The Royal Family Honor Code

 

Romans 12:1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—alive, holy, and pleasing to God—which is your reasonable service.

 

"Brothers and sisters" identifies the listeners of this epistle as members of the Royal Family who are believers in Christ by faith alone by God's mercies.

To present your body as a sacrifice refers to a believer studying and applying Bible doctrine, the participle and two adjectives "alive, holy, and pleasing to God" are taken as predicates in relation to "sacrifice," making the exhortation more emphatic.

Taken as predicate adjectives, the terms alive, holy and pleasing are showing how unusual is the sacrifice that believers can now offer, for Old Testament sacrifices were dead. As has often been quipped about this text, "The problem with living sacrifices is that they keep crawling off the altar.)

 

12:2 Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

 

(Although "suschematizesthe" (conformed) could be either a passive or middle, the passive is indicated since it would otherwise have to be a direct middle (" conform yourselves") and, as such, would be quite rare for New Testament Greek, it is very telling that being "conformed" to the present world is viewed as a passive notion, for it may suggest that it happens, in part, subconsciously.

At the same time, the passive is a "Permissive passive" suggesting that there may be some consciousness of the conformity taking place. It is most likely a combination of both.

 

It is saying that one should not be participating in the human viewpoint of the Devil's world and it's lies, but study the Word of God and apply the information to your life so that you can "test" that knowledge against the lies of the Devil's world and prove the veracity of the Word of God.)

 

Conduct in Humility

12:3 For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you a measure of faith.

 

Stop being self-centered: deal with others objectively, without pre-conceived notions.  If you are arrogant (self-centered) you are not objective but subjective.

 

12:4 For just as in one body we have many members, and not all the members serve the same function, 12:5 so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another. 12:6 And we have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith. 12:7 If it is service, he must serve; if it is teaching, he must teach; 12:8 if it is exhortation, he must exhort; if it is contributing, he must do so with sincerity; if it is leadership, he must do so with diligence; if it is showing mercy, he must do so with cheerfulness.

 

Spiritual freedom allows believers to function within their own spiritual gift: never force a person to function to operate beyond their spiritual gifts. All have been given different gifts by God.

For instance, not all have the gift of evangelism, so it is not proper for that person to evangelize (this refers of mass evangelism. All believers are required to evangelize one-on-one to family and friends when circumstances allow.). That person, who does not have the gift of mass evangelism may have been given the gift of giving, and should use that gift.

Another may not have the gift of giving, but is really interested in, and has a talent for, cleaning the church. One is not to expect fellow believers to utilize gifts that they do not possess, nor are judgments to be made against fellow believers for not using gifts they either do, or don't, possess.

 

A spiritual gift is between a believer and their God. It is a part of their private spiritual life, and by extension, a believer’s private spiritual life is between them and the Lord.  You are to leave fellow believers alone, in the privacy of their Royal Priesthood, to do the work the Holy Spirit leads them to do, and to live their own spiritual life in the sight of God.)

 

 

Conduct in Love

12:9 Love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good.

 

Impersonal love to all mankind does not require compromising truth. One can be pleasant to fellow believers without being affected by the behavior of the reversionistic believer.

Rom. 12:9 cpw Rom. 16:17-18- “Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them

v.18- For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites (specifically the aesthetic, legalistic side of their sin natures) and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting” references non-hypocritical discernment in context.

A believer can observe the reversionistic behavior of another believer and can discern the obvious manifestations of that believers sin nature lust patterns, but must allow the reversionist believer the privacy of his Royal priesthood so that it is a matter for he and God to work out between them.

Matt. 10:34-35- “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace but a sword

v.35- for I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter in law against her mother-in-law”

 

Believers are going to sin, and they may be a distraction to you. However, you are allowed only to discern their sinful behavior but are not allowed to judge them. John.5:22- “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son.” Judgment is the duty of Christ alone)

 

 

12:10 Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another.

 

Unconditional love among believers requires the same devotion that is found among family members: the willingness to show deference to fellow believers as a matter of honor and protocol.

 

12:11 Do not lag in zeal (due diligence in the study of the Word of God), be enthusiastic in spirit (due care in applying doctrine to your life), serve the Lord.

 

Failure to persevere in the study of doctrine has a negative impact on the application of the Honor Code. Through the filling of the Holy Spirit consistent service to God is maintained. In context of the totality of the Christian way of life, service to God is learning and applying doctrine to your life.

Due diligence and due care: legal terms-due diligence means to read the contract completely (inculcation of doctrine through study with the filling of the Holy Spirit), due care means to carry out the terms of the contract completely. (Application of doctrine with the filling of the Holy Spirit.)

 

12:12 Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer.

