1Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 

After spending eleven chapters teaching the proper doctrine in regards to mercies that God has graciously lavished upon His elect, Paul now exhorted the Romans to present their bodies as living and holy sacrifices. Paul addressed the readers of this letter as "brothers," indicating that he was now directly addressing the ones who had experienced true salvation. Presenting your body as a living and holy sacrifice is the fitting response of those who are under the mercies of God. Many commentators take Paul's exhortation to be a living sacrifice to be in contrast to the "old" sacrificial system of animals sacrifices found in the Torah. This however is an assumption by the commentators and not something present in Paul's teachings. In fact, Paul is simply reiterating the message of the Tanakh that the one's worship, whether it is through animal sacrifice, prayer or whatever it may be, must arise from a genuine submission of the heart (cf. Psalm 51:16-17). In this way, Paul is not contrasting the animal sacrifices with some new kind of worship but simply taught what the animal sacrifices always pointed to (and would continue to point to, if reinstated). Paul used the language of sacrificial service here but instead of an animal, we are to present our bodies to God. The burnt offering, for example, was symbolic of the worshipper's desire to be wholly given over to God. This desire is realized when one submits their thoughts, decisions and actions over to God. This is the key because Paul qualified this exhortation, indicating that the living sacrifice must be acceptable to God. How can one be assured that their actions meet the approval of the Holy One? God has revealed His standard of righteousness in the commandments and teachings of the Bible. Only when one patterns their life after the ways of God found in the Bible can they be assured that they are living a holy life. The word "holy" refers to being set apart or different, as opposed to what is common or normal. The Apostolic call to holiness is the same call to holiness in the Torah. In fact, the Apostle Peter used the language of Leviticus, calling us to be holy as God is holy (cf. Leviticus 11:44, 19:2, 20:7; 1 Peter 1:16). This means we must be separating ourselves from the people around us by acting differently, in accordance with godliness. This kind of practical holiness, however, can only be achieved when the believer partners with God's Spirit and submits to God's commandments. Rather than viewing the believing life as a series of opportunities for God to bless us, we should live each day, finding opportunities to submit to God's will. This type of living, according to Paul, is the appropriate spiritual service towards God. The word "service," comes from Greek word "lateria," parallel to the Hebrew word "avodah," which refers to the service of the heart. The term is used throughout the Bible and rabbinic literature to refer to the sacrificial service of the Temple and the parallel liturgical service of the synagogue. Once again, rather than viewing Paul's exhortation as a contrast to such modes of worship, Paul simply sought to exhort the believers of Rome to live a holy and obedient life towards God and He used the sacrificial service as an illustration to that end.

2And 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. 

To not be conformed to this world is simply the negative way of saying what Paul said in verse one. The phrase "this world," in Jewish thinking refers to this present, fallen age, specifically the system of This World. This World's system is one of opposition to God and His ways, which is contrast to the life of the World to Come, which will be in harmony with God and His ways. The word "conformed," in the Greek, has the sense of masquerading or disguising oneself, displaying yourself to be something that you are not. This refers to the fact that as believers we are no longer citizens of This World but of the World to Come. Instead of conforming our ways to pattern of the people who do not have God's revelation in their possession, we must endeavour to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. What must be done to renew our mind, so that we can be transformed? Firstly, we should understand that the mind, here, does not refer to some philosophical concept but rather refers to the decision making process that we go through each day; the mind refers to the thinking that leads to action. Earlier, in 8:5-8, Paul contrasted the mind set on the flesh and the mind set on the Spirit. The mind set on the flesh refers to a person who neither learns nor implements God's ways as found in the Torah. In contrast to this, of course, is the mind set on the Spirit, which refers to a person who both learns and submits to God's ways found in the Torah. Paul's exhortation here then is a call to no longer live according to the standards of the ungodly culture around us and rather submit to the way of life outlined in the Torah. Only in this way can we prove what the will of God is; it's only when one actually does the hard work of both studying God's word and making the necessary changes in one's life to conform to its ways can a person truly demonstrate God's will. Furthermore, God's will is good, acceptable and perfect, which especially refers to the fact that God's word completely reveals godliness to His people. In other words, there should be no worry that one can't know God's will for their life because His will is ready to be learned and lived out through study of God's word.

