Romans 10:17 - So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
The terms "by" in the text is actually the preposition "out of" as a source. Faith is a fruit of God's Spirit. It is not of man. Faith is a word that describes the activity of God's Spirit. Faith comes to us from out of hearing God's word. His Spirit ministers to us and persuades us and gives us the faith to do what God wants us to do out of the hearing of His word.
Romans 11:7 - What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
The rest of Israel were blinded! The word for blinded is POROO, pronounced Po-ro-oh. It's where we get our word porous from. It means to harden, to become stubborn, to cover with callouses.
And so, when it uses the word blinded, it means that Israel became insensitive to God. That's what callouses are for. You know, when you get out and start digging for the first time, you get blisters, and after a while you build up callouses. It makes it insensitive so that you don't feel it as much. They had become calloused.
Romans 11:29 - For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
Do you see how that fits in? Nothing shall separate us from the love of God. I have shared this in the past, but there are two words in the Greek for repentance. METANOEO is the normal word for repentance for salvation.
The word repentance, and there's two words in the Greek. METANOEO is the normal word for repentance. That's the repentance for salvation. METAMELOMAI is used of Judas Iscariot in Matthew 27:3. That word doesn't mean I repent, it means I'm sorry, like "I'm sorry it all happened."
This word here in Verse 29 is METAMELOMAI. This is in reference to Israel over the sovereign election of Israel. God is not sorry for His gifts and His calling.
Romans 12:7 - Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
Or ministry, which comes from a Greek word that means serving, let us wait on our ministering:
If you are a server in the body of Christ, you serve people, and it has to do with people's physical needs in the body of Christ. Deacons in the church are an extension of the pastor, because he cannot study and pray and prepare to give the word and try to handle all the physical needs of the people in the church. And just as a side note, the word deacon originally in the Greek language meant a waiter of tables.
Romans 12:8 - Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
Encouraging: Or he that exhorteth, and that's what exhorting means, it means to encourage. Or he that exhorts, let him stay in his exhortation:
Giving: He that giveth, let him do it with simplicity. The word simplicity in Greek means singleness of motive. That is, you give for one reason and one reason only, because the Lord is laying on your heart to give. So, the one who gives, let him do it with a singleness of motive!
Leading: He that rules, and it means the person who stands up front, leadership, let him do it with diligence; and that means top priority. Don't be slack. Leading and ruling has to be your top priority.
And then showing mercy: He that shows mercy, let him do it with cheerfulness. This Greek word HILAROTETI is where we get our English word hilarity from. Have mercy on people with hilarity, you know? It's like giving and enjoying every minute of it. I love those kind of givers that think it's hilarious. Other people probably think they're nuts!
Expression of grace means the ability and capacity that God's Spirit has, and anytime He does anything it is called CHARISMA, expression of grace. Having expressions of grace that differ according to the grace that is given to us, those are our functions. So, he's explaining that we're all one body.
Just like one physical body has many members to it, so also does the body of Christ have many members, but we're all one. And we function differently based on the grace of God that is ministered in us and through us.
So, he gets to the performance of ministry and he lists 7 things. These are areas of ministry, not gifts, but areas. First of all, in the performance of the body of Christ, he mentions prophecy. He says if it is prophecy, let us prophecy according to the proportion of faith; again, faith that's been measured. The word prophecy means to speak the word of God. So let us prophecy according to the proportion of faith that's given to us. In other words, don't go beyond that.
Romans 12:4 - For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
He says the physical body has many members, for as we have many members in one body, we have different functions, and all members have not the same office: The word office in the Greek means function.
Romans 12:6 - Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Without getting into a long dissertation on the gifts of the Spirit, I want to share a few things with this verse. First, the word grace is the Greek word CHARIS. The word gifts is the word CHARISMA. All that means is that the word gifts as in "gifts of the spirit" which is a term only found one time in all the bible. In all the other places, where you see "gifts of the spirit," gifts is in italics. In 1 Corinthians 12, it is talking about the capacities and the abilities of the Holy Spirit. But "gifts" means expressions of grace. It comes from grace. That's what it means.
CHARIS with an MA on the end is called a ma noun in the Greek, and it has to do with the expression of something. So, if it is CHARIS, it is grace, and CHARISMA is the expression of grace. Whenever God expresses Himself, that's a gift. Gift in the Greek text doesn't mean the same thing as gift means to us in the English. It has nothing to do with God giving us a gift. That's a completely different Greek word and the only time that word is used is for the Holy Spirit.
God is not impressed with our performance. He wants to change us and transform us here so that we can take it with us when we leave. There are at least two places in the New Testament that tells us that the transformation that takes place here on the earth is what you take with you.
That's who you will be throughout eternity. We will all be the same in that we will all have spiritual bodies. But we're all going to be different. We take the transformation with us, and everything else burns. God wants to transform me and change me from within. And it's permanent! I take it with me.
