The Strand Study Bible

Written From Corinth During Paul’s Third Missionary Journey

ROMANS

1869

you are and you change where you are when you change ( but be ye transformed ) what you put into your mind. 12:6 a Prophecy is one of the six speaking gifts. It is the God-given ability to “ proclaim God’s truths without apology ” (I Cor 12:10 and Eph 4:11). 12:6 b This word ( proportion ) is the Greek word DQDOοJLDQ ( analogian ) and means “ the right relation .” There is one prerequisite to using the gift of prophecy. Believers with this gift are warned not to proclaim anything beyond what God has already revealed within His Word. The “word of knowledge” movement is, therefore, unscriptural. 12:7 a Ministry is one of the nine serving gifts. It is the God-given ability (gift) to serve others in such a way that you magnify the work of Christ . 12:7 b Teaching is one of the six speaking gifts. It is the God-given ability (gift) to instruct, clarify, communicate, and validate God’s truths in such a way that others can understand it. This word is used over 170 times in the NT. 12:8 a Exhortation is one of the six speaking gifts. It is the God-given ability (gift) to encourage, stimulate, and motivate the people of God to live God’s truths (Acts 15:32 and II Tim 4:1-2). This word is used over 140 times in the NT. 12:8 b Giving is one of the nine serving gifts. It is the God-given ability (gift) to contribute material resources with liberality to the work of Christ (Lk 3:11, Eph 4:28 and I Thess 2:8). 12:8 c This word ( simplicity ) is the Greek word DSOοτKτL ( aploteti ) and means “ singleness of mind .” There is one prerequisite to using the gift of giving. Believers with this gift are warned not to give unless they are “sincere” about their giving. In order to exercise this gift the believer must give without thinking twice about his gift. A double-minded giver is always unstable (Jms 1:8). 12:8 d Ruling is one of the nine serving gifts. It is the God-given ability (gift) to take the lead and shepherd people . This word ( ruleth ) is the Greek word SUοLστDPHQο9 (proistamenos) and means “ to stand before ” ( to preside, direct, maintain control, hence, to lead ). It is used 8 times in the NT (Rom 12:8, I Thess 5:12, I Tim 3:4-5,12 & 5:17 and Titus 3:8,14). 12:8 e This word ( diligence ) is the Greek word σSοXGK ( spoude ) and means “ to hasten to do a thing ; to be quick .” There is one prerequisite to using the gift of ruling. Believers with this gift are warned not to shepherd people unless they are willing to be “ quick ” to maintain the spiritual well being of those people. Believers with the gift of ruling must be willing to direct God’s people “without delay.” 12:8 f Mercy is one of the nine serving gifts. It is the God-given ability (gift) to empathize with the misery of others and to encourage them (Lk 3:11, Eph 4:28 and I Thess 2:8). This word is used over 60 times in the NT. 12:8 g This word ( cheerfulness ) is the Greek word ‘ LODUοτKτL ( hilaroteti ) from which we derive our word “ hilarious .” There is one prerequisite to using the gift of mercy. Believers with this gift are warned not to use their gift unless they are “noisily uplifting” and “positive” in their sympathizing. 12:15 THE ADAGE IS TRUE: Someone else’s blessings are not your loss 13:1 Why was government ( the powers that be ) established ( ordained of God )? According to the Bible, God established four institutions that were foundational to man’s history ( Gen 2:18a ): 1. marriage (Gen 2) 2. government (Gen 9) 3. Israel (Gen 12) 4. the Church (Mt 16:15-19) The reason God established government was to deter crime (Gen 9:6 and Eccl 8:11) and to keep people from hurting each other and causing civil unrest. Thus, God ordained government to uphold the civil laws (Rom 13).