Romans 12, part A

the evangelism of holiness

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2)

In one of the most well known passages in the book of Romans, we are presented with two remarkable and simple verses; the practical application of these statements from Paul have been, for good reason, explored and discussed by many; however, just as vital to the life of Christianity as the implementation of daily practice is the why driving the message. As with all Scripture, but perhaps for this sliver of Scripture in particular, the pursuit of practicality and implementation without anchoring the application to the heart of the message yields the proclivity to create pharisaic white-washed tombs; it is dangerous to simply seek to apply Scripture without understanding its heart. We cannot prioritize the practice of religion void of direction and meaning; and, this is precisely what is at risk in the twelfth chapter of Romans.

Understanding the heart of Paul’s appeal is essential to protecting against creating an opportunity for the snares of legalism. Outside of this context there is a potential to create an unhealthy separation between Christianity and the world while also legalistically pursuing meaningless sacrifice—which is to say sacrifice void of intentional mercy. And, simply enough, the key to the heart of the message is revealed in the first few words opening the passage.

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God…” (Romans 12:1a)

Again, Paul made known the personal nature of his message; he was not simply relaying truth, providing theological knowledge, or listing beneficial ecclesiastical instructions—throughout Romans, Paul was making an appeal to address matters intimately close to his heart. The “I appeal to you…” statement does not by any means negate the God-breathed nature of the message; instead, it should encourage us to know that Paul’s personal longings were genuinely intertwined with the heart of the Father—his personal appeals were suitable to stand as Scriptural truth because his heart was aligned with the will of God. We are, then, required to include the all important “therefore” that follows the appeal.

Scripture cannot be read out of context of itself; the original letter was presented to the entire congregation during their regular gatherings, and it would have been read in its entirety. Free of modern textual divisions, the opening words flow almost within the same breath as the previous passage—there’s even a hint of desperation in the phrasing. He had just finished expressing his heartfelt desire for the redemption of the Jewish community opposed to Christ and His Gospel. He spoke about the faithfulness of God and the tremendous impact of grafting in the beloved people of God (again, imagine an army of redeemed pharisaic and sadducaic scholarly communities—an army of grace-filled believers just as if not more educated than the Apostle Paul himself). The appeal of the twelfth chapter, then, is directly connected to his mission to evangelize to his former community by ministering to his new community.

“Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them.” (Romans 11:13b-14)

Christianity is neither a religion of the collective nor a doctrine for isolated piety. Collective religion, strongly present in the first century and still argued for today, emphasizes the maintenance of election in which only the selected may experience blessing; within this perspective, election is a matter of either heredity or divine appointment. Paul, having already refuted claims of inherited righteousness through genealogical means, made clear the perspective that predestined election was to serve as the firstfruits of divine blessing to all; those chosen to be firstfruits were selected for the purpose of becoming vessels for the message of the Gospel so that the harvest would multiply among those who were not preordained. Likewise, equally as guilty as the perspective of collective religion is the fallacy of piety within isolation. Christianity is not a religion of the self for the self; God engages the individual for the purpose of having the individual overflow to the rest of the watching and waiting world.

With that in mind, we approach the opening verses with the understanding that we are not chosen and redeemed to remain in hermitage; nor are we to personally pursue what is “holy and acceptable” for our own benefit. Instead, Paul’s therefore exists to lead us to a pursuit of piety that lives for the benefits of others (based on the text of the passage, potentially even those whom we may never meet). A life lived on behalf of others is defined by Paul as being that which is our spiritual worship. And, it is a message that should add interpretation to Jesus’ word to the woman at the well: “But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24).

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1)

Again, the message in the following verse continues with the same predicament; we are not only called to consider why we should offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, we are also to remember that our transformation and renewal exists for the benefits of others. While being instructed to avoid being conformed to the patterns, mindset, and Weltanschauung (worldview) of the fallen communities in which we are required to reside, it must be remembered that Christians are not to disconnect from the depraved—we have been called that we might be vessels to redeem the lost.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)

As should be expected, this calling from Paul is fitting with Old Testament Scripture as well as being in accordance with the teachings of Christ and the Apostle Peter (Matthew 5:48, 1 Peter 1:14-16). From Israel’s origins, the people of God were called to be set apart: “You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). This calling is also consistent through the law of Leviticus in which the people of God were to put to death anything contrary to the pursuit of holiness (Leviticus 11:44, Leviticus 20:23, Leviticus 20:26, Leviticus 20:25-27). And, on this topic, the Pharisees and Sadducees of Paul’s day were renown experts; they thrived in the pursuit of cleanliness laws and ritual purification. Their adherence to the letter of the law was unquestionable. The difference, then, is not in the application of the practice but, instead, in the understanding of the why. Paul’s therefore should lead us to know that even our pursuit of sanctification is centered on our selfless love of others. To pursue a sanctified life for self-benefit is to live in sin; self-centered holiness denies the heart of God (reflected by Paul’s heart for the lost), misses the example of Christ’s life given up as an offering for the world, and creates a pharisaic idol of self. The truth is that you are redeemed and made righteous by the blood of Christ—your pursuit of righteousness does not make you more righteous. Instead, we pursue righteous living that it may be another proclamation of the goodness of God that draws in the world through the providing of the overflow of Heaven’s blessings.

Of all the worldly aspects of which we should strive to not be conformed, a life lived for the benefit of self is one to avoid. Christians seeking to obtain a standard of righteous living (as if one existed that was superior to that provided by the Gospel) for personal gain find themselves conforming to the patterns of the secular world. Heaven, instead, guides us to live for the benefit of others, sacrifice that others may known Him and be redeemed, pursue a life of holiness that is evangelistic in nature—this is our spiritual act of worship.