Dc – Responding to the Mercies of ADONAI 12: 1-8

Responding to the Mercies of ADONAI
12: 1-8

Responding to the mercies of ADONAI DIG: What does it mean to present your body as a living sacrifice to God? What are the mercies of God? What is the definition of mercy? What tends to hinder believers from thinking and acting like parts of one Body. What advice does Paul offer about getting along with one another in the Body of Messiah? What tends to hinder believers from thinking and acting like various parts of one Body?

REFLECT: How do you renew your mind? Why is it difficult to resist comparing our gifts with other believers in Messiah? Why is it often hard to resist wishing we had their “role” in the Body? What are some areas of your life where you need to be more patient and seek God’s will? What does it mean to be “transformed” and serve God with all your heart? How can you offer yourself and your spiritual gifts as a living sacrifice to ADONAI?

God gave Himself for us in order that we might give ourselves to Him.

Therefore, because of everything ADONAI has done, and is doing, in Chapters 1-11, I encourage you to do everything Chapters 12-15, all of which is epitomized in the instruction, in view of God’s mercies, to offer yourselves as a sacrifice, living and set apart for God (12:1a). Offering your life to Messiah is not a foolish emotional impulse, but a rational, intelligent act, the most responsible and sensible thing you can do with your life. So, we make it our goal to please Him (Second Corinthians 5:9a NIV). Your wisest moments will be those when you say “yes” to God.³¹¹ God’s mercies were spoken of throughout Chapters 1-11, especially in Chapters 9-11, and explicitly in 11:30-32. The mercies of ADONAI form a pivot of the book of Romans, on which Paul turns from doctrine, to practical advice. This is where life and the Bible meet.

The basic meaning of redemption, is to be purchased from slavery. When Yeshua redeems us, we have been purchased out of the marketplace of sin and set free. But we don’t automatically turn from slavery from sin to slavery to Messiah. Yes, we are justified at the moment of salvation, but to be conformed to the likeness of His Son (8:29b) is a choice. Our sanctification is something that we cooperate in with God. Sha’ul considered himself a bond-slave to Messiah, a slave by choice (1:1). So now having been set free from the slavery of our sin nature, we should now be willing to become a bond-slave to Yeshua Messiah.³¹²

We are to make this choice based upon the mercies of God. This includes our past justification, our present sanctification, and our future glorification. Our identification with Yeshua Messiah, the fact that we are co-crucified, co-buried, and co-resurrected with Messiah, so we are united with Him in such a way that what is true of Him is true of us, minus His deity. In Chapter seven, we are no longer slaves to sin; in Chapter eight, the Ruach Ha’Kodesh helps us in our weakness and nothing can separate us from the love of God (8:39); in Chapter Nine, we can have full confidence in God’s faithfulness as we see with His dealings with Isra’el. Because God has proved faithful to Isra’el, He will certainly prove faithful to us. So, with the one phrase, the mercies of God, Paul summarizes his whole theology, because everything ADONAI has done on our behalf in Chapters 1-11 out of His mercy for us.

Dear Great Heavenly Father, Your mercies and love are so great! The fact of your living within those who love and follow You is absolutely fantastic! Yeshua answered and said to him: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him (John 14:23). We humbly bow before You in worship and love.

How wonderful that You are totally trustworthy for Your promises are always one-hundred percent true, giving those who love and follow You a sure hope of heaven! When trials come, we will keep our eye on Your eternal love and the heavenly home that Yeshua is preparing for His children. Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me.  In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you may also be (John 14:1-3). We will remember that this world with its problems will soon pass away and those who love You will spend eternity in joy and peace and in worship of You our Great Lord and Savior! Praise You Always! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Therefore, on the basis of the mercies of God, we are to offer (Greek: paristemi, is the same word used for the Levitical sacrifices on the Bronze Altar) ourselves as a living sacrifice, and such a sacrifice, set apart for God, becomes holy (Exodus 29:37). The Greek tense for offer, is an aorist tense, and, hence, a once-and-for-all act. In one sense, it is a voluntary act, but on the other hand, we should reach a point in our walk with the Lord that when we recognize all that God has done for us, and that He took our place on the cross so that we could be redeemed, on that basis, we should make a once-and-for-all decision of offering up ourselves as a sacrifice like Isaac (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Fm – Take Your Only Son Isaac, and Sacrifice Him as a Burnt Offering).³¹³

Our bodies are what Paul considers to be the sacrifice. A striking metaphor when animal sacrifices were still being made twice daily in the Jerusalem Temple worship. Back in Chapter 6, he talked about our bodies as an instrument of righteousness. Before we were saved, our bodies were used as instruments of unrighteousness; but after salvation, we are to use our bodies as instruments of righteousness. When we do that, we make a once-and-for-all offering of our bodies to the Lord for all He has done for us. This will please Him; it is the logical “Temple worship” for you (12:1b).

