Romans 12-16
Romans 12 Christian Standard Bible
A Living Sacrifice
12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.[a] 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
Many Gifts but One Body
3 For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. 4 Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, 5 in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. 6 According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the proportion of one’s[b] faith; 7 if service, use it in service; if teaching, in teaching; 8 if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.
Christian Ethics
9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good. 10 Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring one another. 11 Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit;[c] serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. 13 Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. 18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay,[d] says the Lord. 20 But
If your enemy is hungry, feed him.
If he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
For in so doing
you will be heaping fiery coals on his head.[e]
21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.
Stuff I am thinking about with this chapter:
This seems like a chapter that is filled with ‘how to Christian’ and not allow the world to mess us up.
Vision statement - Jerry McGuire. (It’s a mission statement)
I do not want to be on the end of God’s vengeance.
9-12 is a guide on how to love one another.
Romans 13 Christian Standard Bible
A Christian’s Duties to the State
13 Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God. 2 So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval. 4 For it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For it is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong. 5 Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath but also because of your conscience. 6 And for this reason you pay taxes, since the authorities are God’s servants, continually attending to these tasks.[a] 7 Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor.
Love, Our Primary Duty
8 Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal;[b] do not covet;[c] and any other commandment, are summed up by this commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself.[d] 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law.
Put On Christ
11 Besides this, since you know the time, it is already the hour for you[e] to wake up from sleep, because now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over, and the day is near; so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk with decency, as in the daytime: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires.
Romans 14 Christian Standard Bible
The Law of Liberty
14 Welcome anyone who is weak in faith, but don’t argue about disputed matters. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while one who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat, and one who does not eat must not judge one who does, because God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge another’s household servant? Before his own Lord he stands or falls. And he will stand, because the Lord is able[a] to make him stand.
5 One person judges one day to be more important than another day. Someone else judges every day to be the same. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord.[b] Whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; and whoever does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat it, and he gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for himself, and no one dies for himself. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 Christ died and returned to life for this: that he might be Lord over both the dead and the living. 10 But you, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.[c] 11 For it is written,
As I live, says the Lord,
every knee will bow to me,
and every tongue will give praise to God.[d]
12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
The Law of Love
13 Therefore, let us no longer judge one another. Instead decide never to put a stumbling block or pitfall in the way of your brother or sister. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Still, to someone who considers a thing to be unclean, to that one it is unclean. 15 For if your brother or sister is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy, by what you eat, someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore, do not let your good be slandered, 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and receives human approval.
19 So then, let us pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another. 20 Do not tear down God’s work because of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong to make someone fall by what he eats. 21 It is a good thing not to eat meat, or drink wine, or do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble.[e] 22 Whatever you believe about these things, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But whoever doubts stands condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith,[f] and everything that is not from faith is sin.
Romans 15 Christian Standard Bible
Pleasing Others, Not Ourselves
15 Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves. 2 Each one of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself. On the contrary, as it is written, The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.[a] 4 For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures. 5 Now may the God who gives[b] endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one voice.
Glorifying God Together
7 Therefore welcome one another, just as[c] Christ also welcomed you, to the glory of God. 8 For I say that Christ became a servant of the circumcised[d] on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises to the fathers, 9 and so that Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,
and I will sing praise to your name.[e]
10 Again it says, Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people![f] 11 And again,
Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;
let all the peoples praise him![g]
12 And again, Isaiah says,
The root of Jesse will appear,
the one who rises to rule the Gentiles;
the Gentiles will hope in him.[h]
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
From Jerusalem to Illyricum
14 My brothers and sisters, I myself am convinced about you that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. 15 Nevertheless, I have written to remind you more boldly on some points[i] because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of the gospel of God. God’s purpose is that the Gentiles may be an acceptable offering, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 Therefore I have reason to boast in Christ Jesus regarding what pertains to God. 18 For I would not dare say anything except what Christ has accomplished through me by word and deed for the obedience of the Gentiles, 19 by the power of miraculous signs and wonders, and by the power of God’s Spirit. As a result, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum.[j] 20 My aim is to preach the gospel where Christ has not been named, so that I will not build on someone else’s foundation, 21 but, as it is written,
Those who were not told about him will see,
and those who have not heard will understand.[k]
Paul’s Travel Plans
22 That is why I have been prevented many times from coming to you. 23 But now I no longer have any work to do in these regions,[l] and I have strongly desired for many years to come to you 24 whenever I travel to Spain.[m] For I hope to see you when I pass through and to be assisted by you for my journey there, once I have first enjoyed your company for a while. 25 Right now I am traveling to Jerusalem to serve the saints, 26 because Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. 27 Yes, they were pleased, and indeed are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual benefits, then they are obligated to minister to them in material needs. 28 So when I have finished this and safely delivered the funds[n] to them,[o] I will visit you on the way to Spain. 29 I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing[p] of Christ.
