WE BELONG1

(Romans 12:1-21)

The way Paul wrote the whole Epistle to the Romans, as he always does in all
his letters, shows that doctrine without application is useless. In the whole Christian
scheme, our belief should be translated in our day to day life to demonstrate its
effectiveness and authenticity. Books like "Christianity Between Sundays” by Rev.
Willie Girao, former Gen.Sec. of IVCF, puts stress on living out the Christian faith
in all areas of our lives from Monday to Sunday. Remember what Jesus Christ told
his disciples, “You are the light of the world…you are the salt of the earth.”
(Matt.5:13-14, NIV). The main point is: for Christians, the real action begins as
soon as we leave the church pew, the camp sight and the devotional room and
engage with the world.
Paul's theology, including his letter to the Romans, is always balanced by
practical exhortation, because Paul sees the believer's position as the basis of his
practice.2 Romans 12 begins the “to do” list of Paul. These are imperatives or
commands which he usually puts at the end of his epistles. This chapter
encapsulates the message of living out the teaching from chapter 1 to 11. Our 14th
exposition is entitled “WE BELONG.”
First, we belong to God: The position of the gospel-messenger, vv.1-2
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Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as
living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do
not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will
is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.
When we became Christians, we now belong to God for two reasons. First, by
virtue of Creation, God is the Father of all humankind. Second, by virtue of

1
Ptr. Jun Hernani Exposition 14 for Berean Fellowship, UCCP Davao October 15, 2010.
2
Bruce Wilkinson & Kenneth Boa, Talk Thru the Bible Vol.1(Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1983), 375.
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redemption, those who received Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior
became His children:

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his

name, he gave the right to become children of God - children
born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a
husband's will, but born of God. (John 1:12-13, NIV)

Now that we belong to God – let us offer our bodies…, v.1. Chapter 12
starts with the word ‘therefore’ which presupposes a conclusive statement. After the
doctrinal part (1-11) now comes the harder part – the application (12-16). Paul
issues an open invitation to the Roman believers after stating the fact that God has
shown his mercy to them. He says, “In view of God’s mercy, offer your bodies as
living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship.”
(Rom.12:1) Paul’s invitation which calls for an urgent response is based on what
God has done in Christ. God’s mercy is perfectly demonstrated in the redemptive
work of Christ. God’s mercy is his willingness to pardon us from all our sins if we
trust in the saving work of Christ. God’s mercy is his initiative to reach out to the
lost humanity. Paul has confirmed that the Roman believers are recipients of God’s
amazing grace and wondrous mercy. God has done his part of the bargain, now it’s
their turn – to offer their bodies as living sacrifices. In the Old Testament, temple
worship requires animal sacrifice because without the shedding of blood there is no
remission of sin. These animals are literally dead sacrifice. Picture the altar of the
temple before, it’s like a slaughter house! But Jesus Christ offered a sacrifice once
and for all. Jesus, the lamb of God, took away the sins of the world. What God
desires now is a living sacrifice. The life of the whole person: body, intellect,
emotions and will. What kind of sacrifice? A sacrifice that is ‘holy’ and ‘pleasing.’
Holy in the sense that it is being ‘set apart’ for God (moral quality) and pleasing in
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that it gives God pleasure. A living sacrifice has this tag: ‘For God’s Use Only.’
Because God owns us, there is no other appropriate response than to give our whole
being for God’s glory.
Now that we belong to God, there must be a transformation of the whole
person, v.2. Paul uses two related words in v.2 , “do not be conform any longer…
but be transformed…” It is our human tendency to conform to the patterns of this
world. Pattern in the original Greek refers to a ‘mold’. The best analogy of
‘conform’ is water poured in a container. The water always conforms to the shape
of the container. Paul is actually saying, “Do not follow the worldly system now
that you belong to Christ.” This means we have to do away with our former way of
life that is enslaved by sin. Transformation (‘metamorphos’ in Gk.), where the
English word ‘metamorphosis’ is coined, requires renewal of our mind. All battles
are fought in the mind. If our mind is renewed through the living Word,
transformation will occur. What did the Psalmist say, “How can a young man keep
his way pure? By living according to Your word.” (Psalm 119:9). Verse two tells us
of the continuous process of sanctification. As we live our lives in this world we
immerse ourselves in God’s Word and we refuse to be influenced by its
wickedness. Instead, we become God’s salt that preserves and God’s light that
exposes evil.
Second, we belong to God’s Body (The Church): The preparation of the
gospel-messenger, vv.3-8. 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you:
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself
with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4
Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all
have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each
member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace
given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it
is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him

