Romans 12:1-2 Spiritual Worship

Worship is the appropriate response to God (see 1:18-32).

This worship is not just the privilege of the Jews (see 9:4) but is appropriate from each of the one people of the one God (i.e., "brothers and sisters," 12:1). This is a "reasonable" (NRSV: spiritual) act – the act of a person made in the image of God. This worship is "pleasing" (NRSV: acceptable) to God and is done in the midst of this "age" (NRSV: world), that is, bodily.

Our worship is a response to God's mercies ("by," 12:1).

The transforming of the mind is to bring the self in step with the Spirit (ch 8) rather than this "present evil age" (Gal 1:4, see Rom 7). This allows us to know the mind of God without the instruction of the Torah (cf. 2:18; see Jer 31:33) – a sign of the new age of the Spirit.