Our attitude to God should be to view His mercy and respond accordingly. We should offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and please to Him - not conforming to the patterns of this world, but being transformed by the renewing of our mind.
The result of this behaviour should be being able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will.
12v3-8 Humility:
In sober judgment of yourself.
Recognising we all have different gifts & using them accordingly.
12v9-21 Love:
Sincere, loving what is good, devoted to each other in brotherly love. (It is about more than simply love, but the word summarises why we do things) - Loving God, loving others, loving even our enemies.
13:1-7 3 Reasons to submit to the civil power:
There is no authority except that which God has established
If we rebel against the authority, we rebel against what God has instituted
Those who do that will bring judgment on themselves - we obey because of possible punishment and also because of conscience
v8-10 Love is the fulfillment of the law and all the law can be summed up in "Love your neighbour as yourself!"
v11-14 Paul also reminds the Romans it's not just because of God's mercy, but also because our salvation is nearly here - Jesus' return is not far away. We are people of the light, not of the night - and so, we behave accordingly.
14v1-12
Christian liberty means that we have freedom to act as we want, within God's rules and recognising we will stand before God's judgment in due course - however, we also do so in fellowship with others - seeking their good. Therefore, we do not use or abuse our liberty.
Our decisions are ultimately between us and God, however, we must recognise and remember that some will have an effect on others and so as a result, we will choose not to do some things.
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