Glory Be to Jesus Christ!
☀️
Romans XII, 1 — the original does not contain the phrase as a reasonable ministry
, but simply a continuation of the phrase a reasonable ministry
. A living, holy, pleasing sacrifice to God
emphasises full, complete devotion to God (hence sacrifice
), and at the same time, preservation of life in the richness of its non-sinful manifestations, renewal up to holiness, and elevation in the relationship with God to the level of pleasing the Most Holy God. Such a combination requires intelligence, wisdom, grace, and a willingness to minister, as well as to actually minister to God.
Romans XII, 2 — 'μὴ συνσχηματίζεσθε τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ' - 'me synakhematizesthe to aioni touto' - 'do not be conformed (taking the form, yielding) to this age'. That is, do not adapt to
the changing temporal conventions of the temporal world. 'μεταμορφοῦσθε τῇ ἀνακαινώσει τοῦ νοός' - 'metamorphousthe te anakainosei tou voos' - 'transform (change) by the renewal of the mind' - in this context, we can see that the Gentiles were suggesting that they should be 'fully conformed to the world', 'to be well adjusted to the world and its changes', 'to be fully contemporary, immersed in the fluidity and changeability of time and the world', and to do this by using reason, and also considered such changes to be 'transforming of the mind'. Instead, Paul proposes a different kind of renewal of the mind for believers - not in conformity, but in sanctification. 'εἰς τὸ δοκιμάζειν ὑμᾶς' - 'eis to dokimazein ymas' - 'so that you may experience (know, test, testify to others)'. 'τί τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ, τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ εὐάρεστον καὶ τέλειον' - 'ti to thelema tou theou, to agathon kai euareston kai teleion' - 'what is the will (what God really wants, not just permits) of God, good and pleasing and complete and perfect - here it is about God's will, that is, what God really wants for people, and more generally for creation. Living according to Paul's words leads to the cognition of God's will as good, pleasing and perfect in one's own experience.
Romans XII, 3 — 'ἐν ὑμῖν μὴ ὑπερφρονεῖν παρ' ὃ δεῖ φρονεῖν' - 'en ymin me hyperphronein par o dei phronein' - 'in you do not exalt yourselves in the mind (do not be haughty), when it is necessary to think - i.e. when it is necessary to show intelligence, to think, to evaluate, in particular to form, to have (self-)estimation - do not be arrogant, conceited, haughty, puffed up, etc. 'φρονεῖν εἰς τὸ σωφρονεῖν ἑκάστῳ ὡς ὁ θεὸς ἐμέρισεν μέτρον πίστεως' - 'phronein eis to sophronein ekasto os o theos emerisen metron pisteos' - 'to think (coming to) in sobriety, prudence, wisdom, each one, as God has given by the measure of faith - multivalent words, which are difficult to translate accurately. We need to remember that through faith a person can be elevated to God, see the essay here:
humility
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/PowerOfHuman.html
So Paul here says that we should combine prudence with true faith, so that we may act and live humbly, that is, according to the right measure (the word in some Slavic languages comes from the word
measure), in the way that God gives as His gift. That is, a person who, by faith, according to the words of Jesus Christ (see the link above), moves mountains while maintaining sobriety and humility, fully fulfils these words of Paul, without violating them in any way.
For more information about the reading from the Apostle, please refer to the following link:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/22072023.html
Matthew X, 39 — 'ὁ εὑρὼν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ' - 'o euron ten psykhen autou' - 'whoever seeks (hence the word Eureka!,
finds) his soul'. 'ὁ ἀπολέσας τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ εὑρήσει αὐτήν' - 'o apolesas ten psykhen autou eneken Emou euresei auten' - 'whoever loses, destroys his life for My sake will find it'. This refers to human life as a
finding, i.e. a creative, actualised, rich life - a person who does not co-create life with Christ will waste and lose it, but the one who co-creates with Christ, for His sake, so that they are ready to lose, will actually find what they are looking for - full, creative, actualised, and also eternal life.
Matthew X, 40 — 'ἀποστείλαντά με' - 'aposteilanta Me' - 'sent Me'. The prefix 'apo' emphasises the fact that the Son of God 'entered the world', as if 'leaving' the Father and the Spirit, i.e. became 'remote', 'taking on the form of a servant', as Paul says elsewhere. At the same time, He did not cease to be God, nor did He leave the Father and the Spirit, being inseparable from Them.
Matthew X, 41, 42 — 'εἰς ὄνομα' - 'eis onoma' - 'in the name of'. A regular expression that emphasises the movement towards recognition.
Matthew XI, 1 — 'ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν' - 'en tais polesin' - 'in the cities'.
For information about the readings from the Gospel, please refer to the link:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/22072023.html
Glory be to Thee, our God, glory be to Thee!