"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Romans 12:1

Romans 12

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.  Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

Let love be without dissimulation [hypocrisy]. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written,

Vengeance is mine; I will repay,

saith the Lord.

Therefore

if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

_______ 

"It must be carefully marked and deeply pondered, this great account of sovereign mercy,—mercy first to us, and by and by to Israel,—“the MERCIES of God,” by means of which God will win our hearts, “beseeching us” by His apostle, to present our bodies a living sacrifice to Him (12:1). It is not only that God has dealt with us in grace,—unearned favor; but that He has shown mercy when all was hopeless! We may venture to say that it is only in those who learn to regard themselves as the objects of the Divine mercy, of uncaused Divine compassion, that the deepest foundations for godliness of life will be, or can be, laid . . . 

When today poor blinded Jewish rabbis and elders claim “Jesus of Nazareth” as belonging to them, as “one of their prophets,” “perhaps the greatest one,” it causes in the heart of the instructed Christian, only a lament. Christ was indeed, as to His flesh, born of them; but they rejected and crucified Him; and He is passed into a new creation, and is the last Adam, a Second Man, with whom the Jewish nation as such has as yet no connection, any more than have unbelieving Gentiles.

“Except a man be born from above he CANNOT SEE the kingdom of God!” . . ."

Verse 1: I BESEECH YOU—What an astonishing word to come from God! From a God against whom we had sinned, and under whose judgment we were! What a word to us, believers,—a race of sinners so lately at enmity with God,—“I beseech you!” Paul had authority from Christ to command us,—as he said to Philemon: “Though I have all boldness in Christ to enjoin thee that which is befitting, yet for love’s sake I rather beseech.” Let us give heart heed to this our apostle, who often covered with his tears the pages whereon he wrote. As he said of his ministry, “We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beseech—!”

And what does he cite to move us to hearken to the great appeal for our devotion to God which opens this section of Romans—this part that calls for our response to the great unfoldings of God’s salvation in the previous chapters? I BESEECH YOU BY THE MERCIES OF GOD!

Let us call to mind these MERCIES of which Paul speaks:

1. JUSTIFICATION,—including pardon, removal of sins from us, trespasses never to be reckoned, a standing in Christ,—being made the righteousness of God in Him!

2. IDENTIFICATION—taken out of Adam by death with Christ,—dead to sin and to law, and now IN CHRIST!

3. UNDER GRACE, NOT LAW—Fruit unto God,—unto sanctification, made possible.

4. THE SPIRIT INDWELLING—“No condemnation,” freedom from law of sin; witness of Sonship and Heirship.

5. HELP IN INFIRMITY, and in any present sufferings, on our way to share Christ’s glory.

6. DIVINE ELECTION: Our final Conformity to Christ’s Image as His brethren; God’s settled Purpose,—in which, believers already glorified in God’s sight!

7. COMING GLORY—beyond any comparison with present sufferings!

8. NO SEPARATION POSSIBLE—God loved us in Christ.

9. CONFIDENCE IN GOD’S FAITHFULNESS confirmed by His revealed plans for national Israel.

Present your bodies—This has been used to divide believers harshly into two classes, —those who have “presented their bodies” to God, and those who have not. But this is not the spirit of the passage. For God “beseeches” us to be persuaded by His mercies. He does not condemn us for past neglect, nor drive us in the matter of yielding to Him. We must believe that these Divine mercies have persuasive powers over our wills. It is not that we can move our own wills; but that faith in God’s mercies, personally shown us, has power. It is “the goodness of God” that moves us,—when we really believe ourselves the free recipients of it!

So Paul beseeches us to present our bodies to God. We might have expected, Yield your spirits, to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. But Paul says, bodies. Now if a man should present his body for the service of another, willingly, it would carry all the man with it.

A man desiring to enlist in the British army comes, after the physical examination, to present himself to the enlisting officer. He is still his own man. Then the enlisting officer gives him “the king’s shilling”—as enlistment money. He signs an attestation as to his age, place of birth, trade, etc., and takes the oath of allegiance: “To be true and faithful to the king and his heirs, and truth and faith to bear of life and limb and terrene honour, and not to know or hear of any ill or damage intended him without defending him therefrom.” Having accepted the king’s money, and taken this oath, he is now legally the king’s own soldier.

