Chapter # 12 Paragraph # 1 Study # 1
August 18, 2019
Humble, Texas
(002)
1769 Translation:
1 I 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.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [
is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
1901 ASV Translation:
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable to God, [
which is] your spiritual service.
2 And be not fashioned according to this
world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is
the good and
acceptable and perfect will of God.
- I. The Summons, Part 1.
- A. The summons as "summons": parakaleo.
- 1. The present tense indicates that Paul had waited to this particular time in the writing of his letter to the Romans to "summon" them.
- 2. Though this is a "point" to consider, it is also true that, as early as Romans 6:13, 16, and 19, he had "commanded" (imperative mood) them "to present" the members of their bodies to God as an act of "servitude" (to whom you "present" yourselves as "slaves" unto "obedience", his "slaves" you are).
- a. This "demand" was made within the context of the two major questions of chapter six:
- 1) Shall we abide upon The Sin so that Grace might "abound"? (6:1), and
- 2) Should we sin because we are not under "Law"? (6:15).
- b. This "demand" was particularly in the context of the second major question (6:16 and 19), though it was first made in the context of the first major question (6:13).
- c. It is important to note that the overall issue of chapter six is the question of how we should respond to "Grace".
- 1) This was directly addressed in the first question (6:1).
- 2) Then it was indirectly addressed in the second question (6:15) as it is the underlying basis for our freedom from "Law".
- 3. The issue here is this: in chapter six, Paul is addressing the reaction we should have to Paul's specific doctrine of "Grace" since it was a major "bone of contention" as revealed in 3:8 over the very same issue as 6:1, but the issue in chapter twelve (our current text for consideration) is addressing the reaction we should have to Paul's later doctrines revealed in chapters 7-11.
- B. Paul's First Two Words.
- 1. In word order, they are reversed in terms of what he means; in the order of significance they are as the word order suggests.
- a. The word order is, literally, "I am presenting a summons therefore...".
- 1) In terms of significance, the "summons" is the critical issue.
- 2) But in terms of interpretation (so that we might know what he meant), the "therefore" is the critical issue (because of the following words and phrase).
- b. This word order deserves our thoughtful consideration beyond the fact that it is "typical Greek".
- 1) It is "typical" of Greek that the "conjunction" that ties prior material to present material is often after the main word(s) that is/are designed to build on the previous material.
- 2) But, in Paul's inspired revelation of God's thoughts, he actually reveals the fact that the "therefore" really belongs at the front of our thinking as we move into our attempt to legitimately "interpret" the meaning of his words.
- 2. The word "therefore".
- a. It is a deliberate "conjunction" that co-joins the previous material to the present content.
- b. As such, we need to understand that his "summons" is directly tied to his previous explanation of the truths that will help to prevent the development of "boastful" "high-minded" and "conceited" attitudes.
- 1) The attempt to squelch the development of such destructive attitudes is critical according to Paul's understanding that all "behavior" that is rooted in those attitudes will produce a hypocritical veneer of godliness.
- 2) Thus, his goal of producing legitimate behavior, which is the burden of these next five chapters, had to be preceded by his previous teaching.