A Living Sacrifice

12 ^(A)I appeal to you therefore, brothers,^[a] by the mercies of God, ^(B)to present your bodies ^(C)as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.^[b]

^5 (A)you yourselves like living stones are being built up as ^(B)a spiritual house, to be ^(C)a holy priesthood, ^(D)to offer spiritual sacrifices ^(E)acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

^13 (A)Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but ^(B)present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

^19 (A)I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For ^(B)just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members ^(C)as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

^15 (A)Through him then let us continually offer up ^(B)a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, ^(C)the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. ¹⁶ Do not neglect to do good and ^(D)to share what you have, for such ^(E)sacrifices are pleasing to God.

^2 (A)Do not be conformed to this world,^[a] but be transformed by ^(B)the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may ^(C)discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.^[b]

Unity in the Body of Christ

4 I therefore, ^(A)a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to ^(B)walk in a manner worthy of ^(C)the calling to which you have been called,

^10 (A)Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

¹¹ Beloved, I urge you ^(B)as sojourners and exiles ^(C)to abstain from the passions of the flesh, ^(D)which wage war against your soul. ^12 (E)Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, ^(F)they may see your good deeds and glorify God on ^(G)the day of visitation.