Romans 12: Living sacrifices
Moved by God's mercy, believers offer themselves to God, serve one body with their gifts, and love even enemies.
Where Romans 12 sits
- In the story
- Act VI, Church: Acts–Jude · The Journeys, c. AD 48–57
- In the Bible
- New Testament · Letters · chapter 12 of 16 in Romans
- In Romans
- Living sacrifices, 12:1–15:13
- Before
- Romans 11: And so all Israel will be saved
- After
- Romans 13: Love is the fulfillment of the law
Romans 12 summary
Therefore, on account of God's mercy, Paul urges the brothers to offer their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, their spiritual service of worship. They are not to be conformed to this world but transformed by the renewing of their minds, so that they can test and approve God's good, pleasing and perfect will. By the grace given him he tells each one not to think too highly of himself but with sober judgment, by the measure of faith God has given. As one body has many members with different functions, so in Christ the many are one body, members of one another, with different gifts by the grace given: prophecy in proportion to faith, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving generously, leading with diligence, showing mercy cheerfully. Love must be sincere. Hate evil and cling to good; be devoted to one another in brotherly love and outdo one another in honor; keep zeal and fervor, serving the Lord; be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer; share with saints in need and practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep; live in harmony, associate with the lowly, and do not be conceited. Repay no one evil for evil; do what is right in the eyes of all, and as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not avenge yourselves but leave room for God's wrath, for vengeance is His and He will repay. Instead, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink, and so heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12 in context
- Speaking
- Paul, urging the church on the ground of all God's mercies set out in chapters 1–11
- Written for
- Every believer in Rome, each with a gift and a place in the one body
- Around it
- Begins the call to the life that grows from the gospel (12:1–15:13); chapter 13 turns to rulers, neighbors and the coming day
The sections of Romans 12
Read Romans 12
Living Sacrifices
1Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and not all members have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many are one body, and each member belongs to one another.
6We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If one’s gift is prophecy, let him use it in proportion to his faith; 7if it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is giving, let him give generously; if it is leading, let him lead with diligence; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
Love, Zeal, Hope, Hospitality
9Love must be sincere. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another.
11Do not let your zeal subside; keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer.
13Share with the saints who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Forgiveness
14Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited.
17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Carefully consider what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone.
19Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.”
20On the contrary,
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him a drink.
For in so doing,
you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Berean Standard Bible, 21 verses. The BSB is in the public domain.
Around Romans 12
Read alongside
- 1 Peter 2
- 1 Corinthians 12
- Ephesians 4
- Matthew 5
- Proverbs 25
- Deuteronomy 32
Chapters that point here
- Numbers 8
- Judges 15
- Judges 20
- 1 Samuel 24
- 1 Samuel 25
- 2 Samuel 13
- Nehemiah 4
- Esther 7
- Job 2
- Job 27
- Psalm 58
- Psalm 137
- Proverbs 20
- Proverbs 24
- Jeremiah 10
- Jeremiah 11
- Jeremiah 12
- Jeremiah 18
- Jeremiah 47
- Jeremiah 51
- Lamentations 1
- Lamentations 3
- Ezekiel 25
- Ezekiel 35
- Daniel 1
- Obadiah 1
- Nahum 3
- 1 Thessalonians 5
- 2 Thessalonians 1
- 1 Peter 4
Questions on Romans 12
What does Paul urge “on account of God’s mercy” (12:1–2), and why does the “Therefore” matter?
How does the picture of one body (12:4–5) shape the use of gifts (12:6–8)?
How does 12:17–21 tell believers to treat those who wrong them?
The answers are in TheoMaps Challenges.
Plus What TheoMaps holds for Romans 12
- How Romans 12 points to Christ
- What each of its 4 sections says, and how one leads into the next
- 3 threads, 1 promise and 1 covenant, with the verses that join them
- 6 doctrines it teaches: sanctification, worship and the Lord's Day, the church, the communion of saints, good works and the last judgment
- How it is shaped: Gifts of grace and Offered and transformed
- Why those 6 chapters belong beside it
- The answers to its questions, in Challenges
TheoMaps Plus opens every book the way Genesis is open, on the map, with Challenges to help you remember it.