Romans: Life - How to Get it Right
Bible Study No. 35 - Romans 12:1
New Beginnings Fellowship
Timothy J. Henning, Pastor
A Life Fully Devoted
to God
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your
bodies to God because of all he has done for you [his mercy]. Let
them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find
acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him." Romans 12:1 NLT
• To what degree would you say your life is dedicated to God - 0% 25% 50%
75% 90% 100%?
People seem to be confused, today, about right and wrong. Romans 12-16 reveals
to us God’s guidelines for living right. Do you want to live right?
The book of Romans can be viewed as having two major sections - What to
BELIEVE (Chapters 1-11) and How to BEHAVE (chapters 12-16). BEHAVING right is
based on BELIEVING right. Chapter 12 begins Paul’s explanation of our part in
living right. It starts with dedicating our hearts and lives to God. • MIND - What we allow ourselves to think about; Also, our opinions &
attitudes. All our thinking should be dedicated to pleasing God.
Philippians 4:8 NLT "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your
thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and
admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."
• EYES - What we allow ourselves to see. All that we allow to come through our
eye gate should be dedicated to pleasing God. Our eyes are a major gateway
to our minds and heart.
Job 31:1 NLT “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young
woman."
• EARS - What we allow ourselves to hear. All that we allow our ears to hear
should be dedicated to pleasing God. Our ears are another major gateway to
our minds and heart.
2 Timothy 2:14-15 NLT “14 Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them
before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those
who listen. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker
who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
Proverbs 17:4 NLT “Wrongdoers eagerly listen to gossip; liars pay close attention to
slander.”
III. The Desire for Living Right - in appreciation for God's mercy.
Central Lesson
Living right starts with a full dedication of our total being to God.
I. The Decision to Live Right
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God....”
The word “give” indicates an action on our part that is a willful, deliberate,
conscious choice. Have you made the decision to yield and dedicate your heart
and life 100% to God?
II. The Depth of Living Right
“...I plead with you to give your bodies to God....”
The depth of our devotion should be more than our heart, spirit, and soul; but also
our bodies. In other words, our total being.
• HANDS - Our behavior; What we allow ourselves to do. All our behavior
should be dedicated to pleasing God.
Ephesians 4:28 “If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good
hard work, and then give generously to others in need.” James 4:8 NLT "Come
close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners;
purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world."
• FEET - Our direction & activities; Where we allow ourselves to go. All our
activities should be dedicated to pleasing God.
Psalm 119:101 NLT "I have refused to walk on any evil path, so that I may remain
obedient to your word."
• TONGUE - Our speech; What we allow ourselves to say. All our speech
should be dedicated to pleasing God.
Ephesians 4:29 "Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good
and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them."
"....because of all he has done for you [his mercy]." (NLT)
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy,..." (NIV)
"I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of
God,..." (Amplified)
What is the difference between grace and mercy? Grace deals with the judicial
issues of sin. Mercy deals with the experiential felt-side of sin. Or put another way,
grace deals with the guilt of sin, whereas, mercy deals with the suffering that comes
from sin. Or stated in another way, grace deals with sin's guilt, but mercy deals
with the pain we experience from sin.
GRACE = Forgiveness for the Penalty & Guilt of Sin. MERCY = Relief from the Pain & Suffering Connected to Sin. God's salvation has done more than give us forgiveness for our sins, but also relief
from the suffering and pain that our sin has caused in our lives. In short, if we truly
appreciate the grace that forgave our guilt of sin and the mercy that gave us relief
from the suffering of sin – we should dedicate and devote our whole being to God.
IV. The Description of Living Right
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•
•
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A living sacrifice - Normally a sacrifice was killed. God wants us to “live” for Him.
A holy sacrifice - Holy means “separated from sin to God.”
Pleasing to God - Total dedication to God shows our love for Him & pleases Him.
An expression of worship - We honor God when we fully devote ourselves to Him.
Conclusion
Living right starts with a full dedication of our total being to God.
Suggested Action Steps:  Receive Christ as your Savior.  As a Christian, dedicate
your life to Christ.  Read Romans 12; What do you learn about living right? 
Invite someone to next Sunday’s Bible study.  Attend the next small group
discussion on this topic.  Pray for friends that need to be pointed to Jesus.