Romans 12
J.B. Phillips New Testament
We have seen God’s mercy and wisdom: how shall we respond?
12 1-2 With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him. Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.
3-8 As your spiritual teacher I give this piece of advice to each one of you. Don’t cherish exaggerated ideas of yourself or your importance, but try to have a sane estimate of your capabilities by the light of the faith that God has given to you all. For just as you have many members in one physical body and those members differ in their functions, so we, though many in number, compose one body in Christ and are all members of one another. Through the grace of God we have different gifts. If our gift is preaching, let us preach to the limit of our vision. If it is serving others let us concentrate on our service; if it is teaching let us give all we have to our teaching; and if our gift be the stimulating of the faith of others let us set ourselves to it. Let the man who is called to give, give freely; let the man who wields authority think of his responsibility; and let the man who feels sympathy for his fellows act cheerfully.
Let us have real Christian behaviour
9 Let us have no imitation Christian love. Let us have a genuine break with evil and a real devotion to good.
10 Let us have real warm affection for one another as between brothers, and a willingness to let the other man have the credit.
11 Let us not allow slackness to spoil our work and let us keep the fires of the spirit burning, as we do our work for God.
12 Base your happiness on your hope in Christ. When trials come endure them patiently, steadfastly maintain the habit of prayer.
13 Give freely to fellow-Christians in want, never grudging a meal or a bed to those who need them.
14 And as for those who try to make your life a misery, bless them. Don’t curse, bless.
15 Share the happiness of those who are happy, the sorrow of those who are sad.
16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t become snobbish but take a real interest in ordinary people. Don’t become set in your own opinions.
17 Don’t pay back a bad turn by a bad turn, to anyone. Don’t say “it doesn’t matter what people think”, but see that your public behaviour is above criticism.
18 As far as your responsibility goes, live at peace with everyone.
19 Never take vengeance into your own hands, my dear friends: stand back and let God punish if he will. For it is written: ‘Vengeance is mine. I will repay’.
20-21 ... these are God’s words: ‘Therefore if your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head’. Don’t allow yourself to be overpowered with evil. Take the offensive—overpower evil by good!
Romans 12
New Catholic Bible
The Need for Faith in Daily Life[a]
Chapter 12
The New Life and the True Worship. 1 Therefore, brethren, I implore you by the mercies of God to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable to God—a spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewal of your minds, so that you will be able to discern the will of God and to know what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Right Use of the Gifts of the One Body. 3 Through the grace that God has bestowed upon me, I advise every one of you not to think of yourself too highly, but to regard yourself objectively, based on the measure of faith that God has granted. 4 For just as in one body we have many parts, and the parts do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, make up one body in Christ,[b] and individually we are all parts of one another.
6 We all have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If it is a gift of prophecy, we should exercise it in proportion to our faith. 7 If it is a gift of ministry, we should engage in serving others. If it is a gift of teaching, we should teach. 8 If it is a gift of exhortation, we should encourage. Whoever gives alms should do so generously; whoever leads should do so conscientiously; whoever performs acts of mercy should do so cheerfully.
A Truly Sincere Love. 9 Let your love be sincere. Loathe what is evil and hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with genuine affection. Esteem others more highly than yourself. 11 Do not be lacking in zeal, but serve the Lord with spiritual fervor. 12 Be joyful in your hope. Be patient in times of affliction. Persevere in prayer.
13 Contribute to the needs of the saints, and practice hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless them and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not consider yourself to be better than others, but associate with the lowly, and never be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Rather, be concerned about doing what is good in the eyes of all. 18 As much as possible, and to the extent of your ability, live in peace with everyone.
19 Dearly beloved, never seek revenge. Leave that to the time of retribution. For it is written, “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. I will repay.” 20 On the contrary,
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
By doing this,
you will heap burning coals[c] on his head.”
21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.
Footnotes
- Romans 12:1 Following his custom, Paul ends his Letter (before the Epilogue) with a number of ideas and counsels for Christian life in the midst of everyday reality.
- Romans 12:5 One body in Christ: see 1 Cor 12:12-27.
- Romans 12:20 Burning coals: this means that the responsibility of the other is increased, or else that he is given a stimulus to repentance. In any case, the doing of good must not depend on its acknowledgment by the other.
The New Testament in Modern English by J.B Phillips copyright © 1960, 1972 J. B. Phillips. Administered by The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England. Used by Permission.