Offering ourselves as living sacrifices to God starts with our minds. In other words, do not let yourselves be conformed to the standards of the ‘olam hazeh. We have a different lifestyle to lead than those who are lost and in the world. Instead, keep letting yourselves be transformed (Greek: metamorphis, meaning to be changed) by the renewing of your minds (Romans 12:2a; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9-10). How do you renew your mind? By filling it with God’s Word. To win the battle for your mind, you must let the shalom which comes from the Messiah be your heart’s decision-maker, and let the Word of Messiah, in all its richness, live in you (Colossians 5:15a and 16a). As you continue to stockpile your mind with God’s truth, you will equip yourself to recognize the lies of Satan and take them captive (see Bq – The Background of the Messianic Mikveh: Five ways to win the battle of the mind).³¹⁴

The reason why we are told to renew our minds is so that you will know what God wants and will agree that what He wants is good, satisfying and able to succeed (12:2b). Your first step in spiritual growth is to start changing the way you think. Change always starts first in your mind. The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel influences the way you act. You must make a counter-culture decision to focus on becoming more like Yeshua. Otherwise, other forces like peers, friends, coworkers, and popular-culture will try to mold you into their image.³¹⁵

For I am telling every single one of you, through the grace that has been given to me, not to have exaggerated ideas about your own importance. Lack of this virtue causes many believers to stumble. No matter how well grounded we may be in God’s Word, how theologically sound we may be, or how vigorously we may seek to serve Him, our gifts will not operate so that our lives can be spiritually productive until self is set aside. From self-denial in the spiritual worship of God flows self-surrender to the will of God, and from self-surrender flows selfless service in the work of God. No believer is exempt from this call to humility, because Paul is speaking to every single one of you – a universal command to all believers.³¹⁶

Instead, develop a sober estimate of yourself based on the standard which God has given to each of you, namely, trust in Yeshua (12:3). Take a long, honest look at what you are good at and what you’re not good at. Make a list. Ask other people for their candid opinion. Tell them you’re searching for the truth, not fishing for a compliment. Spiritual gifts and natural abilities are always confirmed by others. If you think you are gifted to be a teacher or a singer and no one else agrees, guess what? If you want to know if you have a gift of leadership, just look over your shoulder! If no one is following you, you’re not a leader.³¹⁷

Unity, diversity, harmony: Even though we are all members of the Body of Messiah, no one gift is given to all believers, and no one believer is given all the gifts. This creates a sense of interdependence. If you had all the gifts and I had all the gifts, we wouldn’t need each other. For just as there are many parts that compose one Body, but the parts don’t all have the same function; so, there are many of us, and in union with the Messiah we comprise one Body, with each of us belonging to the others (12:4-5). As believers share one Lord, one Body, one purpose, one Father, one Spirit, one hope, one faith, one baptism, and one love, we also share the same salvation, the same life, and the same future – factors far more important than any differences we could list.

We must remember that it was YHVH who chose to give us different personalities, backgrounds, races, and preferences, so we should value and enjoy those differences, not merely tolerate them. God wants unity, not uniformity. But for unity’s sake we must never let our differences divide us. We must major in the majors, and not major in the minors. That means we should stay focused on what matters most – learning to love each other as Messiah has loved us. Conflict is usually a sign that the focus has shifted to less important issues. When we focus on personalities, preferences, interpretations, styles, or methods, division always surfaces. But if we concentrate on loving each other, harmony results.³¹⁸

Spiritual gifts: God gave every believer spiritual gifts to be used to minister. This is usually in the form of one dominant spiritual gift, and a lesser, secondary, spiritual gift. These are special God-empowered abilities for serving Him that are only given to believers. The Bible says: Whoever does not have the Spirit cannot receive the gifts that come from God’s Spirit (First Corinthians 2:14 GNT). You can’t earn your spiritual gifts or deserve them – that’s why they are called gifts! They are an expression of God’s grace to you. Neither do you get to choose which gifts you’d like to have . . . the Ruach Ha’Kodesh determines that. The Spirit distributes spiritual gifts to each person as He chooses (First Corinthians 12:11).