In the case of a slave, his master owns his body; so he does what his master says: often with inner reluctance. We are besought to present our bodies,—that is, willingly to do so. God, who made and owns us, and Christ, whose we’ are (see chapter 1:6,—“called as Jesus Christ’s”)—God, I say, might have said, Come, serve Me: it is your duty. That would have been law. But instead, grace is reigning, over us, and in us; and Paul says to us, I beseech you, present your bodies. And there and then, in a believing view of God’s mercies, we find our hearts going forth. For there is great drawing power in the knowledge that someone has loved us, and given us such Divine bounties as these mercies!

A living sacrifice—This is in contrast with those slain offerings Israel brought to God. God’s service is freedom, not slavery; life, not death. Holy, acceptable unto God—We remember that God said of Israel’s offerings: “Whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy” (Ex. 29:37). It is very blessed to know that any believer’s yielding his body to God is called a “holy, acceptable sacrifice,”—well-pleasing unto God Himself! That any creature should be able to offer what could “please” the infinite Creator, is wonderful; but that such wretched, fallen ones as the sons of men should do so, is a marvel of which only the gracious God Himself knows the depth!

Which is your spiritual service—Here “spiritual” or “intelligent” religious service (logikē latreia) is contrasted with that outward religious service Israel had in former days. They had the temple, with its prescribed rites, its “days, and months, and seasons and years,” its ordinances and ceremonial observances. Indeed, it was right that they should carry out these ordinances as God directed. But, while it was “religious service” (which is what latreia means), it was not intelligent service. It was not logikē latreia; but consisted of “shadows of the good things to come” (Heb. 10:1-14). There was a ceaseless round of “services”; but God dwelt in the darkness of the Holy of Holies; and sin was not yet put away. But now Christ has come, propitiation has been made; Christ has been raised; the Holy Spirit has come; and “intelligent service” is now possible. And giving over our bodies to God is the path into it.

It is sad and terrible to see how professing Christianity has departed from all this blessed “intelligent service” in the Holy Spirit, back into the darkness of man-prescribed religion!  Imagine Peter setting up holy days, in the Book of Acts; as, “Ash Wednesday”; “Good Friday”; “Lent”; “Easter”! It would all have been denial of their new connection with a Risen Christ, and of the Presence of the Comforter! It would have been turning back to Judaism, yea, to Paganism, for the name “Easter” is simply “Ishtar,” the great goddess of Babylon. (See on all these things, Hislop’s Two Babylons.) 

We will either yield ourselves to God, and be led by the Holy Spirit into the “intelligent service” that belongs to this dispensation and to the true Christian; or we will be hiding away from God in the false “Christian” forms and ceremonies “Christendom,” with its religion, has taken on. 

God abhors “ceremonies,”—since the blessed Holy Ghost has come, and has brought liberty!

Verse 2: And be not fashioned according to this world (literally, age, aiōn). This present age, Paul calls “evil,” declaring in Galatians 1:4 that our Lord Jesus Christ

“gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us out of this present evil age (aiōn) according to the will of our God and Father.”

Believers, before they were saved, “walked according to the course of this world [literally, “according to the age (aiōn) of this world-order”—cosmos) according to the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2). Here you have the cosmos, or world-order, since Adam sinned; and since then each particular phase of the Satanically arranged and controlled world-order now on, called the aiōn. In I Corinthians 7:31, this is called the “fashion,”—literally, scheme, of this world-order. “We know,” writes John, “that we are of God, and the whole world [lit., world-order], lieth in the evil one.” It is necessary to grasp intelligently this fearful state of things, in order to obey the apostle’s exhortation not to be conformed to it: a world-order without God!

We read that Cain “went out from the presence of Jehovah and builded a city” (Gen. 4), which became filled with inventions—“progress”: music, arts; its whole end being to forget God,—to get along without Him. And ever since, Satan has developed this fatal world-order, with its philosophy, (man’s account of all things,—but changing from time to time); it’s science (ever seeking to eliminate the supernatural); its government (with man exalting himself); its amusements (adapted to blot out realities from the mind); and its religion (to soothe man’s conscience and allay fears of judgment).

