”And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.“
Romans 12:1-21 NLT
The crux of Romans 12 is transformation. It is important to understand that the point of the good news is escape from the world. It is a necessary return to life and a reversal of inclinations toward destruction. All of the gospel leads to a difference in the outcome and ultimate tonality of our lives. This is the prime reason why many are enticed to it. A gospel without transformation is no gospel at all. It is the reversal of bad habits as much as the reversal of bad relationships with God and with men. This is the totality of its earthly power. Yet, we see that even then, it was not understood. It was viewed as a simple means of self help with esoteric value. The reason it can be perceived this way is that salvation opens the choice to sin. It is sanctification which moves further from that choice. Here paul commands us, by way of rhetoric, to partner with our sanctification and repent. He calls us to be transformed. Sanctification is necessitated by salvation. It is an option that wasn’t there but now is. It is a blessing that a freed slave to sin can have in this life. But, Paul is clear that it must be chosen. A Christian who doesn’t conform and change his inclinations is likely to slip backward into the pit he escaped.
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