1 / 8

Paul and the Practice of Christianity

Paul and the Practice of Christianity. Looking at Romans 12. Introduction: 12:1,2. “Therefore” ( gar ) having completed the doctrinal section and defended the righteousness of God, Paul seeks to explain the life of faith.

kimi
Download Presentation

Paul and the Practice of Christianity

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Paul and the Practice of Christianity Looking at Romans 12 Letter to the Romans

  2. Introduction: 12:1,2 • “Therefore” (gar) having completed the doctrinal section and defended the righteousness of God, Paul seeks to explain the life of faith. • Paul appeals (as in Eph 4:1; 1 Cor 4:16) for “transformity” rather than conformity in the language of Jewish sacrificial worship. Letter to the Romans

  3. 12:3-21 Personal ethics (1) • (1) 3-8 The exercise of gifts “by the grace given me” towards mutual interdependence. • Prophecy • Service • Teaching Letter to the Romans

  4. Exhortation • Giving (in finance) • Giving (in help) • Acts of mercy Letter to the Romans

  5. 12:3-21 Personal ethics (2) • (2) 9-13 The Law of Love expressed in various activities • Love (agape) includes the sense of volition and intellect • It inspires mutual affection (v10) • It “stays on high alert” (v11), never losing its buzz. • It stays hopeful, endures suffering, perseveres in prayer, shares the needs of the family Letter to the Romans

  6. 12:3-21 Personal ethics (3) • (3) 14-21 looks beyond the Christian family • Reminiscent of Matt 5:44 • Sharing joy and sorrow • Living in harmony: “Aspire not to lofty tasks but follow the stream of lowly duties” (David Smith). • Peace (18) as much as possible! Letter to the Romans

  7. 12:19-21: A word on Vengeance • “Leave it to the wrath of God”; this suggests • (1) that we leave the exercise of judgement to God as in Deut 32:35, or • (2) that we should let the principle of retribution inherent in the moral universe pursue its course (cf 1:18) Letter to the Romans

  8. Vv20-21 suggest the first. Mercy is the opposite of retaliation, giving a “burning sense of shame”. Paul quotes Prv 25:21f but omits the last bit “and the Lord shall reward you”. Paul develops the meaning: “the best way to get rid of an enemy is to turn him into a friend” (Bruce). Letter to the Romans

More Related