Last time we discussed the reason for starting our passage at verse one of chapter 12. Now let’s look at the ending of the passage. How far will we go? Obviously, we will not be going through the end of the book or even the end of the chapter. We could, but there is just too much content to cover in a 25 to 35 minute message. So where do we end our text?
If you have a bible or a Bible study software program that breaks up the text into paragraphs you will notice a new paragraph begins at verse three. If that was all it took, it would be easy to choose. I must admit that I have been lazy and chose a text for only that reason. But that is not a good idea because the people who put the text into paragraphs were not the original authors. I do not put their work on the same level of Divine inspiriation as I do the author’s original work. Originally the texts were written with the letters all crammed together and in capital letters. What if we did that? Then John 3:16 would look like this:
FORGODSOLOVEDTHEWORLDTHATHEGAVE
HISONLYBEGOTTENSONTHATWHOEVERBELIEVETH
INHIMSHALLPERISHBUTHAVEEVERLASTINGLIFE
You can read it, but it isn’t easy. And if English was not your native language it would be even harder. Now imagine the same thing with a different language and a different alphabet. That is what the Greek text originally looked like.
So the paragraph markers are not always the best guide when choosing the correct delineation of your preaching text. Instead you have to look at the context, the subject matter, and the line of thought. Also grammar is important. But when you are working only in English, subject and line of thought are the key factors in text delineation.
In our case, verse one introduces the concept of presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice. Verse two is closely related to it, explaining how to do that. If verse one is the theological idea that sums up the conclusion of what we learned in chapters one to eleven, then verse two is the summation of what we will learn in the rest of the book.
Now, verse three clearly continues the idea of verse two. It begins with the word “for” which connects verses two and three. But verse three starts a new subject; it talks about our humility before God and then verse four and following explain it with an illustration. The church is like a human body. We were told to present our bodies and now we are told that we are The body. We could include that in a sermon on verses one and two. It does explain why we must humble ourselves by submitting our body to God as a sacrfiice. But I think it would be better to do another message on that subject, referencing verse one and two as you preach verses four and following.
We could use this text as a fulcrum for the book. If we were preaching through Romans this would be a good point to sum up what we’ve said so far in one message and then introduce the applications of the rest of the book in a second sermon. So it would be like preaching one sermon on Romans 12:1-2 in two parts. But since we are picking this passage isolated from the rest of the book, we are better off putting the two verses together since they are so closely related.
We have chosen to preach on Romans 12:1-2. Want to try it out with another passage? Look at chapter eleven and decide what would be the passage before this. Then look at the rest of chapter twelve and decide what the next passage would be. If we were preaching through this book, what would your sermon text be for the passage before and after Romans 12:1-2? Be sure to explain why you picked the text and delineated as you did. Post a comment below to share your thoughts with us all.
Next step is our Inductive study of Romans 12:1-2.
