Book Of Romans

Words of Jesus Christ in "Red"
Romans 12:9-21
Romans 12:9-13
"^[9] Let love [agape] be without dissimulation. [anupokritos] Abhor [apostugeo] that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. ^[10] Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; [philadelphia] in honour preferring [progeomai] one another; ^[11] Not slothful in business; (not in mss) fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; ^[12] Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant [proskartereo] in prayer; ^[13] Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. "
     "Dissimulation" is the Greek "ANUPOKRITOS", which means "to be an actor on the stage". This is very expressive. Paul states: "Let you love be real, not with hypocrisy. Do not be an actor on the stage! Be real and cherishing in your love!" The word "love" is the Greek "AGAPE", which refers to God's ideal of love. Whereas "PHILEOS", brotherly love, and "STAUROS", marital love, are selfish in nature, the love which God demands us to show is completely "without selfishness or strife". We must "love" one another because God first loved us. The Scripture teaches:

Psalms 133:1-3 "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. "

     "Love among the brethren is precious to God." To outwardly love the members of the Body but to hold grudges within yourselves is to fail to build up the Body. False love will bring strife just as surely as if you were actively fighting in the Church. Love is always to be exercised in purity.
     In the next phrase Paul illustrates Christian action as opposed to hypocritical inaction:
".. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good .."
     Both "Abhor" and "cleave" are "action verbs", much more than "feeling". We are commanded to actively avoid evil. "Abhor" is the Greek "APOSTUGEO", meaning "to actively have a horror of". We are not to quietly dislike evil but we are commanded to "actively take ourselves outside of the realm of evil". We are to preach against, to fight it, but not to be in fear of it. I've often heard Christians say that they feel like they were called to minister in alcohol serving bars. The Scripture tells us to "actively stay out of this area", to actively avoid these places of sin. Let our ministry be outside of these bars "on the street corner", and let us avoid the evil lest we be entrapped with it.
     Christians are also commanded to be "kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love". "Brotherly love" is the Greek "PHILADELPHIA", which refers to familial love. We are to care for one another in the Body just like we care for our own earthly families. The family ties or bonds were much stronger in the early Church than it is today.
     We are to cherish and place each member of the Body above our own selfishness. This is emphasized in the next statement: "in honour preferring one another". The word "preferring" is the Greek "PROGEOMAI", which means "to go before as an example, to lead by example". Each member in the Body is to "be a living example to the other members" in the Body.
     Often people are driven from the Church because we fail to heed this principle. If you "turn someone off" by your actions you are not working to build up the Body of Christ. The elder should stand as an example to the younger, showing by their example the way of righteousness.
".. Not slothful in business .."
     The word "business" is not included in the original Greek Text and there is no reference here to "worldly business" in any way, even though many have preached this down through the ages. The actual Greek word used here is SPOUDE which means "with great eagerness, earnestness or haste". This verse is actually better translated in the RSV or, along with verse 10 as:

"^[10] Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; ^[11] in diligence, not slothfully, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord."

     So we see from this that we are to "prefer one another's company with great eagerness and not be lazy (slothful) about it!" It's time we all started to "walk" together as the time of our Lord is fast approaching!
".. continuing instant in prayer .."
     "Instant" is the Greek "PROSKARTEREO", meaning "to give constant attention to, give constant care to, wait on continually, be in constant readiness for". The Christian is to be a "prayer warrior", not just a person who speaks only to his Lord "in times of stress". The Bible places a great deal of emphasis on the necessity of prayer in the believer's life:

Luke 18:1-8 "And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily, Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"

     In the above parable Jesus makes it plain that we are to petition God our Father often. Too often our prayers are not answered because we pray once and then forget the matter. Our Father "wants us to ask Him" for His blessing. The Father loves to hear our prayers. Remember that our Lord Jesus, in the Garden of Gesthemane, prayed "three times" that the cup of sacrifice be taken from Him. The Father refused to remove this burden, but at no point condemned Jesus for asking more than once.
     It's amazing that we may have two hundred show up for Sunday morning church service but only ten or twenty for prayer meetings. My brothers and sisters in Christ, wakeup to the beauty of prayer! Remember that those who prevail in prayer, continue to see Christ revealed to them more and more as He reveals more and more of Himself to them. Those "prayer warriors" eventually become channels of blessings to countless others.

Ephesians 6:18 "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints"

     Our prayer life should not only be constant, but also "in the Spirit". Pray with power, pray while Filled with the Holy Spirit. And you know from our previous discussion, I don't mean "pray in tongues". Get in fellowship, confess all known sin in your life to God, and your prayers will be "in the Spirit".

Philippians 4:6-7 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

     "Let your requests be made known unto God". Unless you ask, you will never receive! The Father wants you to ask.

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 "Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

     The Christian is encouraged to much prayer because, using prayer, we have a communicating relationship with our God. Without prayer we are cut off, drifting aimlessly through this life, totally bereft of God's resources. "We must be a praying people."
".. Distributing to the necessity of saints."

