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I. To build up the many members into the Body of Christ:
А. Coordinating together and functioning according to the measure of each one part — Rom. 12:3-8.
Romans 12:3-8
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think, but to think so as to be sober-minded, as God has apportioned to each a measure of faith. (4) For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, (5) so we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another. (6) And having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; (7) or service, let us be faithful in that service; or he who teaches, in that teaching; (8) or he who exhorts, in that exhortation; he who gives, in simplicity; he who leads, in diligence; he who shows mercy, in cheerfulness.
B. Living a life of virtues of the highest standard — Rom. 12:9-21.
Romans 12:9-21
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. (10) Love one another warmly in brotherly love; take the lead in showing honor one to another. (11) Do not be slothful in zeal, but be burning in spirit, serving the Lord. (12) Rejoice in hope; endure in tribulation; persevere in prayer. (13) Contribute to the needs of the saints; pursue hospitality. (14) Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. (15) Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. (16) Be of the same mind toward one another, not setting your mind on the high things but going along with the lowly; do not be wise in yourselves. (17) Repay no one evil for evil; take forethought for things honorable in the sight of all men. (18) If possible, as far as it depends on you, live in peace with all men. (19) Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (20) But “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will heap coals of fire upon his head.” (21) Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.
II. That the unique Body of Christ may be expressed in the local churches in every place:
А. All the churches needing:
1. To receive all genuine believers unconditionally according to the way that God and Christ receive them — Rom. 14:1-3; 15:7.
Romans 14:1-3
Now him who is weak in faith receive, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his considerations. (2) One believes that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables. (3) He who eats, let him not despise him who does not eat; and he who does not eat, let him not judge him who eats, for God has received him.
Romans 15:7
Therefore receive one another, as Christ also received you to the glory of God.
2. To treat all genuine believers according to Christ — Rom. 15:5.
Romans 15:5
Now the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind toward one another according to Christ Jesus.
3. To walk according to love — Rom. 14:15.
Romans 14:15
For if because of food your brother is wounded, you no longer walk according to love. Do not destroy by your food that man for whom Christ died.
4. To live under the light of the judgment seat of God — Rom. 14:10b.
Romans 14:10b
...for we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
5. To live a life of the kingdom of God — Rom. 14:17.
Romans 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
6. All the churches and all the saints on the whole earth living in one universal fellowship — Rom. 16:1-27.
Romans 16:1-27
I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a deaconess of the church which is in Cenchrea, (2) that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints and assist her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been the patroness of many, of myself as well. (3) Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, (4) who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; (5) and greet the church, which is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the firstfruits of Asia unto Christ. (6) Greet Mary, one who has labored much for you. (7) Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. (8) Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. (9) Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys, my beloved. (10) Greet Apelles, approved in Christ. Greet those of the household of Aristobulus. (11) Greet Herodion, my kinsman. Greet those of the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. (12) Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who labor in the Lord. Greet Persis, the beloved sister, one who has labored much in the Lord. (13) Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother as well as mine. (14) Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brothers with them. (15) Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints with them. (16) Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you. (17) Now I exhort you, brothers, to mark those who make divisions and causes of stumbling contrary to the teaching which you have learned, and turn away from them. (18) For such men do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own stomach, and through smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. (19) For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and guileless as to what is evil. (20) Now the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. (21) Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you, as well as Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen. (22) I, Tertius, who write this epistle, greet you in the Lord. (23) Gaius, my host and host of the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you, and Quartus the brother. (25) Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel, that is, the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which has been kept in silence in the times of the ages (26) but has now been manifested, and through the prophetic writings, according to the command of the eternal God, has been made known to all the Gentiles for the obedience of faith; (27) to the only wise God through Jesus Christ, to him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
7. To turn away from those who cause divisions — Rom. 16:17.
Romans 16:17 Now I exhort you, brothers, to mark those who make divisions and causes of stumbling contrary to the teaching which you have learned, and turn away from them.
B. The results:
1. Crushing Satan under our feet — Rom. 16:20a.
Romans 16:20a
Now the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly...
