A Living Sacrifice

12 Therefore, I urge you,^(A) brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,^(B) holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform^(C) to the pattern of this world,^(D) but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.^(E) Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is^(F)—his good, pleasing^(G) and perfect will.

¹³ Therefore let us stop passing judgment^(A) on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.^{(B) 14} I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself.^(C) But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.^{(D) 15} If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love.^(E) Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died.^{(F) 16} Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil.^{(G) 17} For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking,^(H) but of righteousness, peace^(I) and joy in the Holy Spirit,^{(J) 18} because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.^(K)

¹⁹ Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace^(L) and to mutual edification.^{(M) 20} Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.^(N) All food is clean,^(O) but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.^{(P) 21} It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.^(Q)

Warning Against Idolatry

¹⁴ Do not be yoked together^(A) with unbelievers.^(B) For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?^(C)

¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit,^(A) and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.^(B)

¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork,^(A) created^(B) in Christ Jesus to do good works,^(C) which God prepared in advance for us to do.

¹¹ For the grace^(A) of God has appeared^(B) that offers salvation to all people.^{(C) 12} It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions,^(D) and to live self-controlled,^(E) upright and godly lives^(F) in this present age, ¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing^(G) of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,^{(H) 14} who gave himself for us^(I) to redeem us from all wickedness^(J) and to purify^(K) for himself a people that are his very own,^(L) eager to do what is good.^(M)

⁴ We write this^(A) to make our^[a] joy complete.^(B)

Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness

⁵ This is the message we have heard^(C) from him and declare to you: God is light;^(D) in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness,^(E) we lie and do not live out the truth.^{(F) 7} But if we walk in the light,^(G) as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all^[b] sin.^(H)

⁸ If we claim to be without sin,^(I) we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.^{(J) 9} If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins^(K) and purify us from all unrighteousness.^{(L) 10} If we claim we have not sinned,^(M) we make him out to be a liar^(N) and his word is not in us.^(O)