12 As regards hope, rejoicing: as regards tribulation, enduring: as regards prayer, persevering:
For ye have need of endurance in order that, having done the will of God, ye may receive the promise.
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that ye should abound in hope by [the] power of [the] Holy Spirit.
Therefore my heart rejoiceth, and my glory exulteth; my flesh moreover shall dwell in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol, neither wilt thou allow thy Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt make known to me the path of life: thy countenance is fulness of joy; at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.
Confide in him at all times, ye people; pour out your heart before him: God is our refuge. Selah.
but as ye have share in the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, that in the revelation of his glory also ye may rejoice with exultation.
that ye be not sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience have been inheritors of the promises.
to whom God would make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you the hope of glory:
but Christ, as Son over his house, whose house are *we*, if indeed we hold fast the boldness and the boast of hope firm to the end.
that, having been justified by *his* grace, we should become heirs according to [the] hope of eternal life.
But *thou* hast been thoroughly acquainted with my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, endurance,
But *thou*, O man of God, flee these things, and pursue righteousness, piety, faith, love, endurance, meekness of spirit.
But our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us, and given [us] eternal consolation and good hope by grace, encourage your hearts, and establish you in every good work and word.
so that we ourselves make our boast in you in the assemblies of God for your endurance and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations, which ye are sustaining;
but *we* being of [the] day, let us be sober, putting on [the] breastplate of faith and love, and as helmet [the] hope of salvation;
remembering unceasingly your work of faith, and labour of love, and enduring constancy of hope, of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father;
and thus, having had long patience, he got the promise.
Wherein God, willing to shew more abundantly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of his purpose, intervened by an oath, that by two unchangeable things, in which [it was] impossible that God should lie, we might have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us, which we have as anchor of the soul, both secure and firm, and entering into that within the veil,
Let *us* also therefore, having so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, laying aside every weight, and sin which so easily entangles us, run with endurance the race that lies before us,
knowing that the proving of your faith works endurance. But let endurance have [its] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Take [as] an example, brethren, of suffering and having patience, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of [the] Lord. Behold, we call them blessed who have endured. Ye have heard of the endurance of Job, and seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is full of tender compassion and pitiful.
and the prayer of faith shall heal the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he be one who has committed sins, it shall be forgiven him. Confess therefore your offences to one another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed. [The] fervent supplication of the righteous [man] has much power.
Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his great mercy, has begotten us again to a living hope through [the] resurrection of Jesus Christ from among [the] dead, to an incorruptible and undefiled and unfading inheritance, reserved in [the] heavens for you, who are kept guarded by [the] power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in [the] last time. Wherein ye exult, for a little while at present, if needed, put to grief by various trials, that the proving of your faith, much more precious than of gold which perishes, though it be proved by fire, be found to praise and glory and honour in [the] revelation of Jesus Christ: whom, having not seen, ye love; on whom [though] not now looking, but believing, ye exult with joy unspeakable and filled with [the] glory,
For this [is] acceptable, if one, for conscience sake towards God, endure griefs, suffering unjustly. For what glory [is it], if sinning and being buffeted ye shall bear [it]? but if, doing good and suffering, ye shall bear [it], this is acceptable with God.
But the end of all things is drawn nigh: be sober therefore, and be watchful unto prayers;
See what love the Father has given to us, that we should be called [the] children of God. For this reason the world knows us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we children of God, and what we shall be has not yet been manifested; we know that if it is manifested we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every one that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as *he* is pure.
And this is the boldness which we have towards him, that if we ask him anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him.
The hope of the righteous is joy; but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.
Yet in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subjected to you, but rejoice that your names are written in the heavens.
Rejoice and exult, for your reward is great in the heavens; for thus have they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
For though the fig-tree shall not blossom, Neither shall fruit be in the vines; The labour of the olive-tree shall fail, And the fields shall yield no food; The flock shall be cut off from the fold, And there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in Jehovah, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
Incline thine ear, O my God, and hear; open thine eyes and behold our desolations, and the city that is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee because of our righteousnesses, but because of thy manifold mercies. Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, hearken and do! defer not, for thine own sake, O my God! for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.