But we have gifts, our God-given ability for service, that differ and which are meant to be used according to the grace that has been given to us (also see First Corinthians Chapters 12-14; Ephesians 4:11; First Peter 4:10 for some other lists of spiritual gifts). Because God loves variety and He wants us to be special, no single gift is given to everyone. Also, no individual receives all the gifts. If you had them all, you’d have no need for anyone else, and that would defeat one of God’s purposes – to teach us to love and depend on each other. Your spiritual gifts are not given for your own benefit, but for the benefit of others, just as other people were given spiritual gifts for your benefit. God planned it this way so we would need each other. When we use our gifts together, we all benefit.

Whenever we forget these basic truths about spiritual gifts, it always causes trouble in the Body. Two common problems are “gift-envy,” and “gift-projection.” The first occurs when we compare our gifts with others’, feel dissatisfied with what God has given us, and become resentful or jealous of how ADONAI uses others. The second problem happens when we expect everyone else to have our gifts, do what we are called to do, and feel as passionate about it as we do. There are different kinds of gifts, but it the same Lord we are serving.³¹⁹

If your gift is prophecy, use it to the extent of your [the] faith (12:6a). The word prophecy in this context does not necessarily refer to future predictions or new revelation. The word simply means to speak forth, and applies to any authoritative proclamation of God’s Word where the person who is gifted to declare God’s truth is speaking, edifying, encouraging and comforting God’s people (First Corinthians 14:3). So, a fitting paraphrase of Romans 12:6 would be: If your gift is proclaiming God’s Word, do it according to the faith, being consistent with previous biblical revelation.

Charismatics use this verse to argue that this verse teaches the accuracy of prophecy is dependent on the measure of a person’s faith. However, that is not even close to Paul’s true meaning here. The word translated your, in the Complete Jewish Study Bible is actually the definite article in Greek. It is most accurately translated simply as [the]. Therefore, Paul is instructing his readers that those with the gift of prophecy must prophecy in accordance with [the] faith – the body of previously revealed biblical truth. As Jude wrote: Contend for the faith which was once and for all passed on to God’s people (Jude 3b).³²⁰

In the early church, before the B’rit Chadashah was complete, certain prophets were used by God on occasion to encourage believers with messages inspired as the prophet spoke. That was necessary to instruct the churches in matters that were not yet covered by Scripture. This aspect of prophecy was unique to the apostolic era and ended with the book of Revelation.³²¹ Once the last book in the Bible was written, the canon of Scripture was closed and there was no need for any further revelation. God the Holy Spirit had equipped believers with everything they would need to live a victorious life, and prophecy passed away. There is no continuous revelation.

If it is serving, use it to serve (12:6b). The second spiritual gift is that of service, which translates diakonia, from which we also get deacon and deaconess, meaning those who serve. Service is a simple, straightforward gift that is broad in its application. It seems to carry a meaning similar to that of the gift of helps mentioned First Corinthians 12:28. This gift certainly applies beyond the offices of deacon and deaconess and is the idea in Paul’s charge to the Ephesian elders to help the weak (Acts 20:35). The gift of service is manifested in every sort of practical help that believers can give one another in Yeshua’s name.

If you are a teacher, use your gift in teaching (12:7a). The third spiritual gift is that of teaching. Again, the meaning is simple and straightforward. Didaskon (teaches) refers to the act of teaching, and didaskalia (teaching) can refer to what is taught as well as to the act of teaching it. Both of those meanings are appropriate to this gift. The believer, if you are a teacher, is divinely gifted with special ability to interpret and present God’s truth understandably. The primary difference between teaching and prophesying is not in content but in the distinction between the ability to proclaim and the ability to give systematic and regular instruction in God’s Word. The gift of teaching could apply wherever God’s truth is taught. The early Messianic community was characterized by regular teaching (Acts 2:42). The Great Commission includes the command: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations – teaching them to observe all that I commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20 NASB). Paul’s spiritual gift included features of both preaching and teaching.

