THE GOSPEL OF
CHRIST
SPREADING THE SOUL-SAVING MESSAGE OF JESUs
(Chapters 11-12)
Introduction by narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Spreading the soul-saving message of Jesus. And now, Timothy Sparks and Ben Bailey.
Timothy Sparks:
‘Therefore
consider the goodness and severity of God on those who fail severity. But
towards you goodness if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also, will
be cut off” (Rom. 11:22). I’m Timothy Sparks.
Ben Bailey:
And I’m Ben Bailey.
Welcome to our broadcast today. Today’s broadcast is being brought to you by individual
members and congregations of the churches of Christ. The
Romans 11 is a chapter that in some ways is a little difficult
to understand. Paul is talking about how the Jews were God’s chosen people.
Yet, although God had made them His people, they weren't accepting God’s will
as they should have. There wasn’t any fault with God or His law. Rather, the
people simply weren’t willing to obey God. So, in Romans 11, Paul is once again
going to lament the fact that while God truly wanted to help the people, on
many occasions they refused to welcome His assistance.
Timothy Sparks:
Paul is comparing the Gentiles to a wild olive branch that was grafted in to a natural olive tree. He compares the Jews to the natural branch. The Gentiles might have taken this as an opportunity to brag and boast. So, in Romans 11:21, Paul address that when he says, “If God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.” Paul thus tells the Gentiles, “You have no reason to brag or boast just because the Jews rejected Christ, and as a result, the Gospel has now been extended to you. This doesn’t give you any bragging rights. You need to take heed and pay attention.” God’s chosen people of the Old Testament were the Jews. If He did not spare the natural branches (the Jews), how much more will He not spare the Gentiles if they do not continue in His goodness. Notice Romans 11:22, which is a severe condemnation of those who failed to continue in belief and obedience. Paul says, “Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.” The idea of “once saved, always saved,” is proved false by this one verse alone. God can, and will, cut people off after they’ve obeyed—if they do not continue to obey His will. The message of Romans 11:22 is in perfect harmony with the rest of the Bible. It’s in harmony with the Old Testament. God frequently rendered His vengeance on those who were doing wrong. Nadab and Abihu offered profane, unauthorized fire to the Lord, and were destroyed by God for having done so. The same principle applied in New Testament times. Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) lied, and as a result of their lie, God struck them dead. God is the same God in the New Testament as He was in the Old Testament. We learn from Hebrew 13:8 that Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday, today and forever.” The same is true of God. So, yes, we need to consider the goodness and severity of God. God is good, and will extend His mercy and grace to all those who are willing to accept and obey the Gospel. But His wrath awaits those who refuse to accept and obey the Gospel. Paul was therefore saying, “You Gentiles, don’t think you have some sort of ‘bragging rights.’” Apparently there was some tension among the Gentiles and the Jews, even though they were part of the body of Christ and should have been united. Paul is using this as an opportunity to tell them, “We’re all on level ground at the foot of the cross. There’s no ‘big me’ or ‘little you.’ There’s no clergy or laity There’s no brown or white, black or yellow. There’s no Gentile or Jew. There’s no male or female. God views people in terms of souls.” We must beware of the fact that God is not a God of partiality. He’s not a God Who shows preference or respect of persons. Peter said in Acts 10:34-35, “Of a truth, I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation, he who fears Him and works righteousness is accepted with Him.” By and large throughout the New Testament, you will see the Jews’ hatred of the Gentiles. But here we see Paul addressing the Gentiles in order to tell them, “You don’t have any bragging rights just because the Jews refused the Gospel, and then it was taken to you, so that now you have an opportunity to be saved. You need to realize that God will continue to give His grace and mercy to any and all who obey Him, but severity awaits any Jew or Gentile who refuses to obey the Gospel.”
Ben Bailey:
In Romans 11:26, we come to a rather controversial verse
in many people’s minds. Paul says, “And so all
The first section in the Book of Romans (chapters 1-11) is a heavy doctrinal
section, where Paul shows that the Gospel is God’s power to save. All have
sinned. All have fallen short of God’s glory. Like Abraham and David, we must
have an active, obedient faith. We can’t trust in the Old Law to save us. We
must look to Jesus and the New Law.
