Chapter # 12 Paragraph # 4 Study # 8
June 14, 2020
Humble, Texas
(054)
1769 Translation:
15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
16 [
Be] of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [
rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance [
is] mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
1901 ASV Translation:
15 Rejoice with them that rejoice; weep with them that weep.
16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Set not your mind on high things, but
condescend to
things that are lowly. Be not wise in your own conceits.
17 Render to no man evil for evil. Take thought for things honorable in the sight of all men.
18 If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men.
19 Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath [
of God]: for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith the Lord.
20 But if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him to drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head.
21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
- I. The Second "Application" of Unhypocritical Love: One's "Attitude" Toward Others Continued.
- A. Prior Studies of Unhypocritical Love.
- 1. The major thesis: Let love be without hypocrisy: 12:9a.
- 2. The first sub-thesis: Let this be true in respect to the saints: 12:9b-13.
- B. Current Studies: The second sub-thesis: Let this be true in respect to the "enemies": 12:14-21.
- 1. "At Issue": Unhypocritical Love, being rooted in a strong antagonism toward "the evil" (in oneself) and in a "welded unity" (of oneself) with "the good".
- 2. Paul's opening command [See (049)].
- a. Bless those who are persecuting you (Present Active Participle).
- b. "...bless and curse not..."
- 3. Paul's next command.
- a. Its place in the instructions of Paul.
- 1) The only logical connection that I can see is that "persecution" often brings both "deliverance" when it ceases and "grief" as it is going on; thus, the encouragement to enter into the emotional responses of those who are affected by it.
- 2) 12:14-16 seems to have a primary emphasis upon "persecutors", but, along with that, also a focus upon those with whom "persecution" is an issue.
- b. Its content.
- 1) Rejoice with those rejoicing (present active participle).
- a) Paul's use of "rejoice" in Romans (in this particular case, it is an infinitive form used as an exhortation).
- i. An important prior context is Romans 5:1-5 where the believer's attitude in times of distress is described in some detail.
- ii. 12:12 is the first instance of Paul's use of this verb in this letter. In this place Paul is exhorting his readers "in respect to" nine particulars, presented in three sets of three. The use of "rejoice" is "in respect to The Hope" (the third issue in the second set of three, which has to do primarily with issues relating to God and His place in our hearts). "Rejoicing" is to be on the basis of "The Hope" (which is identified in 5:2 as "hope of [our participation in] the glory of God).
- iii. 12:15 is our current text.
- iv. 16:19 is Paul's final reference to rejoicing and it has to do with his own attitude toward the Roman believers whose "obedience" has been reported to him. This text is very directly associated with our current text in that it has reference to "rejoicing", but also because it has a specific reference to the theme of our context in respect to "good" and "evil". It also has a direct reference to "the end of persecution" in 16:20 in the form of Satan's "end" by The God of The Peace.
- b) For Paul, the epistle to the Philippians seems to be his presentation of the "basic attitude of the believer" in line with his "basics" series with each particular epistle having a specific thrust of truth regarding the issues of Life.
- i. The focus in regard to "the basic attitude of Life" is upon "rejoicing" (3:1).
- ii. Paul's own participation in this basic attitude (1:18), coupled with his insistence that the Philippians copy that participation (4:4), makes this exhortation in Romans 12:15 a most elemental aspect of "response": those who are actively "rejoicing" in the light of persecutors are to be supported in that response by others who "rejoice with them" (Philippians 2:17-18). It is in these two verses that Paul "defines" his meaning of "rejoice": "share your joy", i.e., ..."rejoice together". This assumes a genuine basis when seen in the light of persecutions as in Philippians 1:18 where Paul takes a negative ("Christ is proclaimed in pretense") and "finds the good in it".
- c) Paul's point: he is exhorting his readers to enter into the emotional lives of each other so that "rejoicing" is encouraged by the addition of the emotions of others.
- d) In this light, it is not hard to see Paul exhorting the Romans "to rejoice".
- 2) Weep with those weeping.
- a) This is a more difficult text in the light of the insistence upon rejoicing established above.
- b) Paul's use of "weep" (another infinitive used as an exhortation).
- i. This text is the only reference in Romans to this action. Being "persecuted" often brings the pain and sorrow of mistreatment into play.
- ii. He referred to this response to developments in Acts 21:13 when he questioned the believers in Caesarea as they objected to his plans to go to Jerusalem in spite of being warned multiple times of bad things to come for him in that place (persecutions): he said they were "weeping and breaking his heart".
- iii. He also referred to this issue of "weeping" in 1 Corinthians 7:30 and Philippians 3:18, but these are all of his references to this display of emotion in his letters. He does not see much place for "weeping" in the lives of believers, but there is some. That one of the three times he addresses "weeping" is in Philippians is instructive: there is at least a small part for "weeping" to play in the lives of the faithful.
- c) Paul's point: his exhortation involves entering into the emotions of others as a way to respond to "persecutions", but this particular response is to be short-lived because, as Peter said in 1 Peter 4:13, believers are, in light of suffering, to "keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation". We must beware that we do not denigrate those who are weeping, but we must also beware that we do not over-exalt the power of persecutions to become too large in our thinking about our experiences and cause us to "weep" overmuch.