by Jen | Nov 25, 2025 | DISO studies, Romans 12
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Hi — Here are my responses to last week’s challenges!
Last Week’s Work
LESSON(S) LEARNED
As I thought about everything the Spirit showed me in Romans 12, I realized Paul was coaching the Roman church to behave like good relatives: to accept one another as equal members of the family under the authority of our heavenly Father. This is a challenge for me. I have only one vague memory of my earthly father and lots of experience competing with my older brother and sister for positive reinforcement from adults in our extended family. But the focus on think (v3) in this study helps me realize family can mean something different than my experiences. I’m chewing on a couple comments: there is no such thing as Lone Ranger Christianity (Jim Gerrish), and the Christian Church… is still the place where all earthly distinctions are gone (William Barclay). In other words, it doesn’t matter who we were before Jesus. Salvation means our old persona died with Christ, and our new selves born of water and the Spirit might look the same as we did, but we’re not. We are children of God, Jesus is our brother, and none of us is better or worse than anyone else in this family. The only appropriate response to that is to treat each other with love and respect.
CONVICTION
I keep hearing Sister Sledge from 1979 (yes, I remember back that far!) singing We Are Family. That’s the overarching lesson I think the Spirit is impressing upon me: that Christians are family, and our Father is supernaturally fair. We don’t need to compete for anything when we trust Him for everything.
CORRECTION
My correction verse is from a different study I recently finished with my church sisters: Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:11-13). I believe the Spirit is prompting me to see the discontent that arises when I compare myself to others. I can always find someone who is more or better than I am, and my enemy loves to point that out to sow division. Especially in God’s family.
ACTION PLAN
But if I think, I can stop my runaway brain the same way Paul did: learning the discipline of contentment. One key to this is found in Romans 12: being transformed by the renewal of [my] mind (v2). I plan to do that by (1) recognizing when I start comparing and (2) using Scripture or my personal experiences to remind myself it’s not a competition.
Our Next Study
Next week begins the last study in our Restoration series, Galatians 5:1-26. It’s a deep dive into the fruit of the Spirit. I hope you’ll join me!
by Jen | Nov 18, 2025 | DISO studies, Romans 12
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Welcome back! This week, I finished refining my understanding of Romans 12 verses 3 and 16, and here’s what I discovered:
Last Week’s Work
CROSS-REFERENCES
These references stood out this week:
- Micah 6:8 lists humility among the three most important tasks believers can accomplish!
- James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5 both quote Proverbs 3:34, reinforcing the truth that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. As I reviewed several commentaries, it seemed what Paul is advocating here is balance: to be effective for the gospel, we must balance our self-evaluation—not too high so as to treat others poorly nor too low to beat ourselves up all the time.
- Philippians 4:11-13 and 1 Timothy 6:6-9, which both mention Christian contentment: finding satisfaction no matter what our situation. I believe humility helps us achieve and maintain contentment
OTHER TRANSLATIONS
Regarding verse 3, I felt drawn to the NLT version, which I believe practically summarizes my whole study:
Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.
As much as these mindset commands were directed to Jews, Gentiles, and Romans of all social strata, I see it applicable to us in contemporary congregations, too. And verse 16 provides some examples of what it looks like when we sincerely think that way: in the AMP version, we’re told to live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty [conceited, self-important, exclusive], but associate with humble people [those with a realistic self-view]. Do not overestimate yourself.
COMMENTARY
Confession: I spent entirely too much time in commentaries this week because I didn’t have a single, clearly defined goal there. Predictably, I just wandered through them, sampling everything, which meant I came away with too much to write about. From that excess, I pulled these ideas:
- Seeing faith as a gift of God helps me realize my self-worth doesn’t have to depend on worldly conditions that can change (my job, my health, my wealth, my social status, etc.) but, as Barnes put it, on our attachment to God, and the influence of faith on our minds.
- I also appreciated Bonifay’s perspective in Contending for the Faith, which indicates we
… must be “fair-minded” in [our] judgment of things, determining [our] proper relationship with God and [our] fellow [believers]. Each Christian must learn to make an [sic] humble but fair-minded and sober assessment of his spiritual gifts and ethical obligations. Then [we] must use them to the glory of God’s name and not [our] own.
