Some Key Words (12/6/00)

Urge (parakaleo [3870]):

to call to one's side, aid, comfort, exhort, desire, call for, beseech strongly; to summon, to call upon by exhortation, entreaty, etc., to admonish, to beg, to console or encourage, to instruct or teach; to call near, invite, implore

Mercies (oiktirmos [3628]):

compassion, pity, a heart of compassion, emotions, longings, manifestations of pity;

Holy (hagios [40]):

set apart, sanctified, consecrated, devoted to the service of God, sharing in His purity and abstaining from earthly defilement; a most holy thing, a saint; sacred, physically pure, morally blameless, and ceremonially consecrated

Service of worship (latreia [2999]):

divine service, sacrificial service; service rendered for hire, ministration, the service of God, the worship of God according to the Levitical code, to perform sacred services; ministration to God

Conformed (suschematizo [4964]):

to fashion together with, to fall in with; to fashion oneself according to another's pattern; to fashion alike, to conform to the same pattern

Transformed (metamorphoo [3339]):

to change form; to transfigure;

Renewing (anakainosis [342]):

to become qualitatively new again, renovation, to make a person different than previously; complete change for the better;

Prove (dokimazo [1381]):

to try, discern, distinguish, approve, to determine whether a thing is worthy to be received or not, to bring forth the good in us; to test, examine, scrutinize, to see if a thing is genuine, to recognize as genuine, to approve, deem worthy;

Will (thelema [2307]):

the result of willing, an expression of pleasure towards what is liked or desired, God's gracious disposition towards something as opposed to a commandment of God; what one wishes to be done, what one has determined will be done, the purpose of God through Christ, the commands and precepts of God as pertains to our actions, choice, inclination, desire, pleasure; a determination, volition

Good (agathos [18]):

benevolent, profitable, useful; of good constitution or nature, agreeable, excellent, distinguished, upright, honorable;

Acceptable (euarestos [2101]):

well-pleasing, agreeable;; fully agreeable

Perfect (teleios [5046]):

full-grown, of full age, having attained the intended goal, spotless, having no deficiencies, something done as it ought to be, preeminent, completely blameless; brought to its end, finished, wanting nothing in its completeness, complete human integrity and virtue, mature; complete

 

Paraphrase: (12/6/00)

1 Consider God's mercies, and knowing them, make yourselves as living sacrifices. Keep your body holy and acceptable to God, this is spiritual worship. 2 Don't allow yourselves to become attuned to this world, but let the renewing of your mind attune you to God. By your thoughts and actions, stand as living proof that the will of God is good, nay, perfect; and that the godly life is acceptable.

Key Verse: (12/6/00)

12:2 - By being in the world but not of it, by living and behaving in a manner consistent with our calling, we stand as witnesses of God's good and perfect will for mankind.

People Mentioned: (12/6/00)

N/A

Some Parallel Verses (12/6/00)

12:1

1Co 1:10 - We are urged to unity in mind and judgement; 2Co 10:1-4 - to recognize that our leaders walk not in the ways of the flesh, but in the ways of the spirit; that our warfare is spiritual, rather than physical; Eph 4:1 - to walk worthy of our calling; 1Pe 2:11 - to abstain from the lusts of the flesh. Ro 6:13 - We need to stop giving our bodies over to sin, and rather fashion them into tools of righteousness, Ro 6:16 - for we become enslaved to that which we obey - either dying by enslavement to sin, or living by enslavement to righteousness. Ro 6:19 - Our presenting of ourselves to righteousness should be as wholehearted and thorough as was our previous presenting of ourselves to sin. 1Co 6:20 - We ought to bear in mind constantly the price by which God bought us from our enslavement to sin, and as such maintain ourselves such that our bodies glorify God. Heb 13:15 - We ought always to be offering up sacrifices of praise, our thanks to God continually passing our lips. 1Pe 2:5 - We are living stones in the house of God, a holy priesthood and an acceptable sacrifice through Christ Jesus.

12:2

1Pe 1:14 - We are to be obedient in not conforming to the lusts we chased when we were ignorant of God's desire for us. Mt 13:22 - The man who hears God, but then gets caught up in the world's ways is likened to seed sown among thorns. Gal 1:4 - Christ gave Himself to deliver us out of this present age, as God willed it to be done. 1Jn 2:15 - He who loves the world does not love the Father. Eph 4:23 - We are renewed in our minds first. Ti 3:5 - Salvation came by His mercy, not our works; for in His mercy, he has regenerated and renewed us in the Holy Spirit. Eph 5:10 - We are trying to learn what pleases God, Eph 5:17 - seeking to know His will, so that we will not be foolish. Col 1:9 - Our unceasing prayer ought to be that we all are filled with full and complete knowledge of His will, of spiritual wisdom and understanding.

