The Spirit-Controlled Life - Part 4 (Romans 12:14-21)
INTRODUCTION:
We have been looking at the exhortations of Paul to those who want to live an obedient, disciplined, Spirit-controlled life. Paul exhorts us to have certain characteristics in our life that are manifested in our actions. These characteristics that we are to have and practice in our life can only happen by the indwelling Holy Spirit’s power and control in our lives that comes from surrendering and subjecting all that we are, every area of our lives to God’s control and will for His glory. These exhortations can be grouped into four categories that are like ever widening circles, like the ripples of a pool when a stone is thrown into the middle of it. It begins with three personal characteristics that all the rest of the characteristics and duties hang on. We are to begin with agapē love, an unselfish love that is more concerned for the needs and desires of others, than for self. This is where everything begins, then we are to hate what is evil and cling to what is good. From this category we widened out to include the characteristics that we are to have toward the family of God, our brothers and sisters in Christ, which we have studied over the past two weeks. We are to be devoted to one another in brotherly love, giving preference to one another in honor, serving one another and with one another in diligence and with a spirit of enthusiasm. We are to rejoice together in our future hope, persevere together in tribulation and be devoted to prayer, praying for one another. Finally, we were to be contributing to the needs of the saints and practicing hospitality, especially to those who may be strangers to us. Today we begin the second part of this final section and the circle widens again as we move into a new category where Paul exhorts us in how we are to live in regard to all people, believers and unbelievers. He instructs us on how the obedient, disciplined, Spirit-controlled believer is to conduct himself in the world in which he lives and before the people that he will come in contact within his daily life. Then before the chapter ends the circle will widen once more to include those who would declare themselves our enemies and how we are to conduct ourselves before them. All these categories are to be governed by having genuine, unselfish love, and by abhorring what is evil and clinging to what is good. Let’s pray and get into our passage for today.
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles this morning to Romans 12:14-21, the second part of the final section of this chapter, we will at least begin it this morning. Please stand, if you are able, out of honor and respect for the reading of God’s Word.
Romans 12:14-21,
“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. ‘But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:14–21, NASB95)[1]
DUTIES OF THE SPIRIT-CONTROLLED LIFE – ALL PEOPLE (Romans 12:14-16)
As we move into the third category of exhortations that Paul gives us of the characteristics that the Spirit-controlled Christian is to exhibit in his or her life, the circle widens to whom these characteristics are to be seen in action to all people, believers and non-believers alike.
Bless those who persecute you (Romans 12:14a)
Paul begins this third category with a very difficult exhortation, he writes, “Bless those who persecute you...” (Romans 12:14a, NASB95)[2] The first instinct of the unredeemed person is to strike back at the one who is persecuting him. Paul says that the obedient, disciplined, Spirit-controlled person is to do just the opposite, he must not hate, he must not strike back or retaliate, instead he is commanded to bless the one who is persecuting him.
Jesus essentially said the same thing in His Sermon on the Mount that Daniel read the first part of it for us the morning in Matthew 5, the beatitudes, but farther down in that chapter Jesus says in Matthew 5:43-44, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” (Matthew 5:43–44, NASB95)[3] In the parallel passage in Luke 6:27-28 Luke shares Jesus words expanding on what Matthew had recorded. He writes, “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:27–28, NASB95)[4] We are to have that same agapē love for those who mistreat us and persecute us as we do for our brothers and sisters in Christ. The Lord Jesus wants us to love them with the same love that He has for us, and that means if we are to truly bless those who persecute us, we must treat them as if they were our friends.
Jesus was our supreme example of blessing those who persecute us, as the sinless Son of God hung on the cross bearing the sins of the world, He prayed for those who had hung Him there, He asked for God’s mercy to be poured out on them in forgiveness. He prayed as Luke 23:34 records for us, “But Jesus was saying, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’” (Luke 23:34, NASB95)[5] The apostle Peter spoke of this as well to those who were suffering persecution and reminded them of the Savior’s own persecution and His reaction to it. In 1 Peter 2:21-23 he wrote, “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously…” (1 Peter 2:21–23, NASB95)[6] We are to follow this example, blessing those who persecute us and entrusting ourselves to Him who judges righteously.