Now Paul is going to make some applications to the New Law in the
Christian’s life. Romans 12 is a chapter about applying the teachings of
Christianity to our lives. In Romans 12, Paul begins by saying, “I beg you, I
beseech you by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Do not
be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that you may prove what is a good and acceptable perfect will of God.” One of
the first things that Paul wants Christians to remember is that they are not
their own. They are a living sacrifice. We often don’t think in these terms.
When you become a child of God, did you think about the fact that you “died to
self”? You’re now a living sacrifice to Jesus. This is what Paul says we are.
We must realize that when we give our lives to Christ, we must serve Him every day.
I’m reminded of the words of Paul in Galatians 2:20, where he says, “I have been crucified with
Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I
live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” My life every day must be a sacrifice to
God. I’m reminded of the words of 2 Corinthians
5:14-15, “The love of Christ compels
us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died
for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him
who died for them and rose again.” We must be realize
that we are a living sacrifice. My life is not about me. My first priority, as
Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, is to “seek first the
Timothy Sparks:
On this point in Romans 12:2, Paul says, “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” I like the Phillips paraphrase, which, I believe, provides an excellent commentary on this point. Phillips says, “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its mold, but let God reshape you from within.” We cannot let the world conform us. We cannot let the world become our potter so that we become just fragile, moldable clay whereby we conform to whatever the world wants us to be. We’ve got to let God reshape us. We need to let Him mold us from within. It must be God’s Word, God’s will, which molds our lives. When Paul says, “Do not be conformed of this world,” his point is that we are going to have to resist what the world wants to offer to us. God is the One Who must be the Potter in our life. He must shape us, so that we are His, and so that we can stand firmly against what the world would have us become. Remember 2 Corinthians 5:17, where Paul says, “If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. Old things have passed away behold everything has become new.” Christians get to start all over. Christianity, it has been said, is “the land of beginning again.” So when we examine Romans 12:2, we learn that we mustn’t let the world conform us. Before we became a Christian, we allowed the world to conform us. We let the world tell us what to do, and we gave into peer pressure. We did whatever our desires told us to do. Now, however, we are under God’s control. We abide by the restrictions He gives us, knowing that we have the abundant life if we do so (Jn. 10:10). We live in hope of eternal life. (Tit. 1:2). We do not have to give in to the lustful thoughts and desires of our hearts. In Romans 13:14, Paul says that we are to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lust.” In Romans 12, we learn some very practical pointers on daily, practical Christian living. Romans 1-11 told us more about the Gospel being God’s saving power, and dealt with the Jews and Gentiles to a great extent. Romans 12-16 provides practical, commonsense advice about how to life the Christian life (much like the book of James does as well).
Ben Bailey:
In Romans 12:9, we find a wonderful discussion about
Christian character. Paul says, “Let love be without hypocrisy, abhor what is
evil, cling to what is good.” As a Christian, I have to love other Christians.
Jesus said, “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another” (John
13:34). John deals heavily with the concept of love in 1 John 3. He asks, “If
we don’t love our Christian brothers and sisters, how can we say we love God?”
As a Christian, I can’t be a hypocrite. The word for hypocrite in the original
language is much like our word for actor—one who plays the role of something
that he really is not. That’s the idea of a hypocrite. He pretends to love
others, but then turns around and talks about them behind their back. As a
Christian, I cannot be a hypocrite because I have to genuinely love other
people. Think about your own relationship with your friends or family. Do you really love them? Do you put them first? Do you think about their wants and wishes? Or, is
the problem sometimes that we think too much about ourselves? Maybe we talk
about others behind their backs when they’re not around. Maybe we criticize
them unfairly and don’t love them as we should. Love—genuine love—must be
without hypocrisy. Paul says in Romans 12:9, “We must abhor….” The word abhor
is a strong word. It means, “really hate something, be glued to what is good.”