 

New Thoughts (12/6/00)

First and foremost, it seems almost imperative to fold the definitions back into the verses this time.

1 I beg and encourage you therefore, brethren, by God's heart of compassion, to present your bodies a living, physically pure, morally blameless, and ceremonially consecrated sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your worship of God according to the Levitical code. 2 And do not fashion yourselves according to the pattern of this world, but undergo metamorphosis by the complete changing of your mind for the better, that you may discern, approve, and recognize as genuine what the purpose of God through Christ is, that which is profitable and fully agreeable and wanting nothing in its completeness.

Coming out of this, I first see that the answer to my question would appear to be both. Paul appeals to our recognition of God's heart of compassion to encourage us to our utmost effort to live a righteous life. Simultaneously, he offers the manifestation of God's pity on our current estate, and His compassionate efforts on our behalf, as the only means by which we can hope to comply. What He commands, He empowers. We are to keep ourselves with the same care that attended the keeping of any sacrificial animal, that daily we might offer ourselves up to God once more.

The other thing that seems clear to me, is that my initial assessment of this passage misunderstood the direction of the proving. While we are most certainly to stand as God's witness, both by our words and by our actions, that is not the sense of this particular passage. Rather, Paul is accenting the fact that without the complete change of our mind that comes from God, without that metamorphosis in our outlook and character, we cannot recognize the true nature of God's will, if we can recognize His will at all. The pagans of Paul's day, as well as the new pagans of our own, largely recognize that there is a will, a higher power ruling over the events of this life. But, they neither recognize the true Source, nor do they recognize the true nature of that will. Prior to our own metamorphosis, neither did we recognize the beauty of our Lord. Rather, we found nothing in His appearance to recommend Himself to our love.

But after that metamorphosis! Oh, how wonderful, how marvelous are His plans as they unfold before us! Indeed, His ways are useful and beneficial to us, for He has freed us from our slavery to death and shown us the way to live. His ways are fully agreeable, for as we grow in Him, as we learn to trust Him ever more fully, we recognize that indeed all that He does is for our good, as we remain in His will. His ways lack nothing! They will always attain to their goal.

Thus renewed, we do our utmost to bear in mind the price God paid for our freedom, and so keep our desire to be presentable before Him ever in mind (1Co 6:20). We find ourselves offering up our praises to Him throughout the day (Heb 13:15), as the eyes He has opened see His hand shaping events around us. We expend every effort in learning what will please our God (Eph 5:10), to know His will, that we may do it (Eph 5:17). Our prayers each day are that He would fill us to the complete knowledge of His will, a completeness of spiritual wisdom (Col 1:9), because we have come to know that without His guidance we are incapable of succeeding in anything but foolishness.

Lord, I thank You for the wisdom You have shared with me. I thank You that Your ways have been so marvelously coming together and intertwining, that rather than conforming to the world around me, You have been showing me ways to conform that world to Your desire. I thank You that You prepare me by the church family You have appointed for me, to face the challenges of the jobs You have called me to do. Father, in the workplace, You have directed me to take up the challenges of leadership, You have directed me to do so in the midst of a contentious and wounded environment, but You have not sent me unprepared. No, You have prepared me through service to You. You have taught me through the example of my leaders, to lead by serving. As I go forth into the workplace today, God, help me to stand by that example, to walk by that example. Remind me, Father, to stop and draw strength from my praises of You, to offer You thanks for each victory as it comes. Help me, Lord, to remember to stop and seek after Your plan, to operate according to Your will and not my own.

I pray that same prayer in the realm of Your more direct service. Help us through the hard spots as we seek to bring You worship, as we seek to take up the Levitical role of leading Your people into the throne room. Build unity amongst us. I lift the worship leaders, the personality clashes, the stylistic issues, the technical problems all to You, Lord, and place my trust in You to work them out. Forgive me, Lord, for those times I've tried to rush Your answer. Father, for more than seven months now, You've had me studying this theme of unity. Daily, You have been displaying new aspects of Your desire for unity to me. Now, You have brought me to the place of applying that, of practicing the wisdom You have provided. May I be found an apt student, that You may be glorified now and forever!