12Brothers 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. ²Don’t live any longer 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.

³God’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 amount of faith God has given you.

⁴Each of us has one body with many parts. And the parts do not all have the same purpose. ⁵So also we are many persons. But in Christ we are one body. And each part of the body belongs to all the other parts.

⁶We all have gifts. They differ in keeping with the grace that God has given each of us. Do you have the gift of prophecy? Then use it in keeping with the faith you have. ⁷Is it your gift to serve? Then serve. Is it teaching? Then teach. ⁸Is it telling others how they should live? Then tell them. Is it giving to those who are in need? Then give freely. Is it being a leader? Then work hard at it. Is it showing mercy? Then do it cheerfully.

Love

⁹Love must be honest and true. Hate what is evil. Hold on to what is good. ¹⁰Love each other deeply. Honor others more than yourselves. ¹¹Never let the fire in your heart go out. Keep it alive. Serve the Lord.

¹²When you hope, be joyful. When you suffer, be patient. When you pray, be faithful. ¹³Share with God’s people who are in need. Welcome others into your homes.

¹⁴Bless those who hurt you. Bless them, and do not call down curses on them. ¹⁵Be joyful with those who are joyful. Be sad with those who are sad. ¹⁶Agree with each other. 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.

¹⁷Don’t pay back evil with evil. Be careful to do what everyone thinks is right. ¹⁸If possible, live in peace with everyone. Do that as much as you can.

¹⁹My friends, don’t try to get even. Leave room for God to show his anger. It is written, “I am the One who judges people. I will pay them back,” says the Lord. ²⁰Do just the opposite. Scripture says,

“If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat.

If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.

By doing those things, you will pile up burning coals on their heads.”

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

Obey Those in Authority

13All of you must be willing to obey completely those who rule over you. There are no authorities except the ones God has chosen. Those who now rule have been chosen by God. ²So when you oppose the authorities, you are opposing those whom God has appointed. Those who do that will be judged.

³If 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. The one in authority will praise you. ⁴He serves God and will do you good. But if you do wrong, watch out! The ruler doesn’t carry a sword for no reason at all. He serves God. And God is carrying out his anger through him. The ruler punishes anyone who does wrong.

⁵You must obey the authorities. Then you will not be punished. You must also obey them because you know it is right.

⁶That’s also why you pay taxes. The authorities serve God. Ruling takes up all their time. ⁷Give to everyone what you owe. 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, Because the Day Is Near

⁸Pay everything you owe. But you can never pay back all the love you owe each other. Those who love others have done everything the law requires. ⁹Here are some commandments to think about. “Do not commit adultery.” “Do not commit murder.” “Do not steal.” “Do not want what belongs to others.” These and other commandments are all included in one rule. Here’s what it is. “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” ¹⁰Love does not harm its neighbor. So love does everything the law requires.

¹¹When you do those things, keep in mind the times we are living in. The hour has come for you to wake up from your sleep. Our full salvation is closer now than it was when we first believed in Christ. ¹²The 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. Let us put on the armor of light.

¹³Let us act as we should, like people living in the daytime. Have nothing to do with wild parties. Don’t get drunk. Don’t take part in sexual sins or evil conduct. Don’t fight with each other. Don’t be jealous of anyone.

¹⁴Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ as your clothing. Don’t think about how to satisfy what your sinful nature wants.

The Weak and the Strong

14Accept those whose faith is weak. Don’t judge them where you have differences of opinion.

²The faith of some people allows them to eat anything. But others eat only vegetables because their faith is weak. ³People who eat everything must not look down on those who do not. And people who don’t eat everything must not judge those who do. God has accepted them.

⁴Who are you to judge someone else’s servants? Whether they are faithful or not is their own master’s concern. They will be faithful, because the Lord has the power to make them faithful.

⁵Some people consider one day to be more holy than another. Others think all days are the same. Each person should be absolutely sure in his own mind. ⁶Those who think one day is special do it to honor the Lord. Those who eat meat do it to honor the Lord. They give thanks to God. Those who don’t eat meat do it to honor the Lord. They also give thanks to God.

⁷We don’t live for ourselves alone. And we don’t die all by ourselves. ⁸If 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.

⁹Christ died and came back to life. He did this to become the Lord of both the dead and the living.

¹⁰Now then, who are you to judge your brother or sister? Why do you look down on them? We will all stand in God’s courtroom to be judged. ¹¹It is written,

“ ‘You can be sure that I live,’ says the Lord.

‘And you can be just as sure that every knee will bow down in front of me.

Every tongue will tell the truth to God.’ ”

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

¹³Let us stop judging one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put anything in your brother’s way that would make him trip and fall.

¹⁴I am absolutely sure that no food is “unclean” in itself. I say this as one who belongs to the Lord Jesus. But some people may consider a thing to be “unclean.” If they do, it is “unclean” for them. ¹⁵Your brothers and sisters 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. Christ died for them. ¹⁶Don’t let something you consider good be spoken of as if it were evil.

¹⁷God’s kingdom has nothing to do with eating or drinking. It is a matter of being right with God. It brings the peace and joy the Holy Spirit gives.

¹⁸Those who serve Christ in this way are pleasing to God. They are pleasing to people too.

¹⁹So let us do all we can to live in peace. And let us work hard to build each other up.

²⁰Don’t destroy the work of God because of food. All food is “clean.” But it is wrong for you to eat anything that causes someone else to trip and fall. ²¹Don’t eat meat if it will cause your brothers and sisters to fall. Don’t drink wine or do anything else that will make them fall.

²²No matter what you think about those things, keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who do not have to feel guilty for what they allow.

²³But those who have doubts are guilty if they eat. Their eating is not based on faith. Everything that is not based on faith is sin.

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