Now we go on from Romans 8 to Romans 12. Chapters 9, 10, and 11 are parenthetical chapters; thus, chapter 12 is the continuation of chapter 8. In chapter 7 the mind was independent, but in chapter 8 the mind is dependent—dependent on the spirit. The mind in chapter 7 represents the independent self struggling by its own effort, which always ends in defeat. The mind in chapter 8 represents the dependent self resting on the Lord Jesus. This gives the Lord the opportunity to saturate our whole being with Himself, causing us to become a living member of His Body. We are then brought to chapter 12. Chapter 12 deals with three things for the realization of the proper church life: the body, the mind, which is the main part of the soul, and the spirit.
Once we rely on Christ and He takes possession of our whole being, our body is released from the usurping hand of the enemy. When we lived independently, Satan could take possession of our body and force us to do things against our will. Now, as we rely on Christ, the strongest One, He releases our body from the enemy’s usurping hand. Then what is the next step? We must present our body to the Lord (Rom. 12:1). This is one thing many dear Christian brothers and sisters have not yet done. We must present our body definitely to Him, saying, “Lord, I thank You that my body, which was formerly a body of sin and a body under death, is now enlivened and released. I present this body to You for Your Body. If I keep my body in my hands, Your Body cannot be realized.” If we are going to realize the Body of Christ, we must definitely and practically present our body to Christ.
In these days, while traveling from coast to coast, I have met a good number of Christians who are talking about the Body life. But how about our body? We talk much about the Body of Christ, but what are we doing with our body? Are we still keeping it in our own hands? As long as our body is kept in our hands, there is no possibility for us to realize the Body of Christ. In Romans 12 we are told that if we desire to realize the church life, we must first present our released body to the Lord. Since it is no longer our body, it must be presented to the Lord as a living sacrifice.
Do we come to the meetings with our heart or with our body? Many Christians say, “I do have a heart for the church life.” Yes, they may have a heart for the church life, but their body is not for the church life. Their body is left at home. We must be able to say, “I not only have a heart for the church life, but I also have a body for the church life.” Is our heart for the church life and our body for our private life? If so, how can we realize the church life? We can talk very nicely about the church life, but actually everything is just in the “air” and in the heart. In order to realize the church life, the life of Christ’s Body, we must definitely present our body to the Lord. We must pray, “Lord, formerly my body was under the usurping hand of the enemy. Now I thank You, You have released this body. I now present it to You. It is no longer my body but Your sacrifice.” Then we will be able to realize the church life.
After we present our body to the Lord, the second thing for the realization of the church life must promptly take place. We must be transformed by the renewing of our mind (v. 2). Formerly, our mind always tried to do something by itself for God; now it relies on Christ. This mind that depends on the Lord must be renewed, enlightened, and reeducated.
The following is a real example. A brother who truly loved the Lord and the church life definitely offered his body as a sacrifice to the Lord and to the church. However, after he presented himself to the Lord, he became a big problem to the church. When he was indifferent about the church life, the church was at peace, but when his body came to the church, his mind came also, and his mind had not yet been renewed. The old things of Christianity had not yet been crossed out and purged. When he did not present his body, he was indifferent about the church. He said, “If I have time and I feel like it, I will come to the meetings. If I don’t, I simply won’t come.” But later he loved the Lord more, and he presented himself to the Lord and the church. He put himself wholly into the church. But as his body came to the church, so did his troublesome mind, bringing with it many opinions, teachings, thoughts, and various considerations, which caused much trouble to the church life.
After our body is presented, our mind must be renewed. When we take our full share in the practical life of the church, we must have our mind purged, renewed, and reeducated. In order to have our mind renewed and reeducated, we need to drop all our old thoughts and natural ideas and all the teachings and considerations of traditional Christianity. This is what it means to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. Through such a transformation and renewing the church life is possible; otherwise, the mind will be the biggest problem and the greatest source of trouble in the church. Some dear ones have brought in many problems since they came into the church. Before they came, the church was very much at peace and in oneness, but since they came in, their minds have created trouble for the church. They may think that their heart is good, but actually their mind is terrible. Many old things need to be stripped off for the transforming of their mind.
First of all, our body must be presented; then our mind, representing our soul, needs to be renewed; and finally, our spirit must be on fire, burning fervently. We need to be burning in spirit (v. 11). A dear brother might have presented his body to the Lord and to the church, and he may be entirely renewed in his mind, having dropped all the old thoughts, teachings, and considerations. However, he may be cold in his spirit. Such a brother is no longer a problem to the church, but he becomes a burden. Every time he comes to the meeting, he sits there as cold as a grave. He is always quiet and never troublesome, but the church must bear him as a burden. When responsibility is shared in the elders’ or deacons’ meeting, he just sits there. His attitude is, “I am totally with you and I am for the church. I have no problem; whatever you brothers say is all right with me.” Suppose all the responsible brothers are like this when they meet together. Who will bear the burden? All those brothers themselves become a burden; not one bears his share of the church’s burden. On one hand, we should not be troublesome, but on the other hand, we need to be a “troublemaker.” In other words, we should have no variance, no crosscurrent, with the brothers, but we should be on fire. We should be burned and burning. We must be burning in our spirit.
The Christian life may seem to be individual and private, but actually it is not; it is a corporate life, a body life. You alone are not the Body; you are a member, and you need others as members in order to realize the church life. When we stop trying to do good by ourselves and learn to depend on Christ and live by Him, we are a living member and are prepared to be a functioning member of His Body. Then we need to realize the church life by definitely presenting our body to the Lord, by having our mind renewed, and by having our spirit on fire. When our body is presented, our soul is transformed, and our spirit is on fire, we will have the church life. We will be a living, functioning member, not a troublesome, cold, or dead member. We will not be a member out of function but a prevailing and aggressive member in function. We will have the reality of the church life.