In spite of the failures of Israel and the ignorance of the Gentiles, God graciously redeems both through Jesus Christ. When anybody, Jew or Gentile, obeys the gospel, that person is automatically enrolled among the people of God. This is all done by means of the mercy of God-none of it is on the basis of prior merit. That is where Paul ended his discussion in Romans 11, and it is where he begins in Romans 12.

Paul touches upon an important theme from the beginning. Because of the mercy of God, we naturally desire to respond to His grace. What shall we do? In the Old Testament, a worshipper might respond in gratitude to God with a sacrifice. He would select a suitable animal or grain offering, take it to the Temple and entrust it to the priesthood who would offer the sacrifice to God. But now, we have no such sacrifice to make. Jesus is our perfect sacrifice, who has taken away our sin and even done away with the sin problem (Hebrews 10:10). So, what offering can we make to demonstrate our gratitude and commitment to God through Jesus?

The only offering we have to give is ourselves-and that is the offering God wants from us. This passage does not teach that “all of life is worship.” Worship is done by specific, intentional acts determined by God. This passage teaches that the only offering we have to present is ourselves. When we make that offering, we become God’s people.

People who have committed themselves to God must live according to His guidance. They must understand the nature of God and mimic that nature until the habits of character are so ingrained that it is no longer mimicry, but nature. The world will not appreciate this program for life and will actively try to reorder our lives. But we are interested in the transformation that occurs when we give ourselves entirely to God. He changes us as we cooperate with those changes by submitting to His will and living according to His guidance.

Paul continues to stress the oneness of Christians here. Neither Jew nor Gentile had any reason to boast about heritage or achievements. Neither group had any reason to hold themselves as more worthy than other Christians. They were, in fact, on a perfectly equal footing. More to the point, they were bound in an interdependent relationship! They needed each other!

The language of “membership” so widely used by social organizations is actually rooted in the language of Christianity. Paul was the first to use the metaphor of a body and its members to describe the church and its individual people. From this time, individuals claiming involvement with a group are considered “members,” and the process of gaining involvement is called “membership.” This sometimes makes it trite to speak of church members and membership, but it is a graphic description! We each have a valid and vital function within the church, and each of us must exercise our personal gifts within the church in order to fulfill the ministry given us (Ephesians 4:12). The various gifts are critical to the health of the church.

The last section of this chapter seems at first glance to be a loose collection of various exhortations and demands. There is, however, a thread that runs through the commands: the change in character. Paul groups the changes in three broad requirements:

Be selfless. We must honor and love one another. We must not focus on our own lives, desires, and demands, but instead develop an outward focus seeking the best for others. We must become the kind of people that eagerly serve the Lord, maintaining positive attitudes in every aspect of our ministry. Our ministry must not be theoretical and abstract, but concrete in dealing with our brethren.

Be humble. We must remember who we are and what our place in this church really is. We must develop into the kind of people who can never resent another’s success or gloat over another’s misery. We must work diligently to remain in good relationships with one another. And we must be unconscious of the world’s social and class distinctions, treating all people alike. We have no right to any arrogance or conceit.

Be peaceful. We must imitate Jesus in His dealing with His enemies. We must not assume the position of God and seek to repay injustice and unrighteousness for our own. We must make every effort to be at peace with others and to allow God to work His will. He has the authority to effect justice in the universe, and ultimately He will judge all souls. In contrast to a vengeful spirit, we must be conciliatory and peace loving. We must help even those who despise us when they need help. We may not use the instruments of evil, but instead must overwhelm evil with our goodness.

These are changes in character that will make us more like Jesus Christ. And that is the goal of Christian discipleship. It is wrong to assume that our character cannot or will not change. We change our character to reflect any changes in value systems. As we obey the gospel, we develop entirely new values. Therefore, our character changes in response to our altered priorities. As we live as sacrifices toward God, we become different people, transformed by His grace.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the acts of worship undertaken by Christians? Why can’t our whole lives be worship? What does God want from us in our service for Him?

2. Why doesn’t the world appreciate the Christian life? What is it about our Christian commitment that threatens those who reject Him?

3. What is the practical effect of all Christians being “one”? Besides the language of membership in the body, how else could we explain the concept? Which of your gifts are nonessential to the health of the church? How do you know?

4. Why do some people think it is unrealistic to discuss changing character? Why is it necessary for us to imitate Jesus’ character until it becomes our own? How long will this take?

5. What is the benefit to a selfless life? What are the negatives associated with serving others? Why is it so foreign to us to be humble? How can we develop this without being proud of our progress? How can we become people of peace? What does this have to do with earthly governments?