1Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
World English in Bold
Lee Delbridge’s Comments in Italics
1Therefore (chapter twelve begins the “so what” part of the book of Romans. We are lost sinners and Jesus died as an atoning sacrifice for our sins and offered us the free gift of eternal life. If we accept that free gift then this is how we should live; Romans 6:23 is a good summary of what Paul wrote in chapters 1-11; chapters 12-16 of Romans explains how a sinner saved by grace should live) I urge (encourage) you, brothers (fellow Christians), by (because of) the mercies (mercy means that God does not punish us for our sins with eternal separation from Him) of God, to present (give) your (physical) bodies (as) a living (not dead, but living — as an ongoing and continual) sacrifice (a sacrifice in the Old Testament was when you killed an animal as an offering to God), holy (set apart from the world and set apart to God), acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service (of worship). 2Don’t be conformed (Greek present tense which means an ongoing continual process; don’t be squeezed into it’s mold) to this world (the sinful anti-God practices of this age; see I John 2:15-17), but be transformed (Greek present tense which means an ongoing continual process; changed like metamorphosis — like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly) by the renewing (replacing the old with new) of your mind (thoughts and meditations), so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.
Additional Notes from Lee Delbridge
As a result of what God has done for you, you should be totally sold out to Him — both body and mind. If Jesus died for you, then you should live for Him. This is the only reasonable response. You worship Him by giving yourself as a living, ongoing, continual sacrifice to Him.
The Rest of the book of Romans in Application as it applies to special areas.
Romans 12:3-8 What That Means in the Church – discover your giftedness and use it to glorify God and serve others
Romans 12:9-21 What that means in relationship with other people. Your goal is to overcome evil with good.
Romans 13 What that means in relationship to the government under which you live. Always obey your government unless what it commands conflicts with what God commands.
Romans 14-15. What that means in relationship with weaker Christians. Try your best never to do anything that will hurt the spiritual life of a weaker Christian but always try to help them.