     Weuss states: ""Distributing" is KOINONEO, to enter into fellowship, to make oneself a sharer or a partner.'' The exhortation is to make oneself a sharer or a partner in the needs of our fellowsaints in the sense that we act as if these needs were our own."

     This is consistent with the lifestyle of the early Church, as we see in the Book of Acts.

Acts 2:44-47 "And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved."

     This ideology of Christian unity was not an isolated incident in the Book of Acts. The early believers consistently took care of one another throughout the early Church era. This "care one for another" was rightly considered to be a commandment from our Lord Jesus Christ. I am not advocating that we go back in time, sell all of our earthly goods, and lived in socialism. This is not what the Scripture mandates.
     However, the Church today, like the Church of yesteryear, should take a more active interest in the "spiritual as well as physical needs" of it's fellow members. The average Church populace invites the unbeliever to salvation and, when he responds, "drops the ball". If that person stops coming to Church we never call to find out why. When the person returns to Church we say, "We've been missing you", which is a lie, for if you missed that person you'd call. Christians, like unbelievers, are humans who long to "belong". Yet too often in our Church today that sense of belonging is not satisfied.

John 17:11, 20-23 "And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. "

     What we consider "the Lord's Prayer" is the Scripture which starts "our Father who art in heaven". Yes, this is the Lord's Prayer, or the example prayer that our Lord Jesus gave us so that we might know how to pray. Yet Christ prayed "many prayers" in Scripture, the greatest of which is in our above text.
     Christ prays for the Church that we might "be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us". We can truthfully say that it was Jesus' desire that "we seek unity". We should care for one another just as we care for ourselves. This unity that Jesus prayed for is that which lets the world know that we are different, that we are indeed children of the promise. It lets the world know that Jesus was more than just a prophet, that He was Messiah: "the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me".
     The world judges the Church and it's Christians "based on how unified we are" in the Body. If we are one, that is, if we are striving to build one another up both spiritually as well as physically, then the world will have a clear evidence that we are indeed followers of the Only Way to salvation. If the Body remains segmented in selfishness, "how will the world have any proof" that Jesus is the only way? The early Church understood this principle and, acting upon it, the Church grew daily:

Acts 2:47 "Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. "

     Because the early Church was devoted to one another "both spiritually as well as physically", the world saw Christ in the Church, and was drawn to it like a moth to a light. "Having favour with all the people" People are open to the Gospel message if they see "it works". I used the idea of a moth being drawn to light, but remember what our Lord said in Matthew?:

Matthew 5:13 "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?"

     We all know what "salt" does to us when we have to much of it. Just eat something salty and what happens? It makes us "THIRST". This is exactly what the Lord was telling us in Matthew. If we love one another, if we "walk" as we are suppose to as His disciples, then the unsaved will "thirst" for what we have!
(Please read the article "Ye Are The Salt")
     God rewarded the Church by "daily" adding to it. Edification in the Body is not only necessary for the growth of each individual member, but is also necessary for the growth, in numbers, of the Church Body itself.

Romans 12:14-16
"^[14] Bless [eulogeo] them which persecute you: bless, [eulogeo] and curse not. ^[15] Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. ^[16] 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."
     "Bless" is the Greek "EULOGEO", which means "to speak well of". "Bless" is in a Greek verbal tense denoting "constant action, keep on speaking well of those who persecute you". "Curse" is not a reference to profanity, but refers to "seeking to do wrong or evil to someone else". This Greek verb is in a tense that refers to an action that has been on going. The Roman Christians were undergoing a great deal of persecution because they "would not" worship the emperor.
     Their attitude toward the constant persecution was less than Christian, they were starting to consider taking vengeance against their persecutors. Paul commanded the Romans "to stop" their attitude of cursing the persecutors, and to start speaking well of them. Why would Paul teach such a thing to the church, that we should rejoice in our trials? The Bible gives us several reasons:

Isaiah 48:10 "Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction."
John 15:2 "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit."
Romans 5:3-5 "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."
James 1:2-4 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

     The first reason that we should not curse our enemies is because "adversity brings strength." Unjust persecution sanctifies the believer, bringing us closer to God. The Church in America is weaker than the Churches in communist countries today because of the persecution that they are going through. "The hurting Christian is the praying Christian. When we are in trouble we are more likely to look to God than to the world." Our enemies, rather than hurting us by the persecution that they put on us, are actually helping us to grow to be more Christlike. We should bless them that persecute us.

John 15:18-20 "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also."

     The second reason that we should not curse our enemies is because we are "changed creatures". We are strangers and sojourners in the world, and should have no part in it's "modus operandi". Human nature (and especially unsaved Human nature) always rejects the different, rejects those who do not fall "within the norms" that society expects.
     "As Christians we should not expect the unsaved world to treat us like we are their friends. If the world persecuted Christ, it will certainly persecute those who follow Christ."

Psalms 94:1-2 "O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself. Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud. "
Romans 12:19 "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."

