Romans 12 Instructions for Christian Living

“Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices…do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:1-2

If Romans was divided into 2 chapters rather than 16 chapters, the second chapter would begin in Romans 12. The first 11 chapters are filled with truth and doctrine about who God is and who we are. It tells us how we can go from relating to God as Judge to relating to God as “Abba, Father”. The first 11 chapters often take a lot of work to understand.

The last 5 chapters are very practical and instruct us in how to live. We get a good understanding of what the Christian life should look like from these chapters. We tend to pass over the first 11 chapters and focus on the last 5 chapters because of the relative ease with which they are understood. However, the last 5 chapters are meant to be understood in the context of the first 11 chapters. That is why the first statement in the second chapter of our 2 chapter book of Romans begins with “therefore”. Paul is saying, as a logical conclusion to chapters 1 to 11, where we get a large picture of God’s mercy, then you should do the following:

1. Offer your pride and joy…yes, your very body as a living sacrifice to God. V.1
2. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world. V.2
3. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind with the truths in the first 11 chapters of Romans. V.2
4. In the context of the church, do not have an inflated view of yourself. The church is like a human body comprised of diverse features. You are only one of those features and you need the rest of the body and they need you. V.3-8
5. Love others with a love that is: authentic, pure, devoted, brotherly, humble, God-ward as well as man-ward, expectant, enduring, faithful, giving, welcoming, unstoppable, sensitive, harmonious, selfless, impartial, merciful, righteous, peaceful, trusting, supernatural, and powerful. V.9-21

With the truths of the first 11 chapters driving you, programming your brain, opening your eyes, working in you - follow these instructions for living. Let the Holy Spirit help you do this. People will begin to think that you are related to Jesus because you will look more and more like the one they read about in the Bible.