Living Sacrifices to God

12 I ^(A)beseech^[a] you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies ^(B)a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your ^[b]reasonable service. ² And ^(C)do not be conformed to this world, but ^(D)be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may ^(E)prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Serve God with Spiritual Gifts

³ For I say, ^(F)through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, ^(G)not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt ^(H)to each one a measure of faith. ⁴ For ^(I)as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, ⁵ so ^(J)we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. ⁶ Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is ^(K)given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us ^(L)prophesy in proportion to our faith; ⁷ or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; ^(M)he who teaches, in teaching; ^8 (N)he who exhorts, in exhortation; ^(O)he who gives, with liberality; ^(P)he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, ^(Q)with cheerfulness.

Behave Like a Christian

^9 (R)Let love be without hypocrisy. ^(S)Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. ^10 (T)Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, ^(U)in honor giving preference to one another; ¹¹ not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; ^12 (V)rejoicing in hope, ^(W)patient^[c] in tribulation, ^(X)continuing steadfastly in prayer; ^13 (Y)distributing to the needs of the saints, ^(Z)given^[d] to hospitality.

^14 (AA)Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ^15 (AB)Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. ^16 (AC)Be of the same mind toward one another. ^(AD)Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

^17 (AE)Repay no one evil for evil. ^(AF)Have^[e] regard for good things in the sight of all men. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as much as depends on you, ^(AG)live peaceably with all men. ¹⁹ Beloved, ^(AH)do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ^(AI)“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰ Therefore

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but ^(AK)overcome evil with good.

Submit to Government

13 Let every soul be ^(AL)subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. ² Therefore whoever resists ^(AM)the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will ^[f]bring judgment on themselves. ³ For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? ^(AN)Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. ⁴ For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. ⁵ Therefore ^(AO)you must be subject, not only because of wrath ^(AP)but also for conscience’ sake. ⁶ For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. ^7 (AQ)Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

Love Your Neighbor^(AR)

⁸ Owe no one anything except to love one another, for ^(AS)he who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹ For the commandments, ^(AT)“You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” ^[g]“You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, ^(AU)“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰ Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore ^(AV)love is the fulfillment of the law.

Put on Christ

¹¹ And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time ^(AW)to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. ¹² The night is far spent, the day is at hand. ^(AX)Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and ^(AY)let us put on the armor of light. ^13 (AZ)Let us walk ^[h]properly, as in the day, ^(BA)not in revelry and drunkenness, ^(BB)not in lewdness and lust, ^(BC)not in strife and envy. ¹⁴ But ^(BD)put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and ^(BE)make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

The Law of Liberty

14 Receive^(BF) one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. ² For one believes he ^(BG)may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. ³ Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and ^(BH)let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. ^4 (BI)Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

^5 (BJ)One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶ He who ^(BK)observes the day, observes it to the Lord; ^[i]and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for ^(BL)he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. ⁷ For ^(BM)none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. ⁸ For if we ^(BN)live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. ⁹ For ^(BO)to this end Christ died ^[j]and rose and lived again, that He might be ^(BP)Lord of both the dead and the living. ¹⁰ But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For ^(BQ)we shall all stand before the judgment seat of ^[k]Christ. ¹¹ For it is written:

¹² So then ^(BS)each of us shall give account of himself to God. ¹³ Therefore let us not judge one another ^[l]anymore, but rather resolve this, ^(BT)not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.

The Law of Love

¹⁴ I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus ^(BU)that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. ¹⁵ Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. ^(BV)Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. ^16 (BW)Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; ^17 (BX)for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and ^(BY)peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ For he who serves Christ in ^[m]these things ^(BZ)is acceptable to God and approved by men.

^19 (CA)Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which ^(CB)one may ^[n]edify another. ^20 (CC)Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. ^(CD)All things indeed are pure, ^(CE)but it is evil for the man who eats with ^[o]offense. ²¹ It is good neither to eat ^(CF)meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles ^[p]or is offended or is made weak. ^22 [q]Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. ^(CG)Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. ²³ But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for ^(CH)whatever is not from faith is ^[r]sin.

Bearing Others’ Burdens

15 We ^(CI)then who are strong ought to bear with the ^[s]scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. ^2 (CJ)Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to ^[t]edification. ^3 (CK)For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, ^(CL)“The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” ⁴ For ^(CM)whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the ^[u]patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. ^5 (CN)Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, ⁶ that you may ^(CO)with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Glorify God Together

⁷ Therefore ^(CP)receive one another, just ^(CQ)as Christ also received ^[v]us, to the glory of God. ⁸ Now I say that ^(CR)Jesus Christ has become a ^[w]servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, ^(CS)to confirm the promises made to the fathers, ⁹ and ^(CT)that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written:

¹⁰ And again he says:

¹¹ And again:

¹² And again, Isaiah says:

¹³ Now may the God of hope fill you with all ^(CY)joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

From Jerusalem to Illyricum

¹⁴ Now ^(CZ)I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, ^(DA)filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish ^[x]one another. ¹⁵ Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, ^(DB)because of the grace given to me by God, ¹⁶ that ^(DC)I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the ^(DD)offering ^[y]of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁷ Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus ^(DE)in the things which pertain to God. ¹⁸ For I will not dare to speak of any of those things ^(DF)which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, ^(DG)to make the Gentiles obedient— ^19 (DH)in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. ²⁰ And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, ^(DI)lest I should build on another man’s foundation, ²¹ but as it is written:

Plan to Visit Rome

²² For this reason ^(DK)I also have been much hindered from coming to you. ²³ But now no longer having a place in these parts, and ^(DL)having a great desire these many years to come to you, ²⁴ whenever I journey to Spain, ^[z]I shall come to you. For I hope to see you on my journey, ^(DM)and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may ^(DN)enjoy your company for a while. ²⁵ But now ^(DO)I am going to Jerusalem to ^[aa]minister to the saints. ²⁶ For ^(DP)it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. ²⁷ It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For ^(DQ)if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, ^(DR)their duty is also to minister to them in material things. ²⁸ Therefore, when I have performed this and have sealed to them ^(DS)this fruit, I shall go by way of you to Spain. ^29 (DT)But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing ^[ab]of the gospel of Christ.

³⁰ Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and ^(DU)through the love of the Spirit, ^(DV)that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me, ^31 (DW)that I may be delivered from those in Judea who ^[ac]do not believe, and that ^(DX)my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, ^32 (DY)that I may come to you with joy ^(DZ)by the will of God, and may ^(EA)be refreshed together with you. ³³ Now ^(EB)the God of peace be with you all. Amen.