New Testament

Romans 12

Sacrifice, Gifts, and Holy Love

5 passages

Overview

Paul summons believers to offer their entire bodily lives to God as a living sacrifice, then traces the practical shape of that offering through humble exercise of charisms within the one Body of Christ, the concrete demands of sincere charity in community, and a confident, non-retaliatory ethic that actively blesses persecutors and overcomes evil with good.

Passages

1–2The Living Sacrifice: Total Consecration to God 3–8One Body, Many Gifts: Humility and Charisms in the Church 9–13Marks of Authentic Christian Love Within the Community 14–16Blessing, Empathy, and the Humility of Christ 17–21Overcome Evil with Good: The Christian Renunciation of Vengeance

Study Resources

Romans 12

¹Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. ²Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.

³For I say through the grace that was given me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith. ⁴For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members don’t have the same function, ⁵so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another, ⁶having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us: if prophecy, let’s prophesy according to the proportion of our faith; ⁷or service, let’s give ourselves to service; or he who teaches, to his teaching; ⁸or he who exhorts, to his exhorting; he who gives, let him do it with generosity; he who rules, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

⁹Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good. ¹⁰In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate to one another; in honor prefer one another, ¹¹not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, ¹²rejoicing in hope, enduring in troubles, continuing steadfastly in prayer, ¹³contributing to the needs of the saints, and given to hospitality.

¹⁴Bless those who persecute you; bless, and don’t curse. ¹⁵Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep. ¹⁶Be of the same mind one toward another. Don’t set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Don’t be wise in your own conceits. ¹⁷Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is honorable in the sight of all men. ¹⁸If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men. ¹⁹Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

²¹Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 11 Romans 13