- And we should [measure ourselves] by the objective standard God has given in the gospel, which forces [us] to think on things in which [we are] on the same level with fellow Christians rather than those things in which [we] may be either superior or inferior to them. Each Christian must recognize his dependence on and submission to Christ.
- Finally, when examining v3, I loved the sense of community envisioned by Gerrish (Light of Israel Bible Commentary) We are living sacrifices together; we are transformed together; we are the Body of Christ together; and we make up the holy temple of God together. There is no such thing as “Lone Ranger” Christianity.
Here are a few of my findings for verse 16:
- Again from Gerrish: harmony is possible in the church when believers gain a proper perspective of themselves in Christ.
- Price (Living by Faith Commentary of Romans and 1 Corinthians) defines harmony as having the same attitude towards one another. We view each other with the same level of importance and we are dependent upon the other members in the body.
- I also liked Calvin’s (Calvin’s Commentary on the Bible) suggestion to give honor to others, not [ourselves]. Tall order, huh?!
- Finally, I had to include this observation from Barclay (Barclay’s Daily Study Bible): [In the Roman Empire] the Christian Church was the only place where master and slave sat side by side. It is still the place where all earthly distinctions are gone, for with God there is no respect of persons. I reviewed several commentaries this past week. From my notes, these observations stood out:
Dig-In Challenges
This coming week, let’s wrap up our study of Luke 15:11-32 and align with what we’ve discovered here:
- PRAY: Read the prayer created in Step 1.
- ALIGN: Review our study notes and other work, focusing specifically on what we’ve learned in this study.
- ALIGN: Then, considering those “lessons learned,” think about how the Spirit has convicted us through this study. In other words, where has He shown us misalignment between what we’ve discovered and how we practice our faith?
- ALIGN: Next, let’s look to God’s Word for guidance to correct that misalignment. This is often—but not always—a verse from the study text or from one of the cross-references.
- ALIGN: And finally, reflect on how we can change thoughts or actions to align more closely with what we’ve discovered here. To make this work, I commit to change something and do my best to act on that commitment every day for at least three weeks.
If you haven’t been able to work through everything with me in the last seven weeks, I encourage you to read through my previous posts in this series and ask the Holy Spirit to work with you on steps 3-5 above. I know the Lord will bless your efforts to understand and apply His Word!
GO TO WEEK 8 >
by Jen | Nov 11, 2025 | DISO studies, Romans 12
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Hi! This is Veteran’s Day in the US, when we honor our service members and their families, who also sacrifice for our defense. Your hard work and dedication make us the great nation we are, and I thank you and pray that God blesses you abundantly. Amen!
Last Week’s Work
WRITING TYPES
From Romans 1:1, this is a letter from Paul, the apostle. In 1:7, it’s addressed “… to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints… (emphasis mine).” Chapter 12 contains mostly instructional text, and I believe it should be interpreted literally.
LITERAL CONTEXT
Between his opening and our study text, Paul explains Jewish believers are no better than the Gentiles/Greeks: all have sinned (Romans 3:23, 10:12) and need Jesus, the Savior. He explained the effects of justification by faith and compared Adam’s sin to Jesus’s righteous sacrifice (Romans 5). He argued believers’ faith is evident by how they conduct themselves, though he acknowledged it’s challenging to allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit. Chapter 12 opens with Paul urging Roman believers to worship God through physical action and mental transformation and provides numerous examples of how this could play out in their lives.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
According to the ESV Global Study Bible, the apostle Paul wrote this book, likely from Corinth, Greece, about AD 57. Paul had been converted to Christianity while on the way to Damascus about 23 years earlier (Acts 9:1-19). He wrote this letter to build unity in the church in Rome, which was made up of Jewish and Gentile believers. Not only were the people ethnically and culturally different, but they also came from different socio-economic backgrounds. Other historical references I’ve studied indicate this could also cause division in the first-century church, since the prevailing social norm in Rome dictated people never associated with others outside their class.
