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] 2 (D)}Do not be conformed to this world,^[c] but be transformed by ^(E)the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may ^(F)discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.^[d]

Gifts of Grace

³ For ^(G)by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you ^(H)not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, ^(I)each according to ^(J)the measure of faith that God has assigned. ⁴ For ^(K)as in one body we have many members,^[e] and the members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so we, ^(L)though many, ^(M)are one body in Christ, and individually ^(N)members one of another. ^6 (O)Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if ^(P)prophecy, ^(Q)in proportion to our faith; ⁷ if ^(R)service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸ the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; ^(S)the one who leads,^[f] with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with ^(T)cheerfulness.

Marks of the True Christian

^9 (U)Let love be genuine. ^(V)Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ^10 (W)Love one another with brotherly affection. ^(X)Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not be slothful in zeal, ^(Y)be fervent in spirit,^{[g] (Z)}serve the Lord. ^12 (AA)Rejoice in hope, ^(AB)be patient in tribulation, ^(AC)be constant in prayer. ^13 (AD)Contribute to the needs of the saints and ^(AE)seek to show hospitality.

^14 (AF)Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ^15 (AG)Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ^16 (AH)Live in harmony with one another. ^(AI)Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.^{[h] (AJ)}Never be wise in your own sight. ^17 (AK)Repay no one evil for evil, but ^(AL)give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, ^(AM)live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, ^(AN)never avenge yourselves, but leave it^[i] to the wrath of God, for it is written, ^(AO)“Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ To the contrary, ^(AP)“if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

God's Righteous Judgment

2 Therefore you have ^(A)no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For ^(B)in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. ² We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. ³ Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? ⁴ Or do you presume on ^(C)the riches of his kindness and ^(D)forbearance and ^(E)patience, ^(F)not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? ⁵ But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are ^(G)storing up ^(H)wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

^6 (I)He will render to each one according to his works: ⁷ to those who ^(J)by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; ⁸ but for those who are self-seeking^[a] and ^(K)do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. ⁹ There will be tribulation and distress ^(L)for every human being who does evil, the Jew ^(M)first and also the Greek, ¹⁰ but glory and honor and ^(N)peace for everyone who does good, ^(O)the Jew first and also the Greek. ¹¹ For ^(P)God shows no partiality.

God's Judgment and the Law

¹² For all who have sinned ^(Q)without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. ¹³ For ^(R)it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. ¹⁴ For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, ^(S)by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵ They show that the work of the law is ^(T)written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them ^16 (U)on that day when, ^(V)according to my gospel, God judges ^(W)the secrets of men ^(X)by Christ Jesus.

¹⁷ But if you call yourself a Jew and ^(Y)rely on the law and boast in God ¹⁸ and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; ¹⁹ and if you are sure that you yourself are ^(Z)a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, ²⁰ an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law ^(AA)the embodiment of ^(AB)knowledge and truth— ^21 (AC)you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? ²² You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you ^(AD)rob temples? ²³ You who ^(AE)boast in the law ^(AF)dishonor God by breaking the law. ²⁴ For, ^(AG)as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed ^(AH)among the Gentiles because of you.”

²⁵ For circumcision indeed is of value ^(AI)if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. ²⁶ So, if ^(AJ)a man who is uncircumcised keeps ^(AK)the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded^[b] as circumcision? ²⁷ Then he who is physically^[c] uncircumcised but keeps the law ^(AL)will condemn you who have ^(AM)the written code^[d] and circumcision but break the law. ²⁸ For ^(AN)no one is a Jew ^(AO)who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. ²⁹ But a Jew is one ^(AP)inwardly, and ^(AQ)circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. ^(AR)His praise is not from man but from God.