If you want to read ahead in 1 Corinthians Chapter 3, it will tell you that. Take care how you build. Some build with wood, hay, and stubble, and some with gold, silver, and precious stones.
It says, "That ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Prove!
The word prove in the Greek means put it to the test. Put something to the test just like the Bereans did in Acts Chapter 17. They searched the scriptures, and they proved it!
That's one thing that is great about the biblical languages, both Greek and Hebrew, is that they are tools in which you can take and prove things. You don't have to become a scholar, but you can have the tools to trace out these words and see how they function and know that they are true.
Romans 12:2 - And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
There are two commands here. The first one is about being conformed. It's SCHEMATIZO. It's where we get our word schematic from. A schematic is a drawing of something about the outskirts or the boundaries of some house or some property. And that's what it means. Conformed has to do with outward change.
He says and be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. The Greek word for transformed is where we get our word metamorphosis from. It doesn't have to do with inward change. It has to do with inward transformation. Not change, transformation!
So, conformity, being conformed is outward change, and being transformed is inward transformation, a permanent and complete change. And the change comes, and it says by the renewing of your mind. The word for mind here is the word NOUS. This particular Greek word represents the perceptive abilities of the mind, your perception. So, when I seek to be transformed, I seek for God's Spirit to take His word, and not change, but totally transform my mind so that I perceive the things of God.
God wants to transform us by the renewing of our minds. That is what our relationship with Him is all about. If that does not occur in the majority of our interaction with the Lord and the body of Christ, we're going to find out that a lot of what we did was a waste of time!
Romans 11:32 - For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
For God has concluded, and this word in Greek means imprisoned, but God has concluded them all in unbelief, in order that he might have mercy upon everyone.
You kind of get the point that it is mercy. It has nothing to do with religion.
Romans 12:1 - I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Paul says I beseech you therefore, brethren. This is not a command. The Greek word for beseech actually means to make an appeal. He says I appeal to you. This is something that comes in a response from our hearts toward Christ.
Paul says I appeal to you therefore, and the premise or basis for his appeal is by the mercies of God. Literally, it is through the mercies of God, but that's the designation that Paul is using for the first half of the book of Romans.
He says you have been condemned, justified, and sanctified, saved and sealed by the Spirit of God, all through God's mercy. They are all the mercies of God! So, what Paul is saying is "I'm appealing to you based on the mercies and compassions that God has shown to you."
Romans 10:17 - So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
The terms "by" in the text is actually the preposition "out of" as a source. Faith is a fruit of God's Spirit. It is not of man. Faith is a word that describes the activity of God's Spirit. Faith comes to us from out of hearing God's word. His Spirit ministers to us and persuades us and gives us the faith to do what God wants us to do out of the hearing of His word.
Romans 11:7 - What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
The rest of Israel were blinded! The word for blinded is POROO, pronounced Po-ro-oh. It's where we get our word porous from. It means to harden, to become stubborn, to cover with callouses.
And so, when it uses the word blinded, it means that Israel became insensitive to God. That's what callouses are for. You know, when you get out and start digging for the first time, you get blisters, and after a while you build up callouses. It makes it insensitive so that you don't feel it as much. They had become calloused.
Romans 11:29 - For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
Do you see how that fits in? Nothing shall separate us from the love of God. I have shared this in the past, but there are two words in the Greek for repentance. METANOEO is the normal word for repentance for salvation.
The word repentance, and there's two words in the Greek. METANOEO is the normal word for repentance. That's the repentance for salvation. METAMELOMAI is used of Judas Iscariot in Matthew 27:3. That word doesn't mean I repent, it means I'm sorry, like "I'm sorry it all happened."
This word here in Verse 29 is METAMELOMAI. This is in reference to Israel over the sovereign election of Israel. God is not sorry for His gifts and His calling.
Romans 12:7 - Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
Or ministry, which comes from a Greek word that means serving, let us wait on our ministering:
If you are a server in the body of Christ, you serve people, and it has to do with people's physical needs in the body of Christ. Deacons in the church are an extension of the pastor, because he cannot study and pray and prepare to give the word and try to handle all the physical needs of the people in the church. And just as a side note, the word deacon originally in the Greek language meant a waiter of tables.
Romans 12:8 - Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
Encouraging: Or he that exhorteth, and that's what exhorting means, it means to encourage. Or he that exhorts, let him stay in his exhortation:
Giving: He that giveth, let him do it with simplicity. The word simplicity in Greek means singleness of motive. That is, you give for one reason and one reason only, because the Lord is laying on your heart to give. So, the one who gives, let him do it with a singleness of motive!
Leading: He that rules, and it means the person who stands up front, leadership, let him do it with diligence; and that means top priority. Don't be slack. Leading and ruling has to be your top priority.