The Spirit by Paul asks the saints not to be fashioned* after this [Satanic] order of things, but on the contrary to be transformed by the renewing of their mind. The word for “transformed” is remarkable: our word “metamorphosis” is the same word, letter for letter!  In Matthew 17:2 it is used of Christ: “He was transfigured,” which Luke 9:29 explains: “The fashion of His countenance was altered.” That is, from the lowly, despised One in whom was “no beauty” to attract the eye of man, He was transformed to appear as He will appear at His return to this earth (for of His coming and kingdom the transfiguration was a figure, II Pet. 1:16-18). Thus Psalm 45 depicts Him at His second advent:

“Thou art fairer than the children of men:

Grace is poured into Thy lips!”

Infinite, endless grace, beauty, and glory, will then be publicly displayed in Christ.

Now, to be “transformed” or “transfigured” into the image of Christ is the blessed path and portion of the surrendered believer in the midst of this present evil world.

“But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit” (II Cor. 3:18).

Note that neither in world-conformity, nor in Christian transformation, are we the actors: the verbs are passive, in both cases. It is, “Be not fashioned,” and “Be transformed.” In the first case, Satan and the world have abundant power, they know to fashion anyone found willing; But how are we to be transformed? The answer is, By the renewing of your mind; and here we come again upon that wonderful part of our salvation which is carried on by the Holy Spirit; and we must look at it attentively.

*“Fashioned” is literally, schemed-together-with. It is the very word of I Corinthians 7:31: scheme (Greek, schema), made into a verb, with the conjunction along-with (sun), for prefix. The devil will rope you into his “scheme,” unless you surrender your body to God to be by Him delivered.

Paul sweepingly describes this salvation as follows (Titus 3:5):

“God according to His mercy saved us, through the washing of regeneration (1) and (2) renewing of the Holy Spirit.”

Here the first action signifies the whole application to us of the redemptive work of Christ,—the “loosing from our sins in His blood” (Rev. 1:5), and the imparting to us of Christ’s risen life so that we were made partakers of what is called here “regeneration.” Then the second action is called a “renewing,” and is carried on by the Holy Spirit. Now what does this signify? It cannot refer to our spirits, for our spirits were born, created anew, under the first action here described; so that we were put into Christ, as says II Corinthians 5:17:

“If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new.”

And,

“That which is born of the Spirit, is spirit” (John 3:6).

Nor can this “renewing” refer to our bodies; for, although they are indeed quickened and sustained by the indwelling Spirit, according to Romans 8:11; yet there is never a hint (but quite the contrary), that the believer’s body will be “renewed” during this present life.

There remains then to be the object of this “renewing,” the soul, which includes the mind, with its thoughts; the imagination,—so untamed naturally, the sensibilities or “feelings”; the “tastes,” or natural preferences,—all which, since the fall of Adam, are naturally under the influence and power of the sinful flesh, and must be operated upon by the Holy Spirit, after one’s regeneration. The memory, also, must be cleansed of all unclean, sinful recollections. And that it is the soul that is renewed,* is abundantly confirmed both from Scripture and from human experience.

*The word for “renew” (anakainŏō) is used only by Paul. It means to “grow up new, afresh” (Thayer),—like foliage in the spring. Man’s spirit having already been created anew, and being joined to the Lord; and witnessed to and cared for by the Holy Spirit; man’s soul-faculties are now to be taken over by that same blessed Spirit; so that the whole mind and disposition and tastes of the man will become conformed to the fact that he is a new creature.

Man, we remember, “became a living soul,” after his body had been formed, and there had been communicated to him a spirit, by God’s direct in-breathing (Gen. 2:7). Man’s spirit dwelt in his body; but the body itself could not contact understandingly the world into which Adam had been introduced. Nor could his spirit do so directly. The soul-life, however, put him in touch with creation. It had five “senses”: sight, hearing, feeling, smell, and taste. Man’s spirit was thus put into intelligent relationship with the creation about him. He had also another faculty,—reason. The spirit of man perceives things directly,—apart from a “process of thought.” But God placed man in circumstances in which he could use this faculty of observation and discrimination,—of reasoning,—which faculty he was to employ as to the creation about him. There were also the “sensibilities,” and the esthetic faculty,—to see the beautiful and enjoy it. Imagination, too,—what a fertile field for unspiritual, earthly life! Memory, also, we must not overlook, for although memory belongs to the spirit (even to lost spirits,—Luke 16:25), yet since man sinned, the memory of saved people must be “renewed,” so that freedom -from horrid recollections shall be given, and the blessed inclination to retain that which is good, remain.

