Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Romans 12:4
For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
4. For as we have ] Here first (and last) in this Epistle St Paul uses the simile of the Body and its Limbs, to illustrate the close mutual connexion of the saints. For parallels, see 1Co 10:17; 1Co 12:12-30; Eph 1:23; Eph 4:4-16; Eph 5:23-30; Col 1:18; Col 1:24; Col 2:19; Col 3:15. In some of these passages the Lord appears explicitly as the life-giving Head of the Body; in one as its loving Bridegroom; while in others (as here) He does not explicitly appear in the imagery; the leading thought being the connexion of His saints with each other, and the diversity of their functions meanwhile. The phrase just below, “ in Christ,” does not strictly belong to the simile, though expressing a truth elsewhere conveyed by the simile of the Head of the Body.
all members ] Lit. the limbs all.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For – This word here denotes a further illustration or proof of what he had just before said. The duty to which he was exhorting the Romans was, not to be unduly exalted or elevated in their own estimation. In order to produce proper humility, he shows them that God has appointed certain orders or grades in the church; that all are useful in their proper place; that we should seek to discharge our duty in our appropriate sphere; and thus that due subordination and order would be observed. To show this, he introduces a beautiful comparison drawn from the human body. There are various members in the human frame; all useful and honorable in their proper place; and all designed to promote the order, and beauty, and harmony of the whole. So the church is one body, consisting of many members, and each is suited to be useful and comely in its proper place. The same comparison he uses with great beauty and force in 1Co. 12:4-31; also Eph 4:25; Eph 5:30. In that chapter the comparison is carried out to much greater length, and its influence shown with great force.
Many members – Limbs, or parts; feet, hands, eyes, ears, etc.; 1Co 12:14-15.
In one body – Constituting one body; or united in one, and making one person. Essential to the existence, beauty, and happiness of the one body or person.
The same office – The same use or design; not all appointed for the same thing; one is to see, another to hear, a third to walk with, etc.; 1Co 12:14-23.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Rom 12:4-5
For as we have many members in one body.
St. Pauls view of life
How comprehensively he surveys the whole range of human action and conduct! He starts from the consideration of men as constituting many members in one body, and he proceeds to direct them in their various offices. He passes in review the private and public duties to which they might be called–ministering, teaching, exhorting, giving, ruling, and obeying; he depicts the spirit of the Christian in business and in rest, in joy and in sorrow, in hope and in tribulation, towards friends and towards enemies, in peace and in wrath; and he lays down the Christian principles of civil government and obedience. It is a picture of life in its length and breadth, and even in all its lights and shadows, transfigured as the landscape by the sun, under the renovating influence of those spiritual rays of love which illuminated and warmed the apostles soul. (H. Wace, D.D.)
Many members: one body
1. The early Church, like the latter, seems to have been deformed by many dissensions. Those who had the least conspicuous endowments envied those who had the more, in place of using such gifts as they had. In order to show the unreasonableness and the evil of this state of things, St. Paul often drew his illustrations from the human body, the parts of which had different offices; but no part of which could be dispensed with without injury to all the rest. So the Church was composed of many members, some of which were, comparatively, without honour, but none were without use; each had functions essential to the general well-being.
2. Observe what close links there are between the several classes in the community, and how the breaking of any one would dislocate the whole social system. The king himself is served by the field. The throne is connected with the soil; and the proud occupant of the one is dependent on the tiller of the other. When you look on a community like our own, with its nobles, merchants, teachers, men of science, artificers, you may perhaps think little of the peasantry. But were the peasantry to cease from their labours, there would be an immediate arrest on the pursuits of the community, and, from the throne downward, society would be panic-stricken. There, can, therefore, be no more pitiable spectacle than that of a haughty individual, who looks superciliously on those who occupy stations inferior to his own. And it would be a just method of rebuking his arrogance to require him to trace the production and progress of all that wealth or rank which ministers to his pride, till he finds it originate in the bone and muscle of these objects of his scorn.
3. That the poor shall never cease out of the land, is one of those wise and benevolent arrangements of Providence which so eminently distinguish the moral government of this world. One of the most fatal and common tendencies of our nature is to selfishness–the forgetting others, and the caring only for ourselves. And who can fail to see that the having amongst us objects which continually appeal to our compassion is wonderfully adapted for counteracting that tendency. It may be perfectly true that the indigent cannot do without the benevolent; but it is equally true that the benevolent cannot do without the indigent; and whenever you give ear to a tale of distress, and you contribute according to your ability to the relief of the suppliant, you are receiving as well as conferring a benefit. The afflicted being whom you succour, keeps, by his appeal, the charities of your nature from growing stagnant, and thus may be said to requite the obligation.
4. Observe how applicable is the principle of our text to the several classes of society. Of what avail would be the skill and courage of the general who had no troops to obey his command? what the ingenuity of the mechanic if there were no labourers to make use of his invention? what the wisdom of the legislator if there were no functionaries to carry his measures into force? In these and a thousand instances, the hand and the foot would be but of little use unless they were directed by the eye and the head; and the eye and the head would themselves be of little use if they were not connected with the hand and the foot. So true is it that we are every one members, one of another.
5. Turn to the Church, a community knit together by spiritual ties. And here the interests of the various classes are so interwoven that it can only be through wilful ignorance that any suppose themselves independent of the others. It may be true that ministers may be likened, in the importance of their office, to the more important parts of body, to the eye or the head; but in prosecuting their honourable and difficult employment, they are dependent on the very lowest of their people. Recur to what we said about the humanising power of the appointed admixture of the poor with the rich. If the actual presence of suffering be the great antagonist to selfishness, then the poor of his flock must be the clergymans best auxiliaries, seeing that they help to keep the rest from that moral hardness which would make them impervious to his most earnest remonstrances. You are to add to this that there is a worth in the prayers of the very meanest of Christians impossible to overrate. A rich man may feel attachment to his minister; and he has a thousand ways in which he may give vent to his feelings. But the poor man has little to offer but prayer, and therefore will he throw all the vehemence of his gratefulness into unwearied petitions for blessings on his benefactor.
6. On this great principle we uphold the dignity of the poor man, and the beneficial influence which he exerts in the world. Poverty will never degrade a man–nothing but vice can do that; poverty will never disable a man from usefulness, seeing that it cannot change his office in the body, and there is no office but what is material to the general health and strength. Why, then, are not our honest and hardworking poor to lift up their heads in the midst of society, in all the consciousness of having an important part to perform, and in all the satisfaction of feeling that they perform it faithfully and effectually?
7. We are every one members, one of another; and forasmuch as no man ever hated his own flesh, let it be seen that we are all animated with the spirit of charity. It is with reference to this principle that we are to be tried at the last. If we are all members of one body, Christ is the Head of that body; and, consequently, He accounts as done to Himself what is done to the meanest of His members. (H. Melvill, B.D.)
The Church compared to the body
I. In its unity.
II. In the plurality of its members.
III. In the diversity of their functions.
IV. In their mutual relation and dependence.
V. In the possession of one spirit. (J. Lyth, D.D.)
Christian unity and diversity
I. Diversity underlying unity.
1. We have many members in the one natural body; and just so we, being diverse Christian members of His redeemed flock, are one mystical body in Christ.
2. In the natural body every part is not so much a distinct unit in itself as a fraction of one great whole; and so in the Church (Joh 17:20-21), not the individuality of the member, but the oneness of the whole community, is to demonstrate the truth of Christs mission.
3. This unity can only be realised by having a governing Head. Only as we abide in real heart and life fellowship with Christ do we form a body that is at unity in itself. If not bound together in the unity of the Spirit, the body must decay and dissolve into a mass of lifeless, separate members.
II. Diversity consistent with unity.
1. That diversity is consistent with unity is shown by the analogy of our frame.
2. Diversity of vocation and function is consistent in Christians (1Co 12:1-31.). The Divine will is that each member should have a special function, but that all should work together for mutual help.
3. Diversity in unity is the foundation of all true beauty and usefulness (see laws of nature, waves of the sea, winds, clouds, human nature, etc.).
Learn in conclusion–
1. We all belong to one another. None may say, I have nothing to do with thee, nor plead, Am I my brothers keeper? Therefore every Christian should try–
(1) To help his neighbour, to heal differences, and to strengthen the life and work of all Christs people.
(2) To refrain from speaking or doing anything that may hurt or vex any member of the body, since the Head is thereby pained (Act 9:4) and the whole body shocked (1Co 12:26).
