“Transformed: More Than Meets the Eye” (Romans 12 - Razorplanet

Notes
1 Moo writes, “Romans 12:1–2 is one of the best-known passages in the Bible—and deservedly so, for we find here a
succinct description of the essence of the believer’s response to God’s grace in the gospel of Jesus Christ. It
functions as the heading for all the specifics Paul will unpack in the subsequent chapters. Our response is rooted in
God’s grace.” Douglas J. Moo, Romans. NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), 394.
2 In his thirteen epistles, Paul often uses this literary device, see Gal 1–4, 5–6, Eph 1–3, 4–6; Col 1–2, 3–4, 1 Thess
1–3, 4–5; cf. Heb 1–11, 12–13. This is not to say that duty and application are never addressed in these first sections
or that doctrine and theology are absent from these final sections. But there is a distinct difference in the flavor of
these sections and how Paul “breaks” each down.
3 Kenneth Boa and William Kruidenier, Romans. Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville: Holman
Reference, 2000), 363.
4 John P. Correia, “A Passionate Commitment” (Rom 12:1–8): unpublished sermon notes.
5 These verses provide the summary for the rest of the letter. Schreiner remarks, “If all the exhortations contained
here [12:1–15:13] could be boiled down to their essence, they would be reduced to the words: Give yourselves
wholly to God; do not be shaped by the old world order, but let new thought patterns transform your life.” Thomas
Schreiner, Romans. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998), 640.
6 Boa and Kruidenier, Romans, 361.
7 Gk. oun, see Rom 3:20; 5:1; 8:1.
8 Moo comments: “‘Therefore’ must be given its full weight: Paul wants to show that the exhortations of 12:1-15:13
are built firmly on the theology of chaps. 1-11. The English verb ‘exhort’ captures well the nuance of the Greek
parakaleo in contexts such as this. Its semantic range lies somewhere between ‘request’ and ‘command’: an
exhortation comes with authority, but the authority of a preacher who is the mediator of God’s truth rather than the
authority of a superior issuing a command.” Douglas J. Moo, The Epistle to the Romans. New International
Commentary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996), 748-49.
9 James 1:22: “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”
10 The term parakaleo often introduces a discrete section in a letter (1 Cor 1:10; 2 Cor 10:1; Eph 4:1; Phil 4:2; 1
Thess 4:1; 1 Tim 2:1).
11 See also Everett F. Harrison and Donald A. Hagner, “Romans” in the Revised Expositors Bible Commentary
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008), 182. Ash writes, “The word ‘urge’ is stronger than a mere request (‘Now here’s
an idea. Go away and think about it.’) but different from a command with sanctions (‘Do this or else’). It means to
exhort or appeal.” Christopher Ash, Teaching Romans, Volume 2 (London: Proclamation of Trust, 2009), 151. Stott
rightly reminds us that “in spite of our newness in Christ . . . holiness is neither automatic nor inevitable.” John R. W.
Stott, Romans: God’s Good News for the World (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1994), 317.
12 Harold W. Hoehner, “Romans” in The Bible Knowledge Word Study (Colorado Springs: Victor, 2006), 188.
BDAG s.v. parakaleo 2: “to urge strongly, appeal to, urge, exhort, encourage.”
13 The noun oiktirmon (“mercy”) appears five times in the NT (Rom 12:1; 2 Cor 1:3; Phil 2:1; Col 3:12; Heb 10:28).
14 See Rom 9:11, 15, 16, 18, 23; 11:30–32. It is true that mercy occurs in Romans only in chapters 9-11 (9:15, 23;
11:31) and not in chapters 1-8, but most believe that mercy sums up the grace and compassion of God throughout the
epistle. As Stott, Romans, 320 says, “The gospel is precisely God's mercy to inexcusable and undeserving sinners, in
giving his Son to die for them, in justifying them freely by faith, in sending them the life-giving Spirit, and in making
them his children.” Boa and Kruidenier, Romans, 367 writes: “This concludes Paul's introductory exhortation
following eleven chapters of doctrinal foundation. It would not be off the mark to say that all of Romans 1-11 could
be summarized under the rubric of ‘the mercy of God.’ Starting with the initial chapters when the utter sinfulness of
humans is revealed, it quickly becomes obvious that mercy is all that can save the human race. By the time we get to
the end of chapter 11, Paul declares that God’s grand purpose is to have mercy on all (the elect) without exception.
Therefore, when Paul says in Romans 12:1, ‘in view of God’s mercy,’ he is saying, ‘in view of Romans 1-11’; ‘in
view of your sin, God’s salvation, your sanctification, and God’s sovereignty, it really is a spiritually reasonable
thing for you to sacrifice yourself for him.’ That is Paul’s conclusion to Romans 1-11 and his introduction to Romans
12-16.”
15 The NIV’s “God’s mercy” conceals the fact that the Greek word for “mercy” is in the plural (“mercies”).
16 Paul appeals to the mind (“Therefore”), to the emotions and to the heart (“by the mercies of God”), and to the will
(“you”). See Michael Eaton, Romans. Preaching Through the Bible (Kent, UK: Sovereign World Trust, 2010), 224–
25.
17 Michael Eaton, Romans: A Practical Exposition, forthcoming.