3For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. 

Paul then called upon his authority as an Apostle but did so in the humblest of ways. The Apostle Paul fully remembered his past of persecution of believers and recognized that his position as an Apostle was completely based on God's grace. Having said that, he then exhorted the Roman believers to make sure that they did not think more highly of themselves than they ought to. Paul took the Greek word "phronein," meaning "to think" and structured the wording of this verse to show how believers should think of themselves. Instead of thinking "more highly" ("huperphronein") of ourselves, we should have "sound judgment" ("sophronein") in regards to how we think of ourselves. Without falling into the trap of thinking that we have no worth, the life of a living sacrifice is a life of humility before God and others. All of us are sinners and all of us come into salvation by God's grace alone, therefore we should view ourselves within this light. Furthermore, it is God that gives each of us a measure of faith, so there is no way that we can boast about our position before men. The attitude of a believer should be one of humility and gratitude.

4For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Messiah, and individually members one of another. 

Paul continued the exhortation to humility by drawing upon the metaphor that all believers are the "body" of the Messiah. There is no room for arrogance because though we each have a different function in God's kingdom, no one part is better or more needed than the other. Just like the human body, the body of Messiah is made up of individual parts but all parts work together as one body. When it comes to our contributions to community life, we should be satisfied knowing that regardless of whether our gifting is prominent, we are needed and essential. Paul's use of a body as a metaphor for those who are in Messiah also teaches us that we are dependent upon each other and none of us are an island unto ourselves. 

6Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 

Building off the body metaphor, Paul then addressed how and why each of us have a different function. Each member of the body of the Messiah has a unique gifting given to us by God by His grace. Not only has God graciously delivered us from sin, He's also equipped us to contribute to each of our believing communities. The word here translated as "gifts" is the word "charismata," in the Greek, which has its roots in the word "charis," meaning "grace." In this way, Paul again reiterated that salvation, in all its aspects, is a matter of God's continued grace and kindness towards us. In accordance with the grace shown to us, we should each make use of the gifting God has given us. Though it is implied here, Paul did not specify for what purpose we should use our gifting but he did so in 1 Corinthians. The various gifts that God has given to each of us are for the common good of the community (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:7). It's all too common in many believing circles to hear that one should seek after this gift or that gift or that one should "find" their gifting. While there is certainly nothing wrong with examining oneself to see where their God-given strengths are, we should guard against making Paul's teaching on the gifts God gives us into some rigid system, as if each person must define exactly what gift or gifts they have. This is evident in the fact that in the two places where Paul lists gifts given to believers (here in this chapter and in 1 Corinthians 12), the lists differ greatly, with only prophecy being found on both lists. That prophecy is listed on both, however, should indicate to us its importance. The word prophecy comes from the Greek work "propheteia" which simply means "to speak forth." With such a basic meaning, it's difficult to determine the exact meaning that Paul intended. At the very least, we should understand that prophecy refers to speaking on God's behalf. Of course, in Biblical times, including the Apostolic period, prophecy very well could have referred to new revelation, spoken directly from God through an individual or group. With the completion of Biblical revelation, there is no way this gift can function in this way in our time. Having said that, God can and certainly does empower certain believers with the gift of being able to publicly proclaim God's word. Specifically, the believer that has the gift of prophecy is someone that has the ability to take God's revealed truths and make them relevant to the community's current situation and context. Paul defines prophecy for us in 1 Corinthians 14:3, stating that it is speaking forth edification, exhortation and consolation to the people. The key, however, is that the believer with such a gift must speak forth (prophesy) according to God's word. This is precisely why Paul exhorted that those who have the gift of prophecy should speak forth according to the proportion of his faith. In the Greek text, the definite article "the" precedes the word "faith," indicating that Paul had in mind God's revealed truth, the basis for our faith. Obviously, there aren't any believers that know the whole Bible perfectly, which is why Paul's exhortation is to prophesy according to the proportion of the faith. In other words, despite the fact that the believer with the gift of prophecy does not know everything there is to know in regards to the Scriptures, they should not hesitate to use their gift. This does not give people the licence to proclaim whatever they would like, since all speaking forth should be scrutinized against the Scriptures. This is why there is a need for teaching, which is listed as a separate gift.

