Living as a Holy Sacrifice to God

12 Brothers and sisters, God has shown you his mercy. So I am asking you to offer up your bodies to him while you are still alive. Your bodies are a holy sacrifice that is pleasing to God. When you offer your bodies to God, you are worshiping him in the right way. ² Don’t live the way this world lives. Let your way of thinking be completely changed. Then you will be able to test what God wants for you. And you will agree that what he wants is right. His plan is good and pleasing and perfect.

Serving One Another in the Body of Christ

³ God’s grace has been given to me. So here is what I say to every one of you. Don’t think of yourself more highly than you should. Be reasonable when you think about yourself. Keep in mind the faith God has given to each of you. ⁴ Each of us has one body with many parts. And the parts do not all have the same purpose. ⁵ So also we are many persons. But in Christ we are one body. And each part of the body belongs to all the other parts. ⁶ We all have gifts. They differ according to the grace God has given to each of us. Do you have the gift of prophecy? Then use it according to the faith you have. ⁷ If your gift is serving, then serve. If it is teaching, then teach. ⁸ Is it encouraging others? Then encourage them. Is it giving to others? Then give freely. Is it being a leader? Then work hard at it. Is it showing mercy? Then do it cheerfully.

Love in Action

⁹ Love must be honest and true. Hate what is evil. Hold on to what is good. ¹⁰ Love one another deeply. Honor others more than yourselves. ¹¹ Stay excited about your faith as you serve the Lord. ¹² When you hope, be joyful. When you suffer, be patient. When you pray, be faithful. ¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Welcome others into your homes.

¹⁴ Bless those who hurt you. Bless them, and do not curse them. ¹⁵ Be joyful with those who are joyful. Be sad with those who are sad. ¹⁶ Agree with one another. Don’t be proud. Be willing to be a friend of people who aren’t considered important. Don’t think that you are better than others.

¹⁷ Don’t pay back evil with evil. Be careful to do what everyone thinks is right. ¹⁸ If possible, live in peace with everyone. Do that as much as you can. ¹⁹ My dear friends, don’t try to get even. Leave room for God to show his anger. It is written, “I am the God who judges people. I will pay them back,” (Deuteronomy 32:35) says the Lord. ²⁰ Do just the opposite. Scripture says,

²¹ Don’t let evil overcome you. Overcome evil by doing good.

Obey Those in Authority

13 All of you must obey those who rule over you. There are no authorities except the ones God has chosen. Those who now rule have been chosen by God. ² So whoever opposes the authorities opposes leaders whom God has appointed. Those who do that will be judged. ³ If you do what is right, you won’t need to be afraid of your rulers. But watch out if you do what is wrong! You don’t want to be afraid of those in authority, do you? Then do what is right, and you will be praised. ⁴ The one in authority serves God for your good. But if you do wrong, watch out! Rulers don’t carry a sword for no reason at all. They serve God. And God is carrying out his anger through them. The ruler punishes anyone who does wrong. ⁵ You must obey the authorities. Then you will not be punished. You must also obey them because you know it is right.

⁶ That’s also why you pay taxes. The authorities serve God. Ruling takes up all their time. ⁷ Give to everyone what you owe them. Do you owe taxes? Then pay them. Do you owe anything else to the government? Then pay it. Do you owe respect? Then give it. Do you owe honor? Then show it.

Love Fulfills the Law

⁸ Pay everything you owe. But you can never pay back all the love you owe one another. Whoever loves other people has done everything the law requires. ⁹ Here are some commandments to think about. “Do not commit adultery.” “Do not commit murder.” “Do not steal.” “Do not want what belongs to others.” (Exodus 20:13–15,17; Deuteronomy 5:17–19,21) These and all other commands are included in one command. Here’s what it is. “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” (Leviticus 19:18) ¹⁰ Love does not harm its neighbor. So love does everything the law requires.

The Day Is Near

¹¹ When you do these things, keep in mind the times we are living in. The hour has already come for you to wake up from your sleep. The full effects of our salvation are closer now than when we first believed in Christ. ¹² The dark night of evil is nearly over. The day of Christ’s return is almost here. So let us get rid of the works of darkness that harm us. Let us do the works of light that protect us. ¹³ Let us act as we should, like people living in the daytime. Have nothing to do with wild parties, and don’t get drunk. Don’t take part in sexual sins or evil conduct. Don’t fight with each other or be jealous of anyone. ¹⁴ Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ as if he were your clothing. Don’t think about how to satisfy sinful desires.