30 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in prayers to God on my behalf. 31 Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, that my ministry to[q] Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 and that, by God’s will, I may come to you with joy and be refreshed together with you.
33 May the God of peace be with all of you. Amen.
Romans 16 Christian Standard Bible
Paul’s Commendation of Phoebe
16 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant[a] of the church in Cenchreae. 2 So you should welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints and assist her in whatever matter she may require your help. For indeed she has been a benefactor of many—and of me also.
Greeting to Roman Christians
3 Give my greetings to Prisca[b] and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their own necks for my life. Not only do I thank them, but so do all the Gentile churches. 5 Greet also the church that meets in their home. Greet my dear friend Epaenetus, who is the first convert[c] to Christ from Asia.[d] 6 Greet Mary,[e] who has worked very hard for you.[f] 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews[g] and fellow prisoners. They are noteworthy in the eyes of the apostles,[h] and they were also in Christ before me. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our coworker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. 10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. 11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.[i] Greet those who belong to the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. 12 Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who have worked hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, who has worked very hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother—and mine. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send you greetings.
Warning against Divisive People
17 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them, 18 because such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites.[j] They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with smooth talk and flattering words.
Paul’s Gracious Conclusion
19 The report of your obedience has reached everyone. Therefore I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise about what is good, and yet innocent about what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
21 Timothy, my coworker, and Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow countrymen, greet you.
22 I, Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.[k]
23 Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus greet you.[l]
Glory to God
25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation about Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept silent for long ages 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic Scriptures, according to the command of the eternal God to advance the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles— 27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ—to him be the glory forever![m] Amen.
John 19-21
John 19 —> Click Here
Okay, lots of stuff here.
Jesus is killed even though there is no legitimate reason to kill him; Pilate couldn’t discern one either. He says again and again that he can find nothing wrong with this man. Pilate is gutless. He knows that Jesus does not deserve what is being asked by the Jewish leaders, but it is not politically convenient for him. When they talk that stuff about becoming an enemy of Caesar if he releases Jesus, Pilate’s mind is made up - he simply is not willing to pay the price for doing what he thinks is right.
This begs a question: Am I willing to do what is right when doing so is costly personally or otherwise? Yikes - that is a question for another time.
When the soldiers mock him, they are actually making fun of him for being exactly what they say He is. The irony is thick. Kings wear purple, and they have crowns - exactly as it should be. Pilate piled on when he put that sign over his head and would not change it. The sign was a statement of fact.
Genesis 3:18 states that the earth will produce thorns and thistles, and humanity will eat the plants of the field. (More connection to the crown of thorns)
Jesus’ death, while horrific, went exactly to plan. “It is finished.” Not a statement of defeat, but a statement of total victory. A statement of mission accomplished (almost). The whole gospel was a buildup to this conclusion. Jesus’ death was not some tragic accident; John meant for his readers to get that crucifixion is part of the salvation story. A bunch of hapless idiots thought they were doing something to Jesus, but Jesus was the one accomplishing His mission through what happened to Him.
John 20 —> Click Here
The reason this entire chapter was written can be demonstrated here by what John wrote:
30Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. 31But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Mary - the first person to see Jesus, even though she thinks he is the gardener. Jesus is cool as all get out. He does not offer some lengthy talk about theology, and there is no “see? Told ya.” He simply says her name.
