Don’t Play Dead

Romans 12:1-2

INTRODUCTION

The Book of Romans has been called the greatest theological letter ever written. The Apostle Paul wrote it while he was in Corinth and sent it to a group of believers in Rome, many of whom Paul had never met. His purpose was clear: to present the complete message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Romans isn't just a theological masterpiece; it's a life manual, answering humanity’s most profound questions about sin, salvation, grace, and the new life God offers.

In the first eleven chapters, Paul takes us on a sweeping journey. He begins by laying out humanity’s universal need for salvation—whether Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, religious or rebellious, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. He then moves to the heart of the gospel: that we are justified by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. It’s not about what we can do for God, but what God has done for us through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Chapters 9 through 11 zoom out even further, revealing the mystery of God’s plan for Israel, the Gentiles, and the whole world. These opening chapters are a breathtaking display of God's mercy, faithfulness, and sovereign love.

The first eleven chapters of this letter reveal God’s mercy to sinners, as He sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins. But then, everything changes in chapter 12.

Romans 12 marks a major turning point. After building the strongest theological foundation imaginable, Paul shifts his focus to our response. In light of everything God has done, how should we live? What does it mean to truly follow Christ in a world pulling us in every other direction? Romans 12 is the bridge between believing the gospel and living the gospel. It's the call to live differently—radically, sacrificially, courageously—in a way that mirrors the heart and mission of Jesus.

In this new series, "Live Like A Roman," we’ll walk through Romans 12 verse by verse. We’ll discover that living like a Roman Christian isn’t about blending in; it’s about standing out. It’s about offering our lives as living sacrifices. It’s about transforming our minds rather than conforming to the world. It’s about loving sincerely, serving passionately, and overcoming evil with good.

Each week, you’ll be challenged to take another step away from the patterns of this world and toward the person God created you to be. You'll be encouraged to think differently, act differently, and love differently because of the mercy God has shown. This chapter isn’t a checklist; it’s a call to a transformed life, a call to be the living evidence of the gospel’s power.

If you’ve ever wondered, “What difference does my faith make in the real world?”—Romans 12 is your answer. This is about more than just private belief; it’s about public transformation.

You were not saved to stay the same. You were saved to shine as a light in a dark world. You were redeemed not just for heaven, but for a mission right here and right now. God calls us to a higher standard—to live with conviction, humility, compassion, hope, and passion.

Each week, we will show you, piece by piece, how to live out your faith boldly, humbly, and joyfully. Together, we will build lives that believe the gospel and embody it. Let’s answer God’s call together. Let’s live differently. Let’s live like Roman Christians.

Romans 12:1–2 ESV

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

SCRIPTURAL ANALYSIS

When Paul wrote his letter to the Christians in Rome in 57 AD, he was writing to a diverse, courageous group living at the heart of the most powerful empire in the world. Many of these believers were Gentiles, though a strong Jewish presence remained. They met in homes, quietly gathering to worship Jesus in a city overflowing with idols, stoic philosophies, and politics. Living in Rome meant living under constant pressure—to conform, to compromise, to bow to the cultural gods of the day. Faith in Christ was not easy; it was costly.

These Roman Christians were not unlike us. They faced division, wrestled with questions of sin, salvation, and God's will, and tried to live out their faith in a society that often misunderstood or opposed them. Paul had not yet visited them, but he longed to encourage and strengthen them with a clear, powerful explanation of the gospel—the good news that salvation is by faith, not by works, and that God’s mercy extends to all people. The letter to the Romans calls them and us to live boldly and faithfully in a world that often pulls us in every other direction.

VERSE 1

The “therefore” in verse 1 refers back not simply to the previous argument about God’s mercy in bringing salvation to Jew and Gentile but to everything that Paul had been teaching from the beginning of the epistle. It marks the transition from the theology of God’s redemptive act in Christ Jesus to the ethical expectations that logically flow from that theological foundation. We come now to what is usually called the “practical” section of Romans.

Ancient Judaism and some philosophical schools often used “sacrifice” figuratively for praise and worship; hence, it would be hard for the Romans to miss his point here. Sacrifice was important, but even in the Old Testament, God made it clear that obedience from the heart was of even greater importance.

Our bodies are all we have to offer; we live in our bodies. The body enfolds our emotions, our minds, our thoughts, our desires, and our plans. Thus, the body represents the total person; it is the instrument by which all our service is given to God. To live for God, we must give him all that we are, represented by our body.

We give ourselves to God as his sacrifices when we understand his grace and its place in our lives. We offer ourselves not ignorantly, like animals brought to slaughter, but intelligently and willingly. This is the worship that pleases God.