     We should also remember that vengeance belongs to God "only". If we enact retribution on those who persecute us, then is it justice for God to punish them, too? When we take vengeance for something we have "passed sentence", superseding God's judgment. Leave vengeance to God: it is His job.
     In verse 16 we see the "benefit of humility". A parallel can be drawn between both vengeance and false humility:

Matthew 6:2-5 "Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward."

     "False humility is just as dangerous as vengeance." God waits to protect His children from evil, but if we take vengeance, we take the matter out of His hands. God also waits to reward the Children who do good for the Kingdom. Yet if we do good for the wrong reason, we take the ability to reward our of His hands. If we have carried out vengeance on the earth, God considers this vengeance sufficient punishment. If we exalt ourselves, we have no rightful reason to expect reward when we get to Heaven.

Romans 12:17-21
"^[17] Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. ^[18] If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. ^[19] Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. ^[20] 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. ^[21] Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. "
     When many believers think about vengeance, they think about the "Lexis Talionis", Law of Tooth and Claw, found in the Old Testament:

Exodus 21:24-25 "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe."
Leviticus 24:20 "Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again. "
Deuteronomy 19:20-21 "And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you. And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. "

     Reading these verses the natural question is, "If God allow the vengeance in the Old Testament, then why is this concept cast away in the New?". Does the Scripture contradict itself? This is a complex question that needs to be answered carefully. The first "myth" we need to dispel is that "Lexis Talionis" gave authority for personal vengeance in the Old Testament. This is untrue. The "Lexis Talionis" was the general Law among Israel, established to enact judicial punishment in the event that the court determined the accused was guilty.

Numbers 35:30-31 "Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die. Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death. "
Deuteronomy 17:6-7 "At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you. "
Deuteronomy 19:15-19 "One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong; Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days; And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you. "

     In the first place, before the "Lexis Talionis" could be executed the accused had to be brought before the court. The court consisted of the council of elders (later to be called the Sanhedrin), the congregation or local community, the witnesses (there had to be two or three), and the accused. The witnesses were usually the offended parties. Based upon the statements that the witnesses gave, the accused was judged guilty or innocent. If the verdict was guilty, the "witnesses would be the first" to enact judgment on the guilty, with the congregation or offended community participating afterward.
     For this reason it was crucial that "false witnessing" be discouraged. If a false witness was found, the judgment that "would have been given" to the accused was given to the witness. The "Lexis Talionis" came into effect "only after the verdict was given". The offended parties were made the executioners on behalf of the state of Israel. This was not vengeance, but "carrying out criminal law to its conclusion". Vengeance, the taking of law into your own hands, "was never condoned" in the Old Testament. Vengeance has always been a matter that was in the hands of the Lord only. The mode of carrying out punishment was certainly different in Israel than in our society today. In our society we hire executioners or penal authorities. In Israel "the witnesses were the executioners".

Matthew 5:38-47 "Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? "

     Most people point to this text as proof that Jesus superseded the "Lexis Talionis". This is not true. As with other parts of the Law, the Israelites, in their sinfulness hardheartedness, modified that which God taught into false doctrine. The Pharisees had begun to teach that each man had the right to take vengeance when offended. Christ sought to turn Israel back to the true application of the Law. Vengeance is "not permissible anywhere" in the Scripture, in either the Old or New Testaments.
     How are we to treat our enemies if we are not to take vengeance? The Romans text gives us a three-way command:

#1: In verse 18 we are told "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
     This statement is objective, that is, "if others will allow you to do so, then live peacefully with all men". The burden "not to take vengeance" lies with the Christian. The burden to "seek" to live peacefully with all others also lies with us, not with the world.
Denney states: "Over others conduct we have no control, but the initiative in disturbing the peace is never to lie with the Christian".
#2: In verse 19 we are told to "give place unto wrath".
     "Wrath" is the Greek "ORGE", meaning "a violent passionate reaching forth of the mind in order to inflict punishment". The Christian is to "give place unto wrath". We should "allow God to judge and punish" never taking that place ourselves. This does not mean that the Christian is to be emotionless when he is offended.

Ephesians 4:26 "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath"

     "Angry" (ORGIZIMO) and the "wrath" (PARORGISMOS) refer to "irritation, anger, frustration". The words "do not imply vengeance", nor are they related to "orge".   Paul recognizes that we may be emotional if offended, we may be a little hot under the collar. We are not to allow our emotions to control our actions, though. We must not work out our anger in vengeance.
# 3: In verse 20 we see the Christian principal of retaliation: if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink".
     This is not just a new Testament teaching but found its roots in the Old Testament Law of God.

Exodus 23:5 "If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him."
Job 31:28-30 "This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above. If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him: Neither have I suffered my mouth to sin by wishing a curse to his soul."
Proverbs 24:17-20 "Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him. Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked; For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out. "
Proverbs 25:21-22 "If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee. "

     We are "not to withhold good from our enemies". To do so would be to take passive vengeance against them, totally contrary to the will of God. We should supply our enemies good for their evil. God will reward us for our obedience at the Judgment seat of Christ in eternity.

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