7if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 

Paul continued listing some of the gifts God gives to believers. The word "service" comes from Greek word "diakonia," which simply means "to serve." It was used, basically, to refer those who would serve meals but it took on a much broader meaning, referring to those who served the community, taking care of practical and administrative tasks. This word, of course, has the same root as the word "deacon," which came to be an official office within the believing communities (cf. 1 Timothy 3:8-13). In this context, however, it would appear that Paul is referring to serving in a more general sense, referring to believers who have been given the ability to excel at serving others within the community. Paul's exhortation is simple, encouraging those who have the ability to serve well, to continue to serve. To those who teach, Paul exhorted that they keep on teaching. Similar to the previous gift, this could refer to those who hold the official office, in this case, those of elders, that is, those responsible to teach the congregation. While this exhortation can certainly apply to the elders of a congregation, Paul did not specify this, which would indicate that this refers to all those who have the ability to teach, no matter the capacity. Teaching is listed separately from prophecy because though speaking forth is certainly something that is connected to teaching, it's not limited by it. Teaching here refers to being able to skilfully study the text of Scripture and exegete the meaning of them. Of course, some teachers also have the ability to prophecy, that is, speak forth the things they have studied in a way that's applicable to the community but this is not always the case. In this way, prophecy and teaching go hand-in-hand, causing those who have the gifts of prophecy and teaching, respectively, to rely on each other greatly. 

8or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. 

To those who exhort, Paul again gave the simple exhortation that they should continue to exhort. The word "paraklesis," here translated as "exhortation," actually has a root that means "to come along side." In other words, the one exhorts, comes along side an individual and encourages them. Specifically, the one who exhorts encourages the people of God to live in obedience to God's ways; there are people within the body of the Messiah whom God has given this ability in great measure. In John 14:16, the Spirit of God was promised to come as the Helper, which is a translation of a related Greek word "parakletos." In this way, we see that one of the ways that God fulfills this promise is to work through people to come along side and encourage people. To those who give, they should do so with liberality. This refers to those who make it their duty to make sure that those in need are taken care of. The word "give" can be understood to mean sharing and the one who shares should do so with liberality. The word Greek word "haplotes," translated as "liberality" actually means "simplicity." In other words, when one shares, they must do so without any strings attached. Meeting the needs of others should be done as a response to the grace that God has shown us. To those who lead, they should do so with diligence. Like some of the other gifts, it's possible that Paul addressed those in the official positions of overseer or deacon but it's more likely that he referred to anyone in a position to lead or manage. For a community to function there must be those who take the initiative to organize people and activities. The word "diligence," in the Greek, contains a sense of urgency. Anyone who leads or manages should do so knowing the importance of their work. So, while this exhortation is surely for those in official positions of leadership, it should apply to anyone that takes charge and manages. Finally, those who show mercy should do so with cheerfulness. Similar to those who would give, those who show mercy are people who take care of those who are in need. People who show mercy are those who have the ability visit and encourage the poor, the sick, widows and anyone else who is at a disadvantage. Paul exhorted those who show mercy to do so with cheerfulness, for what good would it do to visit those at a disadvantage and have a sad demeanour? Those who show mercy have the opportunity to bring joy and gladness to an otherwise depressing situation. Again, as we noted earlier, this is not an exhaustive list of the abilities that God gives to His people. The working out of these gifts is not always miraculous but rather is through the hard work of submitting to God's leading and doing what's right. Instead of focusing on the gifts themselves, we should focus on the work God would have us to do. The ability to accomplish the work of the kingdom will come to each of us naturally, depending on the area where God has gifted us. All of us are useful in some area and we shouldn't get caught up in trying to accomplish tasks that God hasn't empowered us to accomplish. If we all do our part, the body of the Messiah will function as it's supposed to.