VERSE 2

When Paul was writing, most Jewish people believed that the world we live in was under the power of evil. But they also believed that one day, when God fully set things right, everyone would know He was in charge. So when Paul says, "Don’t be shaped by this world," he’s warning them and us not to blend in with the culture that’s headed the wrong way. All applicable to today’s culture.

Many religions back then, especially in Greek and Roman cities, were focused on emotions, crazy experiences, or just going through empty motions. It wasn’t about how you lived day-to-day. But Paul says following Jesus is different. God wants you to use your mind, to think, to discern, to understand what’s right and good. When your mind is focused on Him, you’ll recognize His will, what’s good, what makes Him smile, and what’s truly best for your life. Sacrificing oneself to God is accomplished by applying a renewed mind to the pursuit and achievement of the will of God. Paul is saying that a new orientation in our thinking leads to a new orientation in behavior.

TODAY’S KEY TRUTH

Transformational Growth is the Result of Daily Trusting and Obeying God.

APPLICATION

The book of Romans has a reputation as one of the most theologically rich books in the Bible. Unfortunately, this reputation has led many Christians and even some commentators to wonder why Paul devotes so much attention to practical matters at the end of the letter. He has finished the theology section at the end of chapter 11. Why say any more? Such an attitude reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of theology and its importance. All theology is practical, and all practice, if truly Christian, is theological. Paul’s gospel is deeply theological, but it is also eminently practical. The good news of Jesus Christ is intended to transform a person’s life. The gospel has not accomplished its purpose until individual Christians own and live out the theology they profess.

Romans 12 marks this shift in Paul’s letter from doctrine to application. After 11 chapters detailing God's mercies—grace, love, justification, peace, the Holy Spirit, and more—the response is to present ourselves as “living sacrifices.” This spiritual act of worship involves four elements: the soul, the body, the mind, and the will. The soul is given in salvation, as one offers their inner being to God. The body is to be physically yielded to God in holy living. The mind must be renewed by the Word to resist conformity to the world’s patterns. Finally, the will is required to align our actions with God’s will, proving by our lives what is good and acceptable.

Romans 12:1–2 marks a cultural collision. In a city filled with temples, sacrifices, philosophical schools, and political propaganda proclaiming Caesar as Lord, Paul calls believers to a countercultural lifestyle of total devotion to God, offering themselves, resisting worldly pressures, and being renewed by God's truth. This was revolutionary: worship wasn't confined to temple rituals but encompassed all of life. The Roman believers, living at the heart of the empire, were challenged to live not for Rome or themselves, but for Christ.

Paul calls us to a radical kind of living that isn’t about sitting back and waiting for God to bless us, but about offering ourselves fully to Him. Worship isn’t just singing songs or feeling something in the moment; it’s giving God all we are—our soul, body, mind, and will. Salvation is the beginning, the foundation of our faith, but sanctification—the process of becoming more like Christ—requires daily surrender. Every day, we lay ourselves on the altar again, choosing to live for Him when the world tries to pull us in another direction.

Compare this with more modern, self-centered views of Christianity, which focus on what we can "get" from God. The biblical model of sacrificial worship emphasizes that true faith is about what we give to God.

True transformation doesn’t come from trying harder or chasing emotional highs; it comes when we renew our minds through the truth of God’s Word, allowing Him to reshape our thoughts, desires, and actions. And why do we do it? Because of His mercy. Because of His grace. When we look at the cross and consider all He’s done, our only reasonable response is to live every moment as an act of worship. A life laid down. A life fully alive in Him. Don’t play dead. Die to self and live surrendered.

Transformational Growth is the Result of Daily Trusting and Obeying God.

CONCLUSION

Romans 12:1–2 is more than a call to change; it is a call to transformation. It is not a surface-level adjustment, a temporary improvement, or a fleeting emotional experience. Paul calls us to something deeper, something that can only happen when we consistently, daily, and fully offer ourselves to God. True transformational growth comes not from chasing after emotions or aligning ourselves with the world's priorities, but from surrendering ourselves in obedience to God.

Paul starts with an appeal grounded in mercy: "Therefore, by the mercies of God..." In other words, the foundation of our obedience is not fear, guilt, or obligation—it’s gratitude. God’s mercy is the fuel for our worship. When we reflect on His kindness, patience, forgiveness, and love, our hearts are stirred to respond, not with passive belief, but with active surrender. In Paul’s words, worship is offering our very bodies as living sacrifices. It is a full-life response that touches every part of who we are: our hands, our thoughts, our choices, our words, and our dreams.

