Read the passage: Romans 12:1-8 (ESV, Bible Gateway)
In Romans 12, Paul turns from the basics of the Christian faith to its practical implications for how we should live. He begins with what it means for each of us individually (v1-2), for the body of Christ (v3-13), and for how we interact with the world (v14-21). Given all that we know about God and His mercy, how should we then live? What does what we believe mean for how we live? Romans 12 begins to address this.
Verse 1
- What is the “Therefore” there for? That is: What is the reason behind / the motivation for presenting their bodies as living sacrifices to God?
- What does it mean to offer your body as a living sacrifice? (Address each word in italics.)
- What does it mean that our living sacrifice be holy and acceptable to God?
- Why is this true spiritual worship?
- What other things might people wrongly think are true spiritual worship?
Verse 2
- What does it mean to be conformed to this world?
- What does it mean to ‘be transformed by the renewal of your mind’?
- What does it mean that ‘by testing’ you may discern what is the will of God?
- Why is it important for us to know that God’s will is ‘good, acceptable and perfect’?
Verses 3-5
- Paul implies that we are tempted to be proud. How does thinking about ourselves according to the faith God has given us help us to be more sober in our judgement? How does knowing we belong to all others in the body of Christ help us think humbly about ourselves?
Verses 6-8
- What does it mean that we should use our gifts according to the grace that God has given us?
- Consider the various gifts listed here. Did anything catch your eye?
Reflect
- What areas do you think (and or others think) you are gifted in? Are you actively seeking to use them to upbuild your church family? If not, what practical steps could you take to do so? If so, what steps could you take to grow in this area?
Leader’s notes
Verse 1
- What is the “Therefore” there for? That is: What is the reason behind / the motivation for presenting their bodies as living sacrifices to God?
Paul now turns to how the Christian life should be lived in light of God’s mercy – His gracious, unearned love towards us. Review some key points of the book of Romans that show God’s mercy, e.g.: 1:16-17, 3:21-26, 4:16-17, 4:23-25, 5:1-11, 5:20-21, 6:23, 8:31-39, 11:30-32- What does it mean to offer your body as a living sacrifice? (Address each word in italics.)
Body: not just our mind, spirit or soul, but our physical body, including everything we do. Living: dead to sin, but alive to God, choosing daily to love and serve Him and those around us. Sacrifice: offered up wholly to God, committing all we are to Him, even in hardship and suffering. - What does it mean that our living sacrifice be holy and acceptable to God?
To be holy means to be set apart for God. We are to be unblemished, just like the sacrifices God requires in the OT. We should desire to please God, our Lord, our Saviour, our Bridegroom, the Lover of our soul and our Heavenly Father, because of all that He has done for us. And in Christ we already are these things: we are holy in Him and washed clean in Him. This is our position – in Christ (see Colossians 1:22). Now we are called to live that out – our performance/practice of holiness flows out of our position in Him. - Why is this true spiritual worship?
It worships God as He really is; it is the appropriate (rational, reasonable) response to God’s love & mercy. God wants us, wholly and completely committed to Him; not just our possessions or ideas or…- What other things might people wrongly think are true spiritual worship?
Simply going through the motions: going to church, singing songs, listening to sermons, reading your bible every day… These are all good things, and all a part of worship, but what God wants most is your heart – your whole life as a living sacrifice! These other things will flow out of that.
- What other things might people wrongly think are true spiritual worship?
- What does it mean to offer your body as a living sacrifice? (Address each word in italics.)
- What does it mean to be conformed to this world?
Go back to Romans 1:18-32 (for the Gentiles) and Romans 2 (for the Jews) to see the pattern of the world. It is also the world guided by the flesh – see Romans 8:5-8 – that is hostile to God. To be conformed to the world means to be influenced by the world, to think and act like the world – separated from God and engaging in sinful, selfish thoughts, desires and actions. It is to be squeezed into the world’s mould – to see life, priorities, etc. as the world sees them, rather than as one redeemed by Christ and on our way to His heavenly kingdom. As Augustine said ‘we are to use, not love the things of the world.’- What does it mean to ‘be transformed by the renewal of your mind’?
To see things in a new way (God’s way), putting off lies, falsehood, distortion and deception that the world feeds us. Instead, living according to what is true, good and right; We do this by being guided by the Holy Spirit through the reading of the Bible and by surrounding ourselves with fellow Christians whose words and lives honour God and encourage us to walk in His ways. - What does it mean that ‘by testing’ you may discern what is the will of God?
We can discern God’s will by testing, evaluating and doing God’s will, as revealed in the Bible, as opposed to living as the world does. As we live this way there is a positive feedback loop – we do His will and as we do we are testing it/trying it out, and in doing so realise ‘yes, this is why God wants us to live this way, this is His will and has proven to be good.’ - Why is it important for us to know that God’s will is ‘good, acceptable and perfect’?
It can help us lean on Him and trust Him even when things don’t go the way we imagine or want.
- What does it mean to ‘be transformed by the renewal of your mind’?
- Paul implies that we are tempted to be proud. How does thinking about ourselves according to the faith God has given us help us to be more sober in our judgement? How does knowing we belong to all others in the body of Christ help us think humbly about ourselves?
When we think of ourselves with “sober” judgment, we realise that the ‘measure of faith’ and spiritual gifts we and others have are unearned gifts from God. We do not think ourselves or others better or worse (based on the gifts we or they have or don’t have), but we understand that we are all gifted as members of one body, according to what He decided we should have for the body to function well. We also realise that the body needs a variety of gifts in order to function, so we are grateful for the different and complementary gifts of others.
- What does it mean that we should use our gifts according to the grace that God has given us?
We use each particular gift in accordance with the amount of that gift that God has given us. We do not desire what we don’t have or boast about what we do have, but we should use what gifts we do have to serve Christ’s body as much as we can.- Consider the various gifts listed here. Did anything catch your eye?
It can be interesting for some to discover things like ‘service’ or ‘acts of mercy’ on a list of spiritual gifts. Things like that may seem less glamorous than others, and yet here they are clearly listed as gifts! They are well-needed among the body of Christ and are not to be seen as “less cool” or “less spiritual” than other gifts.
- Consider the various gifts listed here. Did anything catch your eye?
Download the complete study: Bible study on Romans (PDF) and leader’s guide (PDF)