2. We are all necessary to each other–the rich to the poor and the poor to the rich; the sick to the hale as well as the hale to the sick. All can derive help from others, and all can give somewhat to others. All depend on each other in the wondrous compacting together by that which every joint supplieth. (Homilist.)
Every one has his place
A row of richly-gilded pipes, stately and massive, reaching to the ceiling, stares majestically down upon us as we gather in our place of worship. They seem to say all the melody and music of the instrument is gathered within us, and we are the musical genii of the place, and when the keys are swept by a skilled artist how rich and grand are the tones evolved! They seem to be fairly alive, and our souls are stirred to the depths by the harmony. Desiring to know their relations to the hidden modest reeds, that we could faintly discern in the darkened chamber behind, we asked our organist what relation did they bear to their unseen companions, and what was their relative power compared with the small pipes. His reply was: All front pipes speak with force and power, but they would be utterly valueless, so far as music was concerned, unless backed up and supported by the delicate reeds that are hidden within. How blessed the lesson taught the modest Christian workers in every Church! They look upon the few who occupy a prominent position as leaders, and in their timidity hide themselves, not allowing their own power to be felt, forgetful of the fact that all disciples are workers together with the Lord. In these days, when a few leading spirits are marvellously blessed by God, we must remember that their power is vastly increased by the sympathy and prayers of those whose names are only known to God. As the organ is incomplete if a single pipe is missing, and as it is thrown out of tune by a single reed not acting in harmony, so the Church is hindered from receiving a blessing, and its action impeded, if a single disciple is negligent of his or her duty. So let us in our quiet field toil on, pray on, knowing that he who is faithful unto death will receive the crown.
Individuality
The practical aim of each man should be to perfect his own variety, not ape anothers. A Luther could not be a Melanchthon. By no process could an Owen be made into a Milton. Individuality is indestructible. I am afraid that teachers and learners are often at fault in overlooking what is so very plain. You sometimes have ideal characters described and put before you for imitation, which never were and never will be realised, because they combine incompatibilities. Qualities are taken from men constitutionally different from each other, and you are told to be all that is represented in some unnatural amalgam. But God requires of you no such impossibility. Be yourself–that is the Divine will. Mature and perfect by His grace the gifts He has bestowed. Resist all easily besetting sins, and cultivate all possible good. Not excusing yourself for only doing what pleases you; for omitting acts of self-denial; for being one-sided, self-indulgent, and peculiar; strive to be as comprehensive in excellence as you can, without attempting to obliterate the stamp of your own individuality. Bunyan was a wise man, and therefore did not crush all imaginable good qualities into his Christian, but distributed them amongst a number of individuals; painting the picture of different pilgrims, and assigning to them varied offices of wisdom and love. (J. Stoughton, D.D.)
Mutual relations in life
Consider–
I. The relation which we bear to one another.
1. Our bond of union.
2. Our mutual dependence.
3. Our individual interest.
II. The duties arising out of this relation. Mutual–
1. Love.
2. Sympathy.
3. Help.
III. The manner in which these duties should be performed. With–
1. Care and diligence.
2. Patience and perseverance.
3. Love and cheerfulness. (J. Lyth, D.D.)
Spiritual order
There arose a fierce contention in the human body; every member sought another place than the one it found itself in, and was fitted for. After much controversy it was agreed to refer the whole matter to one whose name was Solomon Wise-in-his-own-conceit. He was to arrange and adjust the whole business, and to place every bone in its proper position. He received the appointment gladly, and was filled with joy and confidence. He commenced with finding a place for himself. His proper post was the heel, but where do you think he found it? He must needs be the golden bowl in which the brains are deposited. The natural consequences followed. The coarse heel bone was not of the right quality nor of the suitable dimensions to contain the brains, nor could the vessel intended for that purpose form a useful or comely part of the foot. Disorder ensued in foot, head, face, legs, and arms. By the time Solomon Wise-in-his-own-conceit had reconstructed the body, it could neither walk, nor speak, nor hear, nor smell, nor see. The body was, moreover, filled with intolerable agony, and could find no rest, every bone crying for restoration to its own place–that is to say, every one but the heel bone; that was mightily pleased to be in the head, and to have custody of the brains. (Christmas Evans.)
Church fellowship: its privileges and duties
I. The oneness of the Church.
1. There is one source of activity and life in every human body, and so there is in the Church. There are various spheres in which we live and act. Those who possess natural and intellectual life can enjoy the beauties of nature, the endearments of friendship, the activities of business, the quiet of home, but all the while they may have no sympathy with that which is heavenly; but those who are possessed of spiritual life rise to a higher existence in which love prompts to unwearied activity in the service of God; and the source of this life is Christ. But our Lord came not only that we might have life, but that we might have it more abundantly; and, aware of the influence of association and sympathy, He gathers together His followers into a society in which they may help one another. But, just as with the individual, so with the Church. It is not the most scriptural doctrine, or the most apostolic discipline, or the most impassioned preaching, or the most crowded assemblies that can ensure the greatest prosperity, but the presence of Christ.
2. In this one body there must be harmony of character, or it would resemble the image of Nebuchadnezzar. There will be differences of gifts because there are differences of functions, but there must also be fitness for association, and to form a secure union all the members must be renewed by the Holy Spirit, be joined to Christ by a living faith, and exhibit the beauties of a consistent character.
3. In this oneness of the Church there is identity of interest. If one member of the body suffer, all the members suffer with it; and if one member is in health, all the members rejoice with it. Suppose a kingdom begins generally to decline, and there should be one profession which, for a time, continues prosperous, this cannot last long. And so in the Church. If discord springs up between those who ought to be bound together in the purest love, if error thrusts aside the doctrine of the Cross, if apathy spread over the people, if prayers are frozen and heartless, there may be members who will retain their spirituality for a time, but by and by they will yield to the general influence. But if peace binds Christians together–if the truth is maintained in its integrity, etc.
then each member will enjoy the benefit of the prosperity of the whole, and will find how blessed it is for them all to have one interest. And yet how frequently Church members seem to take but little interest in one another! They will see the declension of a brother and never warn him, the suffering of a brother and never sympathise with him, the want of employment of the gifts of a brother and never suggest to him that he should employ his gifts. And where there is this want of reciprocal benefit a Church rapidly declines.
4. The Church ought to have one aim. The body is created to show forth the glory of God. You see His glory in the works of nature around, in His word of truth, but chiefly in the grand work of redemption. But then, if a multitude of mankind never study this work of redemption, they cannot see its glory; and, for the most part, people will say, We judge of the value of that system of redemption by its fruits; and therefore ought we both by life and lip to recommend the gospel.
II. Each individual member has his appropriate duties to perform. It is by division of labour that so much can be done. One seems more fitted to advise, another to execute; one to warn and terrify, and another to cheer and comfort; and so all are called upon to employ their powers for some useful purpose.
1. All members must feel that they have joined the Church not only to receive good, but to do good.
2. Each member should strive to concentrate his efforts on the particular Church to which he belongs. Wherever there is diffusion there is a waste of power. Concentration is strength, and when God points out in His providence the particular Church to which we are to belong, He thereby points out the particular field in which we are to work.
3. The member who is doing nothing is worse than useless. When a limb is paralysed it only impedes the body. And let every person in Church fellowship remember that he cannot be simply neutral. If he is not doing good he is doing harm. His coldness benumbs, his example discourages others.
4. Every real member is essential to the completeness of the body. Every member of the human frame, however apparently insignificant, is essential. We are sometimes very poor judges of who is the best member. We are thankful for men of rank, wealth, influence, and talents, but we thank God also for the humblest spiritual Christian, whom, perhaps, God may see to be doing a greater work than those who seem great in the eye of the world.
5. All the members bear a close spiritual relationship to each other. Surely, then, there ought to be great sympathy and affection between them, because, when we have a common object and character, we generally feel sympathy and love.
6. If we are members one of another, there ought to be the absence of pride and of all assumption. God has ordained the different ranks in society, and He does not wish those ranks to be obliterated. The believing servant is not to show want of respect to the believing master, and the believing master is not to oppress the believing servant. But as members of the same Church all worldly distinctions disappear. We are all one in Christ.
7. As members one of another we ought always to aim at one anothers benefit. Bear ye one anothers burdens, etc. (J. C. Harrison.)
Communion of saints
What the circulation of the blood is to the human body, that the Holy Spirit is to the body of Christ which is the Church. Now, by virtue of the one life-blood, every limb of the body holds fellowship with every other, and as long as life lasts that fellowship is inevitable. If the hand be unwashed the eye cannot refuse communion with it on that account; if the finger be diseased the hand cannot, by binding a cord around it, prevent the life-current from flowing. Nothing but death can break up the fellowship; you must tear away the member, or it must of necessity commune with the rest of the body. It is even thus in the body of Christ; no laws can prevent one living member of Christ from fellowship with every other; the pulse of living fellowship sends a wave through the whole mystical frame; where there is but one life, fellowship is an inevitable consequence. Yet some talk of restricted communion, and imagine that they can practise it. If they be alive unto God they may in mistaken conscientiousness deny their fellow Christians the outward sign of communion, but communion itself falls not under any rule or regulation of theirs. Tie a red tape round your thumb, and let it decree that the whole body is out of fellowship with it; the thumbs decree is either ridiculously inoperative, or else it proves injurious to itself. God has made us one, one Spirit quickens us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus; to deny fellowship with any believer in Jesus is to refuse what you must of necessity give, and to deny in symbol what you must inevitably render in reality. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 4. For as we have many members] As the human body consists of many parts, each having its respective office, and all contributing to the perfection and support of the whole; each being indispensably necessary in the place which it occupies, and each equally useful though performing a different function;
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
These verses are a reason against arrogancy. All Christians are
members of one and the same body; therefore, they should not pride themselves in their gifts, but employ them for the common good. It is with the church, the mystical body of Christ, as with a natural body that hath many members, and all these
have not the same office, or the same action or operation (as the word signifieth); the eye hath one office, the ear another, the hand a third, &c. So the church of Christ, though one body in him who is the Head, hath many members; many in regard of their persons, and many in regard of their offices, which are various and diverse; and which is more, the members are every one members one of another; i.e. they are joint and fellow members; as they have a common relation to the same Head, so a mutual relation to one another. Therefore Christians, especially church officers. should not contemn one another, or intrude upon the office of each other; but all should use their gifts to the good and edification of others.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
4, 5. For as we have many members,&c.The same diversity and yet unity obtains in the body ofChrist, whereof all believers are the several members, as in thenatural body.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For as we have many members in one body,…. The apostle illustrates what he said last concerning God’s dealing to every man the measure of faith, by comparing the church of Christ to an human body, which is but one, and has many members in union with it, and one another; and which are placed in an exact symmetry and proportion, and in proper subserviency to each other, and for the good of the whole:
and all members have not the same office, or “action”; they do not exercise the same function, and perform the same operation, but each that which is peculiar to itself: the eye only sees, but does not hear, nor taste, nor smell; the ear only hears, but neither sees, or does any of the aforesaid things; the palate tastes, the nose smells, the hand handles, the foot walks, and the same may be observed of the other members of the body, which have not the same, but their particular offices, and all and each of them their usefulness.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The same office ( ). Mode of acting or function. Cf. Acts 19:18; Rom 8:13.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Office [] . Lit., mode of acting.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “For as we have many members in one body,” (kathaper gar en heni somati polla mele echomen) “For just as we have many members in one body,” in one physical, human body; at length Paul compared members of the physical body and their need with a similar need for every member of every church and the proper use of his spiritual gift, faith, and testimony to the church of local fellowship, 1Co 12:12-27.
2) “And all members have not the same office,” (ta de mele panta ou ten auten echei praksin) “But all the physical body members have not the same practice,” the same repeated service functions in and for the body. Each member of one’s body has a physical (official) function to perform for the balance, harmony, unity and useful function, health and well-being of the whole body. The eye is to see, the ear to hear, the nose to smell, the tongue to speak and to taste and the fingers, hands, feet etc. to feel and to give balance, motivation, and direction to the body. Yet the brain (center of the mind) is to think, the heart to circulate the blood-life, the lungs to breathe the air for oxygen, the kidneys, liver, bowels are to function as poison extractors and digestive instruments of body functions. All are needful for the physical body, the temporary dwelling of the Soul of Man, the mind and spirit, 1Co 12:28-31; Eph 2:19-22; Eph 4:16.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
4. For as in one body, etc. The very thing which he had previously said of limiting the wisdom of each according to the measure of faith, he now confirms by a reference to the vocation of the faithful; for we are called for this end, that we may unite together in one body, since Christ has ordained a fellowship and connection between the faithful similar to that which exists between the members of the human body; and as men could not of themselves come together into such an union, he himself becomes the bond of this connection. As then the case is with the human body, so it ought to be with the society of the faithful. By applying this similitude he proves how necessary it is for each to consider what is suitable to his own nature, capacity, and vocation. But though this similitude has various parts, it is yet to be chiefly thus applied to our present subject, — that as the members of the same body have distinct offices, and all of them are distinct, for no member possesses all powers, nor does it appropriate to itself the offices of others; so God has distributed various gifts to us, by which diversity he has determined the order which he would have to be observed among us, so that every one is to conduct himself according to the measure of his capacity, and not to thrust himself into what peculiarly belongs to others; nor is any one to seek to have all things himself, but to be content with his lot, and willingly to abstain from usurping the offices of others. When, however, he points out in express words the communion which is between us, he at the same time intimates, how much diligence there ought to be in all, so that they may contribute to the common good of the body according to the faculties they possess. (385)
(385) The Apostle pursues this likeness of the human body much more at large in 1Co 12:12. There are two bonds of union; one, which is between the believer and Christ by true faith; and the other, which is between the individual member of a church or a congregation and the rest of the members by a professed faith. It is the latter that is handled by the Apostle, both here and in the Epistle to the Corinthians. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES
Rom. 12:5.We are knit together in Christ, as the head in the organic life.
Rom. 12:6.Prophesying is both foretelling and forthtelling. Hence preaching and expounding make the prophet. We must expound according to the rule of faith. Pleasant doctrines must not have undue prominence. We must take the word of God as a whole, and thus avoid heresies.
Rom. 12:9. Cleave to that which is good., glue. Keeping yourselves glued to the good. Hold firmly to the true.
Rom. 12:10.Strive to anticipate each other. Set the example of honour. When a man knows that his neighbour is accustomed to salute him, let him be the first to give the salutation. , tenderly loving, perhaps towards ones kindred, in New Testament towards Christian brethren. Word only used in this verse.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Rom. 12:4-10
Love cements unity.The organisation of the human body should be an example to the believer to make him perceive the necessity of limiting himself to the function assigned him. Not only, indeed, is there a plurality of members in one body, but these members also possess special functions. So in the Church there is not only a multiplicity of members, but also a diversity of functions, every believer having a particular gift whereby he ought to become the auxiliary of all the rest, their member. Hence it follows that every one should remain in his function: on the one hand, that he may be able to render to the rest the help which he owes them; on the other, that he may not disturb those in the exercise of their gifts (Godet).
I. Love makes unity.Life unites together the several members of the human body. There may be contact, but not true unity, where there is no life. There must be love sincere in the Church if there is to be unity. Some Churches seem to have outward coherence and no inward unity. Love does not unite the whole body. We cannot be one body in Christ without love. Faith and love make us members of the mystical body.
II. Discriminating love recognises diversity in unity.The human body is one; its members are many. Nature is one; its parts are various. The Bible is one; its records stretch over the centuries: there are manifest proofs of different writers. The ocean is one; its separate waves constitute its unity. The Church is divided, and yet united: diversities of gifts and of modes of operation. Love may overlook seeming discrepancies and recognise the Church as a glorious unity.
III. Sincere love cements unity.
1. It removes envy. The minister does not envy the prophet; the intellectual preacher does not spurn the emotional; while the emotional preacher does not envy the high gifts of the intellectual. He that is ruled does not treat with contempt the authority of the ruler.
2. It makes each man seek to fit into his place. Every man a place from God, and every man seeking to fill his place.
3. It imparts diligence and cheerfulness. Our teachers should be both diligent and cheerful. A cheerful voice is a blessed tonic. Amid the sad voices of a weary humanity we need the joyful voices of messengers from the land of blessedness. Songs of hope should be sung in a despairing world. Diligence and cheerfulness are specially needed in these days, when scepticism is so diligent, when the press is so diligent, when a pessimistic tone is pervading society. If one man cannot be both diligent and cheerful, let two men unite their forces. He that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness. Pompous and hard-hearted beadles are not sent by St. Paul on errands of mercy. They are to be cheerful messengers, taking good cheer to sad hearts and homes. Giving is to be done with simplicity. Love, and not the stately banquet, not the eloquent speech, not the prospect of an advertisement, must elicit and give the subscription. The prophet and the humblest teacher, the ruler and the ruled, the giver of alms and the receiver, meet on the one blessed plane of brotherhood.
IV. Love beautifies unity.
1. Love to the Church prompts to the gracious spirit of detesting that which is evil and cleaving to that which is good. What a beautiful aspect the Church would present if each member were glued to that which is good! Modern glue is poor stuff; it fastens to the good, but the fastening is weak. The prospect of gain or fame makes the glue wither and lose its hold. Is there any modern glue to stand the heat of persecution? Ah! there may be faithful ones in modern as in ancient times.
2. Love to the Church generates kind affections. Be kindly affectioned one to another. Sweetly smooth words for rough times. There may be a need for a modern enforcement. Be kindly affectioned. How about the modern cynic? How about the morose ecclesiastic? How about the dignified official? How about the purse-proud man who condescends to say, Ow do? These all need the lesson taught by St. Paul of being kindly affectioned one to another.
3. Love to the Church provokes holy emulation. In honour preferring one another. The emulation of love is to show the brightest example of kindness; the ambition of loving Christians is to excel each other in all acts of mutual kindness and respect. What a beautiful society! Will earth ever witness such a social paradise? Is this ecclesiastical ideal the utopia of a vain dreamer? Will earth ever thus taste the bliss of heaven? Let us not despair. Diligence and cheerfulness will accomplish much. Let each seek to do his or her duty in the allotted sphere; let us live in the love of Christ; let us love, and the grace will grow by gracious and consistent exercise.
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON Rom. 12:4-10
Explanation of terms.In the Epistle to Titus there occurs the expression , to be occupied with good works; whence the term , patroness, protectress, benefactress, used in our epistle to express what Phbe had been to many believers, and to Paul himself. Think of the numerous works of private charity which believers then had to found and maintain! Pagan society had neither hospitals nor orphanages, free schools nor refuges, like those of our day. The Church, impelled by the instinct of Christian charity, had to introduce all these institutions into the world; hence, no doubt, in every community spontaneous gatherings of devout men and women who, like our present Christian committees, took up one or other of these needful objects, and had of course at their head directors charged with the responsibility of the work. Such are the persons certainly whom the apostle had in view in our passage. Thus is explained the position of this term between the preceding he that giveth and the following he that showeth mercy. The same explanation applies to the following regimen , with zeal. This recommendation would hardly be suitable for one presiding over an assembly. How many presidents, on the contrary, would require to have the call addressed to them, Only no zeal! But the recommendation is perfectly suitable to one who is directing a Christian work, and who ought to engage in it with a sort of exclusiveness, to personify it after a manner in himself. The last term , he that showeth mercy, denotes the believer who feels called to devote himself to the visiting of the sick and afflicted. There is a gift of sympathy which particularly fits for this sort of work, and which is, as it were, the key to open the heart of the sufferer. The regimen , literally, with hilarity, denotes the joyful eagerness, the amiable grace, the affability going the length of gaiety, which make the visitor, whether man or woman, a sunbeam penetrating into the sick-chamber and to the heart of the afflicted.Godet.
Abhorrence of evil.It is the peculiarity of the Christian religion that while its aim is to exclude all sin from the heart, it does not dismember the soul by severing from it any faculty that is natural to it. Religion is a revolution, but its effect is only to suppress and exclude evil and establish the sovereignty of God to the heart of man. Hatred is a faculty given to us by the Creator for good. It is difficult at first, perhaps, to see its place in religion, because we see in it so plainly the evidence of mans fall Hatred in men ordinarily is hateful, because it is vile passion, impulse, or impatience of contradiction, and is directed mainly against me, and not evil principles, evil habits, and evil things. It is a faculty liable to abuse, and the Christian man requires great grace to use it well. It has its place, however, in the Christian system, and rightly used is a potent instrument in the suppression of evil. Let us consider the direction of the text.
I. What is evil?Now and then a case of conscience may occur in which the casuists skill is indispensable to obtain relief from perplexity, but for the most part the knowledge of good and evil is found in every human breast. There is at work in society what may be termed an educational agency, that is teaching men in various ways what is evil and what is good. The preaching of the word and teaching of the Bible and prayer as it deprecates evil; the opposition to and exposure of evil by good men; an enlightened public opinion; the administration of the law in connection with crime; the godly training of children and conscience,these and other influences are pervading human society, so that none can plead ignorance of the vital question before us. But for the sake of clearness let us now briefly define the term evil. Evil is twofold,existing as a hidden power in the soul, like the poison in the berry, the deadly forked lightning hid in the thundercloud, the dagger in its sheath; and as it assumes a concrete form in the world of men and thingsevil books, institutions, principles, habits, language, etc. In other words, evil appears in character and conduct, answering to the theological terms of guilt and pollution. The sinner has a corrupt heart and guilty life. Or again, evil may be regarded as vice and crime, and its essential characteristic is lawlessness in principle and passion. The energetic use of faculties created for God alone. Vice is personal; crime has reference to others, to society in its organised state.
Of every malice that wins hate in heaven
Injury is the end; and all such end,
Either by force or fraud, afflicteth others.
All men are vicious, few in proportion criminal; but vice is the root of crime, and all in whose hearts evil is to be found may become guilty of deadly sin. Crimes sometimes shock us too much; vices almost always too little. God hath concluded all under sin,there is none righteous, no, not one. What an appalling fact!evil has established itself in every soul; all are under its curse, and need deliverance.
II. What is to abhor evil?Dislike, repugnance, abhorrence, hatred. To abhor evil is not only to cast it out of our own bosom, but also to strive against it until it is chased out of the world. To abhor is the opposite of to love. Love seeks, first of all, to possess the object loved, and then to perpetuate it; abhorrence, on the contrary, first separates, and then seeks to destroy. This, then, is the position we take up when we are changed from nature to grace.
The thing my God doth hate, that I no more may do,
Thy creature, Lord, again create, and all my soul renew;
My soul shall then, like Thine, abhor the thing unclean,
And, sanctided by love divine, for ever cease from sin.
III. The reasons why we should hate evil.
1. This is the very end for which Christ died, that He might destroy in us the works of the devil.
2. It is implied in sanctification, separation to God, and therefore separation from evil in thought, affection, purpose, and practice.
3. Your personal safety lies along that line. Without holiness no man shall see the Lord.
4. God employs the hatred of good men to sin as an instrument for its suppression in others. You are called upon to speak against it, to frown upon it, to expose and condemn it, and thus help to drive it out of mens hearts.
5. Again let us inquire if there is any alternative course that may be adopted.
(1) May we compromise evil? But this would be to confuse and confound all moral distinctions, and would constitute you the basest of all evil charactersa hypocrite.
(2) Can we utilise evil? In one sense we may, if we make it a stimulus to prayer and activity, if it stir us up to watchfulness and caution, if we strive to overcome evil with good, and so develop our spiritual strength as not to be overcome with evil. But it belongs to God alone to overrule evil for good in the world. The lightning that blinds and terrifies, the ethereal light, can be utilised by science; but a map may as well try to harness an untamed tiger out of the jungle, to silence the thunder, and stop the roar of the ocean, as try to control his evil passions or govern his impulses unassisted by divine grace. The sinner is ever the victim of evil against his will and conscience.
(3) Is it possible so to control evil in the soul as to be able to silence it at pleasure, to have it in abeyance? No; for evil thoughts spring up within us involuntarily, and often in spite of the strongest resolutions and the most sacred vows; malign spirits suggest evil in a mysterious manner to us; evil associations hold many in thrall; and it is impulse that leads to the commission of the most violent and shocking crimes.
(4) Shall we then yield to this power? Then you will be unhappy, impure, degraded, forsaken, and ruined for ever. A gentleman who had resided many years in Egypt once showed me a dagger of Syrian manufacture whose blade was of poisoned steel, and he assured me that it could deal a wound which never could be healed. It is evil that can destroy both body and soul in hell, where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. Abhor that which is evil.
IV. Difficulties and dangers.This course is not easy when:
1. Evil is associated with fine qualities. Don Juan and Hebrew Lyrics bound together in the same volume. There are paintings in the first style of art which would be best seen at midnight and without a light. Burke once said, Vice itself lost half its evil by losing all its grossness. But refined and cultivated evil is the same in principle with evil in its most revolting forms, and will end as wretchedly.
2. Spurious charity. Ignorance, weakness, may be used as a shield and pleaded as an excuse.
3. Social connections.
4. Self-interest.
5. Temperament is sometimes a difficulty. The violent and hasty put a plea of extenuation in the mouth of the guilty; the easy and indolent pass over a fault; the sympathetic and charitable are too ready to condone evil.
6. Timidity which shrinks from the consequences of active strife against sin.
7. Familiarity with evil.
8. We are secretly in love with evil, and nothing but the regenerating, sanctifying influence of the Spirit of God can remove the love of sin. There is salvation in Jesus. His blood cleanseth from all sin. Our Father which art in heaven deliver us from evil.William Bell.
ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 12
Rom. 12:4. Members one of another.That is a touching story which Dickens tells of two London busmen, who passed each other every day for years on the same road. They never spoke, and their only recognition was a slight elevation of their whips, when they met, by way of a salute. At length one of the coachmen disappeared, and the other, upon making inquiries, heard that he was dead. The survivor began to fret, and at last became so miserable that he actually pined to death. He could not live without the silent sympathy of his friend. Is not this an illustration of the enormous power which silent sympathy has in helping fellow-travellers over the dry, dusty, and commonplace stretches of lifes journey? Comforting, encouraging words in times of sorrow, need, sickness, and other kinds of distress, have perhaps a greater influence than those who speak them know; but sometimes greatest of all is the influence for good of little acts of sympathy of the silent sort, the hand-pressure, the look that shows you understand, the encouraging smile. This is to give the cup of cold water of which our Lord speaks; this is the little service which shall be rewarded.Elsie Croydon.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(4) Members in one body.This figure of the body and the members is worked out more fully in 1Co. 12:12-27.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
(4, 5) In the church there must be a graduation, a hierarchy, a division of labour, every one doing that for which he is best fitted, just as in the body one member has one office assigned to it, and another another. All Christians, viewed collectively, make up one body, the unity of which is supplied by their relation to Christ. Viewed individually, they stand to each other in the same sort of relation as the different limbs and organs of the natural body, as foot and hand, or hand and eye.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
4. One body The same effective image of the Church as a body is filly expanded into particulars in 1Co 12:12-31. The point illustrated here is the quiet and due performance of his appropriate duty by each and every member in his place.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members have not the same office, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and severally members one of another.’
There is a clear resemblance between this description of God’s people as a body, and the description of it as the olive tree (Rom 11:16-24), the similarity lying in the fact that they are one whole, and yet separate members of one whole. We may see a difference lying in the fact that the olive tree had had included in it the branches of rejected Israel which had been broken off, but the same may be said of the body (Joh 15:1-6). In neither case is what has been broken off a genuine constituent of the true olive tree and the true body. The other difference is that the olive tree had indicated ideal Israel in its association with the promises of God and with the Messiah. This indicates the living body in which His people are united as one in Christ (Gal 3:28), in the body which IS Christ (1Co 12:12), in what is the new nation of Mat 21:43, in the new Vine of Joh 15:1-6. Note that the body is never seen as distinct from Christ, for the body is Christ’s body into which the members have been incorporated. It is Christ Himself Who is the body. It is therefore wrong to speak of the church as ‘the body of Christ on earth’. Rather the church has been united with Him in His heavenly body, and is in the heavenlies in Him (Eph 2:1-6), while physically operating on earth.
But the consequence of this is that His body has many members, each having his part to play in building up the whole. Each does not have the same office, for differing gifts have been distributed to some throughout the body. But all are to remember that they are one body in Him, and must therefore maintain unity, being members one of another (see 1Co 12:12-27).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Rom 12:4-5 ff. Motive for compliance with the previous exhortation.
For the prevalence of the parallel between a human body and a corpus sociale (1Co 12 .) also among the ancients, see Grotius and Wetstein.
. . .] i.e. but the members, all of them, have different activity; thus, e.g. , the eyes another than the ears, the feet another than the mouth. Wrongly van Hengel takes the expression, as though were the reading, so that only some namely, those we possess in pairs would be meant, not all .
] the many , i.e. the multiplicity of Christians taken together, in opposition to the unity of the body which they compose. Comp. Rom 5:15 .
] The common element in which the union consists; out of Christ we should not be , but this we are in Him , in the fellowship of faith and life with Christ. He is the Head (Eph 1:22-23 ; Eph 4:15 ; Col 1:18 ; Col 2:19 ), a relation which is understood of itself by the consciousness of faith, but is not denoted by (as if this meant on Christ ), as Koppe, Rosenmller, and older interpreters hold.
] but in what concerns the individual relation . In good Greek it would be (see on Mar 14:19 , and Bernhardy, p. 329; Khner, II. 1, p. 414); but , in which has quite lost its regimen, is a very frequent solecism in the later Greek writers (Mark, l.c. ; Joh 8:9 ; 3Ma 5:34 ). See Lucian, Soloec . 9, and Graev. in loc. ; Thom. Mag. p. 483; Wetstein on Mark, l.c. ; Winer, p. 234 [E. T. 312]. is groundlessly condemned by Fritzsche as “commentitia formula.” If and were in use (and this was the case), it follows that might be just as well said as (comp. and the like, Matthiae, 283; Khner, II. 1, p. 272). See also Buttmann, neut . Gr. p. 26 f.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
DISCOURSE: 1907
CHRISTIANS ARE ALL MEMBERS OF ONE BODY
Rom 12:4-8. As we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 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.
TO have the mind well instructed in religious principles is good: but we must never forget that the end of principle is practice; and that all the knowledge, whether of men or angels, will be of no service, if it do not operate to the renovation of our souls after the Divine image. Hence St. Paul, having established with irresistible force all the fundamental doctrines of the Gospel, proceeds to urge upon the Church at Rome a practical improvement of them. The first improvement of them is, to surrender up ourselves unfeignedly and unreservedly to God in a way of devout affection. The next is, to employ ourselves diligently for him in every office whereby we can benefit his Church and people. To the former of these the Apostle calls us in the first verse of this chapter: and to the latter, in the words which we have just read. But to this latter we are yet further called by the relation which we bear to the Church of God, whereof we are members: and in this view it is inculcated by the Apostle in our text.
Let us then consider,
I.
The relation which we bear to one another
As descendants of Adam, we are all members of one family, of which God is the universal Parent: but, as the redeemed of the Lord, we are brought into the nearest union with Christ, so as to be members of his body, and consequently to be members also one of another. To elucidate more fully this important truth, we will distinctly notice,
1.
Our general connexion
[All true Christians are parts of one great whole, even as the different members of our corporeal body are. All have their appropriate sphere of action, and ought to fulfil the peculiar duties for which they are fitted. Those who have a higher office in this mystical body have no ground for pride, seeing that they have nothing which they have not received: their place in the body, and their faculties, having been foreordained and given by Him who divideth to every man severally as he will [Note: 1Co 12:4-11.]. On the other hand, they who have the lowest office have no reason for discontent: for they, in their place, are as necessary to the perfection of the whole, as any other member whatever. If they have a lower office than others, they have comparatively less responsibility: and, if they discharge their office conscientiously for the good of the whole and the glory of God, their improvement of their one talent will as certainly be acknowledged and rewarded by God, as the improvement which others may make of their ten talents.]
2.
Our mutual dependence
[No man is independent: no man is sufficient for his own welfare: no man can say to any other, I have no need of you [Note: 1Co 12:14-23.]. Every one is in want of many things that must be sub-plied by others: the eye needs the foot, as much as the foot needs the eye. No member possesses any thing for itself alone: the eye sees not for itself, nor does the ear hear for itself: it is for the whole that every members faculties are given; and for the whole must they be employed. If any member be afflicted, all the rest must sympathize with it, and administer to it: and if any member be particularly benefited, all the others must be partakers of its joy. Every one must consider the concerns of others as its own [Note: 1Co 12:25-26. with Php 2:4.]: nor must any one draw back from the most self-denying offices for the good of others. Is a hand bruised? the feet, the eye, the tongue, the ear, must all exert their respective talents to procure relief. No one must refuse to do what in him lies for the good of the others. The same members that now put forth their powers for the relief of one that is afflicted, may soon need from it a return of the same kind offices: and if any should say, I will give myself no trouble about this afflicted member, he will soon be made to see, that, by producing a schism in the body, he does the greatest injury to himself; it being impossible either to impart, or to withhold, the required assistance, without participating in the effects of its own conduct.]
3.
Our individual interest
[The interest of every individual member is, to get its own powers invigorated and enlarged. The more penetrating the eye, or the more expert the hand, the more it will be able to advance the good of the whole. Now every member of the Church being united unto Christ as his living Head, he should seek from Christ such gracious communications as may fit him more for the discharge of every office to which he is called. Whatever situation the member may hold in the body, its duty, and its interest also, is the same. It will not be advanced by-intruding into the offices of another, but by fulfilling its own, and getting a greater measure of activity and vigour in the discharge of them. In truth, each is advanced only in proportion as it contributes to the welfare of others. The feet, whilst keeping the whole body in health, enjoy health themselves: the hands, whilst they procure sustenance for the whole body, are themselves strengthened: and in seeking the good of the whole, each advances most the glory of that blessed Saviour, whose members they are [Note: 1Co 10:24.]. The Saviours glory and the welfare of the Church are so identified, that they cannot be separated from each other [Note: 1Co 10:27. with Eph 4:15-16.].
Thus we see the truth and propriety of the comparison in our text: for as all the members of our body are united to the head, and to each other by the head; as they also receive life and nourishment from the head, and act in subserviency to it and by its direction; and finally, as they all have precisely the same interests, and have a perfect communion with each other in all that relates to their welfare; so it is with the Church of God: all are united to Christ by faith: all, by virtue of their union with him, are united to each other in him: all have their separate endowments for the good of the whole: all should look upon each other as members of their own body, as much as his hands or feet are: and all should feel with, and act for, every other member, precisely as for himself. O that this our relation to Christ and to each other were felt and realized among the saints of every communion under heaven!]
But our view of this relation will answer no good end, unless we attend to,
II.
The duties arising from it
The offices mentioned in our text, were, if not wholly, yet in a measure distinct, in the apostolic age. There were two great leading offices; the prophesying, or preaching of the word of God [Note: So the word frequently means; and does not necessarily include miraculous gifts. 1Th 5:20.]; and ministering to the temporal necessities of the Church, as the deacons did [Note: The Greek word shews this.]. Under these two classes all the remainder may be arranged. Connected with those who prophesied were those also who taught and exhorted: and connected with the deacons office were those who ruled, or superintended the temporal concerns of the Church, giving, and dispensing its alms, and shewing mercy to those whose afflictions called for more than ordinary tenderness and compassion. But it is obvious that these various offices, even admitting that some of them were in the first instance associated with miraculous powers, are, in substance, of perpetual use and authority in the Church of Christ: there must still be persons to administer both spiritual instruction and temporal relief; and in many instances, the offices are most advantageously united. Without entering into any minute distinctions of this kind, we will content ourselves with saying in general, that, whatever station any of us hold in the Church of Christ, or whatever office we be called to execute, we should execute it,
1.
With care and diligence
[Certainly prophesying, or preaching the word of God, ought to be prosecuted with all imaginable care and diligence. We should, as stewards of the mysteries of God, administer to every one his portion in due season. We should give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine, that so we may save both ourselves and them that hear us. We should take heed to our ministry that we fulfil it. In like manner, if we perform any other office, visiting the sick, instructing the ignorant, relieving the necessitous, we should bestow much attention on the work, to execute it most for the benefit of the Church and the glory of God. It requires no small care to act so as most to counteract the effect of prejudice, and to render our efforts most beneficial to those for whom they are used. We must take care not to let our good be evil spoken of, and not to defeat by imprudence what, by a due attention to times and circumstances, might have been advantageously accomplished [Note: Mat 7:6.].]
2.
With patience and perseverance
[We must expect to meet with difficulties in every service which we are called to perform. But we must not be discouraged by them. We must go forward, like St. Paul, not moved by any trials, nor counting our lives dear to us, if we be called to sacrifice them in the way of duty. Whatever we may meet with, we must not faint or be weary in well doing, but, by patient continuance in it, approve ourselves faithful unto death. Sometimes the difficulties will arise from one quarter, and sometimes from another: sometimes they will assume the garb of humility, and make us pretend unfitness for the work we have undertaken. But we must guard against this delusion: it may be true enough, that we are unfit; but that unfitness may proceed from our own sloth and want of spirituality; in which case it is not an excuse for us, but an aggravation of our guilt. We should rise to the occasion: If the axe be blunt, we should put to the more strength [Note: Ecc 10:10.]: and if we feel ourselves beginning to faint, we must entreat of God to strengthen us with might in our inward man, and to give us always all-sufficiency in all things. We do not mean by this to encourage any to undertake offices for which they are altogether unfit; but to guard you against putting your hand to the plough, and looking back again: for if any man draw back, my soul, says God, shall have no pleasure in him. Possibly a want of success may be pleaded by us as an excuse: but that is no excuse. If, like Hosea, we were to labour for seventy years with little apparent benefit, it would be no reason for abandoning the Lords work. To plant and water, is our part; to give the increase, is Gods: and whether we have any success or not, our duty is the same, both to Christ our Head, and to all the members of his body. It should be sufficient for us to know, that we have laboured to do the will of God. If we see the fruit of our labours, well; we have reason to be thankful for it: but, if not, then we must be satisfied with the assurance, that, though Israel be not gathered, yet shall God be glorious, yea, and our reward also shall be equally great: for every man shall receive, not according to his success, but according to his own labour [Note: 1Co 3:8.].]
3.
With love and cheerfulness
[We must do nothing grudgingly or of necessity; for God loveth in all things a cheerful giver. It may be that the conduct of those whose benefit we seek, may be less amiable than might be wished. In every department, whether the more public one of preachers, or the more private one of visiting the sick, we may find much perverseness and ingratitude. But our delight must be in our work: we must enter upon it readily, and perform it cheerfully; and heap coals of fire on the heads of those who render evil for good. By kindness we may remove prejudice and conciliate regard: and by a want of it we may defeat our own most benevolent purposes. Study then a suavity of manner: if called to speak the truth, speak it in love; and, as the Apostle says, Let all your things be done with charity.
If it he said, that to practise this is difficult; true, it is so; yea, and impossible to those who know not their relation to Christ, and to one another: but to those who look to Christ as their living Head, and who receive out of his fulness, nothing is impossible: Through Christ strengthening us we can do all things. Nor, if we regard our brother as a member of our own body, shall we find this so difficult: for who ever was backward to assuage his own pains, or relieve his own necessities? If, moreover, we consider the Lord Jesus Christ himself as relieved in the relief conferred on his distressed members, shall we then need any stimulus to exertion? No: it will be our joy to perform towards him every office of love. Thus think ye then, and thus act; and know, that not even a cup of cold water shall lose its reward.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
Ver. 4. For as we have, &e. ] See 1Co 12:12 , which is a commentary on this text.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
4. ] , elucidating the fact, that God apportions variously to various persons: because the Christian community is like a body with many members having various duties. See the same idea further worked out, 1Co 12:12 ff.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Rom 12:4 f. : For language and figure cf. 1Co 12:12 . Also Eph 4:15 f., Col 1:18 . The comparison of the community to a body the social organism is very common in classical writers: see Wetstein and Jowett here. : Rom 8:13 . It is that at which the member works in modern language, its function. Every member has its gift, but it is limited by the fact that it is no more than a member: it is not the whole body. 1Co 12:17 . : many as we are, we are one body in Christ; it is the common relation to Him which unites us. In the later passages in which Paul uses this figure (Eph., Col.), Christ is spoken of as the Head of the body; but both here and in 1Co 12 it would agree better with our instinctive use of the figure to speak of Him as its soul. His own figure of the vine and the branches combines the advantages of both. : this qualifies the unity asserted in . It if not a unity in which individuality is lost; on the contrary, the individuals retain their value, only not as independent wholes, but as members one of another. Each and all exist only in each other. 1Co 12:27 . For see Winer, 312.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Romans
MANY AND ONE
Rom 12:4 – Rom 12:5
To Paul there was the closest and most vital connection between the profoundest experiences of the Christian life and its plainest and most superficial duties. Here he lays one of his most mystical conceptions as the very foundation on which to rear the great structure of Christian conduct, and links on to one of his profoundest thoughts, the unity of all Christians in Christ, a comprehensive series of practical exhortations. We are accustomed to hear from many lips: ‘I have no use for these dogmas that Paul delights in. Give me his practical teaching. You may keep the Epistle to the Romans, I hold by the thirteenth of First Corinthians.’ But such an unnatural severance between the doctrine and the ethics of the Epistle cannot be effected without the destruction of both. The very principle of this Epistle to the Romans is that the difference between the law and the Gospel is, that the one preaches conduct without a basis for it, and that the other says, First believe in Christ, and in the strength of that belief, do the right and be like Him. Here, then, in the very laying of the foundation for conduct in these verses we have in concrete example the secret of the Christian way of making good men.
I. The first point to notice here is, the unity of the derived life.
But, though this unity is mysterious, it is most real. Every Christian soul receives from Christ the life of Christ. There is a real implantation of a higher nature which has nothing to do with sin and is alien from death. There is a true regeneration which is supernatural, and which makes all who possess it one, in the measure of their possession, as truly as all the leaves on a tree are one because fed by the same sap, or all the members in the natural body are one, because nourished by the same blood. So the true bond of Christian unity lies in the common participation of the one Lord, and the real Christian unity is a unity of derived life.
The misery and sin of the Christian Church have been, and are, that it has sought to substitute other bonds of unity. The whole weary history of the divisions and alienations between Christians has surely sufficiently, and more than sufficiently, shown the failure of the attempts to base Christian oneness upon uniformity of opinion, or of ritual, or of purpose. The difference between the real unity, and these spurious attempts after it, is the difference between bundles of faggots, dead and held together by a cord, and a living tree lifting its multitudinous foliage towards the heavens. The bundle of faggots may be held together in some sort of imperfect union, but is no exhibition of unity. If visible churches must be based on some kind of agreement, they can never cover the same ground as that of ‘the body of Christ.’
That oneness is independent of our organisations, and even of our will, since it comes from the common possession of a common life. Its enemies are not divergent opinions or forms, but the evil tempers and dispositions which impede, or prevent, the flow into each Christian soul of the uniting ‘Spirit of life in Christ Jesus’ which makes the many who may be gathered into separate folds one flock clustered around the one Shepherd. And if that unity be thus a fundamental fact in the Christian life and entirely apart from external organisation, the true way to increase it in each individual is, plainly, the drawing nearer to Him, and the opening of our spirits so as to receive fuller, deeper, and more continuous inflows from His own inexhaustible fullness. In the old Temple stood the seven-branched candlestick, an emblem of a formal unity; in the new the seven candlesticks are one, because Christ stands in the midst. He makes the body one; without Him it is a carcase.
II. The diversity.
The average Christian life of to-day sorely fails in two things: in being true to itself, and in tolerance of diversities. We are all so afraid of being ticketed as ‘eccentric,’ ‘odd,’ that we oftentimes stifle the genuine impulses of the Spirit of Christ leading us to the development of unfamiliar types of goodness, and the undertaking of unrecognised forms of service. If we trusted in Christ in ourselves more, and took our laws from His whispers, we should often reach heights of goodness which tower above us now, and discover in ourselves capacities which slumber undiscerned. There is a dreary monotony and uniformity amongst us which impoverishes us, and weakens the testimony that we bear to the quickening influence of the Spirit that is in Christ Jesus; and we all tend to look very suspiciously at any man who ‘puts all the others out’ by being himself, and letting the life that he draws from the Lord dictate its own manner of expression. It would breathe a new life into all our Christian communities if we allowed full scope to the diversities of operation, and realised that in them all there was the one Spirit. The world condemns originality: the Church should have learned to prize it. ‘One after this fashion, and one after that,’ is the only wholesome law of the development of the manifold graces of the Christian life.
III. The harmony.
Still further, only by the exercise of possible diversities is the one body nourished, for each member, drawing life directly and without the intervention of any other from Christ the Source, draws also from his fellow-Christian some form of the common life that to himself is unfamiliar, and needs human intervention in order to its reception. Such dependence upon one’s brethren is not inconsistent with a primal dependence on Christ alone, and is a safeguard against the cultivating of one’s own idiosyncrasies till they become diseased and disproportionate. The most slenderly endowed Christian soul has the double charge of giving to, and receiving from, its brethren. We have all something which we can contribute to the general stock. We have all need to supplement our own peculiar gifts by brotherly ministration. The prime condition of Christian vitality has been set forth for ever by the gracious invitation, which is also an imperative command, ‘Abide in Me and I in you’; but they who by such abiding are recipients of a communicated life are not thereby isolated, but united to all who like them have received ‘the manifestation of the Spirit to do good with.’
Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren
members = the members.
office. See Rom 8:13 (deeds).
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
4.] , elucidating the fact, that God apportions variously to various persons: because the Christian community is like a body with many members having various duties. See the same idea further worked out, 1Co 12:12 ff.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Rom 12:4
Rom 12:4
For even as we have many members in one body,-The church is here compared to the human body, with its different members all united in one spiritual body. Those in the spiritual body of Christ should have the same care for the others that the earthly members of our bodies have for each other. We are members one of another, as we are members of the one body of Christ our Lord. So as we realize our spiritual relationship in Christ, we will see the good of each other. To those who have grown slowly and are immature in character Paul wrote: I fed you with milk, not with meat; for ye were not yet able to bear it: nay, not even now are ye able; for ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and do ye not walk after the manner of men? (1Co 3:2-3).
and all the members have not the same office:-Each member performs a different work and fills a different office from the others. Paul says: Nay, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary: and those parts of the body, which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. (1Co 12:22-23).
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
1Co 12:4, 1Co 12:12, 1Co 12:27, Eph 4:15, Eph 4:16
Reciprocal: Num 4:49 – every one Mar 13:34 – and to Rom 12:5 – General Eph 3:6 – the same Eph 4:4 – one body Phi 1:27 – in one Col 2:19 – knit 1Th 4:11 – and to do
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
UNITY
For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Rom 12:4-5
It is one of the nobler impulses of mankind to reverence that which has been reverenced by those who are esteemed as saints. Many a man has remained in the religious communion in which he was born, not because it the most nearly answers to his ideal, but from a sense of loyalty to his forefathers. That for which they agonised, even though it has lost its force, he clings to, lest the renunciation of it should seem to imply that he slights their memory. Can we therefore be surprised, if to the Jewish Christians of St. Pauls day it seemed impossible to give up the historic ordinances of the Church of their nation?
Under these circumstances, how was the unity of the Church to be maintained?
It must not be supposed that the freedom of the Gentile Christians was won at no cost to the Church. If it was a blessing to the Gentiles to be freed from the bondage of legalism, it was a calamity to be cut off from those who had not only inherited a far higher standard of righteousness, but who were also by language and mode of thought best able to understand the teaching of the Prophets and Apostles, nay, even of the Lord Jesus Himself. The Christian Church will receive a fuller blessing when it is reinvigorated with Jewish faith and Jewish spiritual insight and Jewish power of devotion. If the casting away of the Jews was the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead?
I. Is not the problem with which the primitive Church was confronted almost the same as the problem which confronts us English Christians in this twentieth century? As the Church in those days was torn asunder by the differences between Jews and Gentiles, so to-day it is torn asunder by the differences between Anglicans on the one hand and many Nonconformist bodies on the other. In the case of some of those who are separated from us there are, it may be, differences of so fundamental a character as for the present, at all events, to preclude the possibility of any sort of union; but in the case of the great majority, that which separates us is not fundamental difference in the essentials of the faith, but merely differences as to Church orderdifference of opinion not so much as to the facts of Gods grace, but rather as to the best methods of putting it into the possession of mankind. Now we Anglicans, like the Jewish Christians, have inherited a great tradition, a liturgy and a form of Church government, which, though we freely acknowledge that in some respects they are imperfect and need reformation, as a whole we feel to be good and not lightly to be given up. We rightly reverence our liturgy, consecrated as it is to us by a thousand associations; we rightly value the historic episcopate and the organisation which provides that none shall take upon himself the cure of souls unless he be duly called and sent. But we must be careful that we do not claim for these good things more than is their due. The utmost that we can claim for those things which are perhaps the greatest bar to unityI mean the historic episcopate, the threefold order of the ministry, and the liturgyis that the germ of them was in existence at a time when the last of the Apostles had not yet passed away.
II. The things which I have mentioned are good, and the sweeping away of them would be a terrible calamity, but I also believe that we have no more right to refuse to recognise as members of the Body of Christ those who have rejected them than the Jewish Christians had the right to say to their Gentile brethren, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. Let us not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think; but let us think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office; so we, being many, Anglicans and Nonconformists, whether Romanist or Protestant, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
III. A call to unity.Men cannot be made by Act of Parliament, or by any other means, lightly to give up all that they have inherited from the past. The most drastic legislation will not effect the unity of the churches, nor convert one single sect. God grant, then, that it may seem good to us, as I believe it seems good to the Holy Ghost Himself, that on the one hand we English Churchmen should loyally and unreservedly acknowledge those who love the Lord Jesus Christ as true members of the Catholic Church, that blessed company of all faithful people, and that on the other hand those who have been separated from us should recognise that we are not necessarily less sincere than they because in the minor matters of religionthe great matter, that which is of supreme importance, is the communion with God through our Lord Jesus Christwe cannot see altogether eye to eye with them. If we will but respect each others position, the way will be paved for that perfect fellowship and unity to which we believe the Church must ultimately attain.
IV. Let us humbly determine that by Gods grace we will endeavour to promote the unity of Christians.Let no political exigency, no prospect of some party advantage, make us deviate from the example of the Lord Jesus Christ. Had He stooped to think of political expediency, had He trimmed and mutilated His Gospel to suit Pharisees on the one hand or Sadducees on the other, the nations of the world would still walk in darkness. Let us cease from bitter memories and from angry recriminations. Let us not think of ourselves or of the particular branch of the Church to which we belong more highly than we ought to think. What is each Church, each individual, apart from the rest, but a broken arc? Only when the broken arcs are welded together into a perfect round will there shine upon the earth the full brightness of heaven.
Rev. Canon Kennett.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
4-5
Rom 12:4-5. The human body is used as an illustration of the body of Christ, because the members of the fleshly body each have a separate office or use. The various members of the body of
Christ have individual parts to perform in the spiritual life.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Rom 12:4. For as we have many members in one body. The parallel here set forth (Rom 12:4-5) is more fully carried out in 1Co 12:12, etc. In Ephesians (throughout) the unity is emphasized, here the variety. This variety is introduced as an explanation of the variety in the measure of faith, and hence as a motive for the humility enjoined.
Have not the same office, or, activity, e. g., eyes, ears, hands, etc.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Here the apostle lays before us a special reason why the officers of the church should exercise humility towards, and employ their gifts and talents for, the general good and benefit of the church. The argument is drawn from a comparison between the natural body and the mystical body.
“As in the natural body there are many members, and every member has its distinct office, the eye to see, the ear to hear, the hand to work, the foot to walk; in like manner, in the mystical body, the church of Christ, there are many members; but each member must keep his own place, and not invade the duty or usurp the office of another, but every one employ his own proper gift to the benefit and comfort of the whole, without disdaining or envying one another.”
Learn hence, 1. That the church of Christ is one body.
2. That though the body of the church be one, and the Head one, yet the members are many, united to Christ their Head by faith, and to one another by love.
3. That all believers, which are members of this body, have every one his particular gift, his several function, his proper office, which they are duly to execute and perform, without encroaching upon others by proud curiosity, or busy meddling.
But as all the members of the body labour jointly together for the preservation of the whole, so ought all the officers and members of the church to keep their distinct stations, and employ and improve regularly their several talents for the mutual edification and benefit of each other, without encroachment or intruding upon the offices of each other. God is a God of order, and hates disorder in his church.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Rom 12:4-8. For as we have many members The apostle proceeds to illustrate his advice by a comparison taken from the members of the human body. All members have not the same office But different members are appointed to different purposes. So we Several believers, having different gifts and offices; are one body All make up one body under Christ the head; and members one of another Closely connected together, and nearly related to one another, and so bound to be helpful to one another. Having then gifts differing In their nature, design, and use, although the ultimate tendency of all is the same; according to the grace that is given to us Gifts are various, but grace is one; and grace, free grace, is the spring and origin of all the gifts which are given to men. It is grace that appoints the offices, calls and qualifies persons to fill them, and works in them both to will and to do. But by grace here the apostle seems chiefly to intend the favour which God manifested, in different respects and degrees, in bestowing gifts upon men. In the primitive church there were divers extraordinary gifts, as that of tongues, that of discerning of spirits, that of healing, with some others mentioned 1Co 12:4-10. But the apostle speaks here chiefly, if not only, of those that are ordinary. Whether prophecy This, considered as an extraordinary gift, is that whereby things to come are foretold, or heavenly mysteries are declared to men. But it seems here to signify the ordinary gift of interpreting the Scriptures, and preaching the word of God, which is also the meaning of the expression, 1Co 14:1; 1Co 14:3. Let us prophesy according to the proportion, or analogy rather, of faith. Or, as Peter expresses it, 1Pe 4:11, as the oracles of God; according to the general tenor of them; according to that grand scheme of doctrine which is delivered therein, touching the original and fallen state of man, the person and offices, the deity and atonement of Christ, justification by faith, sanctification by the Holy Spirit, inward and outward holiness, the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the body, a general judgment, and an eternal state of happiness or misery. There is a wonderful analogy between all these doctrines, and a close and intimate connection between the chief heads of that faith which was once delivered to the saints. Every article, therefore, concerning which there is any question, should be determined by this rule: every doubtful scripture interpreted according to the grand truths which run through the whole. Macknight, however, thinks that the extent and energy of inspiration which was bestowed on some of the believers, is rather intended here, called the measure of faith, Rom 12:3; and that the meaning of the apostles direction is, that such as enjoyed the prophetic inspiration were not to imagine, that because some things were revealed to them, they might speak of every thing; but that in prophesying, they were to confine themselves to what was revealed to them. Or ministry Although every office performed for the edification of the church was called , ministry, (see Eph 4:12,) and hence the word is applied to the apostleship itself, Act 1:17; Act 1:25; Act 6:4; and to the evangelists office, 2Ti 4:5; yet, as the ministry here spoken of is joined with teaching, exhorting, distributing, and showing mercy, which were all stated offices in the church, it is probable that it was also a stated office, and most probably that of deacons, appointed to superintend the temporal affairs of the Christian societies: concerning whom see note on Act 6:2-3. Let us wait on our ministering Let a man employ himself actively and faithfully in his ministration; or he that teacheth The ignorant, who is appointed to instruct the catechumens, and to fit them for the communion of the church; let him attend to his office of teaching with humility, tenderness, patience, and diligence; or he that exhorteth
Whose peculiar business it was to urge Christians to perform their duty, or to comfort them in their trials, let him continue in his exhortation. He that giveth Any thing to a charitable use; let him do it with simplicity Namely, of intention, and unfeigned liberality: neither seeking the applause of men, nor having any other sinister end in view, which he could desire to conceal. Let him act with disinterestedness and impartiality. He that ruleth or presideth, (Greek, ,) that hath the care of a flock, (see 1Ti 5:17,) or presideth in the distribution of charities, which sense the preceding and following clauses appear rather to favour: or, that is appointed to see that they do their duty in any department, (Rom 16:2,) with diligence Let him perform his office faithfully. He that showeth mercy In any instance, particularly in relieving the poor and afflicted; with cheerfulness Rejoicing that he has such an opportunity of being useful to his fellow-creatures.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Vv. 4, 5. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office; so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and severally members one of another.
The organization of the human body should be an example to the believer to make him perceive the necessity of limiting himself to the function assigned him. Not only, indeed, is there a plurality of members in one body, but these members also possess special functions, varied capacities (Rom 12:4). So in the church, which is the organ of Christ’s life on the earth (His body), there is not only a multiplicity of members, but also a diversity of functions, every believer having a particular gift whereby he ought to become the auxiliary of all the rest, their member. Hence it follows that every one should remain in his function, on the one hand that he may be able to render to the rest the help which he owes them, on the other that he may not disturb these in the exercise of their gift. See the same figure more completely developed, 1 Corinthians 12
The form , instead of , occurs only in the later Greek writers.
Instead of (in the Byzs.), which is the pronoun in the nominative, the Alexs. and Greco-Latins read , which may be taken as an adverbial phrase: relatively to, or better, as a pronoun, in the sense: and that, as members of one another.
Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)
For [also epexigetical. See verse 3] even as we have many members in one body, and all the members have not the same office:
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
4. For as we have many members in one body, and all have not the same office,
Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament
12:4 {4} For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
(4) There are two reasons for the previous precept: the first is because God has not committed everything to be done by every man: and therefore he does backwardly, and unprofitably, and also to the great disservice of others, wearying himself and others, who passes the bounds of his calling: the second is because this diversity and inequality of vocations and gifts results in our being benefitted: seeing that this is therefore instituted and appointed, so that we should be bound one to another. From which it follows that no man ought to be grieved at this, seeing that the use of every private gift is common.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
It is important that we remember that we are part of a larger organism. We are not just a group of individuals each doing our own thing. Paul had previously used the body to illustrate the church in 1 Corinthians 12. What he said here recapped the main idea that he expounded more fully there. The body of Christ is a unified organism, and its members are diverse personally and in their functions.
"Your right hand has never yet had a fight with the left: on the contrary, each constantly helps the other!" [Note: Newell, pp. 460-61.]
All the members belong to one another; there is mutuality in the church. As members of one another, we cannot work independently effectively. Each member profits from the contribution of every other member too. This realization should help us avoid becoming proud.
"The point is that each member functions to serve the body, not the body to serve the members." [Note: Witmer, p. 488.]