I present you my notes on Romans Chapter 12. I learned a lot while working this section through. I hope that it blesses you, or at least causes you to stop and think about the verses for a while. As always, if you disagree, or would like like to comment or discuss please free do so.
Rom 12:1 — I call to you and admonish you because of God’s wisdom, His justice, and actions in redeeming you my brothers, who share with me God as a common father, through God’s compassion and care for you that you present yourself and all that you are as a holy, clean and pure living sacrificial offering to God. This service to God is the logical response to what God has done for you.
Rom 12:2 — And not only should you present your bodies as a living offering to God, you should not let yourself be shaped and molded to the habit patterns and desires of this current age, nor should you try to be like them. But instead of conforming, you must transform yourself, from the inside out, making the thoughts and desires of your mind new, better and improved. Do this so that you may put to the test and prove for yourself that God’s will and desires are good in every way, they are pleasing and helpful and they are complete, perfect having all that you need to understand and judge things by.
Rom 12:3 — I am telling each and every one of you this by the specific grace and favor that God has given to me to share with you. All of you, each and every one you that I am sharing this with, you should not feel or think overly highly of yourself. You should not think that you are better than others, but in contrast to thinking highly of yourself, you should instead think and feel safe thoughts, exerting control in how you think because it is the case that our God had distributed to each and every one of you the measure, the standard of trust and confidence.
Rom 12:4-5 — For the fact is, it is the same as it is regarding the members of our human body. All our members, our fingers, our legs, toes, lips etc., are part of our body and we have many different parts. But all these parts do not serve the same function, they do not serve the same purpose.
It is in this manner that we, even though we are such a large number of people, are all only one body, resting in, and part of The Anointed One. [Christ our savior] and we each, all of us, are also members of the body of Christ. [Each of us having a different function and purpose in the body.
Rom 12:6-8 — but moreover having this favor [of being different members of the body of Christ] of different purposes according to the gift of God’s grace that is supplied us. If it is prophecy [being able to speak for God]; we do it according to the standard of the faith.
If your purpose and call is to ministry, that is to serve others, then do so, resting yourself in service [devoting yourself to service.] if you are a teacher then teach resting in and devoting yourself to the act of teaching.
If one’s purpose in the body is to exhort, encourage and admonish others put your whole self into the act of encouraging others. If you are called to share and give to others, do so in honesty, not magnifying what you do. If you are called to lead and care for others do so with a full attention to detail about what needs to be done. If you are called to show compassion to others, do so willingly and happily.
Rom 12:9 — Your love for others should be real and not faked. You should actively dislike that which is evil and full of hardships and harassment, that which is diseased and wicked. Let yourself be attached to and hold tightly to that which is good and proper and upright.
Rom 12:10 — Have a mutual love with each other as brothers and sisters, coming from the same family. See each other as valuable and honor that value. Each of you mutually leading the other by example.
Rom 12:11 — You should not be slow to respond in the business and service to which you have been called and you should be quick and diligent in performing your duties. You should be fervent, strongly desirous of spiritual things. You should serve as an underling to the Lord.
Rom 12:12 — Rejoice and be glad in the expectation of God’s promises to you; Bear up and endure the pressures and afflictions that you come up against; be ready always to pray, to speak out to God (always expecting His answer).
Rom 12:13 — You should share of what is yours to meet the needs of your fellow saints. You should also actively pursue showing your love and care to those who are strangers to you and even to those who are outside of God’s family.
Rom 12:14 — Most importantly, you are to bless, praise and help those that seek to put you to flight and persecute you. Again, I say to you, bless them, that is to say speak well of and help them and do not curse them and call evil down upon them.
Rom 12:15 — Rejoice and be glad when you are among those who are rejoicing. Don’t be that person who is down when all around them is happiness. and weep and mourn with those who are in mourning. Give them the space to do so. Don’t be that person who tries to get everyone to put on a false face of happiness.
Rom 12:16 — Think the same way about each other. Do not think or feel differently about those that have honor or that can give you honor, but instead of this, adapt yourself and join yourself also to those whose status is lower than yours and think of them and treat them as equal to you as well. Don’t be always seeking and desiring things only for yourself.
Rom 12:17 — Do not give back to anyone that which is evil or worthless as payback for their doing what is evil or worthless. Give thought and care to provide for others that which is good and excellent in the sight of all the human race.
Rom 12:18 — In regard to what you do and how you act, if others will allow you to do so, be at peace and harmony with all the people around you.
Rom 12:19 — My beloved don’t try to vindicate or avenge yourself and punish others. Instead of doing this give room and time to the wrath that is to come, for the fact is that it is written in the scriptures that the Lord has said that “vengeance and justice belong to Me. I will pay whatever is right, whether those deserve good or bad.”
Rom 12:20 — If it is the case, (that we are to allow the Lord to take care of the situation) then if those who have done you wrong are hungry, then feed them. If they are thirsty or have need then give them something to drink or meet that need. For it is the cast that in doing this you will both honor and shame them as if you had given them hot coals to take back to their fire.
Rom 12:21 — Do not let yourself be overcome by the evil which you experience, but instead overcome that evil by resting in and doing that which is good and honorable.
Keith Carter Ministries 