2. Enjoying the grace of Christ and the peace of God — Rom. 16:20.
Romans 16:20
Now the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
3. Giving glory to the only wise God — Rom. 16:25-27.
Romans 16:25-27
Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel, that is, the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which has been kept in silence in the times of the ages (26) but has now been manifested, and through the prophetic writings, according to the command of the eternal God, has been made known to all the Gentiles for the obedience of faith; (27) to the only wise God through Jesus Christ, to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
In order to understand the book of Romans, we must first know the structure of this book. We know that the most important part of a man’s face is his eyes. Many Bible scholars acknowledge the book of Romans as the eyes of the New Testament. This book as the eyes of the New Testament was written by Paul in Corinth. It speaks of God’s mysterious economy, His dispensing, and its results.
Not long after Paul wrote 1 and 2 Corinthians in Ephesus, he went to the problem-ridden church in Corinth. I believe that while he was there, confronted with all the practical situations, he had some observations and ideas. This became the structure from which he wrote the book of Romans. His intention was to show God’s people the mysterious economy of God, how His dispensing produced redemption, and how from this redemption, through His continual dispensing, the chosen tripartite man would be fully saturated by His divine element. Such ones would not only have God’s life through regeneration but would also be sanctified, renewed, transformed, and even conformed in their whole being from inside to outside, from their spirit through their soul to their body, to the image of God’s firstborn Son, living a life of death and resurrection. Furthermore, they would be coordinated and built up together as a corporate vessel to be the Body of Christ, His counterpart that would be expressed on earth in different localities. Although they would live in different places, they would not be separated but would be constituted as the unique Body of Christ, having one universal fellowship and becoming the full expression of Christ. This is the structure of Romans.
The apostle Paul saw that the ultimate goal of God’s purpose is to build up together the tripartite men who have been redeemed and who possess His life to be His sons into a Body for His corporate expression on earth. In other words, God wants to gain sons from among the sinners so that they can be constituted the Body of Christ for the expression of Christ. This expression appears on earth in individual localities, each unit being determined by the administrative boundaries. Although they appear in different places, they are not separate, and although they are local, they are still part of the unique universal Body of Christ. When Paul wrote this book, this thought was deeply planted in his heart and spirit. Hence, with that as the foundation, Paul wrote this book and sent it to the church in Rome.
Romans 1 begins clearly and definitely with the gospel of God. The gospel of God is the subject of Romans; it begins from God’s creation and proves God’s existence by the heaven and the earth. However, the created man did not worship God according to His eternal power and divinity, which are manifested in the universe. On the contrary, man sinned and offended God so that he was condemned by God’s righteous law. For this, God accomplished redemption in Christ for the fallen sinners, and through faith on the sinners’ part redeemed them back one by one. Through incarnation, human living, and crucifixion, God died for man and redeemed him, overcoming Satan, and in resurrection became the life-giving Spirit, entering into those who believe in Him and call on Him to be their life and everything. This is the gospel of God’s salvation.
This gospel has been preached to the ends of the earth. All those who hear this gospel, who believe and call on the name of the Lord Jesus, will have the pneumatic Christ enter into them to regenerate their spirit. From that time on, these regenerated ones are able to breathe in God and receive Him; they can take in God, and Christ, who also is the life-giving Spirit, as the breath of life; they can also take in the Spirit of life as the living water, drinking Him for the quenching of their thirst. Moreover, they can eat the Lord as the heavenly spiritual food through the word of the Bible. Through this kind of breathing, drinking, and eating of the Lord, the life-giving Spirit can continue to do the dispensing work within the believers. This dispensing is like the anointing; it anoints repeatedly, layer by layer, God’s divine element and His sanctifying and glorious life essence into those who believe in Him and enjoy Him. In this way these ones will abide in Him, and the Lord will abide in them. There will be no barrier between them and the Lord. They will receive more of the Lord’s fatness and enjoy His divine element, and they will grow with the increase of God within them. In the end, they will not only be regenerated but will also be sanctified, renewed, and transformed. Throughout this process they will experience Christ’s death and resurrection and will be conformed to the image of Christ, the firstborn Son of God. Finally, all these ones who believe in the Lord and enjoy Him become a corporate vessel in the universe, constituted the Body of Christ to be the expression of Christ in every locality for the fulfillment of God’s desire. This is what is revealed in Romans 1 through 16.
