Romans

12:3-8

Exhortations 12:1-15:13

i] The marks of a Christian community, 12:3-13:14

a) The exercise of mutual ministry

Having presented his guiding theme / proposition / paradigm for his ethical exhortations, namely, present your lives as a living sacrifice to God, 12:1-2, Paul now deals with the first of a number of practical applications. On the basis of Paul's authority as an apostle ("grace given to me" = the gift of apostleship), he encourages his readers to first discover their spiritual abilities, their God-given gifts, in line with the discerned will of God, and then to exercise them for the building up of the Christian community.

i] Context: See 12:1-2.

ii] Background: The Nomist heresy 1:8-15.

iii] Structure: The exercise of spiritual gifts:

iv] Thesis: See 3:21-31.

v] Interpretation:

vi] Exposition: A simple exposition of this passage may be found in the linked pew-level Sermon Notes.

The exercise of mutual ministry - believers are to properly assess their spiritual gifts and use them to build up the body of Christ, v3-8. i] the sober assessment of one's gifts, v3. Without employing a leap of faith into the dark void of one's imagination, members of a Christian community are directed to wisely assess their spiritual abilities "in accordance with the measure of faith that God has assigned." This phrase is rather vague, but it most likely describes the type of assessment undertaken. It's a spiritual exercise, a godward exercise, rather than a mere assessment of natural abilities.

gar "for" - for. A causal sense is unlikely; the conjunction here is more likely transitional, indicating a step in the argument / paragraph marker.

dia + gen. "by" - [i say] through. Instrumental, expressing means, "by means of", as NIV. "I say" is more emphatic, so "I exhort", NET.

thV doqeishV (didwmi) gen. aor. pas. part. "[the grace] given" - [the grace] having been given. The participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting "grace", the aorist being constative and the passive usually classified as divine / theological; "the grace which was given to me."

moi dat. pro. "me" - to me. Dative of indirect object.

panti dat. adj. "[I say] to every" - to all, everyone. Emphatic, so Dunn. The adjective serves as a substantive, dative of indirect object.

tw/ o[nti dat. pres. part. "one" - the ones being. The participle serves as a substantive standing in apposition to panti , "all", "to everyone, to those among you", or it can be taken as adjectival, attributive, limiting panti; "everyone who is among you."

en + dat. "of [you]" - in = among [you]. Spatial; here with the sense "among you."

mh uJperfronein (uJperfronew) pres. inf. "do not think of yourself more highly" - not to think more highly, haughty, self centred. The infinitive introduces a dependent statement of indirect speech expressing what Paul says. Possibly, "go beyond the bounds of wisdom", Calvin, but probably better, we "are not to estimate oneself too highly", Cranfield. The presence of mh indicates a prohibition; "do not ...".

par (para) + acc. "than" - beyond. Local, here with the sense "in place of", Porter Gk., or "beyond", so comparative, "than."

fronein (fronew) pres. inf. "[you aught]" - [what is necessary] to think. Complementary infinitive, completing the sense of the verb "it is necessary"; "beyond what is necessary to think" = "than one ought." The second use of the infinitive fronein, "to think", , serves to introduce a coordinate dependent statement further expressing what Paul says; "I say do not ........., but I say to think =that you think with sober judgment ...."

alla "but rather" - but. Strong adversative standing in a counterpoint construction, "not ....., but .....", as NIV.

eiV to swfronein (swfronew) inf. "with sober judgment" - [to think] into the to be reasonable, sensible thinking, measured, sober-minded. This construction, an articular infinitive preceded by the preposition eiV, "to / into", would normally express purpose, but sometimes result; "to be thinking with a view to a sensible appraisal of himself", Wuest. We should "entertain a sober opinion" of ourselves, Cranfield; "take a sane view of", Moffatt; "with sobriety", Fitzmyer.

wJV "in accordance with" - as [god apportioned]. Not as a comparative, "like", but expressing a characteristic quality / manner; "as".

metron (on) "the measure / -" - a measure, proportion. "Amount", TEV, runs with the idea of a measured amount given to each believer as God wills, which measure is appropriated by faith, so Schreiner, Dunn, Black, Murray.... The word is usually taken to express a measuring standard, eg., a ruler. "A standard (by which to measure himself) namely (his) Christian faith", Cranfield. In this sense the "measure" is "the standard by which we judge ourselves, namely, our shared faith; thus we look at ourselves on the basis of that common faith God's grace has allotted to each of us", Osborne, so Morris, Fitzmyer, Moo, Dumbrell, ...

pistewV (iV ewV) gen. "of faith / the faith" - of faith. The genitive is adjectival, possibly partitive, but better of definition / epexegetic, "a measure which consists of faith", that which God apportioned. As Lenski points out, you can't have a portion of justifying faith, although justifying faith is unlikely to be the sense here. The use of the word "faith" here is somewhat unclear, but Fitzmyer suggests it is "the object believed in, which in the concrete is Christ Jesus." Cranfield and Moo think it is "the common gift of faith given to all believers", while Dunn, Jewett and Schreiner think it is "the unique gifts of faith God gives to each believer", Harvey.

