12:1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, 1 by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, and pleasing to God 2 – which is your reasonable service. 12:2 Do not be conformed 3 to this present world, 4 but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve 5 what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.
1:1 From Paul, 6 an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
1:1 From Paul, 7 an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, 8 urge you to live 9 worthily of the calling with which you have been called, 10
13:22 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, 17 bear with my message of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you briefly.
1 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.
2 tn The participle and two adjectives “alive, holy, and pleasing to God” are taken as predicates in relation to “sacrifice,” making the exhortation more emphatic. See ExSyn 618-19.
1 tn Although συσχηματίζεσθε (suschmatizesqe) could be either a passive or middle, the passive is more likely since it would otherwise have to be a direct middle (“conform yourselves”) and, as such, would be quite rare for NT Greek. It is very telling that being “conformed” to the present world is viewed as a passive notion, for it may suggest that it happens, in part, subconsciously. At the same time, the passive could well be a “permissive passive,” suggesting that there may be some consciousness of the conformity taking place. Most likely, it is a combination of both.
2 tn Grk “to this age.”
3 sn The verb translated test and approve (δοκιμάζω, dokimazw) carries the sense of “test with a positive outcome,” “test so as to approve.”
1 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
1 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
1 tn Grk “prisoner in the Lord.”
2 tn Grk “walk.” The verb “walk” in the NT letters refers to the conduct of one’s life, not to physical walking.
3 sn With which you have been called. The calling refers to the Holy Spirit’s prompting that caused them to believe. The author is thus urging his readers to live a life that conforms to their saved status before God.
1 tn Or “encourage.”
2 tn Or perhaps “an ambassador” (so RSV, TEV), reading πρεσβευτής for πρεσβύτης (a conjecture proposed by Bentley, cf. BDAG 863 s.v. πρεσβύτης). NRSV reads “old man” and places “ambassador” in a note.
3 tn Grk “a prisoner of Christ Jesus.”
1 tn Or “I am encouraging…”
2 tn Grk “my child whom I have begotten.” The adjective “spiritual” has been supplied before “father” in the translation to clarify for the modern reader that Paul did not literally father a child during his imprisonment. Paul’s point is that he was instrumental in Onesimus’ conversion while in prison.
3 sn During my imprisonment. Apparently Onesimus became a believer under Paul’s shepherding while he [Paul] was a prisoner in Rome.
1 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.