Reflections on Romans Chapter 12 – Part 12

In last Monday’s post, as I was reflecting on Michael Daily’s message on Romans 12, I pointed out that Michael views the admonition not to be overcome by evil, but to overcome evil with good¸ in the context of the Body of Christ. Until I listened to Michael’s message I saw verses 14 – 21 primarily leaning toward 13:1ff, in relation to a persecuting government and by extension the world. When listening to Michael’s message I saw that the context certainly does include the professing Church; and as I mentioned in last Monday’s post I now see 12:14 – 21 as looking both toward the Church and toward persecuting government and the world.

The more I thought about Michael’s message in the context of the Western church, the more I recognized that in contemporary Western experience, and certainly in North American experience, the primary point of obedience with respect to these verses is indeed vis-à-vis other Christians. Now I will also say that among many in the professing church the glaring problem is also among those engaged in the political arena – they can be most uncharitable and downright vitriolic toward those with whom they disagree – a distasteful witness before a watching world.

People fail to understand that we can be devoted to Biblical truth and be gracious and loving at the same time. I think we fail to understand that this is exactly what God looks like when He walks on this planet – the Word is made flesh, and the glory we behold, the glory of Jesus Christ, is Truth, and Love, and Mercy, and Holiness, without the least contradiction or the least tension – for those attributes, as well as many more, reside in the true and living God. There is no internal conflict in God with regard to mercy and truth, or love and justice, or graciousness and righteousness – I suppose this is a reminder that He is God and we ain’t.

Another Biblical passage we explain away quite often, and which Michael ties into Romans Chapter 12, is 1 Corinthians Chapter 13. That is the great “yeah but” chapter; for every attribute or manifestation of love that Paul writes about, most of us have a “yeah but” exception which justifies our thinking and behavior. Paul leads into 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 with the words, And I show you a still more excellent way – and we think to ourselves, “yeah but”. Of course that is the chapter that holds chapters 12 – 14 together, without which the Body of Christ cannot truly function…but we would rather say, “yeah but”.

We may talk about offering our bodies as living sacrifices and the renewal of the mind; but until we travel through the entire passage of Romans 12 and beyond, until loving our enemies is our nature – which indeed is the nature of Christ – until 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 permeates the fabric of our lives, until these things become our testimony before a watching world – I don’t think we know what we are talking about.