are weak in faith and do not feel free of extra restrictions.

(15:5-7) These verses conclude the passage. The goal is Christian unity. The love of Christ is our example.

In 1722 a German landowner named Zinzendorf invited persecuted Moravian believers to move to his property and build a colony. Eventually several hundred people were in the community. They struggled with divisions about various doctrines and worship practices; but in 1727 they developed “The Brotherly Agreement” (now called “The Moravian Covenant for Christian Living”) to help establish unity.

In that same year, they began to experience revival. They had an all-night prayer meeting and several long worship services with an unusual sense of God’s presence, including one in which the speaker sank to the ground in awe of God. During a communion service, the Holy Spirit moved upon the people in such a way that Zinzendorf later viewed that day as the Pentecost of the Renewed Moravian Church. Those who had been divided were reconciled with great feeling, and Zinzendorf led a prayer of confession for the schisms in the congregation. They began a prayer vigil, with various members taking turns, and continued it for 100 years.

The Moravian community became one of the greatest missionary-sending congregations of all time. From 1733-1742, 70 missionaries went out from the community of 600. Many died young from persecution and difficult conditions. By 1760, after 28 years, 226 missionaries had been sent out; and the Moravians worldwide numbered in the thousands.

(1) Explain the illustration of a living sacrifice.
(2) What must happen to us so we can be totally devoted to God?
(3) Why should we be humble?
(4) Explain the terms weak brother and strong brother.
(5) Who were the Judaizers?

(1) Write a page applying some of the practical directions found in Romans 12:1–15:7 to Christians today.
(2) Prepare for the final test by studying the list of questions provided in the Appendix of this course. You must take the test without help from anyone else and without looking at any written material.