INTERLINEAR RESEARCH
My dig into the Greek centered on the phrases to think so as to be soberminded (v3); live in harmony (v16), and associate with the lowly (v16). Here’s what I discovered from Biblehub.com:
- To think (G5426 phronein) … have an ongoing inner posture of humility (as opposed to a single humble act) …
- So as (G1519 eis) … with the target being…
- To be soberminded (G4993 sōphronein) … adoption of a God-controlled perspective on one’s personal importance…
- Live in harmony (G5426 phronein) NOTE: this is the same word used in v3! In this usage, Thayer’s Greek Lexicon indicates Paul means that the Romans should be of the same mind toward one another, which makes me think they were expected to treat one another as equals. What culture shock!
- Associate with the lowly (G4879 synapagomenoi G5011 tapeinois) … G4879 conveys a picture of being swept along with the group. The Topical Lexicon section says it underscores the power of corporate influence… to humble fellowship; and G5011 describes the person who depends on the Lord rather than self, according to the HELPS Word-Studies section of the website (emphasis in original). This reminded me of a passage from Paul’s letter to the Philippians where he talks about how he could brag about his Judaism pedigree, but he counts it as a loss for the sake of Christ (Philippians 3:3-11).
Dig-In Challenges
This week, let’s wrap up the second half of the Refine step by examining cross-references, other translations, and, if you want, checking out one or more commentaries on this passage.
- Pray, of course.
- REFINE: Then consult a concordance or online cross-reference study tool (I’ll be starting here) to find and read through the available cross-references for your focus verse(s) and log what the Spirit shows you.
NOTE: for your study, follow the above link, then use the Prev or Next buttons below the verse text to go to the verse(s) for your study.
- REFINE: Next, compare at least a few other translations of your focus verse(s) and write about what you find in your study journal. I’ll be comparing ESV, AMP, NIV, and GNT starting with this biblehub.com page. Compare your study verses with that link by entering them in the Enter Reference or Keyword box at the top of the page and clicking the spyglass icon there.
- REFINE: Last, I plan to check a few commentaries on Romans. If you already have a favorite study Bible or commentary, feel free to review it, too. If you don’t, I recommend these websites:
If you’re new to the Bible or Bible study, I’d start at bibleref.com, where you can find information about the whole book and this passage.
If you’re looking for something with more detail, try checking the commentary section of StudyLight.org. There, you can access verse-by-verse commentaries on Romans 12 by clicking the box for your focus verse, then clicking the name of the commentary listed immediately under the text of the verse you chose. I recommend you review more than one commentary and listen to the Spirit’s guidance on them.
Hope you’ll check in with me again next week!
GO TO WEEK 7 >
by Jen | Nov 4, 2025 | DISO studies, Romans 12
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Welcome back!
Last Week’s Work
COMPARISONS
This week I was drawn to a contrast between the living sacrifice of their (physical) bodies (v1) and (mental) transformation by renewing the mind (v2). I found many of the commands in this passage falling under the category of physical behavior. For example, nonconformity to this world (v2), use of the gifts mentioned in vv6-8, living in harmony with one another, and association with the lowly (v16), etc.
Some, though, seemed more mental in nature: don’t think of yourself more highly than you ought and think with sober judgment (v3), give thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s sight (v17), etc. From these patterns, I felt the Spirit impressing upon me that worship has more than one dimension: it’s not just what we do, but how we think. And, put together with what I know of methods, the most important aspect of transformation isn’t what we do, but what’s going on in our minds. Yet the author uses more ink on examples of behavior! Also interesting, I found one of my focus verses centered on the mental aspects (v3), while the other (v16) contained three commands about behavior and only one about over-evaluating our own wisdom.
CAUSES/MOTIVATIONS
Before I share what I discovered by examining cause connectors, let me say I missed one when giving you hints about this assignment last week. Kudos if you noticed the therefore in v1 anyway! If you did see it, did you wonder what that therefore was there for? It’s spelled out in the last two paragraphs of the previous chapter, Romans 11:33-36, where the author talks about how awesome God is. That’s why He alone deserves our service and worship!
Honestly, I struggled with the connectors I found in vv2-8. I think the statements made there are all one cohesive thought, even though the ESV translation I’m using has a paragraph break between vv2 and 3. Here’s the main nugget I think the author was trying to convey:
“Don’t conform to the world. Instead, be spiritually transformed so that your focus is God’s will, and so that you think rightly about yourself and with sober judgment, because we are designed as unique contributors to the body of believers: our gifts differ to support different functions in the church.”