The whole “mind,” therefore must become the object of the Spirit’s renewing power. The entire soul-life, in human existence, must come under the Spirit’s control.

Paul’s word, “the renewing of the mind,” takes in the whole sphere of conscious life for the child of God. This also appears from the use of the word “renew” by Paul in other places. The “new man” being a new creation in Christ, all the graces and beauties of Christ belong to him; just as, before, the evil he inherited from the first Adam was his, because he was federally connected with him. Now, however, he is to “put on” the new man by simple appropriating faith. But, in order that he may do this, his soul-life must be laid hold of, “renewed,” by the Holy Spirit:

“That ye put away, as concerning your former manner of life, the old man, that waxeth corrupt after the lusts of deceit: and that ye be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness of truth” (Eph. 4:22-24).

Paul further develops this in Col 3:9 and 10:

“Ye have put off the old man with his doings, and have put on the new man, that is being renewed unto knowledge, after the image of Him that created him.”

The Colossians are viewed as having put off the old man (when they were created in Christ), and put on the new man (which hath been created in righteousness and holiness of truth), and is now ever being renewed unto perfect knowledge (epignōsis), that experimental, spiritual revelation of the Risen Christ which Paul so coveted for the Ephesians, as we see in his great prayer ending thus:

“That ye may know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge; that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God” (Eph. 3:19).

These three distinct aspects of sanctification therefore appear:

1. That effected and perfected once for all by our Lord in His death:

“We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all . . . For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified” (Heb. 10:10, 14).

This is the effect of the shed blood of Christ: it has satisfied all Divine claims against us, and has redeemed us from sin unto God, separating us unto God forever with an absolute, infinite tie.

2. That which results necessarily from our being in Christ Risen,—“new creatures” in Him. Thus the Corinthians, though in their spiritual condition and experience yet “babes in Christ,” are addressed by the apostle as those “sanctified in Christ Jesus” (I Cor. 1:2).

3. That wrought in the mind, the soul-life, and its faculties, by the Holy Spirit, who seeks to bring

“every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (II Cor. 10:5).

The first two aspects are fundamental, and equally true of all believers. The third, Paul longed to have brought about fully in all believers:

“Admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ” (Col 1:28).

“Come ye out from among them [unbelievers] 

and be ye separate, saith the Lord,

And touch no unclean thing,

And I will receive you [in the way of fellowship]

And will be to you a Father [in fellowship, as I am in relationship],

And ye shall be to Me sons and daughters, 

saith the Lord Almighty.”

“Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (II Cor. 6:17, 18; 7:1).

“And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Thess. 5:23).*

*A “clean heart” is taught in the Scripture most plainly. Even in the Old Testament David prays, “Create in me a clean heart.” In Acts 15:9, Peter speaks of the occasion of the Holy Spirit’s falling upon those of Cornelius’ household, as, “cleansing their hearts by faith.” And Paul says in his charge to Timothy, “The end of the charge is love out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned” (I Tim. 1:5). And further, to Timothy, “Flee youthful lusts and follow after righteousness, faith, love, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (II Tim. 2:22). 

   

Now it will not do, in interpreting the Bible, an infinitely accurate Book, to deal loosely or confuse terms. When David said, in Psalm 108:1, “O God, my heart is fixed,” repeating it in Psalm 57:7, “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing, yea, I will sing, yea, I will sing praises”—I say in such an utterance the Psalmist is not claiming that there was not iniquity present with him, but that his heart was by Divine grace fixedly choosing God and His will: as he says in Psalm 18:23, “I was also perfect with Him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.” Here he recognizes evil present with him, but his heart is fixed for God. 

   

To confuse the flesh with the heart is a vital mistake. Paul says we have no confidence in the flesh. But on the other hand we may have complete confidence toward God, at least when our faith has been “perfected” (I Thess. 3:10). The heart is the throne-room of the being. When it is really handed over to God, “the peace of Christ rules” therein. If no provision is made for the flesh, but instead the Lord Jesus Christ is put on (Rom. 13:14); if we obey II Cor. 6:14 to 7:1, refusing “unequal yokes” with unbelievers, refusing to have “portions” with unbelievers, “keeping ourselves from idols,” “cleansing ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit,” “perfecting holiness in the fear of God,” and consenting to be “separated” to God and “touch no unclean thing,”—then God “walks in us.” Our hearts are wholly given to Him and “do not condemn us.”