ekastw/ dat. adj. "to each of you" - to each. The NIV reads this adjective as a dative of indirect object, but its position suggests it is attracted to the dative panti tw/ onti, "to every one being [among you]." Cranfield suggests ekastoV wJV autw/ oJ qeoV, "each as to what God apportioned [a portion of faith]."

ii] A recognition that we are members of one body, v4-5. Although each member of a congregation has different gifts shaping various functions (ministries), each function is essential for the benefit of the whole, v4-5.

gar "-" - for. More reason than cause, explanatory, so best left untranslated.

kaqaper ....... ou{twV "just as ....... so" - as .......... so ..... Coordinate comparative construction covering v4 and 5; "just as in a single body there are ...... so also / in the same way ....." "Each of us lives in a body composed of many parts. Now all of these parts do not have the same function. In the same way we are the many parts of the risen Messiah, and each of us plays his proper role in coordination with all the rest of us", Junkins.

en "-" - in [one body]. Local, expressing a state or condition; "we are like the various parts of a human body", Peterson.

melh (oV ouV) "[many] members" - [we have many] members, body parts. Accusative object of the gnomic verb "to have"; "just as in a single human body there are many parts (as you well know)", Cassirer.

de "and" - but/and. Transitional, indicating a step in the argument, here to a contrasting point; "but these members do not have the same function."

praxin (iV ewV) "function" - [all the members do not have the same] action, deed, function. Accusative object of the verb "to have." "Each part of the body has a different use." Paul likes the body illustration with the different parts having their own particular function and uses it in Ephesians, although there Jesus is the head of the body.

ouJtwV "so" - so also, in the same way. See above.

en + dat. "in [Christ]" - [the many are one body] in [christ]. Local, expressing space, incorporative union. Due to our incorporation in / union with Christ believers form a unified whole in much the same way as the individual parts of the body form a whole. Note Schreiner who suggests that en here expresses cause, "because we are united with Christ", or Harris Gk. who opts for an instrumental sense, "by our union with Christ."

oiJ polloi adj. "we, though many" - the many. The adjective serves as a substantive, subject of the verb to-be.

e}n swma (a atoV) "[form] one body" - [are] one body. Predicate nominative.

to ... kaq ei|V "each" - [and] each one [members of one another]. The prepositional phrase kaq ei|V is adverbial; "signally, individually." The presence of the article to is somewhat strange. Moule suggests it is bad grammar, but it is probably just idiomatic Koine Gk. "Relatively to (adverbial phrase) and that (pronoun), as members of one another", Godet. "Individually (to ... kaq ei|V, idiomatic adverbial phrase), with relation to each individual (allhlwn melh)", BDF #305. The genitive substantive pronoun allhlown, "one another" is adjectival, possessive, "members of one another" = "members belonging to one another." The point being made is that believers are mutually dependent on each other.

iii] The exercise of personal gifts, v6-8. As a coordinate unity, believers are to use their individual gifts to build up the body of Christ. Paul lists seven spiritual gifts. It is unlikely that the list is complete, but is rather exemplary. The gifts are obviously endowments of the Spirit, endowments that likely heighten natural abilities. Note that most translations assume an imperative somewhere in this verse, eg., ESV "Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith."

de "-" - but/and. Transitional, indicating a step in the argument.

econteV (ecw) pres. part. "we have" - having. Given the free flowing nature of the Gk. text through to v21, it is not possible to identify the exact function of this participle, as with some of those that follow. As is often the case in Koine Gk., the sense of a participle remains flexible, rather than fixed. English will often demand a fixed sense, so here we could classify this participle as adverbial, causal; "because we have gifts given us by the grace of God, let us use them." We then have an implied imperative as ESV, "let us use the ......" Robertson opts for an imperatival participle, but such is a dubious classification, given that most such participles are attendant on an imperative. We are best to follow the NIV and treat it as equivalent to an indicative, technically a periphrastic present with the present tense of the verb to-be assumed.

carismata (a atoV) "gifts" - kindly gifts. Probably here with the more specialised meaning of the word, namely "gifts of the Spirit", spiritual abilities given to, or enhanced in, individuals to enable them to minister in the church for the building up of the congregation.

kata + acc. "according to [the grace]" - [differing] according to [the grace]. Expressing a standard; "in accordance with." Each believer has different gifts which have come in accord with the gracious kindness of God, ie., "they are grace-gifts, or charismata, and that God is the true source of them", Osborne.

thn doqeisan (didwmi) aor. pas. part. "given" - having been given. The participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting "grace"; "the grace which has been given."

hJmin dat. pro. "to each of us" - to us. Dative of indirect object.

eite .... eite "if " - whether. A disjunctive correlative construction; "either .... or / whether .... or / if .... or if." Covering the listed gifts, v6-8.

