“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” -Romans 12:14 As Paul continues to list these precepts for the new gospel-centered humanity, the church, it should be noted that he is not taking any great pains to lay them out in any precise order. Rather, he exhorts the church with a barrage […]
Crumbs From Our Master's Table
[CRUMBS IS ON A TEMPORARY HIATUS UNTIL EST. JUNE 2022]
CRUMBS is a free, daily morsel of truth you can consume in a minute but chew on all day long. It is nourishment for the soul delivered straight from the King's table to your email inbox. Of course, these morsels are not a substitute for the nourishment of the Word and Sacraments served on the Lord's Day, but they are good with coffee or tea in the morning.
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Share and Be Hospitable
“Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” -Romans 12:13 Paul continues his exhortation with two specific admonishments. First, Christians are to contribute to the needs of the saints (recall Romans 12:6-8). Contribute comes from the Greek word, κοινωνοῦντες (share), which is closely related to κοινωνία (communion). To contribute to the […]
How to Live in Present Difficult Circumstances
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” -Romans 12:12 Paul’s list for the family of God continues with an exhortation for living in the present circumstances. One day, the redeemed of God will be saved not only from the penalty and power of sin, but from the very presence of sin. […]
Enthusiastic Worship
“Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” -Romans 12:11 This is an interesting statement, primarily because although the words are familiar to us, the construction of his language is fairly uncommon. The first thing one might notice is the trifecta of words that all have to do with one’s […]
Imagine Philadelphia
“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” -Romans 12:10 Paul clearly conceives of the gospel as creating a new humanity, one which will grow up alongside the old humanity, the wheat with the tares. And this new humanity can be conceived of as a new spiritual family all from the […]
Love without Hypocrisy
“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” -Romans 12:9 Paul moves from encouraging believers to use their spiritual gifts for the benefit of others to a general statement about the attitude that should motive the believers’ use of gifts, genuine love. In the next verse, he will hone […]
Gifts That Differ
“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one […]
Many Members, One Body
“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” -Romans 12:4–5 Paul will expound on this idea of the church being a body more thoroughly in 1 Corinthians 12. But […]
Think with Sober Judgment
“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” -Romans 12:3 Even in his ministry of instructing believers in the grace of […]
Be Transformed
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” -Romans 12:2 The reasonable service or spiritual worship begins with avoiding the temptation to conform to—be molded to—this world, which […]