Well, we resume these Friday evening meetings and these studies in Paul's epistle to the Romans.

And God willing, we shall go on with this Friday by Friday until, and including, the Friday before good Friday.

I don't remember the date, but whatever it is, we go on until the Friday before good Friday, every

Friday evening, God willing. Well, now we start this evening with the third verse in the

12th chapter of this mighty epistle to the Romans. You will remember most of you that we

had to spend a number of weeks in dealing with

the first two verses, and that of course was because of their great importance. They are the

general introduction to the whole of the remainder of this epistle, and at the same time

they are the apostle's general introduction to the whole subject of the conduct of

the Christian. We've been considering the doctrine in the first great 11 chapters. Well,

now, how is the men described there to live in this world? How is he to conduct himself, comport

himself? How is he to make known the riches of God's grace to others?

And that's the theme which the apostle takes up. He shows, as is his custom, the link between the

general introduction of the practical application by using the word for,

for I say, through the grace given unto me.

And it's important that we should appreciate the significance of this connecting link,

this introductory word for. It reminds us that what the apostle is going to say is the result of what he said, that it comes out of what he has said, that it indeed ought to be inevitable from what he has said. In other words, he goes on now to show us how what he has been

saying should show itself in our daily lives and how indeed if we are to be truly

Christian it must show itself in our daily life and practice.

There, you see, he has been pleading in the first two verses for two big things.

One is that we surrender ourselves.

We surrender ourselves to God, body, mind, and spirit.

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