The Weak and the Strong

14 Accept the person whose faith is weak. Don’t argue with them where you have differences of opinion. ² One person’s faith allows them to eat anything. But another person eats only vegetables because their faith is weak. ³ The person who eats everything must not look down on the one who does not. And the one who doesn’t eat everything must not judge the person who does. That’s because God has accepted them. ⁴ Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? Whether they are faithful or not is their own master’s concern. And they will be faithful, because the Lord has the power to make them faithful.

⁵ One person considers one day to be more holy than another. Another person thinks all days are the same. Each of them should be absolutely sure in their own mind. ⁶ Whoever thinks that one day is special does so to honor the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to honor the Lord. They give thanks to God. And whoever doesn’t eat meat does so to honor the Lord. They also give thanks to God. ⁷ We don’t live for ourselves only. And we don’t die for ourselves only. ⁸ If we live, we live to honor the Lord. If we die, we die to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹ Christ died and came back to life. He did this to become the Lord of both the dead and the living.

¹⁰ Now then, who are you to judge your brother or sister? Why do you act like you’re better than they are? We will all stand in God’s courtroom to be judged. ¹¹ It is written,

¹² So we will all have to explain to God the things we have done.

¹³ Let us stop judging one another. Instead, decide not to put anything in the way of a brother or sister. Don’t put anything in their way that would make them trip and fall. ¹⁴ I am absolutely sure that nothing is “unclean” in itself. The Lord Jesus has convinced me of this. But someone may consider a thing to be “unclean.” If they do, it is “unclean” for them. ¹⁵ Your brother or sister may be upset by what you eat. If they are, you are no longer acting as though you love them. So don’t destroy them by what you eat. Remember that Christ died for them. ¹⁶ So suppose you know something is good. Then don’t let it be spoken of as if it were evil. ¹⁷ God’s kingdom is not about eating or drinking. It is about doing what is right and having peace and joy. All this comes through the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ Those who serve Christ in this way are pleasing to God. They are pleasing to people too.

¹⁹ So let us do all we can to live in peace. And let us work hard to build up one another. ²⁰ Don’t destroy the work of God because of food. All food is “clean.” But it’s wrong to eat anything that might cause problems for someone else’s faith. ²¹ Don’t eat meat if it causes your brother or sister to sin. Don’t drink wine or do anything else that will make them sin.

²² Whatever you believe about these things, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the person who doesn’t feel guilty for what they do. ²³ But whoever has doubts about what they eat is guilty if they eat. That’s because their eating is not based on faith. Everything that is not based on faith is sin.

15 We who have strong faith should help the weak with their problems. We should not please only ourselves. ² Each of us should please our neighbors. Let us do what is good for them in order to build them up. ³ Even Christ did not please himself. It is written, “The bad things people have said about you have been aimed at me also.” (Psalm 69:9) ⁴ Everything written in the past was written to teach us. The Scriptures give us strength to go on. They encourage us and give us hope.

⁵ Our God is a God who strengthens and encourages you. May he give you the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had. ⁶ Then you can give glory to God with one mind and voice. He is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁷ Christ has accepted you. So accept one another in order to bring praise to God. ⁸ I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews. He teaches us that God is true. He shows us that God will keep the promises he made to the founders of our nation. ⁹ Jesus became a servant of the Jews. He did this so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercy. It is written,

¹⁰ Again it says,

¹¹ And again it says,

¹² And Isaiah says,

¹³ May the God who gives hope fill you with great joy. May you have perfect peace as you trust in him. May the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope.

Paul Serves the Gentiles

¹⁴ My brothers and sisters, I am sure that you are full of goodness. You are filled with knowledge and able to teach one another. ¹⁵ But I have written to you very boldly about some things. I wanted to remind you of them again. The grace of God has allowed me ¹⁶ to serve Christ Jesus among the Gentiles. I have the duty of a priest to preach God’s good news. Then the Gentiles will become an offering that pleases God. The Holy Spirit will make the offering holy.

