At this point in his letter to the Romans, Paul has a major shift in focus, “from instruction to exhortation …. he urges Christians to manifest the power of the gospel in specific areas of day-to-day life…. ‘What God has given to us’ (Rom. 1–11) gives way to ‘what we are to give to God.’ But … what we are to give to God cannot be produced independently of God’s continuing gracious provision.”1
External Service
The request formula, “I appeal to you” [παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς] (cf. 15:30; 16:17), is a formal feature of the Pauline letter body. Once again he addresses his readers as “brothers” [ἀδελφοί] in an affectionate, familial sense.2 The appeal is through [διά] God’s “mercies” [οἰκτιρμῶν]3 (cf. 2 Cor. 1:3), “to present” [παραστῆσαι] (cf. 6:16, 19) “your bodies” [τὰ σώματα ὑμῶν] (cf. 4:19; 7:4; 8:23)4 as a “living” [ζῶσαν] (cf. 1:17; 6:10-13; 8:13; 10:5; 14:7-9) “sacrifice” [θυσία]. This is a willing self-sacrifice of the living, in contrast to the old-covenant sacrificial deaths of unwilling animals (cf. 8:20), and “bodies” offered to God are counterpart to the renewed “mind” (v. 2), a transformational offering of the entire self.5 The sacrifice is to be “holy” [ἅγιος] (cf. v. 13; 1:7; 8:27)—set apart (different) from the world—and “acceptable” [εὐάρεστος] or “well-pleasing” (cf. v. 2; 14:18) to God.
The last part of the sentence [τὴν λογικὴν λατρείαν ὑμῶν] has been variously rendered: (a) “your spiritual service” (ASV); (b) “your reasonable service” (NKJV); (c) “your spiritual worship” (ESV); (d) “your spiritual service of worship” (NASB); (e) “your spiritual act of worship” (NIV 1984); and (f) “your true and proper worship” (NIV 2011). Which rendering most accurately conveys the sense of the text?
The Greek adjective λογικός means “reasonable,” “rational,” or “spiritual,” reflective of the inner self. The noun λατρεία is “service or worship” (BAGD 467), with emphasis on divine service (cf. 1:9; 9:4).6 The verb form λατρεύω means to “serve,” especially the carrying out of religious duties (BAGD 467). This is not the same concept as what is communicated by the verb προσκυνέω, which means to “worship, do obeisance to, prostrate oneself before, do reverence to …” (BAGD 716). Paul is not discussing or describing προσκυνέω (“worship”) in this passage; in fact, the word does not appear anywhere in Romans.7
Scriptural worship [προσκυνέω] is something that is done purposefully, involving concentration, consideration, and reverence (John 4:20-24; 12:20; Acts 8:27). The intentionality of worship is demonstrated in Acts 24:11, where Paul says he had traveled to Jerusalem “to worship” [προσκυνέω]. Obviously worship is something that is done on purpose; one cannot worship unintentionally or by accident. While we serve the Lord in all that we do (Col. 3:17), not everything we do in life constitutes worship (e.g., reading a novel, sleeping, watching a movie, et al.). When we set aside time and attention for the express purpose of worshiping God, let us do so according to biblical guidelines. In everything else, may we be God’s faithful servants.
Internal Transformation
The imperative is simple: “Do not be conformed [συσχηματίζω]8 to this world [αἰών, ‘the present age’] …”9 Instead, with divine assistance available (chap. 8), the objective is to “be transformed” [μεταμορφόω]10 (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18) “by the renewal [ἀνακαίνωσις]11 of your mind [νοῦς]” (cf. 1:28; 7:23, 25; 11:34; 14:5).
The concept of renewing the “mind” reaches back to chaps. 7–8, before the extended excursus on Israel’s plight (chaps. 9–11), where the “mind” [νοῦς] is opposed to the “flesh” [σάρξ] (7:23, 25), and “spirit” [πνεῦμα] (7:6) is synonymous with “inner being” [τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον] (7:22), whereby one is able to “determine,” “wish,” or “desire” [θέλω] (7:15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21). In chap. 8 the same contrast continues between “flesh” [σάρξ] and “spirit” [πνεῦμα], with particular reference to walking/living “according to flesh” [κατά σάρκα] and walking/living “according to spirit” [κατά πνεῦμα] (8:1-17), the impetus of which is described with the thinking-feeling-acting verbal φρονέω (“set the mind”) and noun φρόνημα (“‘mind”) (8:5-7).12 This appears to be the significance of having “the spirit of Christ” (8:9).13 If “Christ is in you” (8:10), the old sinful self (“in the flesh”) is replaced by the spirit, character, disposition of Christ with the aim “to be conformed to the image of his Son” (8:29).14
The Will of God
The “testing” to “discern” [δοκιμάζω]15 (cf. 2:18; 14:22) or “prove” (ASV, NASB, N/KJV) “the will [θέλημα] of God”16 is not just a wish for God’s will to be accomplished (1:10; 15:32) but implies that the divine will is knowable because it has been revealed (cf. 2:18). It encompasses all that is “good” [ἀγαθόν] (cf. vv. 9, 21),17 “acceptable” or “well-pleasing” [εὐάρεστον] (cf. v. 1; 14:18),18 and “perfect” [τέλειον],19 but is indiscernible without a renewed mind set on spiritual rather than fleshly things (cf. 8:5-8).20
--Kevin L. Moore
Endnotes:
