Romans 12 - Now What?
How can you know what God's will is for you?
Read / Listen to the chapter:
Read the chapter in an outlined format
Romans 12 (ESV)
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers,
by the mercies of God,
to present
your bodies
as a living sacrifice,
holy
and acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual worship.
2 Do
not be
conformed
to this world,
but be
transformed
by the renewal of your mind,
that by testing
you may discern
what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and perfect.
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you
not to think of himself
more highly than he ought to think,
but to think with sober judgment,
each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
4 For as in one body
we have many members,
and the members do not all have the same function,
5 so we,
though many,
are
one body in Christ,
and individually members one of another.
6 Having gifts
that differ according to the grace given to us,
let us use them:
if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;
7 if service, in our serving;
the one who teaches, in his teaching;
8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation;
the one who contributes, in generosity;
the one who leads, with zeal;
the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
9 Let love be genuine.
Abhor what is evil;
hold fast to what is good.
10 Love one another with brotherly affection.
Outdo one another in showing honor.
11 Do not be slothful in zeal,
be fervent in spirit,
serve the Lord.
12 Rejoice in hope,
be patient in tribulation,
be constant in prayer.
13 Contribute to the needs of the saints
and seek to show hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you;
bless
and do not curse them.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice,
weep with those who weep.
16 Live in harmony with one another.
Do not
be haughty,
but associate with the lowly.
Never be wise in your own sight.
17 Repay no one evil for evil,
but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
18 If possible,
so far as it depends on you,
live peaceably with all.
19 Beloved,
never avenge yourselves,
but leave it to the wrath of God,
for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
20 To the contrary,
“if your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink;
for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not
be overcome by evil,
but overcome evil with good.
Read the chapter on BibleGateway
Watch previous DIG DEEPER video post
Romans 12 Summary
Chapter 12 starts with a key word: THEREFORE. The first eleven chapters of this book were drenched with doctrine, which in a sense fertilizes and tills the ground of our life preparing us to produce good works for our creator. With this simple word leading the way, Paul says because of the truth we've just unpacked, here's how you must live:
- Sacrifice your own ego and desires;
- Don't be crushed into conformity with the evil society we live in in 2022;
- Your mind has been renewed, so use it to align yourself with God's will.
Once you've learned to sacrifice your own ego, you identify yourself as one saved by grace. Find unity by grounding yourself in Christ with others who seek to use their gifts to serve God by serving others.
We live in a time where evil seems to be overcoming us in the form of lies and deceptions. Our instinct is to fight back, but v21 flips that instinct: overcome evil not by fighting, but rather by doing good.
Dig Deeper
One of the most common questions Christians have is 'how can I know what God's will is in this particular situation? Romans 12:2 is the go to verse to help answer this:
STEP ONE: Don't be conformed to the pattern of the world. In other words, if you don't actively seek God's will, you will be crushed into doing things the world's way.
STEP TWO: Understand that your mind has been renewed by God's Word, so seek to transform (literally: metamorph) every part of your life to reflect the truth.
STEP THREE: Test and approve the options you have. By using your mind which has been renewed by God's Word, the option God is calling you to follow will become clear.
AAA Prayer:
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Your merciful Father who has given you faith and grace (v1, 3)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that by God's strength you will be transformed rather than conformed (v2)
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
