In the section before the last in the letter to the Romans, Paul begins talking about a new way of thinking, which results from all the other themes he has discussed in previous chapters: 

• • • All people are sinners. 
    • We find hope through The Righteousness of God. 
    • Obedience to God and God’s word through faith in Jesus Christ. 
    • God grafts us into the root, and, as a result, we are members of God’s family. 

 

Here’s how the flow of these themes looks on the picture below:

 

 

Now, read Romans 12: 1-2, 

 

 

Paul begins by laying out what spiritual worship should look like, and which consists of only one thing, “To present our bodies to God.” 

And, we present ourselves first as “a living sacrifice,” and second as “holy and acceptable to God.”

Sacrifices, according to the Old Testament, had to do with dead animals. But, God’s ultimate did not have to be that way.  

Jesus is the living sacrifice, according to Scripture. He died and then came back to live. He’s the only living sacrifice. 

For as long as we have the breath of life, we will always have an opportunity to present ourselves to God as living sacrifices too. 

When you think of “holy and acceptable” sacrifices, I’d say that Paul is connecting this phrase to the second verse below:

 

 

Living sacrifices are, therefore, holy when they are done according to God, not the world! 

What’s interesting in these two verses is that Paul starts with “spiritual worship” before stating transformation that results from the renewal of the mind (see verse above). 

[bctt tweet=”Paul, through his letter to the Romans, wanted them (the original audience of his letter), and now wants us all too, to realize that transformation and renewal are only possible through spiritual worship!” username=””]

When we surrender to God and choose a life of complete obedience to God and His Word, God transforms us by renewing the way we think. 

What’s very important also in Romans 12 is what you read in verse 21

 

 

Changing the way we think through an attitude of surrender and full obedience to God helps us overcome evil with good. 

[bctt tweet=”On our own, we can’t overcome evil because by nature we are programmed to hurt each other. Jesus is the only way out of this because evil does not not affect him even though he once lived in our sinful flesh. He alone can redeem us from evil.” username=””]

In conclusion, and, when we become a worshipping people, our way of thinking changes, and we therefore experience the following:

• • •  First, we humbly serve God and each other in the body of Christ (verses 3-8). 
    • Second, we love and show gratitude for everything and everyone (verses 14-18).
    • Last, we overcome evil with good (verse 21). 

For the last section in the study of Paul’s letter to the Romans, read chapters 13 through 18, and we will talk about “The Kingdom of God.”