PRACTICAL PART. MAN'S GRATITUDE FOR FREE SALVATION. The theme of this part of the Epistle is given in chap. Romans 12:1: The believer saved by Christ through faith is to present himself a thank-offering to God; all Christian duty is praise for deliverance. For convenience we may divide this portio... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 12:1. I BESEECH (or, ‘exhort') YOU THEREFORE, BRETHREN. The connection is undoubtedly with the conclusion of chap. 11; but for this very reason the practical inference is from the entire doctrinal part which culminated in that passage. ‘Beseech' is not a word of legal command, but an appeal a... [ Continue Reading ]
1. _Practical Theme; Duties according to special Gifts._ The theme is fully stated in Romans 12:1-2; then follows an exhortation to humility (Romans 12:3-5), which introduces the special reference to various gifts, mainly but not exclusively official in their nature (Romans 12:6-8)... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 12:2. AND NOT TO BE. The best authorities give the infinitive (not the imperative) form in this verse, which must therefore be connected closely with ‘beseech' (Romans 12:1). The tense used points to continued action. FASHIONED AFTER. The words rendered ‘conformed' and ‘transformed' have di... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 12:3. FOR I SAY, ‘The special _requirement_ which he is now to make serves in fact by way of _confirmation_ to the general exhortation of Romans 12:2 ' (Meyer). THROUGH THE GRACE THAT WAS GIVEN TO ME. He thus refers to his apostleship (see marginal references); humbly making an appeal for t... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 12:4. FOR AS WE HAVE MANY MEMBERS IN ONE BODY. The parallel here set forth (Romans 12:4-5) is more fully carried out in 1 Corinthians 12:12, etc. In Ephesians (throughout) the unity is emphasized, here the variety. This variety is introduced as an explanation of the variety in the measure of... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 12:5. SO WE, THE MANY, not, ‘ _being_ many,' but ‘the many,' like the many members of the body, ARE ONE BODY IN CHRIST (see marginal references). AND SEVERALLY, etc. The phrase is very unusual; it is literally: ‘and what (is true) as to individuals, (they are) members of one another.' Chris... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 12:6. BUT HAVING GIFTS, or, ‘having, however,' etc. Some would connect this verse grammatically with ‘we are' (Romans 12:5), but it seems better to begin a new sentence here, and to supply the proper imperatives, as is done in the E. V. The construction of the Greek is irregular, whatever exp... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 12:7. OR MINISTRY. The second gift. Some refer this to all the permanent offices of a single church, taking the five following terms as included under it. The change of construction in the next clause slightly favors this view, but it cannot be positively established. The usual view refers it... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 12:8. OR HE THAT EXHORTETH, ON EXHORTATION, lit., ‘the exhortation,' which is his sphere. ‘Teaching' was directed to the understanding; ‘exhortation,' rather to the heart and will. The exhorter might also be a prophet, but the habit seems to have been to base the exhortation on a passage of S... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 12:9. LET YOUR LOVE (lit., ‘the love') BE. The imperative form is to be supplied, there being no verb in the Greek. The participles which follow are to be explained accordingly. This is unusual, but not ungrammatical; since in Romans 12:16-19 this construction recurs. We also supply ‘your,' s... [ Continue Reading ]
2. _Exhortation for all Christians_, _in their Personal Relations_, _from Love of the Brethren to returning Good for Evil._ All the precepts of this section are based upon Christian love (Romans 12:9). After exhorting that this love be without hypocrisy, and noting the moral attitude it produces, th... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 12:10. IN BROTHERLY LOVE, lit, ‘the brotherly love,' implying as before that this is already possessed. ‘In' is properly supplied, but the exact sense is ‘with respect to.' The E. V. inverts the emphatic order of the Greek in these clause. BE AFFECTIONATE ONE TO ANOTHER. The word is that ap... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 12:11. IN DILIGENCE, NOT SLOTHFUL. We restore the emphatic order throughout ‘In diligence' (the same word as in Romans 12:8), not, ‘in business,' but with respect to zeal;' in whatever Christian duty requires your diligence, do not be slothful. IN SPIRIT, FERVENT. The figure is that of seet... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 12:12. IN HOPE, REJOICING. The hope, _i.e._, the thing hoped for, is the ground rather than the object of the joy. IN TRIBULATION, PATIENT, _i.e.,_ steadfast as usually. This clause follows, probably because the Christian's joyous hope produces endurance in affliction. IN PRAYER, PERSEVER... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 12:13. BEING SHARERS IN THE NECESSITIES OF THE SAINTS; taking part in these necessities as your own; hence relieving them. ‘Communicating' is inexact, as also in Galatians 6:6; comp. Romans 15:17, where the verb occurs in the same sense as here. (Some manuscripts present a curious variation i... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 12:14. BLESS THEM THAT PERSECUTE YOU, etc. ‘The saying of Christ, Matthew 5:44, was perhaps known to the Apostle and here came to his recollection' (Meyer). It is quite unlikely, however, that he had read the gospel of Matthew. The Sermon on the Mount was, doubtless, well known through oral t... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 12:15. REJOICE WITH THEM, etc. The infinitive occurs in the original, and we may paraphrase: ‘ _it is necessary,_ to rejoice,' etc. ‘ Romans 12:14 defines the proper conduct in relation to personal _antipathy; Romans 12:15_, the proper conduct in relation to personal _sympathy'_ (Lange). The... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 12:16. BE OF THE SAME MIND, etc. The participial form recurs, but the force is still imperative. This precept refers to concord in feeling, though not to the exclusion of corresponding thought and endeavor. MIND NOT HIGH THINGS. The verb is the same as in the previous clause (lit, ‘minding... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 12:17. RECOMPENSE TO NO MAN EVIL FOR EVIL. The proper treatment of those opposed to us was spoken of in Romans 12:14, and from this point is the sole topic of the section. ‘No man' who injures us, whether Christian brother or one without, so in Romans 12:14. The Apostle ‘knew too well by expe... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 12:18. IF IT BE POSSIBLE, AT MUCH AT DEPENDETH ON YOU; not, ‘if you _can,'_ but if it be possible, if others allow you to do so, BE AT PEACE WITH ALL MEN. That this is sometimes impossible, the Apostle's life shows; but our responsibility extends as far as our ability to keep the peace.... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 12:19. AVENGE NOT YOURSELVES, BELOVED. We restore the Greek order; the address becomes more affectionate, in order to press lovingly the snore difficult duty. BUT RATHER (or, on the contrary) GIVE PLACE UNTO THE WRATH OF GOD. This seems to be the only sense consistent with what follows. Let... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 12:20. BUT, _i.e.,_ ‘on the contrary,' ‘nay rather' (Alford). The authorities present several variations; but the oldest manuscripts and more recent editors accept ‘but.' IF THINE ENEMY, etc. The rest of the verse corresponds exactly with Proverbs 25:21; Proverbs 25:23 (LXX.) and is adopted... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 12:21. BE NOT OVERCOME BY EVIL, _i.e._, injury done you, BUT OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD. This sums up the entire matter respecting the treatment of adversaries: When we requite evil for evil, we are overcome, when we return good for evil, we overcome it. So Christ did on the cross. When we do th... [ Continue Reading ]