 

Through confidence in our eternal future, we are, with happiness, joy, and espri de corps, in fellowship with shared doctrinal thought and principles, to stand fast in the face of undeserved suffering. Be persistent in prayer. The Greek word Elpis, usually translated “hope” but better translated in our modern vernacular as confidence.

 

 

12:13 Contribute to the needs of the saints, pursue hospitality.

 

After taking care of immediate family members, the next phase of giving should be to fellow believers in church, and then fellow believers elsewhere that you know.

 

12:14 Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse.

 

Maintain poise and objectivity when fellow believers malign you. Never make excuses, never retaliate. Speak well of those who persecute you, keep on speaking well, do not curse them. With unconditional love for your fellow man, and personal love for God, step aside and allow the justice of God to function on your adversary.

 

12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

 

Respond with happiness with those who have been prospered by the Lord, respond with compassion for those who are suffering.

 

12:16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited.

 

Respect the imputed righteousness of others. Without arrogance, be willing to associate with all believers. Do not be opinionated by psuedo-wisdom. The Greek word that is indicated is the word phroneo (thought) and could be translated “Be thinking the same mental attitude toward each other”, i.e. think doctrinally with and toward each other, with the basic principles of biblical truth.

“Do not be thinking in terms of arrogance but associate yourself with humble people. Do not be thinking in terms of arrogance.”

Hupselos (direct object from the adjective hupselos: high and lofty elevation, in context, it refers to high and lofty ambitions.)

Arrogant mental attitude is indicated. Accept all believers without preconceived notions. Doctrine alone can solve their problems.

Exceptions: parents, who have a responsibility to their children in the sight of God, bosses who have a responsibility towards their shareholders, and pastors who are to teach the Word of God, but not comment directly about or to the offending person. None of this is to be done with arrogance. Tolerance towards the believer is indicated.

 

12:17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil; consider what is good before all people. (or “Respect what is honorable in the sight of all mankind.”)

 

Two wrongs do not make a right (Do not take revenge).

Verse 17 begins with the present active participle of the verb apodidomi- to pay back in the sense of revenge (Customary present tense, something that habitually occurs.) This is accompanied by the daitive of disadvantage from medeis translated “never”. “Katas”= “Evil” This refers to anything that is in opposition to the grace of God.

Evil may include sin, but also may be “human good”. For example, homosexuality is a sin, one that is not bigger or worse than other sin, one that can be dealt with rebound and doctrine to eliminate it (if the person is a believer). However, the idea that homosexuality is not a sin but an alternate lifestyle is human good. When this idea is legalized, it is evil, an evil that any believer is going to have to deal with.

The idea here is that a believer can add his voice to acknowledge this behavior as a sin, and can include his or her ideas against legalizing this behavior as an “alternate lifestyle”, but one CANNOT take action against the individual in word, thought, or deed, for to do that is evil. A fellow believer’s sin is NOT to be a distraction in your Christian walk of life. One needs to leave it up to God to deal with.

 

Respect those who represent the foundational institutions of an orderly society. (Elected officials, police, fire dept, the Military, and church leaders). The Biblical roles of women and men should be respected, and the free enterprise system and the sacrifice of the capitalistic investor should likewise be respected, for this is the human system of enterprise established by God. Remember, you are not “saluting” the man; you are saluting the office, an office designated by God.

 

12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people.

 

It needs to made clear that this verse relates to INDIVIDUALS ONLY. The basic principle in this whole Honor Code is: “Mind your own business and keep your hands to yourself”.

“As far as it depends on you” means that your attitude should always be one of unconditional love for your fellow human beings. However, getting along with your fellow human beings could be difficult if the other person is determined to hate you or to cause you harm in some way.

Other than those kinds of circumstances, normal behavior of the unbeliever or the believer in reversionism may be offensive and can be distracting, but it is not to cause sin in the heart and mind of the believer. This often times requires mental separation, in which you can offer pleasantries to a fellow believer but be able to be discerning regarding their actions and thus mentally not acquiesce to the behavior.

Sometimes, physical separation is required, where you must leave the presence of the offending person, but one can do this without committing mental or overt sins. Thus, you can, in your mind, recognize reversionistic behavior in the privacy of your soul and reject the sins of fellow human beings while being civil to them and not committing sins regarding your reaction to their behavior, or in extreme circumstances, you can gracefully head for the door.

 

When you detect that the behavior of a person is distasteful and non-doctrinal, you may separate mentally. If you detect a danger to your soul, you may separate physically. If there is a direct threat to your life, call the police, and if that is not possible, defend yourself.