If you are a counselor, use your gift to comfort and exhort (12:7b). The fourth spiritual gift is counseling. This gift involves the idea of advising, pleading, encouraging, warning, strengthening and comforting. At one time the gift may be used to persuade a believer to turn from a sin or bad habit and at a later time to encourage the same person to maintain his correction behavior. The gift may be used to admonish the church as a whole to obedience to the Word. Like the gift of showing mercy (below), counseling may be exercised in comforting a brother or sister in the Lord who is facing a different trial or persistent temptation. Sometimes he may use his gift simply to walk beside a friend who is grieving, discouraged, frustrated, or depressed, to give help in whatever way is needed. This gift may be exercised in helping someone carry a burden that is too heavy to bear alone.

If you are someone who gives, do it simply and generously (12:7c). The fifth category of giftedness is that of giving. The usual Greek verb for giving is didomi, but the word here is the intensified metadidomi, which carries the additional meanings of sharing and imparting that which is one’s own. The one who exercises this gift gives sacrificially of himself. Generously translates haplotes, which has the root meaning of single mindedness, open heartedness, and then generosity. It carries the idea of sincere, heartfelt giving that is untainted by affection or ulterior motive. The believer who gives with generosity gives for others, not for himself. He does not give for thanks or recognition, but for the sake of the ones who receive his help and for the glory of ADONAI.

If you are in a position of leadership, lead with diligence and zeal (12:7d). The sixth category is that of leadership. Leads is from proistemi, which has the basic meaning of standing before others and, hence, the idea of leadership. In the B’rit Chadashah it is never used of governmental rulers but of headship in the family (First Timothy 3:4-5 and 12), and in the church (First Timothy 5:17). In First Corinthians 12:28, Paul refers to the same gift by a different name, administration (Greek: kubernesis), which means to guide. In Acts 27:11 and Revelation 18:17, it is used of a pilot or helmsman, the person who steers, or leads, a ship.

Effective leadership must be done with diligence, with earnestness and zeal. Spoude (diligence) can also carry the idea of haste (Mark 6:25; Luke 1:39). Proper leadership therefore precludes procrastination and idleness. Whether it is possessed by church officers, or by members who direct such things as Sunday school or Club Maccabee in Messianic congregations, the youth group, the nursery, or a building program, the gift of leadership is to be exercised with carefulness, constancy and consistency.

If you are one who does acts of mercy, do them cheerfully (12:8). In the seventh and last spiritual category mentioned here is that of showing mercy. Eleeo (Greek: shows mercy) carries the joint idea of actively demonstrating sympathy for someone else having the necessary resources to successfully comfort and strengthen that person. The gifted believer who does acts of mercy is divinely given with special sensitivity to suffering and sorrow, with the ability to notice misery and distress that may go unnoticed by others, and with the desire and means to help alleviate such afflictions. This gift involves much more than sympathetic feeling. It is feeling put into action. The believer with this gift always finds a way to express his feelings of concern with practical help. He does acts of mercy by what he says to and what he does for the one in need.

The believer who does acts of mercy may exercise his gift in hospital visitation, jail ministry, or in service to the homeless, the poor, the handicapped, the suffering, the sorrowing. This gift is closely related to that of encouragement, and it is not uncommon for believers to have a measure of both. This gift is not to be ministered grudgingly or merely out of a sense of duty, but do them cheerfully. As everyone knows who has had a time of suffering or special need, the attitude of a fellow believer can make the difference between his being a help or a hindrance. He who despises his neighbor sins, the writer of Proverbs tells us: but happy is he who is gracious the poor (Proverbs 14:21); and He who opposes the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who is gracious to the needy honors Him (Proverbs 14:31). The keyword in those verses is gracious. The genuine helper always serves with gracious cheerfulness, and is never condescending or patronizing.³²²

Life lessons: The challenge for a follower of Yeshua is never as much what to do as where to start. We lack obedience more than guidance. There are always enough general commands from God to keep us busy for a lifetime. Obeying what we know usually leads to clarity about what we don’t know. Most of what God instructs us to put into action doesn’t require that we go somewhere else to practice. We can start practicing love, peacemaking, and patience right where we are. These often help us identify our gifts and roles in the Body of Messiah.³²³