Religion and Theology

The Bible, especially as might be expected, the New Testament, contains a number of passages concerned with what the Christian should be like, his attitudes, the things he should and should not do, and especially perhaps, with the main theme of the whole of scripture -  his relationship with his God.. Passages such as for example Philippians 2 v 5 Your attitude should be the same as Christ Jesus which links back to those early words in Genesis 1 v 27 where the Bible tells how God created mankind in his own image  Gods word sets out clearly  that  what is known of God is to be mankinds pattern for living . The author, Paul, then goes on to explain what kind of life that was ( Philippians  2 verse 6-11) using an early Christian hymn (The gospels were not yet in circulation a t this time.) . Also Galatians 4 v 13 I say live by the Spirit. And again reasons are given why this is right, in this case so as they might not fall into sin.
 In his prologue ( John 1 v 12 ) the evangelist describes a Christian as being a child of God and in John chapter 3 Jesus himself describes  becoming a Christian as having a new birth in the Spirit. In this essay though there will be a concentration on Pauls letter to the Romans, especially chapter 12 with its plan for the sanctified life..
Romans is Pauls longest known letter and perhaps the clearest explanation of  what the Apostle to the Gentiles considers the Christian  life to be. As with all scripture the letter, although it has a clear beginning and end, cannot be read or understood in isolation, but should instead be  seen in the context of the whole Bible.
Chapter 12 of the epistle begins with imagery taken from Judaism and Jewish worship and is of a living sacrifice ( v 1) and so one that is holy and pleasing to God. Many of Paul s readers shared his Jewish background  and would have been familiar with passages such as that in Psalm 24  where, the worshipper is going  up to the temple to  make a sacrifice and asks (N.I.V.) -
Who may ascend the hill of the Lord( i.e. in order to make a sacrifice) Who
may stand in his holy place H e who has clean hands and a pure heart.
The reference is not to ritual purity, although that was, and is, important within Judaism, but a real purity of purpose being necessary in order to make a worthy sacrifice..
Eugene Peterson in his Message paraphrase speaks of everyday life, all the ordinary things people do, as being worthy sacrifices Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.( The Message Romans 12 v 1 ,page 1542) which the N.I.V. translates as Your spiritual act of worship. K.E.Kirk in the Clarendon Commentary on Romans ( 1937) page 230, explains how this idea of a living sacrifice  fits in with the Old Testament idea of sacrifice not being about the actual death of the victim, but rather about the willingness to offer life to God as when Abraham is prepared to give his only son, if that is what God demanded.( Genesis 22) Barrett in his 1957 translation  ( page 230 ) has the words This  is the spiritual worship you owe him. Owe him why Because Christ sacrificed his living body for them as Paul has already explained to them. Romans 4 v 25 and  in 5 v 15 ( after an explanation of how sin came into the world)  ( N.I.V.)-   
He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
How much more will those who receive Gods abundant provision  of grace
 and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through  the one man, Jesus Christ
   
The passage goes on to say that Christians, while living in the world, should not conform so closely to it that they cannot be distinguished from it. Paul the apostle then goes on to explain in which ways they should be different.
12 v 2 describes how, though the body itself must wait for the day of resurrection, but the Christian mind needs to be transformed into one ready and better able to serve God, and to use the body to do so. The point the apostle is trying to get across is that his readers should  allow their minds to be transformed  so that they can truly offer both mind and body as in the hymn Take my life by Frances R.Havergal which includes lines such as Take my lips and let them move at  the impulse of they love.
The verses 12 v 2 -21 have been described as a sermon on brotherhood in the church, that is living the sanctified, holy life amongst other Christians.
12 v 3 Because of the grace God has given him, Paul feels he understands what is required for the good, acceptable and perfect life of the church. The word faith here is to be taken in its widest connotations to mean all the gifts, spiritual and physical with which God has endowed each person.
12v 4 Although born into a Jewish family and he was now a follower of Christ, Paul of course lived in an Hellenic world and this idea of individuals being part of a larger whole community was taken from Greek philosophy. The analogy of the church as the body of Christ is one that Paul used on several occasions as in Colossians 1 v 18 He is the head of the body, the church, and is similar to the analogies with buildings as in Ephesians 2 where images of a city, a household, a building and the temple are used all of are things which need all the parts to fit together well if they are to be complete and fully usable entities. This is more than just a philosophical idea however as the body of Christ is where he is  - where his mind, his spirit , his love , his willingness to sacrifice, his saving grace, his  access to the father  all these are present in Christ and should be present in his church.