There is a qualifying prepositional phrase: article: "to" +preposition "ek" + pronoun "su". This forms an idiom, translated "as much as it depends on you." Without this phrase, we would have to be honor bound to be pacifists.

In the Greek, unlike the English, this is an idiom that means that the situation might not be up to us to get along. In other words, others might take the matter out of our hands. For instance, a person might get violent, and therefore, if it is not possible to get physically separated, and not possible to call the police to save yourself or your loved ones, them it is permissible to DEFEND yourself, by violence if necessary.

 

Conflict management can be done, AS FAR AS IT DEPENDS ON YOU, by first having knowledge of the filling of the Holy Spirit, who will call up the appropriate doctrine. Second, knowledge of the ten problem solving devices, which are enucleated previously in this series. Thirdly, knowledge of this Royal Family Honor Code.

 

The general dividing line is this: we are commanded to be flexible in regards to non-essentials like the general weird behavior of those in the devil's world, but inflexible when it comes to the doctrines found in the Word of God. Protect your life and the lives of your loved ones, protect your privacy and property, (the principle is first found in the Decalogue) and protect the integrity of the Word of God)

 

12:19 Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

 

Regarding paying back evil with evil and, in this verse, seeking revenge for yourself, the act of taking revenge is a form of blasphemy, for what is being said is that a person is better able to enact judgment and discipline, and is better qualified to do so, than God. However, God the Father has given all judgment and responsibility to mete out justice to God the Son, Jesus Christ. John 5:22)

 

12:20 Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head.

 

“Heaping burning coals on his head” is a reference to Proverbs 25:22. The imagery of the burning coals represents pangs of conscience, more readily effected by kindness than by violence. These coals produce the sharp pain of contrition through regret, though not always. Therefore, the coals then would be an implied comparison with a searing conscience.

 

In fact, what this mandate is saying is that the believer who has been wronged may one day find themselves in a position of helping their adversary, up to and including keeping them alive. Why?

 

Your adversary has messed with a member of the Royal family of God. Therefore, the justice of God is going to be meted out to your adversary.

 

Heb. 10:33- “For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’”

 

 If your adversary is an unbeliever, God’s grace would administer discipline upon this individual in order to grant him an objective hearing of the Gospel of Christ. If your adversary is a believer, God’s discipline is upon him to get him back into fellowship.

Grace always comes before justice, and this verse is suggesting that you would be the agent of God’s’ grace to your adversary. This is a test to see if you will, indeed, defer to the justice of God. If you do, you will help keep your adversary alive for more judgment. If not, if you decide to interfere, then you will join your adversary in facing the discipline of God.

 

If your adversary is hungry, feed him. If thirsty, give him drink. In this way you keep him alive so that God can work on him to either bring him to Christ (if an unbeliever), get them back in the Christian way of life (if a believer), or, in either case, if unrepentant, taking him out of this world through the sin unto death. All the time, you are showing unconditional love to your fellow human being and STAYING OUT OF THE WAY OF THE DISCIPLINE OF GOD.)

 

12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

Do not be distracted by the behavior of the unbeliever or the believer in reversionism, but instead practice applying the doctrine in your soul and apply the principles to your life and your dealings with others.

Remember, Christ is the prototype, and one can take a look at the perfection of His dealings with those who persecuted Him during His final days. It was the Holy Spirit who helped Christ through His incarnation and especially through the trails of His last days, and the Holy Spirit is in the believer to carry them through the dealings of those who have bought the lie, who are lost in the human viewpoint of the Devil's world, demonstrating the Christian way of life to all who have the eyes to see and ears to hear.

 

What is it that is Honorable in the eyes of God?

 

Truth: that which constitutes the thinking of God and thus becomes the source for establishing standards by which mankind can produce integrity and honor.

 

Absolutes: that which is unalterable and immutable giving its object intrinsic value.

 

Honor: a virtue that demonstrates that one’s internal integrity is consistently loyal to absolute truth.

 

Doctrinal truth: Laws of Divine Establishment, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the Mystery Doctrines of the Church age. The study of doctrinal truth will reveal to the soul of the believer that which is honorable.

 

These are the things the study of doctrine will give to the believer to "lean on" to get them through the exigencies of dealing with people and will cause the relaxed mental attitude and discernment needed to navigate interpersonal relationships in this, the Devil's world. Once a believer has these things in their souls, the behavior of others offers no distractions, and thus civility can be maintained within the brethren and an example of the Christian way of life can be shown to the unbeliever.

 

 Essentials and Nonessentials.

We are required by the [honor] code to avoid some things and practice others.  With reference to ourselves we must avoid arrogance, which appears under pressure in the form of self-pity and under prosperity in the form of self-righteousness.

