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The word "world" is aion, age. While this age is full of the exploits of man and his
considerable attainments, yet the word of God reminds us that it is "evil" (Gal. 1: 4). It is
dominated by the "god of this age" who blinds the mind (II Cor. 4: 4), in consequence of
which Christ is still rejected. To be conformed to this age is therefore dangerous and
always to be avoided by the believer. In contrast he should be "transformed". This word
metamorphoo is translated "transfigure" in the Gospel records, and this transfiguration
comes about through the work of the Holy Spirit. In II Cor. 3: 18 we have believers
being "changed" into the likeness of Christ from one degree of glory to another by the
work of "the Lord Who is the Spirit" (N.I.V.). The mind is far from being continually
good; it must be constantly "renewed". Without this it would be impossible to test and
approve what the will of God is. It is always good and perfect coming from Him, but is it
always acceptable to us? It is only so when we are prepared to submit our will to His.
The renewed mind constantly needs divine instruction, hence the detailed advice and
guidance in the following chapters of the epistle.
The Apostle now deals not only with diversities of personalities, but diversities of
gifts, yet insists that all should co-operate for the good of the witness as a whole. He
once more uses the illustration of a human body as He had already done when writing to
the Corinthian church. Each member of the human body has its own particular work to
perform, yet all the parts work together harmoniously otherwise good health would be
impossible. In the same way, an assembly of God's people should function together in
love and harmony.
"For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to
think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as
God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith" (Rom. 12: 3).
The Apostle gives the ground for his authority, the grace and power God had
bestowed on him for the teaching and building up of the churches (cp. II Cor. 13: 10).
He starts by warning against pride and self-esteem which would lead to some imagining
themselves to be superior to others. God had given each a measure of faith and this word
is used in a somewhat different sense from that which it has in the rest of the epistle.
Here, it refers to the spiritual power which each believer had received for the discharge of
his special responsibility.
Although this responsibility is stressed, yet all must work in harmony, for they were
"one body IN Christ" (Rom. 12: 5). The phrase, the Body of Christ does not occur in the
epistle to the Romans. The word body to describe a group of people was of common
occurrence in early times.
"The metaphor of the body, used to describe a group of men who have common
interests and activities, was not infrequent in antiquity. An example often quoted is the
speech put by Livy (2:32) into the mouth of Menenius Agrippa on the occasion of the
secession of the Roman plebs. Senate and people, Agrippa argued, could no more
dispense with each other than stomach and limbs; they formed a unity within one body"
(100: K. Barrett, The Epistle to the Romans, p.236).