This passage is the turning point of Romans. It calls the reader to respond to Paul's instructions given in chapters 1-11. The believer is called to surrender and in doing so the believer is renewed and transformed by God. When we humble ourselves, God does for us what we cannot do for ourselves, He renews and transforms us.
What is the therefore there for? Here, Paul opens with an appeal and references therefore. Paul is most certainly referencing the instructions he had just delivered in Romans chapters one through eleven.
