Today, Sunday March 07
Romans 12:1-2 – Our Duty and Service
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
In all of his letters, Paul concluded with a list of practical duties that were based on the doctrines he had discussed. In the Christian life, doctrine and duty always go together. What we believe helps to determine how we behave. It is not enough for us to understand Paul's doctrinal explanations. We must translate our learning into living and show by our daily lives that we trust God's Word.
In the previous chapters of Romans we learned about Sin (1-3); Salvation (4-5); Sanctification (6-8); and the Sovereignty of God (9-11). In these last five chapters we will be encouraged by Paul and the Holy Spirit to apply and practice what we have learn with Christian Service.
The key idea in chapters 12 and 13 is relationships. It begins with a right relationship with God and if we have a right relationship to God, we will have a right relationship to the people who are a part of our lives. "If a man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar" (1 John 4:20).
In these two chapters we will study our relationship with God (vs. 1-2); our relationship with other believers in the church (vs. 3-16); our relationship with our enemies (vs. 17-21); and in chapter 13, our relationship to government.
What we believe will determine how we live! May the Lord help us today to live for that which is eternal, rather than the temporal that so quickly passes away!
God bless!
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