Such a surrendered believing heart is called in Scripture, a “pure heart.” To be among those thus “cleansed” by simple faith, and to have such a pure heart, should be the longing desire and purpose of every believer. 

   

Do not confuse, therefore, a clean, perfect heart toward God as taught in Scripture with the supposed “eradication of the sin-principle” from the flesh. The flesh is unchanged until Christ comes. But God will cleanse our hearts, by faith, and the Holy Spirit will form Christ fully within us.

That ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God—This word “prove” means to put to the proof, as in Eph. 5:8 to 10:

“Walk as children of light, proving [or finding out by experience] what is well-pleasing unto the Lord.”

The man in Luke 14:19 used the same word: “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them.” The “will of God” here may be rendered “what is willed by God” (Meyer); or, as Sanday says, “The will of God is here not the Divine attribute of will, but the thing willed by God, the right course of action.” This passage involves two facts: first, that God had a plan for our lives, which He is very willing and desirous we should discover; and, second, that only those who surrender themselves to Him, rejecting conformity to this age, can discover that will. All of us in times of desperate need, or crisis, are anxious to find God’s path for us. And, in answer to the cry of even His unsurrendered saints, He may and often does graciously reveal the path of safety and even of temporary blessing to them. But only those who have surrendered their bodies as a living sacrifice to Him, enter upon the discovery of His blessed will as their very sphere and mode of life.

That ye may prove—Note that it is not that you are seeking after “victory,” or “blessing,” or even instruction in truth; but you are to enter into the will of Another,—even God.

Note, further, that in order to “prove,” or experimentally enter into, God’s will, there must be “the renewing of the mind” by the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is all-important to understand that only a yielded will can desire, discover, or choose God’s will.

Further, we should, along with this, be impressed continually with the blessed fact that God’s will for us is infinitely loving, infinitely wise, and gloriously possible of fulfilment; while our own wills are selfish and foolish and weak: for often we are impotent of accomplishing even our own poor objects!

Good, acceptable, perfect—Good for us, acceptable to God; and that which, being itself perfect, leads to our perfecting, as Epaphras prayed for the Colossians:

“That ye may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God” (4:12).

Some would render it, “The will of God, even the thing that is good, acceptable and perfect”: as if we entered upon it all, once we yielded our bodies to God. Also, it has been suggested that we enter first into God’s “good” will: for, although we are ignorant and clumsy at first, God in His goodness gladly calls our work “good.” Then, when we learn further, our work becomes in a higher sense “acceptable.” Finally, we stand “perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.”

Both these views are true. God’s will is always good, acceptable and perfect; and, when we begin to surrender to it, it is all that, at once, for us. On the other hand, we do progress in it! It takes faith to surrender our wills. We must be brought to believe in our very heart that God’s will is better for us than our own will. And, as we once heard a man earnestly testify, “If you can’t trust One who died for you, whom can you trust?”

We beg you to seek out some saints (for there are some!) who have yielded themselves to God, and study their faces: you’ll discover a light of joy found on no other countenances. Cling to such. Converse with them. Learn their secret. Be much with them. And follow such as follow Christ. Blessing lies that way!

3 For, I say, through the [apostolic] grace that was given to me, to every one that is among you, not to be estimating himself beyond what he ought to estimate; but to be so estimating himself as to have a sober estimate, according as God to each one of us divided a measure of faith.

We have used here Rotherham’s rendering, “estimate,” instead of the common rendering, “think.” It is remarkable that God crowds (in the original) this one word, “have an opinion,” or “estimate,” four times into this one sentence! It is also striking that this command, not to have a higher opinion of ourselves than we ought to have, is the first, the opening one of all the exhortations which follow. Let us lay this to heart!

Note what this proves: 

(1) That over-estimation of one’s importance among the saints is a fundamental temptation. 

(2) That God has granted to each one of His saints a certain allotment, or “measure,” of faith,—that is, of the ability to lay hold on the mighty operations of the Spirit of grace. And note carefully that God does not say, according to the measure of knowledge, but “of faith.” 

(3) That only the one who comes into a personal discernment of God’s special will through surrender to Him, will come to have a “sober estimate” of his own place. 

