Romans 12:1-2

Romans 12:1-2
Remember that when the Bible was originally written, there were no verse or chapter divisions. These were put in much later (about the 13th or 14th century.) The Wycliffe Bible (1382) was the first English translation to use the modern divisions. Obviously, this is a huge help when finding our place or looking things up. However, if we're not careful, we tend to think of the Bible in tiny bite-size pieces instead of as a whole the way we would consider other literature. We should especially consider each book of the Bible as a whole.

Romans 12:1-2 is one of those bite-size pieces. We may hear sermons or various lessons or devotions on this short paragraph. And it's all good, but let's not forget that this passage comes on the heels of what we saw at the end of Romans 11--"Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge!...For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever!" Then going right into chapter 12, "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

The "and so" leads us to think back on what Paul has just said. Because God is so great and wise and all knowing, and because everything comes from Him, and because we can't even begin to know His thoughts, and He deserves our worship, and because of what we know and believe about God, we should give our bodies to Him as an act of worship. When we do this, we don't want to live like ungodly people, but we can even allow the Holy Spirit to change the way we think. Then we will learn to know God's good and perfect will for us.