¹⁷ Because I belong to Christ Jesus, I can take pride in my work for God. ¹⁸ I will speak about what Christ has done through me. I won’t try to speak about anything else. He has been leading the Gentiles to obey God. He has been doing this by what I have said and done. ¹⁹ He has given me power to do signs and wonders. I can do these things by the power of the Spirit of God. From Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum I have finished preaching. In those places, I preached the good news about Christ. ²⁰ I have always wanted to preach the good news where Christ was not known. I don’t want to build on what someone else has started. ²¹ It is written,

²² That’s why I have often been kept from coming to you.

Paul Plans to Visit Rome

²³ Now there is no more place for me to work in those areas. For many years I have wanted to visit you. ²⁴ So I plan to see you when I go to Spain. I hope to visit you while I am passing through. And I hope you will help me on my journey there. But first I want to enjoy being with you for a while. ²⁵ Now I am on my way to Jerusalem to serve the Lord’s people there. ²⁶ The believers in Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to take an offering. It was for those who were poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem. ²⁷ They were happy to do it. And of course they owe it to them. The Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings. So the Gentiles should share their earthly blessings with the Jews. ²⁸ I want to finish my task. I want to make sure that the poor in Jerusalem have received this offering. Then I will go to Spain. On my way I will visit you. ²⁹ I know that when I come to you, I will come with the full blessing of Christ.

³⁰ Brothers and sisters, I ask you to join me in my struggle. Join me by praying to God for me. I ask this through the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ. Pray for me with the love the Holy Spirit provides. ³¹ Pray that I will be kept safe from those in Judea who do not believe. I am taking the offering to Jerusalem. Pray that it will be welcomed by the Lord’s people there. ³² Then I will come to you with joy just as God has planned. We will be renewed by being together. ³³ May the God who gives peace be with you all. Amen.

Personal Greetings

16 I would like you to welcome our sister Phoebe. She is a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. ² I ask you to receive her as one who belongs to the Lord. Receive her in the way God’s people should. Give her any help she may need from you. She has been a great help to many people, including me.

³ Greet Priscilla and Aquila. They work together with me in serving Christ Jesus. ⁴ They have put their lives in danger for me. I am thankful for them. So are all the Gentile churches.

⁵ Greet also the church that meets in the house of Priscilla and Aquila.

Greet my dear friend Epenetus. He was the first person in Asia Minor to become a believer in Christ.

⁶ Greet Mary. She worked very hard for you.

⁷ Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews. They have been in prison with me. They are leaders among the apostles. They became believers in Christ before I did.

⁸ Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.

⁹ Greet Urbanus. He works together with me in serving Christ. And greet my dear friend Stachys.

¹⁰ Greet Apelles. He remained faithful to Christ even when he was tested.

Greet those who live in the house of Aristobulus.

¹¹ Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.

Greet the believers who live in the house of Narcissus.

¹² Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa. Those women work hard for the Lord.

Greet my dear friend Persis. She is another woman who has worked very hard for the Lord.

¹³ Greet Rufus. He is a chosen believer in the Lord. And greet his mother. She has been like a mother to me too.

¹⁴ Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon and Hermes. Greet Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them.

¹⁵ Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister. Greet Olympas and all of the Lord’s people who are with them.

¹⁶ Greet one another with a holy kiss.

All the churches of Christ send their greetings.

¹⁷ I am warning you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who try to keep you from staying together. They want to trip you up. They teach you things opposite to what you have learned. Stay away from them. ¹⁸ People like that are not serving Christ our Lord. They are serving only themselves. With smooth talk and with words they don’t mean they fool people who don’t know any better. ¹⁹ Everyone has heard that you obey God. So you have filled me with joy. I want you to be wise about what is good. And I want you to have nothing to do with what is evil.

²⁰ The God who gives peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

²¹ Timothy works together with me. He sends his greetings to you. So do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my fellow Jews.

²² I, Tertius, wrote down this letter. I greet you as a believer in the Lord.

^23-24 Gaius sends you his greetings. He has welcomed me and the whole church here into his house.

Erastus is the director of public works here in the city. He sends you his greetings. Our brother Quartus also greets you.

²⁵ May God receive glory. He is able to strengthen your faith. He does this in keeping with the good news and the message I preach. It is the message about Jesus Christ. This message is in keeping with the mystery hidden for a very long time. ²⁶ The mystery has now been made known through the writings of the prophets. The eternal God commanded that it be made known. God wanted all the Gentiles to obey him by trusting in him. ²⁷ May the only wise God receive glory forever through Jesus Christ. Amen.