(4) That it is a distinct command of the apostle (emphasized by allusion to the mighty apostolic charge and grace given by God to him direct to us), that being surrendered to God, we come into a sober estimate of our place,—of our “measure of faith.” This great verse is now to be followed by its explanation:

4 For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members have not the same office: 5 so we, who are many, are one Body in Christ; and as to each one, members of all the rest! 6 And having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of our faith; 7 or ministry, let us give ourselves to our ministry: or he that teacheth, to his teaching; 8 or he that exhorteth, to his exhorting: he that giveth, let him do it with liberality; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness.

Verses 4 and 5: For even as we have many members in. one body, and all the members have not the same office: so we, who are many, are one Body in Christ; and as to each one, members of all the rest!

Here is Paul’s first mention of this great doctrine of the Body of Christ, a doctrine which he alone, among the apostles, sets forth, he being the one chosen “minister of the Church” (Col 1:24, 25),—as to its real, heavenly, corporate character. Note now the comparison: 

(1) Our human bodies have many members. 

(2) These members, however, constitute a unity: they are one body. 

(3) Each member is a member of all the others. 

(4) All our members have not the same work to do.

Even so with us in Christ: 

(1) We are many, but 

(2) we are one Body in Christ. 

“Body” is not here an illustration, but an actuality. “He that loveth his own wife, loveth himself, . . . even as Christ also the Church; because we are members of His Body. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great: but I speak in regard of Christ and of the Church” (Eph. 5:28-32): “The Church which is His Body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all” (Eph. 1:22, 23). This union is so absolute that Paul writes: “As the body* is one, and hath many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; SO ALSO IS CHRIST” (I Cor. 12:12). We deceive ourselves and delude others when we use the word “body” as connected with the Church of God, of any but the true, elect members of Christ, indwelt by the Spirit. And that consciousness (that is, the consciousness of the One Body of Christ of which Christ Risen in glory is the Head and they, the living, Spirit-indwelt members, are the fulness), should be held by us continually to the exclusion of anything earthly or merely local or sectarian. Thus we should find ourselves at once in fellowship with true believers everywhere, for they with us are members of Christ, and they and we are members one of another.

*Of course there is all manner of looseness of talk by those who do not discern, hold, and continually speak in terms of, the one Body of which Christ Risen is the Head. We do not have any right to use the word “body” of any but the true, mystical Body of Christ: those who have been “by the one Spirit baptized into One Body.” The confusion of the Scripture doctrine of the true Church, the Body of Christ, with the Church’s outward relationships, responsibilities, and testing, as the House of God on earth, has given rise to innumerable evils. The Church which is Christ’s Body is the blessed company of all true believers from Pentecost to its Rapture at Christ’s coming. The House of God is “the pillar and stay of the truth” upon earth, just as Israel was before the cross. But Just as there was an elect Remnant, Simeons and Annas, Zachariahs and Elizabeths,—the true Israel—in our Lord’s day; while the temple, the House of God, had been invaded by all manner of corruption and merchandising, having been built up by Herod the Great, a son of Esau;—so, today, the true Church is not what you see gathering into meetings all about you, but that company of true believers known to God, all of whom have been baptized by the Spirit into One Body, and who also are indwelt by the Spirit. All others, however prominent “church members” they may be, are simply part of the “great house’ of II Timothy 2:20, where vessels “unto dishonor” as well as those “unto honor exist; which the “house of God” set forth in I Timothy 3:15 has, through man’s failure, become.

(3) We are individually “members one of another.” Compare I Corinthians 12:27: “Now ye are the Body of Christ, and individually members thereof.” Being members of the Body of Christ, we necessarily are members of one another; as my right hand, being a member of my body, is a member of my left hand. Mark that Paul makes this “membership one of another,” an additional (though necessary) truth to the fact of the one Body in Christ. Note carefully that Scripture never speaks of “church members,” as men today do; nor of “membership” in or of a local assembly; but only of membership in the Body of Christ, and of membership one of another. We are members of the heavenly Head, Christ, and therefore members one of another by an operation of the Spirit of God, not by action of man. In local assemblies, according to Scripture, we have fellowship, as already members of Christ and of one another. The importance of seeing this is immeasurable. For the great fact that we are one, actually members of other believers, is made by the Spirit of God the basis of our love toward one another! As Paul says in Eph. 4:25: “Putting away falsehood, talk truth each one with his neighbor; for we are members one of another.” Your right hand has never yet had a fight with the left: on the contrary, each constantly helps the other! And, as to suffering, “Whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it.”