In the weeks ahead, I plan to submit the above paragraph to a lot of scrutiny to make sure I haven’t missed something important. Feel free to reach out to me here or by email if you think I’m way off base. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
CONDITIONS/METHODS
As I thought about all the commands the author gave the Romans last week, it occurred to me that they create a process by which believers can become that living sacrifice of spiritual worship mentioned in v1. I don’t know about you, but I am pretty intimidated by that whole list. I’m grateful the Holy Spirit narrowed it down to the steps mentioned in vv3 and 16 for me: the mental aspect of staying humble, thinking “with sober judgment… according to the measure of faith that God has assigned”—I can’t wait to start figuring out what that really means!—and the more concrete actions of living in harmony with others and associating with the lowly.
Dig-In Challenges
This week, I’ll start refining my understanding of this passage:
- PRAY. Of course!
- REFINE by skimming Romans to determine which of the following types of writing appears most often in it: instruction, law, letter, narrative, poetry, or prophecy. Then I’ll reread chapter 12 to see what (if any) other types are in use. I’ll note the types I find so I can determine whether the author intended the text to be interpreted literally.
- REFINE: Next, I’ll research the book’s historical context by referencing an Introduction to the book of Romans. This can be found in most bound Bibles immediately before Romans 1, but I’m going to the ESV online. This reference, written by Bible publishers, provides historical details like who wrote the book, to whom, and when. It often also contains a summary of the book’s content. If you’re working along with me, note any relevant or interesting facts you uncover in your review of these materials. Based on what you discover, should Romans 12 be interpreted literally?
- REFINE: Last, I’ll be looking up the meaning of some words and phrases from my focus verses using an interlinear Bible tool. I like Biblehub.com’s Greek tool for this research. To use: click the blue arrow to the right of the verse citation (“Romans 12:3”) to scroll to higher-numbered verses containing words you want to review (or the arrow to the left to view verses 1 and 2), then click the number in the Strong’s column that corresponds to the English word or phrase you’re researching. Note anything the Spirit highlights for you in the information provided.
I encourage you to use these tools and dig as much as you can this week. I pray the Spirit will bless your efforts, my friend!
GO TO WEEK 6 >
by Jen | Oct 28, 2025 | DISO studies, Romans 12
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Hello again. Have you been finding treasure in Romans 12 these past few weeks? I can’t wait to show you what I’ve discovered!
Last Week’s Work
REPETITION
Though I know several concepts are mentioned repeatedly in this chapter, I’m feeling drawn to just two of them:
- Think appears three times in v3: it says the Romans ought not think of themselves more highly than they ought, and they should think with sober judgment. I felt reminded to keep watch over my thoughts, especially those about myself and how I make decisions.
- In three verses, evil appears six times. The Romans should abhor it (v9), not repay those who are evil to them with the same treatment but treat them honorably (v17), and not allow evil to overcome them (v21). I’m grateful for the chapter’s final thought: it’s comforting to realize good can overcome evil!
SPECIAL STATEMENTS: REQUESTS, COMMANDS, PROMISES
The author makes two requests at the beginning of this chapter: that they present their bodies as a living sacrifice (v1) and that they use their gifts according to the grace given (v6). And, toward the end of the chapter, he mentions a couple of promises: [the Lord] will repay (v19), and feeding their enemies when they’re hungry and giving them drinks when they’re thirsty will heap burning coals on [their heads] (v20). I saw this connecting to the command at the beginning of v17 to repay no one evil with evil.
Did you notice commands make up the biggest category of special statements in this chapter? I found 34 of them! The ones I feel the Spirit drawing my attention to most are the six in vv3 and 16, of course:
- [Do] not think of [yourself] more highly than [you] ought to think (v3)
- Think with sober judgment (v3)
- Live in harmony with one another (v16)
- Do not be haughty (v16)
- Associate with the lowly (v16)
- Never be wise in your own sight (v16).
LISTS
I noticed just one list. The seven gifts that differ according to the grace given to us are:
- Prophecy
- Service
- Teaching
- Exhortation
- Generous contribution
- Zealous leadership
- Cheerful acts of mercy.
Dig-In Challenges
This week, let’s wrap up Step 3 by:
- PRAYING: As always, start with the prayer we wrote for Step 1.