We have to hate the evil, and we must love the good. We must refrain from whatever
is evil. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:22 that we are to “avoid every appearance
of evil.” We must not be involved in such things. We must flee the evil and be
glued to the good. In Philippians 4:8, Paul admonishes us, “Whatever things are
true, whatever things are
noble, whatever things are
just, whatever things are pure,
whatever things are lovely,
whatever things are of good
report, if there is any virtue
and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate
on these things.”
Timothy Sparks:
In Romans 12:11, Paul says that we are to be “not lacking
in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.” This phrase, “not lacking
in diligence,” can be translated as “do not be lazy.” God does not want His
people to be lazy. Over and over—throughout the Old Testament and New Testament
alike—we find strong admonitions to be diligent workers. You may remember Proverbs
6, “Go to the ant you sluggard, consider her ways and be wise.” We need to go
to the ant to learn a valuable lesson about how the ant prepares during the
summer, to lay up for the winter when it cannot work. Jesus Himself said, “We
must work, the works of Him who sent me, while it is day, night comes when no
one can work” (Jn. 9:4). Jesus was saying that we have to work while we have
life. He used day and night as figures of speech. “Day” refers to the time
during which we have life coursing through our veins. We must work while we
have life. But, He says, “Night comes when no one can work.” Once we die, we’ve
done all we can do. Whatever you plan to do for God, you must do today. We have
to work and be diligent in the here and now. We must not be lazy. In 2
Thessalonians 3, Paul offers a strong warning against being lazy—so much so
that he says, “If a man will not work, neither let him eat” (vs. 10). God has a
very strong work ethic planned for the Christian. Paul continues when he says,
“Be fervent in spirit.” The word fervent means, “to be hot.” We’re to “be on
fire.” It could be translated as “to be spiritually enthusiastic.” We’re to
serve the Lord with enthusiasm. Paul says that we are to be spiritually enthusiastic.—fervent
in spirit, serving the Lord. We need to put first things first. Jesus taught in
Matthew 6:33, “Seek ye first the
Ben Bailey:
In Romans 12:14, we
also learn a great lesson about our relationship with others, especially those
who may not be Christians. In this passage, Paul says, “Bless those who curse
you, bless and do not curse.” This may be one of the hardest verses in all the
Bible to obey. When someone curses us, calls us names, or makes fun of us
because we are a child of God, our initial reaction is to “get mad and get
even.” But Paul says instead that we ought to bless those kinds of people—meaning
that we wish the best for them. We especially should hope that they will obey
the Gospel and become a child of God. If we bless those kinds of people, our example
could one day allow us to win them to the Lord. Jesus taught in the Sermon on
the Mount that we are to pray for our enemies, and that we are to love those
who spitefully use us, mistreat us, and are unkind to us. Jesus taught us to
turn the other cheek, and to make sure that we don’t react in an ungodly way. Such
admonitions from Jesus and Paul have to do with our Christian example. When people
say evil things about us, and then we return a kind response, what does that
say about our character? It says that we are not going to let that bother us, and
that we are living for a higher and more noble cause. Jesus taught us to be a
good example when He said, “Let your light so shine among men, that they may
see your good works, and glorify your father who is in Heaven” (Mt. 5:16). If
someone calls you names for being a Christian, and you say, “I hope one day
you’ll become a Christian, and I’m praying that one day you will be right before
God,” that might make that person think seriously about their life. It might express
to them that somebody really loves their soul. Someone loves them enough not to
act in an unkind manner (like they did). Our good example could actually end up
shaming such a person, and make them think twice about acting that way again.
These kinds of responses by Christians build respect for Christ and for His church.
Too many times, Christians have responded by losing their tempers and stomping off
in anger. That’s exactly what people expect us to do. But when we return a kind
response, it’s like heaping coals of fire on their head (Prov. 25:21-22). So we
need to be careful how we respond. A person’s soul could be at stake.
