Romans 12 is a letter from the Apostle Paul to Christians in Rome, providing specific guidelines for attitudes and behavior in life as a Christian. This chapter deals with Christians' devotion to God, their role within the church community, and their relationships with other people.
Verses 1-2: Dedication to God
- Offering as a Living Sacrifice : Paul exhorts the brothers to offer their bodies as a living sacrifice to God through God's mercy. This is holy and pleasing to God, and such devotion is called spiritual worship.
- Renewing Your Mind : We urge you not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is God’s good, acceptable and perfect will.
Verses 3-8: Role within the community
- Humble attitude : We teach each person not to overestimate themselves and to maintain a humble attitude according to the amount of faith given to them.
- Diverse Gifts : Emphasizes the importance of utilizing diverse gifts within the church community. Although each gift is different, like the different parts of a body, they all contribute to the unity of the body. Paul mentions the gifts of prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, relief, governance, and mercy, and advises each person to use their gifts to the best of their ability.
Verses 9-21: Christian life attitude
- Love and sincerity : Love must be sincere, and we are encouraged to hate evil and belong to good. We are told to respect one another, treat each other kindly with brotherly love, serve diligently, and serve the Lord with zeal.
- Joy and patience : We advise you to rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and always persevere in prayer. They are also told to strive to provide for the needs of the believers and to be hospitable to guests.
- Peace and Reconciliation : Bless those who persecute you and do not curse them. I encourage you to rejoice with those who rejoice, cry with those who cry, and be of one mind with one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but rather live lowly, and do not pretend to be wise.
- Love your enemies : I advise you not to repay evil for evil to anyone, but to seek to do good in front of everyone. We are told to live in harmony with everyone as much as possible. I advise you to leave revenge to God, and to feed your enemy when he is hungry and give him a drink when he is thirsty. It is said not to be defeated by evil, but to overcome evil with good.
summary
Romans 12 provides general guidance for the Christian life, providing specifics on devotion to God, various roles within the church community, and relationships with others. Paul exhorts Christians to offer themselves as living, holy sacrifices to God, to make the most of the gifts given to them, and to set an example for Christ in the world through love, peace, and reconciliation. This presents a way for Christians to discern God's will in this world and live according to that will.