The message of Romans 12 cannot be fully understood without first realizing the Apostle Paul’s goal for the letter. Chapters 1-11 are written addressing the significant tensions between the diverse groups that are part of the early church. Paul’s bottom line is to get diverse groups of people to be a community that represents Jesus fairly in pagan antagonistic Rome. Chapter 12 starts Paul’s very direct and practical directions to those first hearers of this letter. Following Jesus is a serious matter and Paul outlines the path to clear understanding of what it means to follow Jesus. The transformed mind of the believer grows in clarity as to what God’s will is. Just so we are clear, Paul provides a long list of action steps that demonstrate what God’s will looks like.