Jehovah is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. Jehovah is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul [that] seeketh him. It is good that one should both wait, and that in silence, for the salvation of Jehovah.
And ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you; and ye shall seek me and find me, for ye shall search for me with all your heart,
And he said to them, Who among you shall have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight and say to him, Friend, let me have three loaves, since a friend of mine on a journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him; and he within answering should say, Do not disturb me; the door is already shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise up to give [it] thee? -- I say to you, Although he will not get up and give [them] to him because he is his friend, because of his shamelessness, at any rate, he will rise and give him as many as he wants. And *I* say to you, Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it will be opened. But of whom of you that is a father shall a son ask bread, and [the father] shall give him a stone? or also a fish, and instead of a fish shall give him a serpent? or if also he shall ask an egg, shall give him a scorpion? If therefore *ye*, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much rather shall the Father who is of heaven give [the] Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
For my love they are mine adversaries; but I [give myself unto] prayer.
Thou, who hast shewn us many and sore troubles, wilt revive us again, and wilt bring us up again from the depths of the earth; Thou wilt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side. I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, my God; unto thee will I sing psalms with the harp, thou holy One of Israel. My lips shall exult when I sing psalms unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.
As for me, unto God will I call; and Jehovah will save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray and moan aloud; and he will hear my voice.
Rest in Jehovah, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him that prospereth in his way, because of the man that bringeth mischievous devices to pass.
For what is the hope of the ungodly, when [God] cutteth him off, when +God taketh away his soul? Will ùGod hear his cry when distress cometh upon him? Doth he delight himself in the Almighty? will he at all times call upon +God?
And Jacob remained alone; and a man wrestled with him until the rising of the dawn. And when he saw that he did not prevail against him, he touched the joint of his thigh; and the joint of Jacob's thigh was dislocated as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the dawn ariseth. And he said, I will not let thee go except thou bless me.
strengthened with all power according to the might of his glory unto all endurance and longsuffering with joy;
Rejoice in [the] Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice.
For the rest, my brethren, rejoice in [the] Lord: to write the same things to you, to me [is] not irksome, and for you safe.
praying at all seasons, with all prayer and supplication in [the] Spirit, and watching unto this very thing with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints; and for me in order that utterance may be given to me in [the] opening of my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the glad tidings,
For this I thrice besought the Lord that it might depart from me.
And now abide faith, hope, love; these three things; and the greater of these [is] love.
Persevere in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving;
by whom we have also access by faith into this favour in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God. And not only [that], but we also boast in tribulations, knowing that tribulation works endurance; and endurance, experience; and experience, hope;
Peter therefore was kept in the prison; but unceasing prayer was made by the assembly to God concerning him.
but *we* will give ourselves up to prayer and the ministry of the word.
