In a later section of Romans, the Apostle speaks of the "offering up of the Gentiles"

being "acceptable" (Rom. 15: 16).

The word "present" in Rom. 12: 1 should be translated "yield". The word is

paristemi, and is used in Rom. 6::

Here we have the "presenting of the body", we have the stress upon the "living

sacrifice"--"as those that are alive from the dead"--and also another connection that is

not so obvious to the English reader. The word "instruments" (opla) occurs once more in

this epistle, in Rom. 13: 12, where it is translated "armour"; and the structure shows

that this passage in Rom. 13: is in correspondence with Rom. 12: 1, 2. The Apostle is

thinking of the body as a whole in  Rom. 12:,  and the members separately as

"instruments" or "weapons" in Rom. 13:

This yielding of the body in sacrificial service the Apostle calls "your reasonable

service". Paul, the man of faith, was also a man of reason. He saw nothing irrational in

faith, nor anything unbelieving in reason. It is true that what often passes for reason is

most irrational, but anything that is actually irrational is necessarily untrue, and cannot

therefore be acceptable to God. An unbiased mind, unswayed by evil or ignorance,

undimmed by darkness or superstition, and free from the dominion of sin, would

inevitably arrive at the conclusion reached by the Apostle.

The introduction of the word "reasonable" naturally leads the Apostle to a

consideration of the mind. He looks to the renewed mind for this rational power, and

points out that we cannot hope for such a mind if we conform to this age. We must be

transformed by the renewing of our mind, if we are to prove the acceptableness of the

will of God.

The words used for "conform" and "transform" are compounds of schema and

morphe. Morphe ("form") is organic, while schema ("fashion") applies more to what is

external.  The reader should refer to the structure  for a moment to note that

suschematizo in Rom. 12: 2, is balanced by euschemonos ("well-fashioned"), or as our

version puts it, "honestly"--with the marginal alternative "decently". This balance of

truth is a necessary corrective. Fanaticism flies in the face of all reason and is apt to

think that to be old-fashioned or extreme is a sign of sanctity. Such is by no means the

case.  In  I Cor. 13: 5  we read that "love doth not behave itself unseemly"

(aschemoneo)--or as we might almost render the passage: "Love does not disregard

prevailing fashions unnecessarily." It is a matter of complete indifference to the child of

God whether he wears a felt hat, a silk hat, a straw hat, or a cloth cap; there is no sanctity

in any of them, and there is no sanctity in discarding them. While resolutely refusing to

allow this age to fashion our thinking, we shall not willingly offend against the ordinary

conventions of propriety under the mistaken conviction that such indicates spirituality.