Bless and do not curse (Romans 12:14b)
Paul goes on in his next exhortation to us to make sure that we understand that our blessing of those who persecute us is to be ongoing, all-inclusive, and constant. He reminds us with these words, “…bless and do not curse.” (Romans 12:14b, NASB95)[7] We are not to curse those who mistreat us, this would be the opposite of blessing them.
We in this nation have not known physical or political persecution for our faith, although as I have said I believe that it may be coming. For most of us the desire to curse is more likely a reaction to some mistreatment that does not endanger our lives or our livelihood, but more likely causes us embarrassment because someone has ridiculed our faith or because we have been inconvenienced by something that we believe interferes with our religious freedom. Paul reminds us that before that curse clears our lips to bless and not curse. Bow your head and pray God’s mercy and grace to be poured out on the one who embarrassed you or inconvenienced you. By doing it now for the little things, when greater, more life-threatening persecution comes you will be ready to bless and not curse.
Rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15a)
Paul now exhorts us to do what at first thought would seem to be an easy characteristic to act on. He writes, “Rejoice with those who rejoice….” (Romans 12:15a, NASB95)[8] Easy enough, right? What if that person’s blessing and joy is at your expense? What if it is an unbeliever who received a promotion over you possibly because you are a Christian? What if others seem to be receiving great blessing from God and you are not? Then rejoicing with those who rejoice becomes a little harder. Our old flesh wants us to resent instead of rejoicing. But we do not want to be one who rejoices at calamity because Proverbs 17:5 says that person will not go unpunished.
Paul is reminding us that as Spirit-controlled Christians we should rejoice over the joys, accomplishments, honor, and blessings of others, especially those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ, but also for those who are not a part of God’s family. We should rejoice with them no matter our circumstances. Jesus reminded those in the Sermon on the Mount of the general grace that is poured out on all. Jesus said in Matthew 5:44-48, “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:44–48, NASB95)[9] Jesus is reminding us that as His children we are held to a higher standard, and we must rejoice with those who rejoice so that the love of God is reflected in our life. Who knows if our rejoicing with an unbeliever might be the catalyst that God uses to bring that person to repentance and salvation?
Weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15b)
Not only are we to rejoice with those who rejoice, but Paul also admonishes us to, “…weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15, NASB95)[10] Just as we are to recognize and celebrate the blessings of others, we must be sensitive also to the disappointments, grief, and sorrow of others and offer our sympathy to them. When we enter into another person’s suffering, we are showing compassion. When we show compassion, we are reflecting the character of God.
Multiple times in the Old Testament is God called a compassionate God, for example in Joel 2:13 Joel writes, “And rend your heart and not your garments. Now return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil.” (Joel 2:13, NASB95)[11] Jeremiah in his lamentation over the destruction of Jerusalem was reminded in Lamentations 3:22, “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail.” (Lamentations 3:22, NASB95)[12] The New Testament also records this characteristic of our God. James reminds us in James 5:11 that the Lord is full of compassion and merciful. The apostle Paul refers to God the Father in 2 Corinthians 1:3 as the God of all comfort who comforts us in our afflictions. When we show compassion, and comfort those who are suffering from grief and sorrow we are weeping with those who weep.
Show no partiality (Romans 12:16a)
Paul next admonishes us to “Be of the same mind toward one another…” (Romans 12:16a, NASB95)[13] The characteristic that Paul is expressing here is impartiality. This characteristic is so important that Paul repeats it later on in Romans, he writes in Romans 15:5, “Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus,” (Romans 15:5, NASB95)[14] The greatest New Testament passage on impartiality is found in the book of James. James writes in James 2:1-4, “My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ and you say to the poor man, ‘You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,’ have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?” (James 2:1–4, NASB95)[15] James goes on a few verses later and writes in James 2:9, “But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” (James 2:9, NASB95)[16] James and Paul are both saying that we are to treat all people equally. If there is no partiality with God as Paul told us in Romans 2:11, then there should be no partiality with His children.
Be humble and associate with the lowly (Romans 12:16b)
Paul follows up his exhortation on impartiality with another that is closely related to it, he writes, “… do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly.” (Romans 12:16b, NASB95)[17] What does it mean to not be haughty in mind? It means do not think to highly of yourself, do not be prideful in who you are or the influence that you have with those in high positions. This was the point that James was making in the passage we just looked at, impartiality becomes a problem when we are reluctant to show the same respect for “a poor man in dirty clothes” but we go out of our way to show respect for the rich man because we want him to take notice of us. Paul says do not be this way and associate with the lowly. Paul is not saying that we should avoid associating with those who are rich and have high positions of influence. But as we serve the Lord we will find that more often we will associate with the lowly because they do not have the security of wealth and position to rely on.
What Paul is trying to get across to us who wish to live the obedient, disciplined, Spirit-controlled life is that there is no social status in the church, there is not an upper class, and a middle class and a lower class, but all are on the same level and we treat each person in this way, no favoritism, no partiality.
Be not wise in your own eyes (Romans 12:16c)
Paul goes on to add one more exhortation that relates to this topic of impartiality, he writes, “Do not be wise in your own estimation.” (Romans 12:16c, NASB95)[18] Paul is again calling us to be humble, to think rightly about ourselves. In other words, don’t become wise with yourself thinking that you know everything or by thinking that you are superior intellectually to other Christians or to unbelievers. Remember Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5–6, NASB95)[19] The point that Paul is seeking to make here is that if we are going to treat all people equally there are two things we must realize: First, in the church there are no social classes, as I said, no upper class, no middle class, no lower class. Socially in the church we are all the same. Second, there are no intellectual classes, everyone is treated the same and given the same respect. We do not try and lord it over others by our superior intellect, but each is heard.
The church ought to be a wide spectrum of people, young and old, rich, and poor and in-between, this is because the ministry of the church is not socially oriented, it is not a country club, it is not intellectually oriented, it is not a college. The church is and should be spiritually and biblically oriented where anyone can feel a part and learn from the Word of God.
But this even goes beyond the church, outside the church walls. We are to reach down to the people who are lowly and reach up to the people that are high, but we are not to pursue either one, but be available to both. This requires humility, a humility that can only be obtained when we live an obedient, disciplined, Spirit-controlled life fully surrendered to God’s will for God’s glory.
CONCLUSION:
I am going to stop here this morning and we will finish up this passage next week. These are some pretty high orders in Paul’s exhortations today. Is it truly possible to live the way that Paul exhorts us to live in these verses? It is only possible when we have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Once we have believed in the sacrifice of Christ in His death on our behalf and agreed with Him that we are unable to save ourselves from the penalty of sin, then we are justified and we receive the Holy Spirit who begins that transformation of our minds, conforming us to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. When this begins to happen and as we surrender and yield ourselves completely to God’s will and control, then and only then can we live the way Paul exhorts us to live here.
Where are you this morning? Have you fully surrendered your life as a living and holy sacrifice to God? Paul is not suggesting that this is the way a Christian should live; he is saying this is the way a Christian must live if he desires to be utterly pleasing to the Lord. Is Jesus only your Savior, or is He your Lord also? These are some hard questions that we must answer. One day we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and we will be judged according to how we lived our life as a Christian. Paul told the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, “For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:11–15, NASB95)[20] My brothers and sisters in Christ, build on the foundation with gold, silver, and precious stones by surrendering to God’s will and control in your life for His glory and live the life we are commanded to live here by Paul. I do not want one of you to be saved, yet so as through fire. Surrender is not easy, but it will be so worth it when we stand before our Lord that we love.
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[11]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[12]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[13]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[14]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[15]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[16]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[17]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[18]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[19]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[20]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.