And then showing mercy: He that shows mercy, let him do it with cheerfulness. This Greek word HILAROTETI is where we get our English word hilarity from. Have mercy on people with hilarity, you know? It's like giving and enjoying every minute of it. I love those kind of givers that think it's hilarious. Other people probably think they're nuts!
Expression of grace means the ability and capacity that God's Spirit has, and anytime He does anything it is called CHARISMA, expression of grace. Having expressions of grace that differ according to the grace that is given to us, those are our functions. So, he's explaining that we're all one body.
Just like one physical body has many members to it, so also does the body of Christ have many members, but we're all one. And we function differently based on the grace of God that is ministered in us and through us.
So, he gets to the performance of ministry and he lists 7 things. These are areas of ministry, not gifts, but areas. First of all, in the performance of the body of Christ, he mentions prophecy. He says if it is prophecy, let us prophecy according to the proportion of faith; again, faith that's been measured. The word prophecy means to speak the word of God. So let us prophecy according to the proportion of faith that's given to us. In other words, don't go beyond that.
Romans 12:4 - For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
He says the physical body has many members, for as we have many members in one body, we have different functions, and all members have not the same office: The word office in the Greek means function.
Romans 12:6 - Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Without getting into a long dissertation on the gifts of the Spirit, I want to share a few things with this verse. First, the word grace is the Greek word CHARIS. The word gifts is the word CHARISMA. All that means is that the word gifts as in "gifts of the spirit" which is a term only found one time in all the bible. In all the other places, where you see "gifts of the spirit," gifts is in italics. In 1 Corinthians 12, it is talking about the capacities and the abilities of the Holy Spirit. But "gifts" means expressions of grace. It comes from grace. That's what it means.
CHARIS with an MA on the end is called a ma noun in the Greek, and it has to do with the expression of something. So, if it is CHARIS, it is grace, and CHARISMA is the expression of grace. Whenever God expresses Himself, that's a gift. Gift in the Greek text doesn't mean the same thing as gift means to us in the English. It has nothing to do with God giving us a gift. That's a completely different Greek word and the only time that word is used is for the Holy Spirit.
God is not impressed with our performance. He wants to change us and transform us here so that we can take it with us when we leave. There are at least two places in the New Testament that tells us that the transformation that takes place here on the earth is what you take with you.
That's who you will be throughout eternity. We will all be the same in that we will all have spiritual bodies. But we're all going to be different. We take the transformation with us, and everything else burns. God wants to transform me and change me from within. And it's permanent! I take it with me.
If you want to read ahead in 1 Corinthians Chapter 3, it will tell you that. Take care how you build. Some build with wood, hay, and stubble, and some with gold, silver, and precious stones.
It says, "That ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Prove!
The word prove in the Greek means put it to the test. Put something to the test just like the Bereans did in Acts Chapter 17. They searched the scriptures, and they proved it!
That's one thing that is great about the biblical languages, both Greek and Hebrew, is that they are tools in which you can take and prove things. You don't have to become a scholar, but you can have the tools to trace out these words and see how they function and know that they are true.
Romans 12:2 - And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
There are two commands here. The first one is about being conformed. It's SCHEMATIZO. It's where we get our word schematic from. A schematic is a drawing of something about the outskirts or the boundaries of some house or some property. And that's what it means. Conformed has to do with outward change.
He says and be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. The Greek word for transformed is where we get our word metamorphosis from. It doesn't have to do with inward change. It has to do with inward transformation. Not change, transformation!
So, conformity, being conformed is outward change, and being transformed is inward transformation, a permanent and complete change. And the change comes, and it says by the renewing of your mind. The word for mind here is the word NOUS. This particular Greek word represents the perceptive abilities of the mind, your perception. So, when I seek to be transformed, I seek for God's Spirit to take His word, and not change, but totally transform my mind so that I perceive the things of God.
God wants to transform us by the renewing of our minds. That is what our relationship with Him is all about. If that does not occur in the majority of our interaction with the Lord and the body of Christ, we're going to find out that a lot of what we did was a waste of time!
Romans 11:32 - For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
For God has concluded, and this word in Greek means imprisoned, but God has concluded them all in unbelief, in order that he might have mercy upon everyone.
You kind of get the point that it is mercy. It has nothing to do with religion.
Romans 12:1 - I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Paul says I beseech you therefore, brethren. This is not a command. The Greek word for beseech actually means to make an appeal. He says I appeal to you. This is something that comes in a response from our hearts toward Christ.
Paul says I appeal to you therefore, and the premise or basis for his appeal is by the mercies of God. Literally, it is through the mercies of God, but that's the designation that Paul is using for the first half of the book of Romans.
He says you have been condemned, justified, and sanctified, saved and sealed by the Spirit of God, all through God's mercy. They are all the mercies of God! So, what Paul is saying is "I'm appealing to you based on the mercies and compassions that God has shown to you."
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