In the World, But Not Of It

Romans 12:14-21 is striking in that these 8 verses have 17 commands. That’s 7 commands more than the Ten Commandments, which take not 8, but 14 verses to be given. Where as the previous section of commands address primarily how the Christian is to act towards the body of Christ, this set of commands are directed mostly towards how the Christian is to act towards the unbeliever, the world.

Many in our day think that there is no such thing as "law" binding upon the Christian. Surely Romans 12 has something to say about that. Christians are given many commands for how they are to live in the world. This will inevitably produce suffering. But we endure it because we know that through it we become like our Lord Jesus Christ who suffered on our behalf, though he did not have to.