An Introduction to Romans 12-16

A Sermon on Romans 12:1-21

Originally preached Oct. 8, 1965

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Romans 12:1-21 ESV KJV

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may … I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 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. 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. 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. 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 who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (ESV)

1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove …

3For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 4For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. 6Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

9Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 10Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; 11Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; 12Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; 13Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. 14Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. 15Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 16Be 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. 17Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 19Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20Therefore 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. 21Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Sermon Description

The apostle Paul is a master at connecting doctrine and practical matters. He seamlessly weaves both together in his apostolic writings. While there is a change in emphasis in Romans 12 – from doctrine to practice – Paul never leaves doctrine behind. As a pastor he is concerned with helping this congregation in Rome and this always includes doctrinal appeals and arguments. In this transitional sermon on Romans 12:1–21 - his first in a series of thirty-five sermons on Romans 12 - titled “Introduction,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones challenges those in the church who view practical matters as anticlimactic. There is something wrong in the church’s thinking if it only focuses purely on doctrine. Dr. Lloyd-Jones counters this error by expounding five biblical and theological reasons why the church should focus on more than just doctrine. Moreover, he gives a general analysis of the rest of Romans and prepares his listeners with a particular outline of Romans 12. Listen to this unique and compelling sermon on Romans 12 by Dr. Lloyd-Jones as he calls the church to holistic ministry and a Christian faith that is lived out.

Sermon Breakdown

The sermon begins by noting that this is the 297th time the epistle to the Romans has been considered. Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes that this shows how rich the epistle is.
Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds the listeners that an epistle is a synopsis. Dr. Lloyd-Jones's job is not to give a synopsis of a synopsis but to draw out what the apostle Paul has condensed.
Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes that the first 11 chapters of Romans were doctrinal while chapters 12-16 are practical. However, doctrine and application cannot be strictly separated.
Dr. Lloyd-Jones asks how the listeners feel about moving from doctrine to application. Do they feel it is an anticlimax or do they wish Paul kept expounding doctrine? If so, something is wrong.
We must move on to application because the Scriptures do. The Bible must be read in its entirety.
We must move on to application because Christianity is a life to be lived, not just a doctrine to be believed. The purpose of doctrine is to enable us to live the Christian life.
We must move on to application because difficulties inevitably arise in the Christian life. Christians have a new outlook but live in the same world. They need guidance on how to apply their faith.
We must move on to application because doctrine and practice cannot be separated. They influence each other.
We must move on to application because we face an adversary who will try to get us to ignore application or become legalistic about it.
Dr. Lloyd-Jones gives an overview of the rest of the epistle: Ch. 12:1-2 is an introduction; Ch. 12:3-8 is about the Christian's service in the church; Ch. 12:9-21 is about the Christian's relationships in the church; Ch. 13 is about the Christian's relationship to the state; Ch. 14 is about unity in the church; Ch. 15:1-13 continues discussing unity; Ch. 15:14-33 is personal; Ch. 16:1-16 contains greetings; Ch. 16:17-20 warns against false teachers; Ch. 16:21-24 contains more greetings.

Sermon Q&A

What Is the Significance of Romans Chapter 12 in the Bible According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?

What is the major division that occurs between Romans 11 and 12?

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans 12 marks a major division in the epistle. The first eleven chapters are "almost exclusively doctrinal," while chapter 12 begins the "practical section" where Paul moves from teaching doctrine to applying it. This transition is more significant than any other division in the book. Lloyd-Jones states: "But there is a division here at the end of chapter eleven, and the beginning of chapter twelve, which is a major division in the way that none of the others have really been."

Why should Christians not view the practical sections of Romans as less important than the doctrinal sections?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides several reasons why Christians should not see the practical section as an "anticlimax":

The Scriptures go on, and we must read all of God's Word, not just select portions
Christianity is a life to be lived, not merely a teaching to be understood
Christians face real difficulties in applying their faith to daily life
There is an intimate connection between doctrine and practice - "each reacts upon the other"
Christians are always confronted by an adversary who either makes them ignore practicalities or become overly legalistic

He warns: "If you say to me, 'oh, I'm not concerned about that. I'm the man who grapples with the great doctrines. I'm a theologian.' But, my dear friend, the question is, how are you living?"

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones outline the practical section of Romans?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides this outline of the practical section of Romans:

Romans 12:1-2 - General introduction to the whole practical section
Romans 12:3-21 - The Christian in relationship to the church
Romans 12:3-8: The Christian's life of service in the church
Romans 12:9-21: The Christian's relationship to fellow church members
Romans 13 - The Christian's relationship to the world and state
Romans 14 - Issues that tend to break up church unity
Romans 15:1-13 - The unity of God's people (especially Jew and Gentile relations)
Romans 15:14-33 - Paul's personal remarks about his ministry
Romans 16:1-16 - Personal greetings
Romans 16:17-20 - Final warning against false teachers
Romans 16:21-24 - Greetings from Paul's companions
Romans 16:25-27 - Concluding doxology

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say is the evidence of true Christian conversion?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones makes a striking statement about genuine conversion: "If your becoming a Christian hasn't raised problems in your life, well, you can take it from me that you're not a Christian." He explains that a true Christian has an entirely new outlook that creates tension with the world. The Christian is "a man whose view of everything in life is determined by his doctrine, his faith, his belief." This new perspective inevitably creates problems and difficulties that non-Christians don't experience, as believers try to apply their faith to every aspect of life.

Why did Paul write the book of Romans according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Paul wrote Romans because he was unable to visit the church in Rome personally. As Paul states in chapters 1 and 15, he wanted to visit but had been hindered. Lloyd-Jones says that an epistle is "in itself a synopsis" - a condensed summary of what Paul would have taught in person. He wrote "because he was not able to visit them at Rome" and wanted to "impart unto you some spiritual gift to the end that you may be established." Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that the preacher's role is "not to give a synopsis of the synopsis" but rather to "draw out what the apostle has condensed."

The Book of Romans

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.

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