Timothy Sparks:
As we look at the remainder of Romans 12 (vss. 18-21), we find Paul saying that we are not to avenge ourselves, but to instead give place to the wrath of God because “‘Vengeance is mine,’” says the Lord, ‘I will repay.’” Paul tells us, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (vss. 20-21). This is one of the hardest things to do. If you are mistreated, your natural response is to want to strike back and do to someone else what they did to you. But the golden rule is to do unto others as you want them to do to you. You don’t want people to mistreat you, so if they mistreat you, you should do to them what you want them to do to you. Do nice things. If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink. Now we don’t heap these coals of fire on his head to get back at him. But this is, in essence, a way to win an enemy. You want to win him over so that you might help him come to the Lord, and so that he might be saved. Paul wrote in Romans 12:21, “Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.” This is so hard to do because many times, we’re just overcome with evil, and we want to take revenge on those who have hurt us. But vengeance remains in God’s hands alone. We should instead do nice things. It’s hard for somebody to be mad at you when you’re being nice to them. But it’s even harder for you to be mad at somebody when you’re doing good things for them. So if you have someone that is a constant enemy, do something nice for them. You can win over your enemies—which not only will help them, but also will help you as well, since you can’t continue to be mad at someone while you’re trying to be nice. This is good for us! This is the way that we can overcome our own selfish natures. We can overcome sin. And we can turn a bad situation into something that will give glory to God.
God has so blessed us with the Book of Romans. Within this book, we
find practical advice that we need to incorporate into our daily lives. This
all goes back to the theme and thesis of the Book of Romans as found in Romans
1:16-17, “The gospel is God’s power to save.” God will save our souls when we
obey the Gospel. We must believe in Jesus as the Son of God, repent of our
sins, confess that Jesus is indeed the Christ, and then be baptized into Christ
so we can access His blood to have our sins forgiven. Forgiveness takes place
in the mind of God. God alone can forgive you of your sins so that you can live
righteously all the days of your life. In the end, you will receive an eternal
reward. Death, for the Christian, represents victory, as we learn from 1 Corinthians
15:57. Thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ!
We invite you to visit us on our website at www.thegospelofchrist.com.
Download our streaming video and audio messages. And, if you would like a copy
of this broadcast today, we’ll be glad to send you a DVD or CD upon request. We
hope that you will visit the
Narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST is brought to you by loving, caring members of the church of Christ. The McLish Avenue church of Christ in Ardmore, Oklahoma, oversees this evangelistic effort. For a free CD or DVD of today’s broadcast, please write to:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
You may call 580-223-3289. Please visit us on the
web at www.thegospelofchrist.com.
We encourage you to attend the
1. In Romans 11, we see that the Gentiles were apparently boasting about something. What was it?
2. What example did Paul use in Romans 11 to chastise the Gentiles for their inappropriate conduct?
3. In Romans 11:22, Paul said that God could express “goodness.” To whom would it expressed, according to this verse?
4. Explain the statement from this lesson, “We’re all on level ground at the foot of the cross.”
5. Explain what Romans 11:26 does not mean.
6. Explain what Romans 11:26 does mean.
7. According to 1 Timothy 2:4, what is God’s will for all people?
8. What is the basic difference between Romans 1-11 and Romans 12-16?
9. What is Romans 12 about?
10. Explain 2 Corinthians 5:14-15—“The love of Christ compels us, because we judge
thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those
who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them
and rose again.”
11. What is Paul’s point in Romans 12:2?
12. How does 2 Corinthians 5:17 “fit into” Paul’s statement in Romans 12:2?
13. Christians live in hope of something, according to Titus 1:2. What is it?
14. According to this lesson, what is the meaning of the word “abhor” in Romans
12:9?
15. If
you had to choose one word to describe something that a Christian is not
to be, according to Paul’s instructions in Romans 12:11, what would that one
word be?
16. Explain the meaning of Ecclesiastes 9:10—“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.”
17. What is the meaning of Paul’s statement that we should “heap coals of fire” upon the head of our enemy?
18. How can we “overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21)?
19. As we heap “coals of fire” on our enemies, what are we not trying to do?
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST,