Romans 12:1 Gifts - For The Glory of Jesus

Print or Share

Gifts

Romans 12 tells us that we have the mercies of God; the Gifts from God; Love for others and our relationships with others to win them to Him.

This is a Bible Study. Have your own Bible handy to look up the references mentioned.

If you do not have a Bible, I invite you to go to BibleGateway.com or another online Bible.

Romans 12

1. “In view of the many mercies of God, Paul exhorted his readers to offer their bodies a living sacrifices (cf. 6:13; 1 Peter 2:4).” (Mounce, Robert H, The New American Commentary, Volume 27, Romans. [Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995], 230)

“Before we trusted Christ, we used our body for sinful pleasures and purposes, but now that we belong to Him, we want to use our body for His glory.” (Wiersbe, Warren W, The Bible Exposition Commentary New Testament Volume 1 Matthew-Galatians. [Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2004], 553)

“Under the Old Covenant, God accepted the sacrifices of dead animals. But because of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice, the OT sacrifices are no longer of any effect (Hebrews 9:11-12) Under God’s control, the believer’s yet-unredeemed body (Romans 6:6,12; 7:5; 8:11,23) can and must be yielded to Him as an instrument of righteousness (Romans 6:12-13; 8:11-13).” (MacArthur, John, The MacArthur Bible Commentary. [Nashville, Thomas Nelson Inc., 2005], 1545)

2. “God transforms our minds and makes us spiritually minded by using His Word. As you spend time meditating on God’s Word, memorizing it, and making it a part of your inner man, God will gradually make your mind more spiritual (see 2 Corinthians 3:18).” (Wiersbe, 554)

“We surrender our wills to God through disciplined prayer. As we spend time in prayer, we surrender our will to God and pray, with the Lord, ‘Not my will, but thy will be done.’ We must pray about everything and let God have His way in everything.” (Wiersbe, 554)

Gifts

3. “It is not wrong for a Christian to recognize gifts in his own life and in the lives of others. What is wrong is the tendency to have a false evaluation of ourselves.” (Wiersbe, 554)

Paul “called on his readers not to entertain an inflated view of their own importance. Rather, they should model the humility that places the rights and welfare of others above their own (cf. Philippians 2:3)” (Mounce 233)

4. “The church as the body of Christ is to function as a body. This means that the many members do not have the same gifts.” (McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible: Volume IV. [Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1983], 731)

5. “There are many members in the body, hundreds of members, and therefore hundreds of gifts.” (McGee, 731)

6. Gifts “Undeserved and unmerited. The gift itself (1 Corinthians 12:4), the specific way in which it is uses (1 Corinthians 12:5), and the spiritual results (1 Corinthians 12:6) are all sovereignly chosen by the Spirit completely apart from personal merit (1 Corinthians 12:11).” (MacArthur 1546)

“Whatever gift we have must be dedicated to God and used for the good of the whole church.” (Wiersbe, 555)

7. “If a person’s gift is practical service, then he is to serve.” (Mounce, 235)

Mercy

8. MacArthur explains several of these words:

Exhortation [NKJV]. “The gift which enables a believer to effectively call others to obey and follow God’s truth.

Gives [NKJV]. This denotes the sacrificial sharing and giving of one’s resources and self to meet the needs of others (2 Corinthians 8:3-5, 9; 11; Ephesians 4:28).

Leads [NKJV]. Paul calls this gift ‘administrations’ (1 Corinthians 12:28) a word that means ‘to guide’ and is used of the person who steers a ship (Acts 27:11; Revelation 18:17.

Shows mercy [NKJV]. One who actively shows sympathy and sensitivity to those in suffering and sorrow, and who has both the willingness and the resources to lessen their afflictions.

Cheerfulness [NKJV]. This attitude is crucial to ensure that the gift of mercy becomes a genuine help, not a discouraging commiseration with those who are suffering (cf. Proverbs 14:21,31; Luke 4:18-19).” (1546)

Love

9. “Love is the circulatory system of the spiritual body, which enables all the members to function in a healthy, harmonious way. This must be an honest love, not a hypocritical love (Romans 11:9), and it must be humble, not proud (Romans 11:10).” (Wiersbe, 555)

“Christian love is to be shown purely and sincerely, without self-centeredness or guile.” (MacArthur, 1547)

10. “To be devoted to other Christians with a family sort of love, not based on personal attraction or desirability (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:9).” (MacArthur, 1547)

11. “Whatever is worth doing in the Christian life is valuable enough to be done with enthusiasm and care (John 9:4; Galatians 6:10; Hebrews 6:10-11; cf. Ecclesiastes 9:10; 2 Thessalonians 3:13).” (MacArthur, 1547)

12. Rejoicing in hope [NKJV]. “Of Christ’s return and our ultimate redemption (cf. Matthew 25:21; 1 Corinthians 15:58; 2 Timothy 4:8).” (MacArthur, 1547)

“Afflictions are to be borne patiently. And the source of spiritual help during such times is prayer.” (Mounce, 238)

13. “The level of poverty and the need for help were relatively high in the early church. It was critical for believers who had enough and more to share their abundance with those in need (cf. 2 Corinthians 8:13-14).” (Mounce, 238)

“In a day when inns were scarce and not always desirable, it was critical for believers to extend hospitality to Christians (and others) who were traveling.” (Mounce, 238)

Relationships

14. “Treat enemies as if they were your friends. (Luke 6:27-33; cf. Matthew 5:44; Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60; 1 Peter 2:21-23).” (MacArthur, 1547)

15. “To be glad in the blessings, honor, and welfare of others—no matter what one’s own situation (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:26; 2 Corinthians 2:3), and to be sensitive or compassionate to the hardships and sorrows of others (Colossians 3:12; James 5:11; cf. Luke 19:41-44; John 11:35).” (MacArthur, 1547)

16. “If Christians cannot get along with one another, how can they ever face their enemies? A humble attitude and a willingness to share are the marks of a Christian who truly ministers to the body.” (Wiersbe, 555)

17. “The natural impulse is to return injury for injury. But retaliation for personal injury is not for those who claim to follow the one who told his disciples to turn the other cheek and to go the second mile (Matthew 5:39-41; cf. Galatians 6:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:15; 1 Peter 3:9).” (Mounce, 240)

18. “Although a believer should do everything possible to be at peace with others, it will not always come, because it also depends on others’ attitudes and responses.” (MacArthur, 1548)

19. “Returning evil for evil, or good for good, is the way most people live. But the Christian must live on a higher level and return good for evil.” (Wiersbe, 556)

20. “Rather than to take revenge we are to feed our enemies if they are hungry and give them something to drink if they are thirsty.” (Mounce 2410

21. “Verse 21 summarizes much of what has just been said. Instead of allowing evil to get the upper hand and bring defeat, win the victory against that which is wrong by doing what is right.” (Mounce 241)

References

In this article Scripture quotations taken from KJV.

McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible: Volume IV. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1983
MacArthur, John, The MacArthur Bible Commentary. Nashville, Thomas Nelson Inc., 2005
Mounce, Robert H, The New American Commentary, Volume 27, Romans. Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995
Wiersbe, Warren W, The Bible Exposition Commentary New Testament Volume 1 Matthew-Galatians. Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2004

Mystery Government

Print or Share