Chapter 12

Romans: -1- -2- -3- -4- -5- -6- -7- -8- -9- -10- -11- -12- -13- -14- -15- -16-

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12:1 • For this reason, I encourage you, brothers and sisters, through the favors and compassions of God, to present your bodies a living offering [g], devoted to God and well-pleasing, for this is your reasonable service and worship. • 2 And do not share the same outward pattern of expression with this age but be metamorphosed [share the same pattern of expression with Christ Jesus], by the renewing of your mind, into God’s desire proven, that which is intrinsically good, well-pleasing, and complete.

• 3 I say to all among you, through the grace given to me, not to think of yourself above what is fitting to think; but to think sound thoughts, as God has allotted a measure of faith to each. • 4 For, just as we have many members in one body – yet not all the members have the same function, 5 so in the same way, even though we are many, we are still one body inside all the sphere of Christ; and specifically, members of one another. • 6 We then possess differing expressions of grace according to the grace given to each one of us. If your grace is prophecy, then prophesy according to your direction of faith. 7 If your grace is service, then [let grace move in the direction of faith] in service. If your grace is teaching, then in the teaching; 8 or exhorting, in the exhortation. Give in generosity; lead with zeal; show mercy with cheerfulness.

• 9 Love sincerely. Abhor evil; cleave to good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love; highly regard one another in honor. 11 In diligence be neither timid nor lazy; in spirit be fervent, serving the Lord. 12 In hope, rejoice; in pressures of travail, be patient. In prayer be constant. Contribute to the needs of the saints; practice hospitality.

• 14 Bless those who persecute you, to hunt you down. Bless, and speak well of them, and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. 16 Share the same heart-gut thinking towards one another, not as “exalted” thinking, but as walking together in lowliness of mind. Do not be “smart” towards each other.

• 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but foresee beauty and goodness towards all others. 18 Live at peace with all others as you are able. 19 Never avenge yourselves, beloved, but yield space to anger instead. Indeed, it is written, “’Mine is vengeance, I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Deuteronomy 32:35). 20 In contrast, if your enemy should hunger, feed him; if he should thirst, give him drink; for in so doing, you will be heaping coals of fire upon his head (Proverbs 25:21-22). • 21 Do not be overcome under evil, but overcome evil inside of good.

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Gospel Comments	Notes
• Kingdom: Kingdom is everything coming out from Covenant, including the return of our devotion to the Father. Yet Kingdom is first the Church, God’s Form through Jesus. • Ruling Verse 1: “Symmorphosed with the image of His Son” is “God manifest in the flesh.” And “the first born among many brethren” is Jesus now become His Church. We are metamorphosed, our minds are changed, by sharing the same pattern of expression with Jesus as every Word fulfilled. We are just like Jesus in all ways as we see Him as He is, inside our hearts and in one another’s faces. • Ruling Verse 9: Placing our mortal bodies inside of God as a living offering is our intercession that sets creation free. And like Jesus, we carry our brethren in our hearts to God inside bodies of weakness offered to God, for Father’s sake. • The Form for God through Jesus: It’s easy to identify someone who has received MERCY from God. Such a one never trusts in self but only Jesus, and never withholds that same Mercy from any other. We are the body of Christ, the form of Jesus to all heaven and earth. We are members of one another. We belong together. Our differences complement one another’s need. Paul has one purpose in Romans 9-11, and that is to go from the Gospel Core, Romans 8:18-30, to the Church, carrying with him all who NEED Jesus. • The Form for God through Jesus: Grace is the gift of God Himself sharing life with us. Our gathering together as the Church is God made visible as Love. That gathering together is also a living Spirit entity, with the flow of Spirit among us as this same giving that is Grace. We give to each other through faith that which the Spirit has first given to each. • The Form for God through Jesus: Grace and need are made for each other and always go together. As Jesus said, “My Grace – your need.” Each one of us has grace that others need. And each one in the local Church has grace that we need. • Ruling Verse 2: God alone is Love. God did not make us to Love in ourselves, but rather, to be filled with God. For this reason, God must teach us what Love, as God among us, is and does in practical expression. These practical aspects of God-Love do not come through “fleshy trying,” but through faith that God already is. • Kingdom: The Kingdom is God free to be Himself inside of His creation. These practical aspects of loving one another are the Father showing Himself to all through our togetherness. • Ruling Verse 8: The practical expression that is the Spirit of Love poured out in our hearts (see Romans 5:5) goes ever further into every difficulty in this present world. We bless, we speak God’s goodness into all, even those who hurt us. We do not speak against any. • The Form for God through Jesus: To walk with God is to walk beneath, lifting others up. To walk as God’s form is to walk in lowliness of mind, seeing each other as “better.” • Ruling Verse 1: To “foresee goodness towards all others” is the same as “synergeoing with God, making all things good.” We turn what was meant for evil into the outcome of goodness. • Ruling Verse 4: There is no “good versus evil.” Rather, all goodness, in foreseeing goodness, acts out from that goodness that is God to meet people’s needs in surprising and immediate ways. Thus that which was meant for evil is rather swallowed up by GOODNESS.	g. The word is offering, not sacrifice. This refers to that which is freely given, and not the “spilling of blood” a second time.