This wont happen in an instant of course, but Paul does expect there to be spiritual and moral development. Compare this idea with 2nd Corinthians 3 v 17,18 ( N.I.V)-   
    Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled
faces all reflect the  Lords glory, are being transformed into his likeness
 with ever increasing glory , which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
This is an important point for Christians, that being holy isnt something to be worked at, although good works  will result, but is because of the Spirit of Christ dwelling within them. This indwelling then goes on to produce fruit. Love, Romans 5 v 5 ( N.I.V.)-
    God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
It brings freedom from condemnation, as in Romans 8 v 1,2 (N.I.V.)-
    There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because
 through Christ Jesus the  law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law
 of sin and death.
This freedom and love should then lead quite naturally to service  as described in Romans 7 v 6 ( N.I.V.)-
    We serve in a new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.
This written code was of course the Jewish law with its many intricacies that controlled every action, but during the Sermon on the Mount  ( Matthew 5 v 17, N.I.V.) Jesus said to the gathered crowds -   
Do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets I have not
come to abolish them but to fulfil them.
This was to be a better, more fulfilled way of living.
Next comes a practical guide to church life in verses 4 -13. The order should be noted , for it is necessary to be in a right relationship with God before one can expect to get on with  ones fellow believers. This section is basically about humility  not being jealous of anothers position or gifts, whatever these might be , but all are to work together in harmony, none being more important than another, as the body of Christ. There is a lesson here for church leaders who might on occasions feel it is easily to run a one man show i.e. take  on every role, especially those involving public worship, for themselves or for only a limited number of people. Rather Paul exhorts the church to let people use their gifts, whatever they are, according to their faith. (v 6)
The passage though isnt jus t about living life cut from the world in a holy huddle. In the prologue to his gospel the evangelist John explains how Christ shone as a light in a dark world , a world which did not understand him or his message, yet which he still cared about deeply ( John 1 v 5 and10).In Romans 12 v 14 ff advice is given as to how to deal with the world around, even those who would persecute Christians ( v 14). And the message isnt just about toleration or longsuffering  Christians are exhorted to bless their persecutors. Live, as far as is possible in harmony with everyone ( v 16)  How many Christians when asked too bring along or invite  a non-Christian friend to an event , have to admit to not having non-Christian friends  yet here is an exhortation to get alongside people  to share their joys and sorrows , and through this show them Christ.
So the passage can be divided into three sections
The attitude of the Christian to God, Romans 12 v 1-3
Hi s attitude towards fellow Christians Romans 12 v 4 -13
His attitude to the people and world around him including his persecutors and those in authority Romans 12 v 14  13 v 1
These sections are not hard and fast divisions an dare part of a greater whole The attitude to God must spill over into attitudes towards fellow Christians and outside into the world. Love of God will mean a more loving attitude to all. And it must be a sincere love, not just a case of doing what is expected. Romans 12 v 9 ( N.I.V.)-
    Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil, cling to what is good.
There is again  a link of ideas with Philippians, another letter driven by love for fellow believers. Philippians 2 v 2  be one in spirit and purpose and verses 3 and 4 of the same passage ( N.I.V.)-
    Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider
others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests , but also to the interests of others.   
Context
The letter was written to mainly unknown people, strangers, Christians in the city of Rome, whom Paul had not yet met although he would later travel to Rome as described by Luke in the book of Acts, 22 v 22  28 v 31. Tertius, who actually wrote the letter down, presumably at Pauls dictation, doe s know people in Rome however, so there are links. ( Romans 16 v22)
Despite never having met them Paul obviously feels an affinity with the Romans believers as part of the body of Christ described in chapter 12.Chapter 1 v 8 (N.I.V.)
I thank my God through Jesus Chris t for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.
Paul was planning a trip to Spain and wanted to visit Rome on the way as he tells his readers in Romans 15 v 28.. He describes his readers ( Romans 1 v 7) as  all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints. Although in some tradition Peter is credited with founding the Roman church it is probably much more likely to have been established by Jewish pilgrims who had been present perhaps at that first Pentecost. Acts 2 v10 mentions visitors from Rome being present in the crowd who heard Peters sermon on that day.
 In Romans 1 verse 10 he explains that he has been praying for them and hopes, at some future point, to be able to visit. Paul doesnt say much without an explanation of why he is saying it and here it is in verses 11 and 12 ( N.I.V.)-
I long to see you so that I might impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong  that is that you and I  may be mutually encouraged  by each others
faith.   
The main theme of the whole letter is justification by faith and sanctification by the Holy Spirit. Paul explains the plan of salvation, not just for Jews or for Gentiles, but for everyone  Romans 3 v 22,23 (N.I.V.)-
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference for all have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God.
There is an obvious link here to passages from other letters such as that to the backsliding Galatian church. Galatians 3 v 26-28 ( N.I.V.)