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encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is
leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
Now that we belong to God’s body, everyone is important. An old familiar
song aptly describes our need for each other: “No one is an island, no one stands
alone, each one’s joy is joy to me, each one’s gain is my own.” In Matthew Henry’s
words, “All Christians are dependent one upon another; each is to expect and
receive help from the rest.”3 This is the truth: Each part of the body is related and
dependent to another. Just as a physical body grows healthy and works efficiently
with every part performing each duty so the Church grows with every member
working together for the common good of everyone. Our neglect or disregard of
any member of the body greatly affects the ministry of the Church. In the body of
Christ, there is no place for superiority or even inferiority because every member is
important. A story was told in relation to this text: One day, the parts of the
body convened for a meeting. The Eyes said, “We don’t need the Anus because it’s
shameful to look at!” The Nose agreed saying, “Yes, it emits bad odor!” And the
Ears said, “I hear nothing but negative feedback about its discharges!” And so every
member of the body decided that they don’t need the Anus. Anus felt very sad and
decided not to function since then. One day passed by. Nobody noticed. But after
three days, the stomach and head were aching and the Eyes were getting bigger. A
week later, the whole body was trembling: Every member of the body was in pain
because Anus refused to function. And so in humble surrender and great
desperation all the members of the body shouted in chorus, “Anus, we need you.
You are very important to us. Please forgive us for our disregard for you. You can
now freely function and do your part for the benefit of all!” Since then all agreed
that every member of the body is important especially the Anus. This story might be

3
Henry’s Concise Commentary in The Bible Library v.4 CD-Rom.
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a little humorous but it drives home the point of what Paul was saying: Every part
of the body is indeed important.
Now that we belong to God’s body, we have unique gifts. The eyes is for
seeing, the nose for smelling, the ears for listening, the feet for walking, the hands
for grasping, and so on. God has designed these parts to function according to
God’s purpose and will (1 Cor.12:18). Our aim as the body of Christ is not to
become uniform but to function faithfully as God intended us to be thereby
attaining God’s purposes in this world. Some of us in the church are eyes who
provide vision, some are ears who listen to the joys and sorrows of people, some are
hands who are ready to serve, and some are feet who bring us to where we should
go. Whatever part we are in the body of Christ, let us function faithfully. Therefore,
unity in the body of Christ is not uniformity but conformity to God’s intended
purpose for each part of the body doing its function faithfully. As we recognize and
respect the differences we have in each other and obediently do our part in the body
of Christ, we attain unity in the midst of diversity. Let us bear in mind that we were
given the privilege and honor to participate in God’s work. All the members of the
body of Christ with various gifts and functions unite to fulfill God’s work in this
world. According to Barclay, “Literally, we have to be the body of Christ, hands to
do his work, feet to run upon his errands, a voice to speak for him.”4 We represent
Christ in this world. This is both a privilege and an awesome task.
Now that we belong to God’s body, we must respect one another. This
equal concern is shown in our sympathy for each other. Paul perfectly describes it:
“If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all
rejoice together with it (v.26). We attain unity in diversity once we begin to “rejoice
with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.” The church, as a body of
4
Barclay’s Daily Study Bible Commentary in The Bible Library v.4 CD-Rom.
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Christ, must be a well-spring of grace expressed through acts of love, forgiveness,
compassion and care for one another. A body functions well in coordination with
each other not separately. In the same manner, health and efficiency are maintained
through equal concern for every member. In the Church, our witness to the world
and the community is shown through our love and care for each other. When Paul
likens the church to a body he was emphasizing the principle of unity in diversity.
Lastly, we belong to God and to God’s body to make a difference in this
world: The program/agenda of the gospel-messenger, vv.9-21
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Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one
another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking
in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient
in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with God's people who are in need. Practice
hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with
those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one
another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.
Do not be conceited. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is
right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at
peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's
wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20 On the
contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to
drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." 21 Do not be
overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (NIV)