In the previous few chapters we have covered the main points prior to chapter 12. In this chapter we will consider the content of four chapters: 12, 14, 15, and 16. Romans 12 shows that we who have received Christ and enjoy Him are the members of Christ, being coordinated and built up together and constituted the Body of Christ. The other three chapters show that, on the one hand, this unique Body of Christ is expressed in localities city by city in various countries on earth as the local churches; on the other hand, because the fellowship of this Body is universal, these local churches are still one. In this way they will give glory to the one wise God.
In the previous chapters we have seen the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity, and we have seen the results of this divine dispensing. Now we want to consider the goal of this dispensing. The goal of the dispensing of the Divine Trinity within the believers is simply to have a Body expressed as the many local churches. Although there are many churches, there is nevertheless one Body. On the one hand, we have the Body of Christ, which is universal. On the other hand, the Body is expressed in various localities as local churches. Universally speaking, there is one Body. Locally speaking, there are many local churches.
First, the goal of God’s dispensing is to build up the many members into the Body of Christ. In the Body of Christ all the members coordinate together and function according to the measure of each one part (12:3-8). Paul says in Romans 12:3, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think, but to think so as to be sober-minded, as God has apportioned to each a measure of faith.” Sobermindedness here means to not be careless or foolish, to consider things properly, without being too much or too little. In the coordination of the Body we have to consider ourselves soberly. We must not only consider ourselves from our own standpoint but must know ourselves as we are in the Body of Christ. If God has set you in the Body of Christ as a little finger, and if you have the view of the Body, you will accept it with gladness. This is to be sober-minded.
Following this, verses 4 and 5 say, “Just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” Hence, all of us have to know what part we are in the Body and what function we have (vv. 6-8). We must also be sober-minded so that we can coordinate with others in the church and can be built up together. Many times, problems in the church arise because believers consider others and make judgments based on the natural view. For this reason we have to be delivered from ourselves and from the natural man so that our mind can be sober and can make judgments accurately. In this way we can stand in the proper position and can happily coordinate to be built up with others. We will function according to our own measure, and we will neither overstep others nor underestimate ourselves. In this way the Body will be built up.
Romans 12:9-11 shows a life of the highest standard of virtues in the Body. This portion shows that the life of the highest standard of virtues exceeds the requirement of human ethics and morality. This is the life that we Christians should live in the church before men. Only by this can we coordinate and be built up properly and suitably with others as one.
Many of you here are married. Can you tell me of one couple who never argues? If arguments are unavoidable even between husbands and wives, how can we avoid them among the brothers and sisters in the church? Paul says in Philippians 2:14, “Do all things without murmurings and reasonings.” Murmurings are from the emotion and come mainly from the sisters. Reasonings are from the mind and come mainly from the brothers. Both of these things frustrate us so that we cannot fully experience and enjoy Christ. Whether it is the murmuring of the sisters or the reasoning of the brothers, both are the flesh that has not been dealt with and that has not passed through the cross. If we are persons who have passed through the cross, it will be no longer we who live but Christ living in us. When we die and live with Christ in this way, we will be conformed to the image of the firstborn Son of God and will become persons who have passed through death and resurrection. In this way the church life will be full of peace and joy.
When we live a life with the highest virtues, the church will become a coordinated and built-up Body that is expressed in all the localities. Hence, Romans 14 shows the unique Body of Christ expressed in all the local churches. For this reason all the churches have to receive all genuine believers unconditionally, according to the way God and Christ receive them (vv. 1-3; 15:7), for the practice of the Body life. We have to learn the practical lesson of receiving the believers. Here Paul uses eating and the keeping of the Sabbath as examples. He says that some are still keeping the Sabbath, and others are still eating according to the ceremony of cleansing. But as long as they have all believed in the Lord, we have to receive them. Although those who keep the Sabbath are wrong, God still receives them. Although the Jewish believers may keep the ceremonies of the Old Testament, God receives them also. God’s receiving is not based on the question of the Sabbath or the ordinances of eating but on man’s believing in Jesus Christ the Son of God. Our receiving of the believers is based on God’s receiving of them. Hence, all the churches have to receive them also. When we receive in this way, according to God instead of according to doctrine or methods, we maintain the oneness of the Body of Christ.
