为事奉上帝而活

12 所以,弟兄姊妹,我凭上帝的怜悯劝你们献上自己的身体,作圣洁、蒙上帝悦纳的活祭。你们理当这样事奉。 你们不可追随世界的潮流,要随着思想的不断更新而改变,这样就能明辨上帝的旨意,知道什么是良善、纯全、蒙祂悦纳的。

我凭上帝赐给我的恩典劝告各位,不要自视过高,要照着上帝赐给各人的信心中肯地看待自己。 就像我们身体的各部分有不同的功能, 我们众人在基督里组成一个身体,彼此联结,息息相关。 我们照所得的恩典各有不同的恩赐。说预言的,要按着信心的程度说预言; 服侍的,要忠心服侍;教导的,要专一教导; 劝勉的,要诚心劝勉;施舍的,要慷慨施舍;治理的,要殷勤治理;怜悯的,要甘心怜悯。

相爱相顾

不可虚情假意地爱人。要疾恶如仇,一心向善。 10 要彼此相爱如同手足,互相尊重,彼此谦让。 11 要殷勤,不可懒惰,要常常火热地事奉主。 12 盼望中要有喜乐,患难中要坚忍,祷告要恒切。 13 信徒有缺乏,要慷慨帮助;客人来访,要热诚款待。 14 迫害你们的,要为他们祝福;要祝福,不可咒诅。 15 要与喜乐的人同乐,与哀哭的人同哭。 16 要彼此和睦,不可心高气傲,反要俯就卑微的人,不可自以为聪明。

17 不要以恶报恶。要尊重别人,众人都认为好的事,应该竭力去做。 18 如果可能,总要尽力与人和睦相处。 19 亲爱的弟兄姊妹,不要私自报复,要让上帝来审判,因为圣经上说:

“主说,‘申冤在我,我必报应。’”

20 所以,

“你的仇敌若饿了,就给他吃的;
若渴了,就给他喝的;
你这样做是把炭火堆在他头上。”

21 你不可被恶所胜,反要以善胜恶。

A Life Dedicated to God

12 Therefore I exhort you, brothers, through the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may approve what is the good and well-pleasing and perfect will of God.

A Variety of Gifts in the Body of Christ

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone who is among you not to think more highly of yourself than what one ought to think, but to think sensibly[a], as God has apportioned a measure of faith to each one. For just as in one body we have many members, but all the members do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually[b] members of one another, but having different gifts according to the grace given to us: if it is prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if it is service, by service; if it is one who teaches, by teaching; if it is one who exhorts, by exhortation; one who gives, with sincerity; one who leads, with diligence; one who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

Living in Love

Love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; be attached to what is good, 10 being devoted to one another in brotherly love, esteeming one another more highly in honor, 11 not lagging in diligence, being enthusiastic in spirit, serving the Lord, 12 rejoicing in hope, enduring in affliction, being devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, pursuing hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute,[c] bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. 16 Think the same thing toward one another; do not think arrogantly[d], but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own sight[e]. 17 Pay back no one evil for evil. Take thought for what is good in the sight of all people. 18 If it is possible on your part, be at peace with all people. 19 Do not take revenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,”[f] says the Lord. 20 But “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by[g] doing this, you will heap up coals of fire upon his head.”[h] 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Footnotes

  1. Romans 12:3 Literally “so as to be sensible”
  2. Romans 12:5 Literally “with respect to one”
  3. Romans 12:14 Some manuscripts have “who persecute you”
  4. Romans 12:16 Literally “think not the arrogant”
  5. Romans 12:16 Literally “in the sight of yourselves”
  6. Romans 12:19 A quotation from Deut 32:35
  7. Romans 12:20 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“doing”) which is understood as means
  8. Romans 12:20 A quotation from Prov 25:21–22