How to Live as God’s People

How to Live as God’s People

For www.TrueWordFaithforLife.com

© 2025 Dr. Shawn M. Greener. All Rights Reserved.

True Word, Faith for LIFE!

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Taco Tony Reminding You!

What if worship is not something you sing, but someone you become. What if the greatest offering you can ever bring to God is not an hour of singing or listening, but the very way you choose to live your life tomorrow morning. Romans 12 is not theory. It is the blueprint of what it means to live as God’s covenant people in a world that constantly tries to reshape you into something else. This chapter confronts us with a question: Are you living offered or living withheld.

Tell me in the comments. What part of following God is hardest for you right now. I read and respond personally.

Paul begins with a call that hits the heart before it hits the mind. Present your bodies as a living sacrifice. In the Lexham English Bible we read: “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” The Complete Jewish Study Bible says: “Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice, set apart for God. This is your logical Temple worship.” In the Ancient Near Eastern world, sacrifice was not symbolic. Something truly died. When Paul says you are the sacrifice, he means nothing less than surrendering your entire life, your thoughts, your habits, your loyalties, your loves.

Then he draws a line between conformity and transformation. “Do not be conformed to this world.” The world will shape you if you let it. But, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Transformation is not behavior modification. It is metamorphosis. Something entirely new. A life reshaped by covenant allegiance, by the Spirit of God, by the Word renewing the inner life.

Paul then turns to humility and gifting. Do not think of yourself more highly than you should. In Hebrew thought, humility is realism. You see yourself accurately, neither inflated nor diminished, because you see yourself through the purposes of God. And each gift; prophecy, service, teaching, encouragement, generosity, leadership, mercy; is given for the building up of the covenant community.

Taco Tony Talks Spiritual Gifts

This is where Taco Tony walks in, shaking his head. “Doc, I saw a guy online say he had no spiritual gifts. None. Zero. I was like, bro, you can’t even say that with a straight face. God does not forget to equip His own people. The problem is we treat gifts like personality tests instead of assignments.” He is right. Your gift is not your trophy. It is your responsibility.

Then Paul brings us into the center of covenant life: genuine Love. Love without hypocrisy. Love without masks. Love that acts before it speaks. Love that shows itself in sacrifice, honor, patience, endurance. Love that blesses those who persecute. Love that gives when wounded. Love that overcomes evil with good. In a world built on self-protection, Paul calls us into covenant vulnerability and covenant power.

Finally, he speaks of urgency. Salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. Wake up! Shake off the darkness. Put on the armor of Light! Put on Messiah like clothing. In Hebraic thought, to “put on” is to take on the identity of another. You clothe yourself in His righteousness, His character, His compassion, His obedience, His holiness. You walk into the world wrapped in the life of your King.

This is the life of God’s covenant people. Not someday. Today!

Here is my question for you. Are you offering yourself daily as a living sacrifice, or are you keeping your life for yourself?  Romans 12 is not asking for a feeling. It is inviting you into a life. A life shaped by transformation. A life governed by covenant love. A life awakened to urgency. A life wrapped in Messiah.

Choose Yeshua TODAY!

Choose truth. Choose surrender. Choose covenant faithfulness. Live offered.

If you are reading this today and you are ready to surrender your life to Yeshua the Messiah, pray with me: Heavenly Father, I come to You today with an open and humble heart. I know that I have sinned and fallen short of Your glory, and I am asking for Your forgiveness. Right now, I turn away from my sins and turn fully toward You. I believe that Jesus, Your Son, is the promised Messiah, that He died for my sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day just as the Scriptures say. Today I call on Your holy Name. Please forgive me, cleanse me, and make me new. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and write Your truth on my heart. From this day forward, I choose to follow Jesus as my Lord, my Redeemer, and my King. Thank You for loving me, for saving me, and for making me part of Your family forever. In the name of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, I pray. Amen.

I am so excited for you because this decision is the most important of your existence!  Reach out to me through CONNECT with Me! and I will help guide you in your next steps.

Before you go, I want to ask you for one simple favor. If this message stirred your heart, if it helped you see the Word more clearly, or if it challenged you to grow, please share it. Think of one friend who needs hope. Send it to them right now. And if you post on social media, let others know what encouraged you. Your share may be the exact moment God uses to change a life. 

May you walk in truth. May you live offered. May you reflect the beauty of the King you serve. May you be transformed and not conformed. May your life shine with covenant faithfulness.

Shalom b’Shem Yeshua.  Live as God's People!

This has been True Word, Faith for LIFE! with Dr. Shawn M. Greener.

For more teachings, visit TrueWordFaithforLife.com.

