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1 I now beg you brothers and sisters, as we are enfolded by God’s compassion, to present your bodies back to God as sacrifices which are alive, pure, and pleasing, this being an appropriately intellectual act of sacred service. 2 So do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the recreation of your minds, ultimately so that you can discern the will of God—that which is good and pleasing and perfect.
3 Because of the gift that has been given to me I can instruct each one of you not to think too highly of yourselves, beyond what it is appropriate to think, but think wisely. So think about each person in your community as God has measured out a quantity of faith for them. 4 Just as in one body we have many different bodily systems and organs and all these parts of the body do not have the same function, 5 we, the many, are nevertheless one body within the Messiah, each one of us being a part that is connected with everyone else. 6 But we have particular gifts according to the gracious patronage [of God] that has been distributed to us in different ways: prophesying, which we can exercise in accordance with the measure of understanding that we have been given; 7 serving in accordance with the capacity that has been given to us to serve; the teacher in accordance with the capacity gifted to teach; 8 the encourager to the level of the gift of encouragement; the giver to the level of their generosity; the manager to the level of their energy; [and] the person especially gifted with compassion for the poor and the suffering, to the level of their ability to bring cheerfulness to those spaces and to be sustained by the same.
9 Let your love be sincere.
Flee evil,
Cleave to the good, 10
Love one another with the affection you have for your brothers and sisters,
Take the lead in respecting one another, 11
Don’t hesitate in your commitment,
Be on fire with spirit,
Serve the Lord wholeheartedly, 12
Rejoice as you hope,
Persevere as you suffer,
Be persistent in your praying, 13
Partner with your purified brothers and sisters as they have needs,
Strive to offer a loving welcome to foreigners, 14
And bless those persecuting you—bless them; do not curse them.15
Rejoice with those rejoicing,
Weep with those who cry. 16
Think about one another in the same way, together. Don’t think about lofty intellectual matters but live alongside those perceived to be lowly. Don’t all strive to be the smartest person in the room.
17 Don’t pay back evil to anyone who has inflicted evil on you, but think together about what a beautiful response would look like. 18 As far as it is within your power, pursue peaceful relationships with everyone. 19 Do not avenge yourselves my beloved ones. Rather, first, create space for [God’s] anger, as it is written, “’All vengeance is done by me; I am the one who repays,’ says the Lord.” 20 And rather, second, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he thirsts, give him something to drink. And in this fashion you heap up burning coals [of shame] on his head.’ 21 Do not allow yourselves to be conquered by evil. Rather, triumph over evil with your goodness.