Verse 6: And having gifts, different according to the grace that was given unto us—For each believer there is some particular “gift,” to be bestowed by the already indwelling Spirit, (as those yielding themselves to God find) to make each believer a direct benefit to the Body of Christ:

“To each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit to profit (the whole Body) withal, . . . the Spirit dividing to each one severally even as He will.”

The various gifts are bestowed by the Spirit for “ministration” to the Lord Jesus, and the “working” in each case is by God Himself. Read I Corinthians 12:4 to 11.

Now, these differing gifts are “according to the grace that was given unto us.” In Romans 12:3 Paul speaks by the apostolic grace given unto him, and to each believer there is also an individual differing “grace,” given to each for the particular service to which God calls him. In accordance with this “grace,” there is, therefore, a “gift,” by the indwelling Spirit. (This is not the gift of the person of the Spirit, but is a gift communicated by the already given Spirit.) 

Of course, it will be to many, as it was to the author, a startling revelation, that the Spirit is ready to engift each believer for Divinely appointed service! Those mentioned as “unlearned” in I Corinthians 14:23 were evidently believers, but ungifted; or, as Alford says, “plain believers,” persons unacquainted with the gifts of I Corinthians 12. 

For the receiving and using of these gifts, there is necessary the element of faith, which is bestowed by God in exact accordance with the gift given each one. The bestowal is called, “the grace that was given to us.”

Alford well says, “The measure of faith, the gift of God, is the receptive faculty for all spiritual gifts; which are, therefore, not to be boasted of, nor Pushed beyond their province, but humbly exercised within their own limits.”

It will not do to say, if we find ourselves not in possession of certain gifts, “They are not for us: they belonged only to the “Early Church.” This is a three-fold presumption! 

(1) It is excusing our own low state; and worse: 

(2) It is blaming the result of the failure of the Church upon God,—an awful thing! 

(3) It is setting up the present man-dependent, man-sufficient state of things as superior to the days when the Holy Spirit of God was known in power.

It is true that God, in His infinite grace, accepted, at the hands of the Jews, at the end of the 70 years’ captivity, the temple of Zerubbabel, saying: “Build the house, and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified.” It is true that our Lord called that temple (though built in its grandeur by Herod, the Edomite—descendant of Esau, not Jacob!) “My Father’s house,” and “My house,” for He had not yet finally deserted it, (as He did at last in Matthew 23.38). But the Jews of our Lord’s day gloried in that temple: though there was in it neither the Ark of the Covenant nor the Shechinah Presence of Jehovah. The glory had departed; but the Jews forgot all this, just as many Christians today, though often quite “Bible students,”—practically forget or ignore the immediate Presence of the Holy Ghost, with His all-necessary gifts: saying, “These belonged to the ‘early days’; but we have the written Word now, and do not need the gifts, as did the Early Church.”

And this self-sufficiency is leading, has led, to the same form of truth-without-power, that the Jews had in Christ’s day.

We are not hereby saying, Let us bring back these gifts. But we are pleading for the self-judgment and abasement before God that recognizes our real state. The outward church today is Laodicean, “wretched, poor, miserable, blind, naked”—and knows it not! And the Philadelphian remnant have only “a little strength.” Let us be honest! We have substituted for the mighty operations amongst us of the Holy Ghost, the pitiful “soulical” training of men. We look to men to train, to “prepare” preachers, and teachers, and “leaders,” for a heavenly company, the Church, among whom the Holy Ghost Himself dwells as Administrator. Let us not dare to claim that the Holy Ghost is no longer willing to work in power amongst us. Because, for Him to do so is God’s plan! Indeed, He is so working where not hindered. Let us confess the truth. Our powerlessness is because of unbelief,—the inheritance of the sins of our fathers, the inheritance of a grieved Spirit. It may be true that He does not work as He once did; but let us admit two things: we dare not say, He is not willing so to work; and, we dare not say, It is God’s plan that He does not! We can only say, We have sinned! So did Daniel (Dan 9). So did Ezra (Ezra 9). So did they of Nehemiah’s day (Neh. 9). Our days are days of failure, just like those. Nor will it do, (as with so many enlightened saints), merely to “see and judge the failure of the professed Church” and gather in the name of the Lord, and remember His death in the breaking of bread every Lord’s day. All this is good. But we must judge ourselves if we do not have real power amongst us. And the power of the Spirit, in a day of apostasy like this, will bring us into a deep burden over the state of things, and into prayer, such as the great men of God made in the three great chapters to which we have just referred! . . .