We can make a difference in this world by discharging our Christian

duties. The first dispute that arose in the Early Church is found in Acts 6. This
concerns the feeding program in the church where the Greek-speaking widows were
discriminated over the Hebrew-speaking widows. The solution: appointment of the
first batch of Deacons in Christian history which included Stephen, the first
Christian martyr. The seven men who were to discharge the Christian duties were
wise and filled with the Holy Spirit. Since that appointment, no rumblings of
discontent occurred. As a result, the apostles were able to focus on three important

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things: prayer, preaching and teaching, v.4. Thus, the church grew rapidly with
God’s blessing.
Since that first dispute inside the church, Church history attests that Christian
churches have the tendency to forget its Christian duties within and without the
church. This is the reason why Paul has to include in his letter to the Romans 12:9ff
the virtues that every believer must possess: Loving, honoring, serving one another,
being hospitable, being joyful, faithful, patient, empathizing, living in peace and
humility, forgiving and leaving revenge to God. If Christians in every church begin
living these virtues people from outside will see the difference and somehow be
attracted. This will result to a strong testimony for Christ. Again, the problem of the
church is that we are not dispensing our Christian duties. There is a great disparity
between our preaching and practice. Nietzsche gave a bitter critique to the church of
his time by saying, “They would have to sing better songs to make me believe in
their Redeemer; his disciples would have to look more redeemed.”5 Mahatma

Gandhi had the same sentiments when he says, “I like your Christ, I do not like

your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”6 We must admit that we
fell short of Christ’s standard which is love from the heavenly Father. He told his
disciples, “They will know that you are my disciples by your love.” Paul has the
same emphasis. For the apostle, we can make a difference in this world by
making love the basis of our actions. In his letter to the Colossians 3:14 Paul
gives a similar exhortation: “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds
everything together in perfect harmony.” (NRSV) Whatever the church pursues
whether social service (meeting direct needs) or social action (seeking

5
Daniel L. Migliore, Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology (Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 1991), 187.
6
http://thinkexist.com/quotations/christianity/ (Cited: October 15, 2010 1:53pm).
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transformation of socio-political systems) the basis should be the love of God and
neighbor. We must never be driven be any ideologies. It should be clear that our
ministries are Christ-driven. We pursue personal and community transformation on
the basis that Christ is Lord of every aspect of our lives be it moral, social,
economic, political or spiritual.
We can also make a difference in this world by hating evil which is our
rejection of sin. Paul’s series of commands in chapter twelve is summarized in the
last verse, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (NIV) The
ultimate display of this is the Cross. At the cross God transformed the cruelest deed
of man into God’s awesome display of His grace and mercy. At the Cross of Christ
all our sins are paid. At the Cross of Christ, good overcame evil. Friends, we belong
to God and to the Church to bring transformation to this world. We can do it
through God’s amazing grace and the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. We
must continue to influence the world and reverse the trend of wickedness into
godliness. This on-going process is captured by Charles Ringma’s words:

Living the gospel is not a matter of a technique that seeks to

convert others. It is simply the opening out to others of a life
that has been opened to God. Or to put that differently, it is
revealing the awakening that God has brought to our lives.
Living the gospel is living God’s main story of the
redemption of Christ for humanity and the created order in
the particularities of our daily lives and relationships, while
acknowledging that so much of the old story still persists.7

Brothers and sisters in Christ we have the greatest privilege in the world:
Belonging to God and His body. But this privilege comes with a great responsibility
of sharing the Gospel to all by our words and life. Let us pray…

7
Charles Ringma, Whispers From the Edge of Eternity: Reflections On Life and Faith in a Precarious World (Manila: OMF
Literature Inc., 2005), 231.
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