Gospel Comments

Notes

• Kingdom: Kingdom is everything coming out from Covenant, including the return of our devotion to the Father. Yet Kingdom is first the Church, God’s Form through Jesus.

• Ruling Verse 1: “Symmorphosed with the image of His Son” is “God manifest in the flesh.” And “the first born among many brethren” is Jesus now become His Church. We are metamorphosed, our minds are changed, by sharing the same pattern of expression with Jesus as every Word fulfilled. We are just like Jesus in all ways as we see Him as He is, inside our hearts and in one another’s faces.

• Ruling Verse 9: Placing our mortal bodies inside of God as a living offering is our intercession that sets creation free. And like Jesus, we carry our brethren in our hearts to God inside bodies of weakness offered to God, for Father’s sake.

• The Form for God through Jesus: It’s easy to identify someone who has received MERCY from God. Such a one never trusts in self but only Jesus, and never withholds that same Mercy from any other. We are the body of Christ, the form of Jesus to all heaven and earth. We are members of one another. We belong together. Our differences complement one another’s need. Paul has one purpose in Romans 9-11, and that is to go from the Gospel Core, Romans 8:18-30, to the Church, carrying with him all who NEED Jesus.

• The Form for God through Jesus: Grace is the gift of God Himself sharing life with us. Our gathering together as the Church is God made visible as Love. That gathering together is also a living Spirit entity, with the flow of Spirit among us as this same giving that is Grace. We give to each other through faith that which the Spirit has first given to each.

• The Form for God through Jesus: Grace and need are made for each other and always go together. As Jesus said, “My Grace – your need.” Each one of us has grace that others need. And each one in the local Church has grace that we need.

• Ruling Verse 2: God alone is Love. God did not make us to Love in ourselves, but rather, to be filled with God. For this reason, God must teach us what Love, as God among us, is and does in practical expression. These practical aspects of God-Love do not come through “fleshy trying,” but through faith that God already is.

• Kingdom: The Kingdom is God free to be Himself inside of His creation. These practical aspects of loving one another are the Father showing Himself to all through our togetherness.

• Ruling Verse 8: The practical expression that is the Spirit of Love poured out in our hearts (see Romans 5:5) goes ever further into every difficulty in this present world. We bless, we speak God’s goodness into all, even those who hurt us. We do not speak against any.

• The Form for God through Jesus: To walk with God is to walk beneath, lifting others up. To walk as God’s form is to walk in lowliness of mind, seeing each other as “better.”

• Ruling Verse 1: To “foresee goodness towards all others” is the same as “synergeoing with God, making all things good.” We turn what was meant for evil into the outcome of goodness.

• Ruling Verse 4: There is no “good versus evil.” Rather, all goodness, in foreseeing goodness, acts out from that goodness that is God to meet people’s needs in surprising and immediate ways. Thus that which was meant for evil is rather swallowed up by GOODNESS.

g. The word is offering, not sacrifice. This refers to that which is freely given, and not the “spilling of blood” a second time.