Thomas. We all want to make fun of him, and he has become a moniker for someone with little faith. Truth is, we are all hypocrites for making fun of him because we all question whether or not Jesus is alive and well by the manner in which we carry on our lives. He gets a pass from me. Jesus does not rip him, either. Tells us those who do not have to see in order to believe are blessed. That is pointed at all of us. We were not there; we didn’t physically see Jesus, but there is plenty of testimony throughout the bible to believe He is risen.
Jesus once again shows how we are to act.
Jesus did not show up in the house and holler, “Thanks, guys! I told you what was going to happen and you all bailed on me. Where is Peter??” He leads with, “Peace be with you.” Offers peace instead of condemnation. (In the disciples’ favor - they did see their teacher and friend brutally, barbarically executed in public. They knew people were looking for them, and if they did that to Him, what would they do to all of them?). Jesus shows them the wounds - shows that He was indeed crucified, He died, and is now alive and standing with them in that room.
The whole thing really flips over. It was sadness and fear, hiding out and not knowing what was going to happen next. Then Jesus arrives, and it all becomes happiness and hope. The disciples got their mojo back and were now looking at life with purpose and passion. Pretty big change over the course of 3 days.
John 21 —> Click Here
So the disciples are still all messed up. They don’t know what to do, so they go back to what they were doing before they met Jesus - they went fishing. In a total echo of the past, they caught no fish, and Jesus told them where to put the nets; they caught a mess of fish, so many that the nets should have broken. Around this time, Peter figured out what was going on and knew it was Jesus. As far as the disciples - here is what you used to do, who you were; this is what I called you away from. Now you have a new purpose; we’re not going back to the old stuff.
I am usually pretty bad at picking things up when reading the bible, but this one was pretty easy, even for me. Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” I think this was to counter the fact that Peter denied Him three times, just as Jesus said he would. Not a coincidence. It was a chance for Peter to, in public, affirm what he previously denied. Jesus also did not put Peter on blast - there was no “explain yourself.” There was no looking backwards - Jesus just gave him responsibility.
“Feed my lambs”
“Take care of my sheep”
“Feed my sheep”
What can be more restorative to a relationship than moving forward without recrimination and giving someone a job?
Also - and this one is big for me. Peter messed up big time, spectacularly. He failed when it mattered most. Jesus did not simply forgive Peter and send him on his way. He gave him a huge job, a huge responsibility. Failure does not mean usefulness is over. Failure does not disqualify you from future usefulness.
As a person who has screwed up time and again, it gives me peace to know that I still might have some utility for God.
Peter is Peter. What Jesus tells him would be concerning for me: that there were going to be some difficult times ahead for Peter. He starts asking Jesus about what is going to happen to someone else. Jesus basically says, don’t worry about anyone else; it’s not your concern. Follow me.
This is impactful because I often look at other people and what they are doing, and I need to mind my own business. Follow Jesus on my path and not be concerned about what other people are doing. Taking care of myself is usually beyond my ability, so worrying about someone else is not a good idea.
John ends with uncertainty for me. It does not promise unicorns and rainbows. Difficult futures. Comparisons. Trying to deal with our past and continue to move forward, that it will all be okay.
Reflections on Christian Leadership
Do you know Cooper Morgan? If you do not, you should. He is hands down one of the best students I have ever had. He comes from a long lineage of simply good people. I can say this because I have met pretty much all of them. Label me unsure if it is genetic predisposition towards goodness, or if it is simply his destiny based on localized phenomena, but the young man bears keeping your eye on as he is going to hear “Good and faithful servant” in his most important moment.
I digress.
Cooper gave me the book In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership by Henri J.M. Nouwen and this post is where I am going to put my thoughts, questions, and comments. Please feel free to comment in the box at the bottom of this page.
Here we go.
Stream of Consciousness:
Relevant self. This is an interesting and confusing term/concept. Tough to get my head wrapped around what he exactly means or is trying to convey with this word.
He (from now on this refers to Nouwen) speaks of being very busy but not accomplishing much. I can understand this as a teacher. I often walk out of the building emotionally drained - but I wonder what it was or who I impacted that day.
Jesus asking Peter, “Do you love me?”
First love is pure as it comes from Jesus. “As He first loved us”. Second loves are the ones that cause problems as they as susceptible to all of the human frailties possess.
