1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living sacrifice – the kind He will accept. When you think of what He has done for you, is this too much to ask? 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of the world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is.
3 As God’s messenger, I give each of you this warning; Be honest in your estimate of yourself, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you. 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of His one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.
6 God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So, if God has given you the ability to prophecy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. 7 If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have the gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
9 Don’t just pretend to love others, really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.
12 Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. 13 When God’s children are in need, be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night.
14 If people curse you because you are a Christian, don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t try to act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible.
19 Dear friends, never avenge yourself. Leave that to God. For it is written,
“I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,” says the Lord.
20 Instead, do what the scriptures say:
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you.”
21 Don’t let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.
In chapters 1 – 11, Paul laid out God’s plan of Justification through Jesus Christ. Just as a seasoned defense attorney would in a court of law, he said all that he could say on the subject. Then, he rested his case.
Beginning in chapter 12, Paul would conclude his letter by answering all of the “what now?” questions. He knew his readers would have many, so he started with their personal responsibilities as believers in Christ.
Since Christ gave His own life to pay the price for our sins, God asks us now to give ourselves as a daily living sacrifice. We do this by laying aside our own sinful desires and focusing on what He has called us to do. We do this by putting all of our energy and resources at His disposal, and trusting that He will guide us according to His will.
Our lives should be, not just a living sacrifice, but, a holy sacrifice. Too often, we put our own interests first and give God our leftovers. He doesn’t want our leftovers, He wants our best. We do this out of gratitude for what He has done for us.
Is that too much to ask?
As I said before, life would be so simply if, when we came to faith in Christ, we would stop sinning. But, unfortunately, we will always be sinners. And, because we are sinners and live in a corrupt world, it is far too easy for us to fall back into our old sinful ways. Paul warns us not to copy the behaviors and customs of the world. Although we still live here, we are no longer citizens of the world – we are citizens of heaven. We are foreigners, just passing through, on our way to our new home. As Christians, we have our own behaviors and customs – the ones that please God.
When we come to faith in Christ, we ask the Holy Spirit to dwell inside of us. It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that changes the way we think – that renews our minds and our thoughts. Chapters 1-11 were all about Justification. Chapters 12-15 are about Sanctification.
Sanctification is being set aside for a special purpose. It is the process of becoming more like Christ. It is the renewing of our minds, the changing of the way we think that Paul wrote about. It is growing in our faith.
Many Christians act as if Justification is all there is. They see Christianity as nothing more than a fire insurance policy. Being saved is important. We want to spend eternity with God, and we will. But, God has a plan and a purpose for our lives here on earth. It’s not just about going to heaven when we die, it’s about living this life to the fullest through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. That is Sanctification.
Many of us grew up in the Christian faith. We went to Sunday school, and to church. We prayed before our meals. We prayed before bedtime. We abstained from certain activities that we felt were not pleasing to God. We made sacrifices out of a sense of obligation. But, that’s where we stopped.
What Paul is asking us to do is to take it one step further. Rather than do the minimum, we need to start focusing on doing the maximum. Instead of just going to church on Sundays, and an occasional mid-week bible study, we need to start seeking God’s will for our lives.
In verse 2, Paul wrote, “…but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” The NKJV translates it as, “…but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Christ promised His disciples that when He left this earth, to return to the Father, the Father would send the “Paraclete”. In the original Greek, the Paraclete was most commonly the family attorney. The Paraclete was the one who would stand beside a person in the court of law. It has been translated into English as the Counselor, the Comforter, the Encourager, the Advocate, and the Helper. In John 14:17, Jesus said, “He is the Holy Spirit, who leads us into all truth.” The Holy Spirit is a powerful person of the Holy Trinity that is on our side, working for and in us. Jesus went on to say, But when the Father sends the Counselor as my representative – and by Counselor I mean the Holy Spirit – He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I Myself have told you.” (John 14:26 NLT)
We pray and seek God’s will. Then we watch and listen. Then, we pray again, and watch and listen more. Then each time we pray and seek His will, our will starts to come into alignment with His will. And when our will aligns with God’s will, we grow closer to God.
Personal bible study is the key to growing in faith in Christ. The bible is the Word of God and, no matter what translation you use, the Holy Spirit will speak to you through His Word. It is the only way that we can know and understand God’s will for us in this life.
In verse 3, Paul gave a warning to his readers; “…Be honest in your estimate of yourself, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you.”
Paul often used the human body as a metaphor for the Christian Church. The body has many parts, and each part has a special purpose. Paul went on to explain, in verse 5, that it is the same in Christ’s body – the Church. As Christians, “…we are all parts of His one body, and each of us has a different job to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all of the others.”
There are no “Lone Ranger” Christians. That’s not God’s plan. We are all part of one body. And, because of that, the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives us can only be used to strengthen the entire body.
God designed each and every one of us with His own two hands. God does not own a set of cookie cutters. Each one of us is a custom job, unique by His perfect design. And each of us is given an ability to do certain things well. So we should do them to the best of our ability, and to the glory of God.
Study Questions
Have you given yourself completely to God?
Paul spoke of giving ourselves as a living sacrifice. What he means is that we should live our lives in a way that is pleasing to God. We can do this through the power of the Holy Spirit in us. Through His power, we can overcome the sins that scar our lives. Addiction, anxiety, depression, sexual sin, and more can all be overcome by His power. We need to begin by trusting in Him. “Is that too much to ask?”
Are you transformed?
The single biggest proof-positive for the reality of Christianity is the undeniable change that takes place when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in the heart of a believer. We are changed through His power. No other religion can make that claim. Sure, you can adopt a set of rules for a new lifestyle, but it is nothing more than you following the rules. Paul spelled it out by saying, “Don’t copy the behaviors and customs of the world, but let God transform you into a new person by the renewing of your mind”. This new person that Paul spoke of is really the person that God created you to be. It is only through His power that we can realize our full potential of our life here on earth. Are you ready to be all that God has designed you to be? Just believe and ask.
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