| And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. | Therefore, brethren, I implore you by the mercies of God to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable to God—a spiritual act of worship. |
| Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. | Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewal of your minds, so that you will be able to discern the will of God and to know what is good and acceptable and perfect. |
| Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. | Through the grace that God has bestowed upon me, I advise every one of you not to think of yourself too highly, but to regard yourself objectively, based on the measure of faith that God has granted. |
| Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. | For just as in one body we have many parts, and the parts do not all have the same function, so we, though many, make up one body in Christ, and individually we are all parts of one another. |
| Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. | Let your love be sincere. Loathe what is evil and hold fast to what is good. |
| Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. | Love one another with genuine affection. Esteem others more highly than yourself. |
| Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. | Do not be lacking in zeal, but serve the Lord with spiritual fervor. |
| Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. | Be joyful in your hope. Be patient in times of affliction. Persevere in prayer. |
| Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. | Bless those who persecute you; bless them and do not curse them. |
| Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. | Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. |
| Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! | Live in harmony with one another. Do not consider yourself to be better than others, but associate with the lowly, and never be conceited. |
| Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. | As much as possible, and to the extent of your ability, live in peace with everyone. |
| Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. | Dearly beloved, never seek revenge. Leave that to the time of retribution. For it is written, “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. I will repay.” |
| Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. | Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good. |
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