I love Romans 12. There are so many nuggets of truth in this chapter. I was only going to write about part of the chapter, but then when I got started writing I realized I couldn’t just do a part of this chapter – the whole thing goes together! So, I decided to dive into this chapter and see what it had to say. I find 3 parts to this chapter – our mindset, our actions, and our witness. Let’s look at each section of Romans 12 in-depth.

Part 1 – Our Mindset

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2

These two verses always make me stop and think. Paul is urging us to give our bodies as a living sacrifice to God as an act of worship. In the Old Testament we read about how the Israelites had to offer animal sacrifices for their sins, and in the gospels we read that Christ became the ultimate sacrifice and took our sins upon Himself once and for all so that we may have eternal life. Now Paul is calling us to walk in Christ’s footsteps and offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God. What does it mean to be a living sacrifice? It means being dead to sin but alive to God (see Rom. 6:11). It means we’re no longer masters over our own bodies and actions, but God is Master over us. We are choosing to be bondservants of God. This is an act of worship. Through surrendering our lives to God, we’re saying that He is God of creation and God of our lives. He deserves to be in control!

Next, Paul tells us not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. What does that mean? It means we’re throwing out our old way of thinking and replacing it with a new way of thinking. We’re exchanging a worldly mindset for the mindset of Christ. This takes place when we spend time with God through prayer and studying the Scriptures. As we meditate on God’s Word and spend time in His presence it changes our thinking.  Our thoughts become centered on God and the things above (see Col. 3:2). This also begins to transform our actions and our lives, which is a testimony to others of God’s goodness, which I believe is what Paul means when he says, “so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” God’s work in our lives to perfect us is His will for us, and as it happens in our lives it is a testimony to others that God is real and at work.

Part 2 – Our Actions

For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.  For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function,  so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.  Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;  if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching;  or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Romans 12:3-8

The first thing we must realize as a Christian is that we cannot be prideful. That is an easy sin to fall into! It’s easy to judge non-believers or Christians who are struggling with habitual sin. But here’s the deal – we’re all sinners in need of a Savior, and we are saved by grace through faith. We are not saved by our works! We cannot boast in ourselves because we fail all the time. But, we can boast in our Savior, because He never fails! We must come to God in humility and humbly thank Him for allowing us to be a part of the body of Christ.

Secondly, we are all a part of the Body of Christ, and just like every limb and organ in our bodies has a specific job, every Christian has a specific job in the Church. And together all the members of the Church, doing the job God has for them, makes the Church a functioning body. Paul is exhorting us to use our gifts the way God intends for us. We are to use our spiritual gifts for God’s glory and for the benefit of the Body, and we are to use our gifts to the best of our ability. (There’s no slacking in the body of Christ!)

Do you know what gifts God has given you? God has given you a specific job that only you can fill, and as you saw in Paul’s list, not all the jobs are the same. God doesn’t call all of us to be teachers or pastors. God calls some of us to serve, some of us to give, some of us to show mercy… there are so many gifts that God gives us, and it’s our job to use them for God’s glory, not our own. If you’re not sure what your gifts are, pray about it. Ask a trusted mentor what they think your spiritual gifts are. Think about your passions and things you love. Do you have a passion for music and worship? Do you have a passion for working with kids? For writing? For prayer? For service projects? For mission work? For the elderly? For making God-honoring movies? This list can continue forever, so think about what your passions are. Pray about them and ask God to use the things your passionate about for His glory. And most of all, choose to surrender to God. Be willing to be used of Him in the way that He sees is best, and then gladly serve Him wherever He places you.

Part 3 – Our Witness

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;  not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;  rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,  contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.  Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.  Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.  If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.  Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.  “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:9-21

As Christians, we are called to love everyone. It’s hard to love our enemies. It’s hard to love people who are promoting sinful lifestyles. But it’s those very people that God loves and wants to see accept Him. When we show love to the hard-to-love, it impacts them. It makes an impact when you repay evil with good, when you respond in kindness to someone’s rudeness, when you choose to be peaceful when someone wants to pick a fight, when you do the right thing even when it’s not cool. Evil cannot be overcome by evil – that just adds fuel to the fire. Evil can only be overcome by good. And when we show love to others, it is powerful. The love of God is what changed our lives, and it is what will change the lives of others.

The greatest and second greatest commandments are to love God with your entire being, and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). That really sums up Paul’s exhortation in Romans 12. When we live by those two commandments, it changes us, and it changes those around us.

Let’s be world-changers! 🙂

With love,

Kelsey