1 Douglas G. Moo, Romans 744-45.
2 See also Rom. 1:13; 7:1, 4; 8:12; 10:1; 11:25; 15:14, 30; 16:17.
3 Note also the noun “mercy” [ἔλεος] (9:23; 11:31; 15:9) and verbal “show mercy” [ἐλεάω] (9:15-18; 11:30-32; 12:8).
4 Contrast Rom. 1:24; 6:6, 12; 7:24; 8:10-13.
5 Cf. Deut. 6:5; Matt. 22:37; 1 Thess. 5:23.
6 See John 16:2; Heb. 12:28.
7 The only biblical record of Paul’s use of the word προσκυνέω (“worship”) is Acts 24:11 and 1 Cor. 14:25.
8 See also 1 Pet. 1:14, the only other occurrence of this verb in the NT.
9 Matt. 12:32; 13:22, 39, 40, 49; Mark 4:19; Luke 16:8; 1 Cor. 1:20; 2:6, 8; 3:18; 2 Cor. 4:4; Gal. 1:4; Eph. 1:21; 2:2; 1 Tim. 6:17; 2 Tim. 4:10; Tit. 2:12. Note also the “world” [κόσμος] in Rom. 3:6, 19; esp. the comparable admonition in 1 John 2:15-17.
10 The same word for the Lord being “transfigured” (Matt. 17:2; Mark 9:2).
11 The only other occurrence of this noun in the NT is Titus 3:5.
12 See K. L. Moore, “Lost in Translation: A Closer Look at the NT Greek Term PHRONÉŌ,” Moore Perspective (15 April 2020), <Link>. “Against those who might object that the abandonment of the law as a code of conduct (cf. 6:14, 15; 7:1-6) leads to license, Paul argues that the gospel itself provides sufficient ethical guidance for Christians. Through the renewal of the mind that the gospel makes possible, Christians can know and do the will of God (12:2) …” (D. J. Moo, Romans 746).
13 See also 1 Cor. 2:16; Gal. 4:6; Phil. 1:19; 2:5; 2 Cor. 3:17; Heb. 9:14; cf. Acts 16:7; 1 Pet. 1:11.
14 When we are baptized into Christ (Rom. 6:3-4), we “put on Christ” (Gal. 3:26-27), i.e., we take on Christ’s character, virtues, and intentions (cf. BAGD 264; A. Oepke, TDNT 2:319).
15 See also 1 Cor. 11:28; 2 Cor. 13:5; Eph. 5:9-10; Phil. 1:10; 1 Thess. 5:21.
16 While θέλημα is used in the NT in reference to the devil’s will (2 Tim. 2:26) and the human will (Luke 23:25; John 1:13; 1 Cor. 7:37; 16:12; Eph. 2:3; 2 Pet. 1:21), it mostly applies to the divine will (Matt. 6:10; 7:21; 12:50; 18:14; [21:31]; 26:42; John 3:35; Luke 11:2; [12:47]; 22:42; John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38, 39, 40; 7:17; 9:31; Acts 13:22; 21:14; 22:14; Rom. 1:10; 2:18; 12:2; 15:32; 1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1; 8:5; Gal. 1:4; Eph. 1:1, 5, 9, 11; 5:17; 6:6; Col. 1:1, 9; 4:12; 1 Thess. 4:3; 5:18; 2 Tim. 1:1; Heb. 10:7, 9, 10, 36; 13:21; 1 Pet. 2:15; 3:17; 4:2, 19; 1 John 2:17; 5:14; Rev. 4:11).
17 Also Rom. 2:7, 10; 7:12, 13, 19; 8:28; 10:15; 13:3, 4; 14:16; 15:2; 16:19.
18 On pleasing God, see also Rom. 2:29; 1 Cor. 7:32; 2 Cor. 5:9; Eph. 5:10; Phil. 4:18; Col. 1:10; 3:20; 1 Thess. 2:4; 4:1; 2 Tim. 2:3-4; Heb. 13:21; 1 John 3:22; cp. Rom. 8:8; 1 Thess. 2:15.
19 This is the only usage of this word in Romans; cf. 1 Cor. 13:10; Jas. 1:4, 17, 25; also Matt. 5:48.
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