“The radical good news is that the second love is only a broken reflection of the first love and that the first love is offered to us by a God in whom there are no shadows.” (Nouwen 40)
This desire to be relevant issue. Is this bascially saying that we are insignificant as humans and that we need to always be looking to God for all things? That is what I am getting out of this by page 42.
Mystics? A curious term. I always associated that word with someone who knew if Mercury is in retrograde and carried around crystals, not someone’s identity that is deeply rooted in God’s first love. (Nouwen 42)
“Contemplative prayer deepens us in the knowledge that we are already free, that we have found a place to dwell, that we already belong to God, even though everything and everyone around us keeps suggesting the opposite.” (Nouwen 43)
“For Christian leadership to be truly fruitful in the future, a movement from the moral to the mystical is required.” (Nouwen 47)
Okay, starting to under the relevancy thing. When we think it is all us, we are trying to 'be relevant’ and this is silly. We are nothing without God’s first love, so stop trying to be all the things.
2 by 2 - not 1
Leaders are every bit as broken, sinful, vulnearble, and mean-spirited as anyone else. Because someone is in a leadership position, it does not mean that they don’t need shepherding as much as the next person.
“The mystery of ministry is that we have been chosen to make our own limited and very conditional love the gateway for the unlimited and unconditional love of God.” (Nouwen 62)
“…it is clear that a whole new type of leadership is asked for in the church of tomorrow, a leadership that is not modeled on the power games of the world, but on the servant-leader Jesus, who came to give his life for the salvation of many.” (Nouwen 63)
I think it is strange that Nouwen talks about ‘avoiding heroic behavior’. Maybe strange is the wrong word. Or maybe it is the perfect phrase, as all we ever talk to students about is becoming leader and making their mark and legacy, etc. The World v. Irrelevancy.
‘Living the Truth of the Incarnate’ = bringing your faith into tangible, physical, and relational everyday actions
“Confession and forgiveness are the concrete forms in which sinful people love one another.” (Nouwen 64-65)
Being a leader is a dichotomy - we are supposed to be able to rebuke and correct and love people, but feel like we are on an island when it comes to our own sinful existence. We cannot let anyone know or in otherwise we cannot feel like we are qualified to lead. Man this is tough. It goes against everything the world has taught us.
“…leadership was still a desire to control complex situations, confused emotions, and anxious minds.” (Nouwen 74)
“…power offers an easy substitute for the hard task of love. It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people, easier to own life than to love life.” (Nouwen 77)
“The loud boisterous noises of the world make us deaf to the soft, gentle, and loving voice of God.” (Nouwen 87-88)
Whattttt? '“…where people are trained in the discernment of the signs of the time.” (Nouwen 90)
My conclusions:
He is talking about changing everything. The way we look at leadership, interpersonal relationships, being vulnerable - All. Of. It.
I agree with all of it. There are parts that I do not understand, but it stirs an interest in taking a new look at the way I think about speaking about Christ and living with other Christians. It would be a fundamental shift in a lot of ways. Becoming irrelevant is a tough ask in today’s world of clicks and likes, but if one wants to be a servant leader, this is the way.
Jason and football
This is a tough one to write in some ways. Jason is such a great human, I love him so very dearly, but he is also really nuanced and complex. It is weird to say that that came out in his decision to play football this fall, but it did. His motivations come from places deep inside and are as interesting as they are oftentimes contradictory. Lets start with his why.
His why was where I was perhaps troubled. He told me he wanted to play because his friends were getting after him about the fact that he played flag football instead of tackle. Initially not a great reason to spend a great deal of time practicing and not a huge pay off insofar as playing time, but when I considered the way his mind works it made perfect sense. He gets to hang out with his friends and be a part of something bigger than himself as well as get rid of the annoying flag football references. As far as I can tell, that was his calculus for making this decision. Good enough for him, good enough for me.
This is not to say that I would not have liked the opportunity to watch him play more - I definitely would have as it was great to see. This is his journey and as long as he is happy with the way it is progressing, I am happy with it. He is constantly searching, searching to find his place in this world and I love that he has the guts to keep moving forward and trying new things.
Jason is number 42. You can find him on the line.