Sermon Cloud

Christian faith and doctrine are important only to the extent that they are lived out in the life of the believer. Paul in his letter to the Romans makes abundantly clear what the book of James underscores, that “faith without works is dead.” This morning we come to the twelfth chapter of Romans where Paul turns his attention away from sound doctrine to sound practice. In the same way that a hinge holds together two moveable parts, Paul, with his use of the word “therefore” begins to reveal what true Christian faith looks like. George Barna has concluded from much of his research, that the single biggest reason for non-believers not coming to faith in Christ, is because to them, there is no discernable difference. When our system of belief is inconsistent with our actions, it’s like taking the pin out of a hinge-not only does it cease to function as it should, but it quite literally falls apart. Listen to what Paul has to say in these first two verses as paraphrased by Eugene Peterson: “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”