What service, gifts and responses does Paul exhort?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Living sacrifice and mind renewal lead to sober diverse gifts, sincere mutual charity and qualified peace, with no personal revenge and goodness toward enemies.

Chapter breakdown

By God’s mercy Paul beseeches the brethren to present their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, their reasonable service. They should not conform to this world, but be reformed in the newness of their minds to discern God’s good, acceptable and perfect will. By the grace given him, he tells each not to be wiser than is fitting, but wise unto sobriety according to the measure of faith God has distributed.

One body has many members with different offices; the many readers are one body in Christ and members of one another. Their gifts differ according to grace. Prophecy is to be used according to the rule of faith; ministry in ministering, teaching in doctrine, exhortation in exhorting, giving in simplicity, ruling in carefulness and mercy in cheerfulness.

Love should be without dissimulation. They should hate evil and cleave to good, loving one another with the charity of brotherhood and anticipating one another in honour. They should not be slothful in carefulness, but fervent in spirit and serving the Lord. They should rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation and constant in prayer, share in the saints’ necessities and pursue hospitality.

They should bless persecutors rather than curse, rejoice with those rejoicing and weep with those weeping. They should be of one mind toward one another, not seeking high things but consenting to the humble, and not wise in their own conceit. They should render no one evil for evil, providing good things before God and all men. If possible, and as much as lies in them, they should have peace with all.

They should not avenge themselves, but give place to wrath, for the Lord claims vengeance and repayment. They should feed a hungry enemy and give drink to a thirsty one; doing so heaps coals of fire on his head. They should not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

The story inside

This chapter gives exhortations without an individual event narrative. Coals image has no printed explanation here; peace remains if possible and as much as lies in them.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Giving is with simplicity and ruling with carefulness.
2
Peace is qualified by possibility and what is in you.
3
Coals imagery is not a guarantee of an enemy’s response.

Test your recall

What two qualifications accompany peace with all?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 128694–128700
12:1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercy of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto God, your reasonable service. 12:2. And be not conformed to this world: but be reformed in the newness of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and the acceptable and the perfect will of God.
Lines 128702–128720
12:3. For I say, by the grace that is given me, to all that are among you, not to be more wise than it behoveth to be wise, but to be wise unto sobriety and according as God hath divided to every one the measure of faith. 12:4. For as in one body we have many members, but all the members have not the same office: 12:5. So we, being many, are one body in Christ; and every one members one of another: 12:6. And having different gifts, according to the grace that is given us, either prophecy, to be used according to the rule of faith; 12:7. Or ministry, in ministering; or he that teacheth, in doctrine; 12:8. He that exhorteth, in exhorting; he that giveth, with simplicity; he that ruleth, with carefulness; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
Lines 128722–128734
12:9. Let love be without dissimulation. Hating that which is evil, cleaving to that which is good, 12:10. Loving one another with the charity of brotherhood: with honour preventing one another. 12:11. In carefulness not slothful. In spirit fervent. Serving the Lord. 12:12. Rejoicing in hope. Patient in tribulation. Instant in prayer. 12:13. Communicating to the necessities of the saints. Pursuing hospitality.
Lines 128743–128757
12:17. To no man rendering evil for evil. Providing good things, not only in the sight of God but also in the sight of all men. 12:18. If it be possible, as much as is in you, have peace with all men. 12:19. Revenge not yourselves, my dearly beloved; but give place unto wrath, for it is written: Revenge is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. 12:20. But if thy enemy be hungry, give him to eat; if he thirst, give him to drink. For, doing this, thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. 12:21. Be not overcome by evil: but overcome evil by good.