Paul Irvin - Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Wednesday Bible Study featuring Paul Irvin

Transcription follows:

Romans 12.  We’re going to once again consider the exhortation that our Brother Tim gave to us last week about exhorting one another to do good works.  This is not done because I thought, as I said, that he left something out or anything like that, but just to underscore what he had for us last week. That type of exhortation that we need to, I think, continually keep before us.

And it's not that we are not doing these things, but as Paul would tell the Thessalonians concerning what they were doing, and their love for the brethren, he was encouraging them to do even more. And it's not that we're trying to throw a weight on anyone, it's just because these are the exhortations that are given to us - not saved by works, but unto good works.

So when Tim asked about, you know, “what are some things that are good works?”  I thought about this chapter, but I didn't speak up, frankly, because I knew I was speaking this next week and I thought, well, that might be a place to go.

So, we're going to read this chapter. It's very familiar to us, of course. But then just have a few comments before we get into our prayer time.

So reading from the new King James, Roman's Chapter 12 verse one:

I beseech that you present your bodies - not your flesh, mind you, but your bodies – that’s your entire person—a living sacrifice, holy acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service, and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

For I say through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.  For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we being many are one body in Christ and individually members one of another.  Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them. 

If prophecy, let us prophecy in proportion to our faith, or ministry, let us use it in our ministering. He who teaches - in teaching, he who exhorts - in exhortation, he who gives - with liberality, he who leads - with diligence. He who shows mercy - with cheerfulness.  Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be kindly affectioned to one another with brotherly love. In honor giving preference to one another, not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.  Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer, distributing to the needs of the saints, that really means pursuing hospitality. It's not just when someone asks, but you actually go out seeking those to whom you can be hospital.

Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.  Be of the same mind toward one another.  Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil, have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath, for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.  Therefore, if your enemy hungers, feed him. If he thirst give him a drink, for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.

Now I would tell you that I have looked at that from several different angles.  It is a quote, of course, from Proverbs, and it is very unclear as to exactly what his meaning is there, other than the fact that it's quote Proverbs.

And he ends this chapter with “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  So much like the Lords teaching on the mountain when he was starting his public ministry, Paul sets the bar very high here, as far as our behavior, as far as what would be considered doing good works.  It seems, to me at least, that the Lords teaching in Matthew five through seven is more emphasis on our attitude, and Paul's emphasis here is more on actions, although obviously they're not exclusive in that regard. It's just kind of where I see all the emphasis or the accent on many exhortations that are pretty much the same. 

You know, every once in a while I try to clean out a closet - not very often, but - and I  just barely got started one upstairs where I had thrown in just all kinds of past notes, things, notebooks and sheets of that kind of thing. So I came across one, that in looking it over - okay, there is going to be an alliteration here - and looking this over, I'm thinking, how did these people even endure me sometimes, when I come up with some of these things because there, you know, when you go back and look at them, did I really say that? Like I had?

I had the seven “do’s” of spiritual success. And each one, of course, began with D, except one, actually. So they were couplets, so of course they were “duets”. And then I had one. That was a “don’t". And I said, “It’s like a ‘dough-nette’”.

No, I you know, Come on. Hey, I don't know, but it did help me, actually, because I was thinking some of the things that that I went through would obviously be some of the things here, although none of the citations that I had for that where that we're out of Romans 12. But it did give me the idea of – see my first “do” was “do decrease”, and Paul starts out this chapter with those very well-known verses about presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice, which is only reasonable for what God has done for us through our Lord Jesus Christ that he's built up through all of the preceding chapters. And, of course, gives us the idea that then we are to be transformed, and because of that were to be changed because of what he's done in our minds.  And then he proceeds to tell us that we ought not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, and emphasizes later on in the chapter that we are to seek out those who are of low estate. Those who are not, you know, either particularly popular for some reason or, you know, particularly held in high esteem.

For whatever reason, that we are to go hand in hand. That's what the term condescend means, that we're to go hand in hand with those folks - not seeking to put ourselves up where perhaps we are thought more highly of, “do decrease”. And as we go through exhortations and you think, well, these are really difficult. The bar is set very high about loving our enemies and distributing to the needs of others being kindly affectioned and in honor, preferring one another. All these things that he exhorts us to do in this chapter, if we find ourselves having difficulty doing that, then I think the remedy is to go back to the beginning of chapter, remind ourselves of what he said about presenting our whole persons as a living sacrifice, being transformed and decrease. Also, in verse 30, to impart what the Lord has given to us and use it for the benefit of all.  We are to do these things to all, as much as lies within us we are to have peace with everyone, and not with just those who might be easy to get along with, that type of thing.  There's no limitation on that.

And he mentions, of course, the gifts. We each are given spiritual gifts, service in the Assembly particularly, and for so to recognize that not everyone is going to be particularly doing the same types of things. It’s interesting in verse four; he does talk about members that do not have the same function. Some translations even say office, but actually the word there is more along the lines of deeds or ministry.  He mentions that specifically in verse 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in prayer and serving the Lord. We recognize that as we do good works, it's not just that we're serving others, obviously implied in doing good works, but that we’re ultimately serving the Lord.

And we're also to “defer” in terms of when somebody does mistreat us. We're not to mistreat them in kind. We're not to answer evil for evil.

And finally we are to be “doing”, because if, and there's a contrast, of course, throughout this epistle and even throughout all of Scripture, of course, between good and evil. And if we're to overcome evil, we overcome evil by doing good.  It's somewhat against our nature, of course. We want to fight back. We want we want to try to instill our will on others. We think, well, if somebody's doing bad, let's try to overcome them by doing something against them so that they will not be doing evil.  And to a certain extent, of course, that's required in terms of civil justice and that type of thing. Somebody's committing a crime, they need to be apprehended and face the consequences.  But as far as for us, we need to be sure that that we're not being overcome by evil in our own lives.

And we do that by filling up our lives with good. And he describes what is good actually in verse two.  It’s what God wills. God's will is what is good and acceptable and perfect. 

So if we’re doing His will, we will be doing good work, so does anybody have any other contributions?