After receiving them, we still have to treat all genuinely saved believers according to Christ. Romans 15:5 says, “Now the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind toward one another according to Christ Jesus.” God has Christ Jesus as the standard in the church life. In the church life everything must be according to Him instead of according to doctrines and knowledge. No matter how different others are from us in doctrinal views or religious practices, we must learn to treat them according to Christ. We must treat them not only according to Christ’s mind but according to Christ Himself. In this way we will be able to think the same thing.
In 14:15 Paul says, “If because of food your brother is wounded, you no longer walk according to love.” No matter how different others are from us in concept or practice, we should not criticize or judge them. Otherwise, we are not walking according to love, and we will be putting a stumbling block before others, thus causing others to stumble and damaging the Body life.
Romans 14:10 also tells us that we should not judge others in anything, because “we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” One day God’s judgment seat will reveal all our deeds and actions. Hence, today we have to live and work under the light of God’s judgment seat in everything.
Today in the Lord’s recovery the most important thing is to keep the oneness of the Body of Christ. This oneness is different from being united. Being united means that a number of people are joined together. But oneness is to have only one person, the pneumatic Christ Himself, living in us so that we can do everything according to God and Christ and can be built up in the Body to live out the life of God’s kingdom. Romans 14:17 says, “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” God’s kingdom is the sphere for God to exercise His authority and where God expresses His glory and accomplishes His will. It is not a matter of eating and drinking but a matter of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. We who live in God’s kingdom should be right and proper toward men, toward all things, and toward God. We should be without mistakes, prejudices, or deviations. In this way we will have peace as the proper relationship between us and others and between us and God. There will be no criticisms or disputes. If we are right toward man and God and at peace with all men, we will have joy in the Holy Spirit. In this way we will have the reality of the kingdom life.
From the whole chapter of Romans 16 we can see that all the churches and all the saints on the whole earth live in one universal fellowship. When Paul wrote the book of Romans, Corinth and Rome were geographically far apart from each other. The means of communication were not advanced. Yet in Paul’s numerous greetings in verses 1 through 27 he mentions many names. Although he was never in Rome, there were many people in Rome who knew him. This shows that although the churches then appeared in different localities, and there were saints all over the earth, they were still living in the one fellowship of the Body. In whatever nation or land the churches were found, they were still one Body. All the saints are members of this Body, and they live in the oneness of this Body of Christ.
In 16:17 Paul says, “Now I exhort you, brothers, to mark those who make divisions and causes of stumbling contrary to the teaching which you have learned, and turn away from them.” In chapter 14, in the matter of receiving those with different doctrines and practices, Paul is very broad and flexible. But here, he resolutely charges us to turn away from those who hold dissenting opinions and who make divisions and causes of stumbling. Both aspects are for the maintaining of the oneness of the Body of Christ so that we can live the proper church life.
When we live in the oneness of the Body of Christ and express this Body in the various local churches, the result will be: (1) God’s crushing of Satan under our feet (v. 20a), (2) our enjoying the grace of Christ and the peace of God (v. 20b), and (3) the giving of glory to the only wise God (vv. 25-27). This is the peak of our church life. No matter how many saints or local churches there are on earth, in the various places we all give glory to the only wise God. This God is the One who has given Jesus Christ to us according to the revelation of the mystery, which has been kept in silence in the times of the ages, who also is the One who has saved us, regenerated us, and through His divine dispensing is continually sanctifying, renewing, and transforming us, and who will eventually glorify us and conform us to the image of God’s firstborn Son, bringing us into glory. Now all of us are in this Body of Christ, glorifying our God unto eternity.
