Holiness

By William W. Combs. Reproduced with permission from DBSJ 11 (2006). Read the series.

The Believer’s Dedication Is Realized in His Life-long Transformation (v. 2)

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Reproduced with permission from DBSJ 11 (2006). Read the series.

(Dedication in Romans 12:1–2, continued)

Reproduced with permission from DBSJ 11 (2006). Read the series.

Dedication in Romans 12:1–2

Romans 12:1–2 begins the final section of the letter. Paul shifts his focus from instruction to exhortation, from what we might call the indicative—what God has done for us—to the imperative—what we are to do in response.⁴³ Moo explains, “If we take to heart the truth of the gospel that [the apostle] has presented, we will have a transformed worldview that cannot but affect our lives in uncounted ways. Paul has made this clear already in chapter 6, where he shows how our union with Christ in his death and resurrection leads to our ‘walking in newness of life’ (v. 4).”⁴⁴ Now in this final section, Paul urges Christians to manifest the power of the gospel in specific areas of day-to-day life.

Reproduced with permission from DBSJ 11 (2006). Read the series.

By William W. Combs¹ Reproduced with permission from DBSJ 11 (2006).

Romans 12:1–2 is one of the most well-known texts of Scripture. Its familiarity stems, I believe, from its perceived theological importance. This text is commonly viewed as having great import for the Christian’s spiritual life, and thus it is one of the passages most often memorized by children in Sunday School and teenagers in the youth group.