And he spoke also a parable to them to the purport that they should always pray and not faint, saying, There was a judge in a city, not fearing God and not respecting man: and there was a widow in that city, and she came to him, saying, Avenge me of mine adverse party. And he would not for a time; but afterwards he said within himself, If even I fear not God and respect not man, at any rate because this widow annoys me I will avenge her, that she may not by perpetually coming completely harass me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge says. And shall not God at all avenge his elect, who cry to him day and night, and he bears long as to them? I say unto you that he will avenge them speedily. But when the Son of man comes, shall he indeed find faith on the earth? And he spoke also to some, who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and made nothing of all the rest [of men], this parable: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer. The Pharisee, standing, prayed thus to himself: God, I thank thee that I am not as the rest of men, rapacious, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax-gatherer. I fast twice in the week, I tithe everything I gain. And the tax-gatherer, standing afar off, would not lift up even his eyes to heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, O God, have compassion on me, the sinner. I say unto you, This [man] went down to his house justified rather than that [other]. For every one who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted. And they brought to him also infants that he might touch them, but the disciples when they saw [it] rebuked them. But Jesus calling them to [him] said, Suffer little children to come to me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say to you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein. And a certain ruler asked him saying, Good teacher, having done what, shall I inherit eternal life? But Jesus said to him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, God. Thou knowest the commandments: Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these things have I kept from my youth. And when Jesus had heard this, he said to him, One thing is lacking to thee yet: Sell all that thou hast and distribute to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in the heavens, and come, follow me. But when he heard this he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. But when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, he said, How difficultly shall those who have riches enter into the kingdom of God; for it is easier for a camel to enter through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And those who heard it said, And who can be saved? But he said, The things that are impossible with men are possible with God. And Peter said, Behold, *we* have left all things and have followed thee. And he said to them, Verily I say to you, There is no one who has left home, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more at this time, and in the coming age life eternal. And he took the twelve to [him] and said to them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written of the Son of man by the prophets shall be accomplished; for he shall be delivered up to the nations, and shall be mocked, and insulted, and spit upon. And when they have scourged [him] they will kill him; and on the third day he will rise again. And they understood nothing of these things. And this word was hidden from them, and they did not know what was said. And it came to pass when he came into the neighbourhood of Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the wayside begging. And when he heard the crowd passing, he inquired what this might be. And they told him that Jesus the Nazaraean was passing by. And he called out saying, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. And those [who were] going before rebuked him that he might be silent; but *he* cried out so much the more, Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be led to him. And when he drew nigh he asked him [saying], What wilt thou that I shall do to thee? And he said, Lord, that I may see. And Jesus said to him, See: thy faith has healed thee. And immediately he saw, and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people when they saw [it] gave praise to God.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Romans 12
Commentary on Romans 12 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 12
The apostle, having at large cleared and confirmed the prime fundamental doctrines of Christianity, comes in the next place to press the principal duties. We mistake our religion if we look upon it only as a system of notions and a guide to speculation. No, it is a practical religion, that tends to the right ordering of the conversation. It is designed not only to inform our judgments, but to reform our hearts and lives. From the method of the apostle's writing in this, as in some other of the epistles (as from the management of the principal ministers of state in Christ's kingdom) the stewards of the mysteries of God may take direction how to divide the word of truth: not to press duty abstracted from privilege, nor privilege abstracted from duty; but let both go together, with a complicated design, they will greatly promote and befriend each other. The duties are drawn from the privileges, by way of inference. The foundation of Christian practice must be laid in Christian knowledge and faith. We must first understand how we receive Christ Jesus the Lord, and then we shall know the better how to walk in him. There is a great deal of duty prescribed in this chapter. The exhortations are short and pithy, briefly summing up what is good, and what the Lord our God in Christ requires of us. It is an abridgment of the Christian directory, an excellent collection of rules for the right ordering of the conversation, as becomes the gospel. It is joined to the foregoing discourse by the word "therefore.' It is the practical application of doctrinal truths that is the life of preaching. He had been discoursing at large of justification by faith, and of the riches of free grace, and the pledges and assurances we have of the glory that is to be revealed. Hence carnal libertines would be apt to infer."Therefore we may live as we list, and walk in the way of our hearts and the sight of our eyes.' Now this does not follow; the faith that justifies is a faith that "works by love.' And there is no other way to heaven but the way of holiness and obedience. Therefore what God hath joined together let no man put asunder. The particular exhortations of this chapter are reducible to the three principal heads of Christian duty: our duty to God t ourselves, and to our brother. The grace of God teaches us, in general, to live "godly, soberly, and righteously;' and to deny all that which is contrary hereunto. Now this chapter will give us to understand what godliness, sobriety, and righteousness, are though somewhat intermixed.
Rom 12:1-21
We may observe here, according to the scheme mentioned in the contents, the apostle's exhortations,