- MINING: Read through the passage again looking for comparisons in or related to your focus verses. Look for statements of similarity featuring key words like as and so, a qualitative comparison using more, and/or contrasts.
- MINING: Next, look for causes or motives by focusing on key words or phrases I call cause connectors. In this study text, look for the connectors for (a synonym of because), and that (where it’s not used as a synonym for which). Then check the text surrounding the connector for an action and the reason or explanation for that action. For example: in the sentence, I went to the store for I was out of milk:
the action = I went to the store for [because] the reason = I was out of milk.
NOTE A: for doesn’t always connect an action and a reason. To determine if it does in this passage, read the sentences containing it replacing for with because. If the new sentence makes sense and means the same as the original, make a note of the action (before for) and its cause (after for).
NOTE B: that also isn’t always used as a connector. To determine when it is, read the sentence replacing that with so that. If the new sentence makes sense and means the same as the original, make a note of the action (before that) and its cause (after that).
- MINING: Finally, see if you can find any conditions that trigger action in this narrative, and/or descriptions of how action happens or should happen.
– For example, does the text say if or when a certain condition exists, some action should or does take place?
And/or
– Does the author describe a particular method by which something happens? In other words, does he describe specific action(s) that achieve(s) something (e.g., in Romans 12:1, how does the author recommend the Romans accomplish spiritual worship)?
Or
– Does he indicate how action is accomplished more generally by or through attributes or actions (e.g., saved by grace, through faith (Ephesians 2:8)?
Finally,
Does the text include any adverbs (typically words ending in ly) that describe how action happens?
These exercises are more involved, I know, but I’m confident you can do this with the Holy Spirit! Don’t forget to check your How to Dig Into Scripture Ourselves guide, and you can always reach out to me at [email protected] if you have questions.
GO TO WEEK 5 >
by Jen | Oct 21, 2025 | DISO studies, Romans 12
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Welcome back! I hope you had a chance to consider where the Spirit is leading you to dig deeper in this passage and to focus on characters, locations, and timeframes in the text. Here’s what I noticed from my study so far.
Last Week’s Work
MY PERSONAL TREASURE
I most felt the pull of the Spirit to verses 3 and 16. In addition to wondering what the author meant by sober judgment and the measure of faith assigned in v3, I felt convicted by both verses: not to think of myself more highly than I ought and do not be haughty. Feels like this study will challenge me a lot!
WHO (CHARACTERS)
- I, the author of this passage. In Romans 1:1, he’s identified as Paul, a servant [Greek doulos] of Christ Jesus. He also describes himself there as being called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.
- You, brothers who are the recipients of this letter. They’re described in Romans 1:6-7 as those in Rome who are loved by God and called to belong to Jesus Christ and to be saints.
- God, who is merciful (v1) and whose will is good, acceptable, and perfect (v2),
- Christ, in whom we, though many, are one body (v5). According to Romans 1:4 and 7, this character is also referred to as Lord. You are instructed to serve the Lord (v11), and vengeance is the Lord’s (v19).
- The passage also mentions several other characters in the verses discussing gifts—i.e., one who teaches, exhorts, contributes, leads, does acts of mercy (vv7-8)—and behavior expectations: those who persecute you (v14), rejoice, weep (v15); the lowly (v16); all (vv17-18); and your enemy (v19).
WHERE (LOCATIONS) AND WHEN (TIMEFRAMES)
I discovered just one location, this world (v2), but the footnote in my ESV translation indicates this term might also be translated age which we could consider a timeframe! At this point, I’m assuming Paul is telling the Romans not to conform to the culture in Rome at that time. I don’t feel the Spirit leading me to learn more about that right now, but if He is directing you to that verse, I suggest you plan to dig deeper there in the refining phase in a few weeks.
Dig-In Challenges
Here’s my plan this week:
- PRAY the prayer I wrote last week before I study.
- MINE: Look for repeated words or phrases in this passage and check for synonyms or pronouns that might refer to the same concepts.
- MINE: Locate any special statements (blessings, commands, curses, prayers, promises, requests, and/or warnings) in the passage.
- MINE: Note any lists (3 or more similar items) mentioned in Romans 12.
Remember, you can download this printable summary of the DISO process for more specific instructions. I hope you’ll check in with me next week!
GO TO WEEK 4 >