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized in to Christ have clothed yourself with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Ernst Kasemannn is quoted by Douglas Moo in the New Bible Commentary, 1994, ( page 1118) as saying that the theme is The righteousness of God by which he can be said to mean  the God who intervenes  in order to claim back a relationship with his creation.  Barrett on the other hand ( pages 233 ff) has  the whole section from verse 3  under the heading The Christian offering, but has a separate heading The ground of Christian  ethics for verses 1,2. Barrett points out ( page 230) how this letter is often understood as being divided into dogma,  ( chapters 1-11) and ethics (chapters 12 and13.) Barrett feels however that this is a false distinction as one is so clearly built upon the other. The good works to which the church is enjoined in chapter 12 are not to be understood as being in any way a contradiction of justification by faith, but are rather the natural outworking of the obedience that is a natural part of real faith.
The letter is not an attempt at systematic theology  agreed creeds would come along rather later in church history. Instead this is a letter written to meet particular circumstances  Paul wants to explain to them who he is, what his circumstances are, and also to tell them more about the Christian life  what it is and what it isnt.
I t is likely that the letter was written during a three month stay in Greece after the end of the third missionary journey. (Acts 20 v 3-6). It is possible according to some scholars including Kirk,( page 15) that this was originally a general letter and that  the parts specifically addressed to the Romans  were added at some point.
Conclusion
When Paul wrote this letter he was not writing from some ivory tower where all was well and nothing evil ever made an appearance. He had reached Corinth, as far as is known his most westerly point so far, and now looks onward some 600 miles to the north west and Rome, where a large and established Jewish colony existed although, according to Acts 28 v 21, the leaders of the synagogue in Rome seem to have had no prior knowledge of either Paul or his message. The Christian group did not necessarily have an easy time there. Acts 18 v 2 mentions that under Claudius the Jews had been expelled from Rome, although no reason is given. Barrett, page 6 ( 1957) quotes Suetonius as believing riots had broken out, Barrett believing this took place when  Christ and his gospel  was first  proclaimed in Roman synagogues. Paul had just finished a period of missionary work between Jerusalem and Illyricum, Romans 15 v 19. In 15 v31 we find he is anticipating danger in Judea, yet he is able to conclude his letter with the word s, To the only wise God be glory. The kind of sanctified living that Paul lays out before the Roman church was no guarantee of an easy life, but it would ultimately be a glorious one.
Metzger and Coogan, ( 1993) page 660, describe the whole letter as being about Gods lordship and the passage from 12 v 1- 16 v 27 as being concerned with Gods lordship in everyday  life with all its problems, both within and outside the Christian community. In 13 v 1-7 he speaks of the Christians relationship to the state authorities and then , chapter 13  v 8-14, to ones more immediate neighbors , and in 14 v 1  15 v 13 Paul gives very practical instructions as to how to cope with different ideas an d practices within the Christian community.

Paul has just been dealing with a matter close to his heart ( Chapters 9 -11) the rejection by many Jews of Gods plan for their salvation, but now he moves on to a more hopeful passage, where he explores how Gods plan can be worked out in everyday life by those  who have placed their faith in him H e is well aware that these people are not beginners as far as faith is concerned  as he explains in 15 v14, but nevertheless he is concerned that they understand a s much and as clearly as possible  so that (N.I.V. Romans 15 v 16)-
    The Gentiles might become an offering  acceptable to god, sanctified by the
 Holy Spirit.
His desire is that each one of them will, because they trust in Christ , will be full of hope, joy and peace and overflowing with  hope by the power of the Holy spirit
George Eldon Ladd  in A Theology of the New Testament ( 1975) describes the passage in Romans 12 as Pauls most  extended horatory  or encouraging passage ( page 518). In other letters he is dealing with specific problems and situations as in the Letter to the backward looking Galatians, but in this case he does not personally know his audience, only knowing that they are seeking to serve Christ where they are. He perhaps does not know how much knowledge they have got of the gospel and of spiritual matters so he explains things clearly and in an encouraging way  you can do it, with the grace of God and the power of the Spirit, you can lead a sanctified Christian life, even where you are at the heart of the pagan Roman empire. This message, almost 2000 years old, contains eternal truths and so can still be applicable today for Christians struggling to serve God in a world where their ideas  and motives are almost alien to the society in which they live. In his commentary on Romans 9-16 William Hendriksen heads the entry for Romans 12  Practical Application. He asks the question (page 413) What should be the attitude of the justified believer  towards fellow Christians and answers it by quoting from Romans 12 v 10 Be devoted to on e another in brotherly love.
This not a letter explaining some dull theological point  this is a practical and loving guide to living a life of holiness.