The world around us is constantly calling for our attention. Its values, priorities, and promises are loud and convincing. Culture says, "Live for yourself." "Do what feels right." "Follow your heart." “All emotions are valid.” "Chase your dreams." But Paul says something far more courageous and countercultural: "Do not conform to this age." Don’t be shaped by the fleeting trends, selfish values, or hollow promises of the world. Instead, be transformed. Let God completely remake you from the inside out.

This transformation happens when we renew our minds. It doesn’t happen automatically just because we believe in Jesus. It doesn’t happen because we had one powerful worship moment. It happens when we intentionally fill our minds with God's Word, God's truth, and God's voice. As our thinking is shaped by Scripture, not by society, and by the Spirit, not by selfishness, our lives begin to change. Our priorities shift. Our desires are purified. Our actions begin to align with God’s perfect will.

Transformation is not powered by our emotions. Our feelings are real, but they are not reliable. You may feel excited one day and exhausted the next. You may feel full of faith one morning and full of doubt the next. You cannot live your life based on feelings. You cannot live by the world's ever-changing standards either. Our culture says, “Your feelings are valid, so follow your feelings.” Scripture says to follow the unchanging Word of God.

If we wait until we feel like obeying, we will rarely obey. If we wait until it’s convenient, we will seldom surrender. Growth comes through consistently offering ourselves to God again and again, even when it’s hard, even when it’s costly, even when the world pulls us in the opposite direction.

Transformational Growth is the Result of Daily Trusting and Obeying God.

Obedience is the doorway to transformation. Obedience when no one sees. Obedience when no one applauds. Obedience when it costs something. Obedience when it challenges our pride. Obedience when it counters our desires. Obedience when it calls us out of comfort and into sacrifice. Transformation doesn’t come through flashes of emotions and passion but through steady, daily surrender and obedience.

Think about it: a living sacrifice can crawl off the altar. Every day, we must choose again to lay ourselves down. Every day, we must decide that we will not be shaped by the world but by the Word. Every day, we must declare that we belong to Jesus and that He is worthy of every part of our lives.

This is the path of real growth. We should not chase the next spiritual high, we should not wait for a perfect feeling, we should not blend into the culture around us, but walk faithfully, day by day, step by step, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

And here's the beautiful thing: when we live this way, we begin to discover God's will for our lives. Paul says we can "test and see God’s will—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Many people are eager to know God’s will, yet they are unwilling to surrender their own will first. If you want to know God’s will, surrender yourself to God completely. Renew your mind with His Word. Walk in obedience. Transformation clears the fog, softens the heart, and sharpens your ears to hear His voice.

When you live this way, you won't have to wonder if you're living for the right things. Every new idea or latest trend won't toss you around. You won’t constantly be asking, "Am I doing enough? Am I missing something?" Instead, you'll be rooted, anchored, and steadily growing into the person God created you to be.

Transformational Growth is the Result of Daily Trusting and Obeying God.

Don’t drift through life hoping you’ll grow spiritually by accident. Don’t let the world mold you into its broken image. Don’t let your emotions dictate your obedience. Don’t wait for the perfect moment to fully surrender.

God has called you to be a living sacrifice—a daily, living, breathing offering of worship. He’s not asking for your perfection; He’s asking for your surrender. He's not calling you to impress Him; He's calling you to trust Him.

The good news is that when you offer yourself to God, He does what only He can do. He transforms you. He renews you. He strengthens you. He leads you into His good, pleasing, and perfect will, a will that is better than anything you could have dreamed for yourself.

You don’t have to live a life shaped by fear. You don’t have to live a life chasing feelings. You don’t have to live a life driven by fleeting emotions. You don’t have to live a life squeezed into the world’s broken mold. You can live a life of transformation, a life of purpose, a life of joy, a life fully surrendered to the One who gave everything for you.

Lay down your old ways of thinking. Refuse to let the world define you. Let His Word renew your mind. Let His Spirit transform your heart. Let your life become a living act of worship.

Don’t play dead— die to self, live surrendered, live transformed, live fully for the glory of God. Don’t play dead. Don’t wait until you feel like it. Don’t wait until life gets easier. Today, offer yourself fully to God—your thoughts, your plans, your dreams, your hurts, your desires, your failures, your pain, your hopes. Put it all on the altar and trust Him with every piece.

Fill your mind with the truth of His Word. Open the Bible. Sit in His presence. Listen to His voice above the noise of the world. Let His truth shape how you think, how you love, and how you live. Don’t settle for a faith that just survives. Walk boldly. Live differently. Love sacrificially. Shine brightly. Grow daily. Live as a living sacrifice, transformed for His glory and fueled by His mercy and grace.

Transformational Growth is the Result of Daily Trusting and Obeying God.