THOUGHTS FROM ROMANS 12

THOUGHTS FROM ROMANS 12

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s Mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s Will Is—His Good, Pleasing and Perfect Will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one Body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s Wrath, for it is written: ‘It Is Mine to avenge; I Will repay,’(Deut.32:35) says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’(Prov. 25: 21-22) Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12—NIV


Paul describes for us a four-step transformational process: First we offer ourselves as a sacrificial gift to God, releasing control of our minds and bodies to Him; then we stop conforming to the world’s pattern; then being transformed by the renewing of our minds, we are able to test and approve God’s Good, Pleasing and Perfect Will. Paul reminds us that we are to remember our position as servants in the Body of Christ, by not acting like the world around us, and not thinking of ourselves as more important than our fellow members in Christ’s Church, but rather with understanding that is consistent with the faith that God has given to us, we are to use God’s gifts to the best of our ability. We are to love sincerely, hate evil, hold onto the good, be committed to each other in brotherly love, show more respect for each other than we do towards ourselves, be enthusiastic, maintain our religious passion in serving the Lord, have joyful expectations, be patient in our troubles, be faithful in our prayers, share with God’s needy people, make a habit of being hospitable, bless rather than curse those who mistreat us, express joy with those who are celebrating, grieve with those who are in sorrow, live agreeably with each other, be humble and willing to fellowship with those who have a lower position or status in life, choose not to be snobs, decide not to retaliate, be certain to follow the rule of law, live peacefully with everyone, refuse to settle our own scores, but instead allow God to dispense His Justice, because that’s His job, and not ours. Instead, God wants us to give food and drink to our enemies just like He does, because that will really get their attention. In conclusion, Paul says that we can defeat evil by doing and by being good. This is a tall order, to say the least, and none of us are able to accomplish all of this by ourselves. But with the help of the Holy Spirit Who lives within us, all of these things are possible. So don’t give up, because God is ready, willing and able to help us!

Mark Overt Skilbred