Verse 9: Let love be without hypocrisy—The world is full of effusive expressions of affection,—and so, we fear, are many professing Christians—without real love in the heart: “Talking cream and living skim milk,” as Mr. Moody phrased it.

“Let us not love in word, neither with the tongue; but in deed and truth” (I John 3:18).

Abhor that which is evil—This is impossible to the unregenerate, and only intermittently possible for the carnal Christian; but to one who has obeyed the first two verses of this chapter and surrendered to God, it is a holy instinct! “Ye that love Jehovah, hate evil” (Ps. 97:10). To be a good Christian, a man must be a good hater! Cleave to that which is good—Here is not only the negative, the abhorrence of evil; but the positive, the discerning and holding fast that which is good. As Paul says in Philippians 4:8:

“Brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report: if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, [in a person] take account of these things.”

Trust the anointing which you have received (I John 2:20, 27) for discernment; and trust the study of the Word of God, to teach you what is really good."

William R. Newell 

Romans Verse by Verse 

Chapter 12

"It is important that the reader should see clearly that men must either deny that the Bible is the Word of God, or admit its sufficiency and supremacy in all ages, and in all countries all stages and conditions of the human race. Grant us but this, that God has written a book for man's guidance, and we argue that that book must be amply sufficient for man, no matter when, where, or how we find him.

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God . . . that the man of God may be perfect (Gr) throughly furnished to all good works" (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

This, surely, is enough. To be perfect and thoroughly furnished, must needs render a man independent of all the boasted powers of science and philosophy, falsely so called.

We are quite aware that, in writing thus, we expose ourselves to the sneer of the learned rationalist, and the polished and cultivated philosopher. But we are not very careful about this. We greatly admire the answer of a pious, but, no doubt, very ignorant woman to some very learned man who was endeavouring to show her that the inspired writer had made a mistake in asserting that Jonah was in the whale's belly. He assured her that such a thing could not possibly be, inasmuch that the natural history of the whale proved it could not swallow anything so large.

"Well," said the poor woman, "I do not know much about natural history; but this I know, that if the Bible were to tell me that Jonah swallowed the whale I would believe it."

Now, it is quite possible many would pronounce this poor woman to have been under the influence of ignorance and blind credulity; but, for our part, we should rather be the ignorant woman, confiding in God's Word, than the learned rationalist trying to pick holes in it. We have no doubt as to who was in the safer position . . .

let none suppose that one must be like a statue on the path of obedience. Far from it. There are rare and precious services to be rendered by the obedient one — services which can only be rendered by such, and which owe all their preciousness to their being the fruit of simple obedience. [What a pattern of this we have in our blessed Lord! Who for thirty years lived here in retirement, known by men only as "the carpenter" (Mark 6:3), but known by, and the delight of, the Father, as the Holy One of God, the perfect meat-offering of Lev. 6:19-33 — wholly burnt upon the altar. Ed.] True, they may not find a place in the public record of man's bustling activity; but they are recorded on high, and they will be published at the right time. As a dear friend has often said to us, "Heaven will be the safest and happiest place to hear all about our work down here." May we remember this, and pursue our way, in all simplicity, looking to Christ for guidance, power, and blessing. May His smile be enough for us. May we not be found looking askance to catch the approving look of a poor mortal whose breath is in his nostrils, nor sigh to find our names amid the glittering record of the great men of the age. The servant of Christ should look far beyond all such things. The grand business of the servant is to obey. His object should not be to do a great deal, but simply to do what he is told. This makes all plain; and, moreover, it will make the Bible precious as the depository of the Master's will, to which he must continually betake himself to know what he is to do, and how he is to do it. Neither tradition nor expediency will do for the servant of Christ. The all-important inquiry is, "What says the Scriptures."

This settles everything. From the decision of the Word of God there must be no appeal. When God speaks man must bow."

C. H. Mackintosh

The Bible - Its Sufficiency and Supremacy

Photo 'Exploring Your Purpose' by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash