“Hogan’s Bridge,” the 12th hole at Augusta National Golf Club, is one of the most photographed landmarks on any golf course in the world. It’s also one of the most difficult par 3s in tournament golf. People love the image, but the experience is something else altogether!
Likewise with daily Christian living. As G. K. Chesterton famously said, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.” Romans 12 describes what the gospel looks like in daily life, and it’s a lot like Hogan’s Bridge. It makes a beautiful picture but a challenging prospect!
Verse 1 describes bodies, not used in pursuit of personal ambitions and pleasures, but daily surrendered to God in worship, motivated by gratitude for His incredible mercy.
Verse 2 calls for minds transformed, not by Netflix or news channels, but by the Spirit and the word.
Verses 3-8 offer a view of the self, not polluted by arrogance or plagued with insecurity, but confident and happy in one’s own abilities, recognizing that everything we are and have is a gift freely given by God and thus freely used to bless others.
Verses 9-10 describe a community pulsating with authentic, holy, devoted love.
Verses 11-13 brim with practical forms of service: prayer, hospitality, enthusiasm, patience, generosity.
Verses 14-21 cap it all off with a vision for handling persecution and hardship that nothing but the cross could inspire: blessing your persecutors, refusing to retaliate, living in harmony, loving the unlovely, and ultimately overcoming evil with good.
Can you imagine what human society would be like it actually looked like this? …if the church actually lived like this? It’s not meant to be a fantasy. This is what life looks like when the gospel takes over.
So how do we make Romans 12 a reality in our lives? First, we immerse ourselves in Romans 1-11. The most important word in Romans 12 is “Therefore.” This chapter is drawing conclusions, not making new assertions. Only gospel truth can create gospel culture.
Second, we work at it. Hard. Every day. Pick a verse and put it into practice. Then do it again the next day. And the next. This is how all Christian growth works—we grow up into what we have been given.
In God’s mind, because of Jesus, your life really is as beautiful as Hogan’s Bridge. Now in the power of the Spirit, be who you are!