Romans chapters 12 and 13

• Chapter 12

1. Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—alive, holy, and pleasing to God—which is your reasonable service.
2. Do not be conformed to this present world, but
   be transformed by the renewing of your mind,

   so that you may test and approve what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

3. For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you
   not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think,

   but to think with sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you a measure of faith.
   ⁴For just as in one body we have many members, and not all the members serve the same function,
   ⁵so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another.

6. And we have different gifts according to the grace given to us.
   If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith.
7. If it is service, he must serve;
   if it is teaching, he must teach;
8. if it is exhortation (implore/encourage/like a personal trainer), he must exhort;
   if it is contributing, he must do so with generosity;
   if it is leadership, he must do so with diligence;
   if it is acts of mercy, he must do so with cheerfulness.
9. Love must be without hypocrisy.
   Loathe what is evil,
   cling to what is good.
10. Be devoted to one another with mutual love,
    showing eagerness in honouring one another.
11. Do not lag in zeal,
    be enthusiastic in spirit,
    serve the Lord.
12. Rejoice in hope,
    endure in suffering,
    persist in prayer.
13. Contribute to the needs of the saints,
    pursue hospitality.
14. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse.
15. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
16. Live in harmony with one another,
    do not be haughty but associate with the lowly.
    Do not be conceited.
17. Do not repay anyone evil for evil;
    consider what is good before all people.
18. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people.
19. Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
20. Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head.
21. Do not be overcome by evil,
    but overcome evil with good.

• Chapter 13

1. Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except by God’s appointment, and the authorities that exist have been instituted by God.

   ²So the person who resists such authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will incur judgement

   ³(for rulers cause no fear for good conduct but for bad). Do you desire not to fear authority? Do good and you will receive its commendation,

   ⁴for it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be in fear, for it does not bear the sword in vain. It is God’s servant to administer retribution on the wrongdoer.

   ⁵Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath of the authorities but also because of your conscience.

6. For this reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants devoted to governing.
7. Pay everyone what is owed:
   • taxes to whom taxes are due,
   • revenue to whom revenue is due,
   • respect to whom respect is due,
   • honour to whom honour is due.
   • ⁸Owe no one anything
   except to love one another, for the one who loves his neighbour has fulfilled the law.

9. For the commandments, “Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet,” (and if there is any other commandment) are summed up in this, “Love your neighbour as yourself.”
10. Love does no wrong to a neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law.
11. And do this because we know the time, that it is already the hour for us to awake from sleep, for our salvation is now nearer than when we became believers.
12. The night has advanced toward dawn; the day is near. So then we must lay aside the works of darkness, and put on the weapons of light.
13. Let us live decently as in the daytime,
    not in carousing and drunkenness,
    not in sexual immorality and sensuality,
    not in discord and jealousy.
14. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
    and make no provision for the flesh to arouse its desires.

Updated on 2009-10-25 (r.88) by Andrew Fountain