Three Commands for Christians

Romans · Romans 12 · September 20, 2026

You follow Jesus. So what’s next?

At some point every believer asks, “I know Jesus. I’ve given Him my life. Now what?” After three chapters answering whether God rejected Israel (He didn’t), Paul turns a corner in Romans 12 and answers that question with three commands. They aren’t suggestions. They’re the next step for anyone who wants to grow closer to Jesus.

“I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:1–2).

Three commands

1. Offer your body as a living sacrifice. Our bodies belong to the Lord. God knit you together (Psalm 139), and “you are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). A living sacrifice means being all in and giving God your best, not your leftovers, moment by moment.

2. Don’t be conformed to this world. Speculation and man-made rules aren’t deep Bible study, and they quickly slide into legalism. Not conforming means asking one question about our values, beliefs and priorities: what comes first? For parents, that might mean making a child’s walk with Jesus a bigger priority than sports or grades, because those won’t matter at 40 but faith lasts forever.

3. Be transformed by renewing your mind. Renewing is a continual action, like a pilot constantly checking the instruments. We align our thoughts and priorities with Scripture, starving what’s harmful and feeding on what’s helpful, because input always determines output.

Gifts that flow through you

When we go all in, God’s gifts start flowing through us. “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us” (Romans 12:6). Paul lists seven: prophecy, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading and showing mercy. Every believer has at least one. And “in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Romans 12:5).

Three reminders keep our gifts healthy: a gift is simply a gift, so don’t think of yourself more highly than you ought (Romans 12:3); spiritual giftedness doesn’t equal spiritual maturity; and our gifts are for God’s kingdom, not just for ourselves. Whatever you’re good at, even if it seems small to you, it’s huge in God’s eyes.

Life Group questions

Getting to Know You

  1. If you could wake up tomorrow with any skill, what would you choose? Why?
  2. If you had 25 hours a day, how would you spend your extra hour?

Digging Deeper

  1. Read Romans 12:1-2. How did Pastor Gary explain how to “offer our bodies” to God? How do you do this?
  2. Read Romans 12:1-2. How have you conformed to the world? How can you conform to be more like Jesus?
  3. One of the first steps to understanding our spiritual gifts and abilities is increasing our self-awareness. Self-awareness is the ability to understand who we truly are and what God has made us to be. As you go through the verses below, write down principles that could help someone grow in self-awareness.

Proverbs 20:5, Romans 12:3, Psalm 26:2, 1 Timothy 4:16

Which of the principles above do you need to work on the most?

Keeping It Real

  1. One of the biggest ways to grow your self-awareness is being open to feedback from other people. Who, if anyone, is allowed to speak into your life?
    – How receptive would you say you are to others’ feedback about you?
  2. How can we pray for you this week?

Scripture references

Romans 12:1–8 · Hebrews 10:25 · Psalm 139:13–14 · 1 Corinthians 6:15–20 · 2 Corinthians 4:4 · Matthew 6:33 · Ephesians 4:11–12 · Romans 10:9

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