Living Out Our Theology

“Living Out Our Theology”

By Pastor Rich Paradis

Romans 12:1-2

 

As we transition to another chapter of Romans, we are moving not only to another theological section of the letter, but we are moving from the distinctly theological to the distinctly practical. Some see these two things as separate, but they are not. Mark Dever says in “Theology for the Church” by Danny Akin, “Theology lived out in responsible action and obedience is worshipping God. When performed in faith, all the duties of the Christian life commanded in Scripture are means of worshipping God. Worship of God is the supreme end of the Christian church, whether considered locally or universally, or in the individual lives of its members”. Let’s see what this means in action as we enter the next section of this exciting letter.

  

I.                    Some Introductory Thoughts To This Section    Romans 12:1a & b

a.       There are many who would say that “theological” and “practical” are nearly opposites. While one is a bunch of facts and figures, the other is action. While one is that which is confined to the intellectual elite, the other is planned for those that can’t traffic in the “brainy”. There are those that say, “I’m no theologian, I just love God and do my best”. The terms seem to have very little to do with one another in a lot of people’s minds.

b.      But the Bible doesn’t teach that at all! The Bible teaches that our theology is critical to our actions. Without good theology, we have no basis for our actions and our philosophies for living.

c.       The beginning of Romans 12 does much to connect theology to practical living. In at least 2 ways, we are connected as we begin this section to the entirety of the letter to the Romans churches thus far:

                                                               i.      “Therefore I urge you” – Remember our old rule of thumb when it comes to Bible study: When you see a “therefore”, look to see what it’s there for. We didn’t have to wait past the first words of this new section to see the indisputable connection between theology and practical living. What Paul has been writing now for 11 chapters will be one of the reasons for moving forward into this action-oriented section of Romans. Paul is “urging” them to this living out of their theology. This word “urge” is interesting in that it means “to exhort, to beseech, to call alongside of”. That is what Paul is doing here. He is coming alongside them to “urge” them in living out what he has been teaching now for 11 chapters. And he points his challenge to the only ones that could possibly succeed in it, “brethren”. Only one who has Christ as his or her savior and the Holy Spirit guiding and empowering could have any chance of fulfilling this charge.

                                                             ii.      “By the mercies of God” – As this phrase is written out by Paul, we have a connection to one of the great themes of chapters 1-11. As recently as Romans 11:32, Paul noted that “all were shut up in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all”. It has been nothing but the mercy of God that has made salvation, sanctification, and glorification realities for any of us in the present or the future.

d.      In some ways, we see Paul’s “urging” as this chapter begins in a similar way to the work of the Holy Spirit. Paul is coming alongside them to show them the practical application and implications of all that he has been teaching them thus far.

 

II.                 “Present Your Bodies A Living And Holy Sacrifice, Acceptable To God…”    Romans 12:1c

a.       The admonition of Verse 1 seems pretty straightforward, doesn’t it? But there are some wonderful details that need our attention.

b.      The 1^st of this challenge is “present”. This word contains the idea of “placing alongside, provide, or place at one’s disposal”.

c.       The 2^nd and 3rd words of this challenge are “our body”. What a neat thought! In light of all that we’ve studied thus far in Romans, we are urged by Paul and because of the mercies of God to place our bodies at the disposal of God! We are to place ourselves beside Him. The idea here is not putting all of your possessions, your talents, your abilities, etc. alongside Him. We are to place OURSELF beside Him! We are to place OURSELF at His disposal! What a powerful and strong challenge!

d.      Let’s continue looking at these theologically and practically pregnant words. The next words are “a living and holy sacrifice”. Without question, these words remind us of the Old Testament sacrificial system. While we are reminded of that ancient system of sacrifice, we are also reminded of a glaring difference between the old economy and the new economy.

                                                               i.      In the Old Testament economy, the offerings that were made were “dead” and the people were commanded to “make them”.

                                                             ii.      In the New Testament economy, the offering is to be “living”; in fact we are to “be” the sacrifice.

 

e.       With the thought before us of “offering a living sacrifice of ourselves”, let’s consider the last few words of the verse. “Which is your spiritual service of worship” completes this thought. WOW! We are reminded again of the Mark Dever quote from above, “Theology lived out in responsible action and obedience is worshipping God. When performed in faith, all the duties of the Christian life commanded in Scripture are means of worshipping God. Worship of God is the supreme end of the Christian church, whether considered locally or universally, or in the individual lives of its members”. In other words, when we present our lives as living sacrifices to God, we are worshipping in a powerful and a clear way to the One that we love.

 

III.               “Do Not Be Conformed… Be Transformed”    Romans 12:2

a.       As we consider Verse 2, we are presented with a couple of ideas right away that give us greater clarification on the challenge of the previous verse.

                                                               i.      The first is “do not be conformed to this world”. This has the idea of “fashioning oneself to another’s pattern”. But whose pattern? The verse tells us that it’s the world’s pattern. We who are making a “living sacrifice” of ourselves to the One we love, Jesus, are not to shape our thinking and our philosophies to the world’s pattern. How do we sometimes conform ourselves to this world? By embracing the thoughts of the world as our own without considering God’s plans and thoughts on the given subject.

                                                             ii.      The second is “be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. Instead of shaping our thinking and philosophies to the world’s pattern, we are to offer ourselves to the transforming of our minds. How would we do this? The Greek word has the meaning of metamorphosis, the changing of something from the inside out. We are reminded of this when we consider the caterpillar within the cocoon that emerges a beautiful butterfly. How do we engage ourselves in this ongoing “renewal”? By the regular intake of God’s Word and interaction with His people. What other thoughts would you add to this prescription for ongoing “renewal of our minds”?

b.      Why is the result of choosing “Option 2” over “Option 1”? As we present ourselves as living sacrifices to this second plan, we will “prove” what the will of God is. Again, WOW! There is so much discussion on the subject of “God’s Will”. What is it? The passage itself says that the will of God is “good, and acceptable, and perfect”. God’s will is “what God wishes to be done”. And while that conversation is well worth having, it isn’t discussed right here. What is noted is that “what God wishes to be done” is “good, and acceptable, and perfect”.

                                                               i.      It is good - Upright, honorable, acceptable to God

                                                             ii.      It is acceptable - Well-pleasing

                                                            iii.      It is perfect - Finished, complete, mature

 

IV.              An Application For All Of Us

a.       What a transition we are undergoing as we move from the intensely theological chapters 1-11 to the intensely practical chapters 12-16.

b.      But we must not forget that our theology, what we believe about God, will drive our actions and our philosophies.

c.       The separation that many try to make between the theological and the practical is just not there when you consider the teaching of the Bible.

d.      In the next 4 chapters, we will see this connection reinforced as helpful application is made in regard to many areas of living that we are engaged in.