profhteian (a) "your gift is prophesying" - it is prophesy, a declaration of the will of god. Accusative object of an assumed verb to-be. The prophetic function is primarily forth-telling, rather than fore-telling, although the actual function of a New Testament prophet is open to debate. For example, some argue that prophets, as with apostles, only existed in the New Testament church and that with the formation of the New Testament scriptures, the function of prophet became redundant. It is certainly hard to argue for the existence of primary prophecy today, but in a secondary sense, prophecy, as forth-telling, is alive and well.

kata + acc. "in accordance with" - then prophecy according to. Expressing a standard. As with all seven gifts there is no verb and so one must be supplied. Most modern translations take the prepositional phrases introduced initially by kata and then en, as indicating an imperative rather than serving to modify the gift. So "if it (the gift/s allotted to each of us) be prophecy, let us prophesy in accord with / in conformity with ...." Of course, our nomistic tendencies always lead us toward an imperative rather than an indicative!!

thn analogian thV pistewV "your faith" - the proportion, right correspondence of the faith. The prophets are to proclaim truth in relationship with / in line with / according to the proportion of the faith. The phrase is compacted and lacks clarity, given that the meaning of the noun analogia in this context is unclear, and the function of the genitive noun thV pistewV, "of the faith", is similarly unclear. If we take the genitive "of faith" as adjectival, epexegetic / appositional, then this "portion", this piece of prophetic word, consists of the faith (the body of doctrine held in common by believers). The prophets have no right to proclaim something which they believe is inspired, but does not align with the body of truth upon which they rely for their salvation. "Let us prophesy such that the truth proclaimed corresponds with the revealed Word of God." A verbal, subjective classification of the genitive "of the faith" gives a similar sense where "the portion" is dictated "by the faith." Schreiner thinks "faith" here is a person's personal faith; "prophecy should be exercised in proportion to ("portion" = by the measure of) one's personal faith", as NIV, ESV, etc. - contra Fee, ...., ie., a possessive genitive. It seems best to treat the clause as follows: "the prophet is to prophesy in relation to the truths of the Christian faith as received.

eite "if" - or if. See v6 above.

diakonian (a) "it is serving" - it is ministry, service. Accusative object of an assumed verb to-be. The word is used of service to the brotherhood (church), either generally, or specifically, eg. giving aid. It may also include a ministry of the word. "Practical service", Goodspeed, but then why put such a ministry in the midst of word ministries?

en + dat. "then [serve]" - then serve in [the ministry, serving]. See v6 above for the preposition as a marker of an imperative; "if we have the gift of serving, let us use it in serving", Cassirer. As noted, our inclination toward an imperatival sense should at least force a consideration of a local sense expressing sphere, "in the sphere of service", or an adverbial sense, modal, expressing the manner of serving; "if serving, in the manner of our service." The preposition is repeated for all the listed gifts.

oJ didaskwn (didaskw) pres. part. "[if it is] teaching" - [or if] the teaching [is the gift then teach in the teaching]. As with the participles in v8, this participle serves as a substantive, nominative subject of an assumed verb to-be, but note the comment in v6 on the function of participles in the passage. The gift of teaching may be defined as catechetical instruction in the scriptures given to the members of the Christian community by a gifted member.

oJ parakalwn (parakalew) pres. part. "encouraging" - [or if] the one exhorting [in the encouragement]. The participle serves as a substantive. As with teaching, the purpose of "encouraging" is the edification of the congregation. Whereas "teaching" is theoretical instruction, "encouraging" is probably more practical, life-centred guidance; "the pastoral application of the gospel", Cranfield. "The gift of stirring speech", NEB.

oJ metadidouV (metadidwmi) pres. part. "contributing" - the one giving, or sharing with someone. Paul may be speaking of a gift of liberality, giving of our own resources for the building up of others. He may also be speaking of a ministry of the administration of finances, distributing the offerings of the church. This was Calvin's understanding.

en aJplothti "let him give generously" - in generosity, liberality. Possibly with the sense of "purity", even "simplicity"; the giver must give with pure intent. See Sandy and Headlam.

oJ proistamenoV (proisthmi) pres. part. "[if it is] leadership" - the one taking the first place, presiding [in diligence]. "Paul is probably referring to those to whom the government of the church was committed. These are the elders who presided over, and ruled, the other members and exercised discipline", Calvin. Others suggest it is leadership in a general sense, which could be exercised by a number of church members in the building up of the congregation. Some commentators actually see it linked to the proceeding ministries, in which case it is a ministry of administration of the church's charitable works.

oJ elewn (eleew) pres. part. "showing mercy" - the one showing mercy. "The person whose special function is, on behalf of the congregation, to tend the sick, relieve the poor, or care for the aged and disabled", Cranfield.

en iJlarothti (hV htoV) "do it cheerfully" - in cheerfulness. This last example of the prepositional construction used throughout the list of ministries certainly leans toward an adverbial use, expressing manner; "the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness / cheerfully."

Romans Introduction

Exposition

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