This passage appears as the New Testament Reading in the Revised Common Lectionary, Year A, Pentecost/Ordinary Season. Most recently, August 23, 2020.
Summary: This passage is about living. About a living God at work in our lives...so that we may live, live for Christ and in communion with others.
Key Words:
παρακαλεω (meaning "encourage", 12:1) This word means a range of things from exhort to encourage to comfort. The noun of it is the word for the Holy Spirit in John's Gospel, the "Paraclete."
οικτριμων (-ος, meaning "mercies", 12:1) The word for mercies here found in the plural. As BDAG points out, is used to suggest the activities/signs/deeds of God's mercy rather than the general characteristic. I.e., we can always praise God in general for his mercy, but this day we praise God for his mercies, namely, the things God has done for us.
ευαρεστος (meaning "pleasing", 12:1) This word can be translated acceptable, but it could also mean "pleasing." For example, this word is used to describe the fruit in the garden of Eden. This word can mean both flattering or truly pleasing, but in the God-direction it always has a positive connotation. Paul will also use word in Romans 14:18 to say that "the one who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God." We may not be able to justify ourselves before God, but our work in Christ is pleasing to God!
ζωσαν (from ζαω, meaning "live", 12:1) The word for "alive" here is a present participle, not an adjective; living is more appropriate. Interestingly, this is the same word in Peter's confession: You are the Christ, the son of the living God. (It doesn't look exactly light because of how the participle is conjugated).
While I realize as Christian teachers we tend to spent a great deal of time on the importance of Jesus as both Lord and Savior, the fact that God is a living God may be just as important as anything. We live in age of moralistic-therapeutic-deism. What is the counter to this? A living God who transforms us!!
λογικην (-ος, meaning "rational" or "spiritual", 12:1) The word here for spiritual is "logikos" is literally logical. Enlightenment distinctions make this one difficult to translate because the Western tradition, since then, has tended to view "logical" and "reasonable" as something opposed to "spiritual." No easy translation, but it is not fair to Paul to make this simply a cognitive activity, but it definitely is cognitive!
μη συσχηματιζεσθε (from συσχηματιζομαι, meaning "conform", 12:2). The form of the verb: negative, present, imperative suggests that the people actually have been conforming to the world. It is time to no longer do the previous action!
The verb has a cognate in English "schema" No longer be in the mold of the world's schemes! Don't let yourself be built according to the world's schematics!
It is also interesting that this word is in the passive, suggestion we do not actually control how we are molded to the world -- it happens to us.
μεταμορφουσθε (from μεταμορφοομαι, meaning "transform", 12:2) This (like conform) is also in the passive, suggesting we are not the agent of change. This is the word that Paul uses in 2 Cor 3:18 to talk about being transformed from one glory into another; it is also the word that Matthew and Mark use to talk about the transfiguration in their Gospel's.
Most basic point: The world is at work seeking to make us conform to its design; the living God is at work changing us, conforming us to the cross.
ανακαινωσει (-ις, meaning "renewal", 12:2). Renewal is the literal translation, which fits; interesting note -- the word is not found outside of Christian literature! Renewal is in the dative here, which means that the renewal is the means by which something else is accomplished, namely, the transforming. The renewal is the means, not the end.
In fact the εις + infinitive construction means "for the purpose of X", in this case "testing." The renewing is for a purpose, discerning the will of God. This is fascinating that the process of transformation is that which allows us -- pay attention here -- not to get into heaven, but to have the mind of God in us that we might live!! Live here on earth and live as part of something bigger than ourselves -- the community of faith!
Some other notes I may flesh out someday:
12:2 The word for "testing" is in an "eis+infinitive" clause suggesting purpose. That is, the testing is the result or purpose of the renewal. 12:2 Paul's word for "perfect" here is teleios, just like in Matthew 5:48, that we are to be perfect as our heavenly father. 12:3 The word for think highly is "hyper-phroneoo," rahter Paul encourages us to think "sus-phroneoo," which means to have a sound or sane manner. (More intense grammer note: 12:3 A bunch of the participles in the verse are adjectival or substantive, a good verse to review how these work) 12:4/5 In verse one, Paul told the people to present their bodies; now he tells them that one body has many members...which is a helpful reminder that all of the verb tenses in this passage have been you plural. This does not mean Paul did not intend these exhortations for individuals (technically: distributive plural), but this entire passage is aimed at the community. 12:6 Paul uses the same grammatical construction (adjectival participle) to talk about "the grace given..." as he did in verse 3. 12:6 The word here for different is "diaphoros," which can also mean excellent. 12:7 The word here for ministry is "diakonia" 12:8 BDAG suggests that the word here the NRSV translates as "generously" which is "aplotehs" means more "with simplicity" or "without guile." 12:8 The word here for "diligence" is "spoudaeh," which can mean haste or speed. However, BDAG points out that this means, "oft. in Gr-Rom. lit. and inscriptions of extraordinary commitment to civic and religious responsibilities, which were freq. intertwined, and also of concern for personal moral excellence or optimum devotion to the interests of others."