 

With reference to others we must know the difference between essentials and nonessentials.  We are to be absolutely inflexible on the essentials of life, but when some nonessential is at stake, we should be as flexible as necessary.  Thus we avoid pettiness, self-righteousness, and judging while permitting other believers the freedom to live their own lives before the Lord.

 

We are not called upon to change or reform others; Bible doctrine renovates—from the inside out (Romans. 12:2)!  

 

The honor code demands more of the strong than of the weak. 

 

Now we the strong [mature believers] are obligated [under the honor code] to keep bearing the weaknesses of the weak and not to accommodate ourselves.  (Romans. 15:1, corrected translation)

 

The mature believer can be flexible because he knows that in due time the continued intake of doctrine will bring the immature believer into line with the truth.  All the mature believer must do when faced with an overzealous, undertaught new believer is recall how many people tolerated his own half-formed ideas while he was growing spiritually!

 

Bible doctrine is the answer, but no one learns everything at once.  Flexibility in the nonessentials means toleration; toleration means live and let live … as unto the Lord.

 

Two Kinds of Love

The next tenet of the [honor] code follows naturally from the principle of toleration.  The code demands not only that we love all other believers—“love one another”—but also that we love all people–“love they neighbor” and “love thine enemy.”  Yet how can we have high standards if we must love everybody?

 

 Thou shalt love they neighbour as thyself.  (Rom. 13:9b, KJV)

 

The phrase “as thyself” is often taken to mean “as you love yourself,” but there is no basis in the Greek text for that interpretation.  Our attitude toward ourselves is often the epitome of instability; the absolute righteousness of God would never set up so vacillating and inconsistent a standard for our conduct.

 

Romans 13:9 means exactly what it says.  “As yourself” points to the source of the love: your own soul, the real you, the place where your own norms and standards reside.  This love emphasizes the subject, the one who does the loving, instead of the object, the one who is loved.

Indeed, the one who loves does not need to even know the object in any personal sort of way.  This is impersonal love.  You are commanded by the honor code to love all others on the basis of who you are, from your standards, from your integrity, not as a reaction or response to what they are.

 

“Love thy neighbour as thyself” does not set up self-love as a standard; it requires that you love others from the high standards of doctrine you have in your soul.  It is therefore stable and consistent.  Impersonal love demands an attitude in you, the absence of mental attitude sins, the relaxed mental attitude provided under the filling of the Holy Spirit.  If someone maligns you, you do not lower yourself to retaliate (Rom. 12:17a). 

With your honor code integrity you refuse to get involved in nonessential squabbles. You remain above the howling mob like the aristocrat you are.  Your objective in life, the object of your hope and confidence, the source of your motivation and spiritual momentum, shines so brightly ahead that the divine commands to turn the other cheek, to feed your enemy, to bless those who persecute you, become a completely understandable part of the honor code.

 

Why must we, believers, especially have impersonal love for all? 

Because every believer possesses the righteousness of God.  God respects the principle of His own integrity resident in each believer regardless of that individual’s personal traits, habits, or ideas.  In fact, justification is defined as God’s recognition of imputed righteousness in every believer.  We, too, are to respect the righteousness of God wherever it is found.

 

The honor code, however, demands discernment, and we must distinguish between positive immature believers and negative reversionists.  We are to follow a different policy toward each.  While we tolerate the growing believer “for the purpose of the good [so he can attain the final objective of the plan of God]” (Rom. 15:1-2, corrected translation), we must separate ourselves from those who “cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine” and who “serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly [emotions]; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple” (Rom. 16:17-18, KJV).

 

Impersonal love also becomes the basis for personal love.  Personal love is a very exclusive love.  It emphasizes not the subject—you—but the object—the person you love.  The special people who are objects of personal love include the Lord Jesus Christ, husband or wife, family, and friends.  Personal love requires the same integrity as impersonal love, but something more is added.  You are attracted to someone; you know and deeply appreciate that special person.  You are occupied with him; you have an emotional attachment to him.  None of these are characteristics of impersonal love.

 

The believer who is never taught to distinguish between personal and impersonal love, who is told instead to love all people with the same love, overloads his soul.  He ends up with either a hardened cynicism, a deep-rooted hypocrisy, or a nervous breakdown.  For the rest of his life he is soured on Christianity by something that is not even Christianity!

 

The Royal Family Honor Code continues on through Rom. 13, which is the Honor Code as it applies to the laws of Divine Establishment principles and the relationship between Christians and the human governments they are subject to. Rom. 14 and a few verses of chapter 15 offer specific examples of Honor Code application.

For the purposes of studying the Royal Family Honor Code and its mandates regarding interpersonal relationships, a study of Rom. 12 is sufficient.