© 2025 Dr. Shawn M. Greener. All Rights Reserved.

STUDY GUIDE — EPISODE 26

How to Live as God’s People

By Dr. Shawn M. Greener, Follower of the Way

True Word, Faith for LIFE!

www.TrueWordFaithforLife.com

© 2025 Dr. Shawn M. Greener. All Rights Reserved.

This study guide explores Romans chapter twelve as the foundational blueprint for what it means to live as God’s people in real covenant discipleship. Paul moves from theology to daily living, from doctrine to practice, and from identity to responsibility. The call is not simply to believe the gospel, but to become a living sacrifice shaped by the renewing of the mind, the humility of community, and the urgency of the hour. This guide is designed to help you go deeper in your study, provide clarity on Ancient Near Eastern worldview, offer lexical insights, and prepare you to live out covenant faith in every sphere of your life.

Romans twelve begins with a call to present your bodies as a living sacrifice. The Lexham English Bible says, “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” The Complete Jewish Study Bible reads, “Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice, set apart for God. This is your logical Temple worship.” In the ANE world, sacrifice was concrete. Something real was given. Something real was laid down. Paul uses that image to show that your entire life is your act of worship. Nothing is withheld. Everything is surrendered. Then Paul commands, “Do not be conformed to this world.” Conformity in Greek thought describes being pressed into a mold. Transformation describes metamorphosis. A complete reshaping through renewed thinking under the authority of God.

Paul then addresses humility. “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought.” In Hebraic thought humility is living in truth. Not self-hate. Not self-inflation. Truth. You see yourself according to how God sees you, not according to comparison with others. From this humility flows gifting. Each member of the covenant community receives gifts not for personal attention but for communal building. Prophecy, service, teaching, encouragement, generosity, leadership, mercy. These gifts are not signs of personal greatness. They are tools for covenant responsibility.

Then Paul moves into the heart of covenant life. Genuine love. Love without mask. Love without hypocrisy. Love expressed in action. Hate what is evil. Cling to what is good. Outdo one another in honor. Be patient in suffering. Bless those who persecute you. Live in harmony. Overcome evil with good. This is the covenant ethic. In the ANE world covenants required loyalty. Love in Hebrew thought is loyalty expressed in deeds. Covenant love is not a feeling. It is a practice of costly faithfulness.

Paul closes chapter twelve by calling believers to urgency. Salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone. The day is at hand. Live as people of the light. Put aside darkness. Put on Messiah as clothing. In Hebraic thought to clothe yourself in someone means to take on their identity, their character, and their mission. You do not simply believe in Yeshua. You walk dressed in His life.

Genesis 12:3 shows the heart of covenant identity.

LEB: “I will bless those who bless you, but the one who treats you lightly I must curse, and all the families of the earth will be blessed in you.”

CJSB: “I will bless those who bless you, but I will curse anyone who curses you, and by you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

This is the foundation of covenant people. Blessing is alignment with God’s redemptive plan. Cursing is alignment with rebellion.

John 8:44 reminds us of the spiritual war.

LEB: “You are of your father the devil. That one was a murderer from the beginning and did not uphold the truth because the truth is not in him.”

CJSB: “You belong to your father, Satan. From the beginning he was a murderer and has never stood by the truth.”

Followers of the Way must live in Truth, not deception, because the Enemy is relentless in rebellion.

Zechariah 2:8 strengthens the covenant identity of God’s people.

LEB: “Whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye.”

CJSB: “Whoever touches you touches the very pupil of My eye.”

Covenant people are protected by God’s personal care.

Deuteronomy 7:6 affirms the identity of God’s holy people.

LEB: “For you are a people holy to Yahweh your God.”

CJSB: “For you are a people set apart as holy for Adonai your God.”

Living as God’s people means living set apart in character and conduct.

Key Hebrew and Greek terms deepen the meaning of this chapter. Torah, pronounced TOH rah, means covenant instruction. Goyim, pronounced goh Y EEM, means nations or peoples. Berit, pronounced buh REET, means covenant. Emet, pronounced eh MET, means truth and reliability. Diabolos, pronounced dee AH boh loss, means slanderer or accuser. Psuche, pronounced psoo KAY, means inner life or soul. These words frame covenant living not as religious ritual but as relational loyalty.

Discussion questions for study.

What does it mean to present your body as a living sacrifice?

How does ANE worldview deepen the meaning of sacrifice and transformation?

Why is humility essential for spiritual gifts to function in community?

How does covenant love differ from modern emotional definitions of love?

What does it mean to clothe yourself in Messiah?

Where do you see spiritual urgency in your life?

What part of Romans twelve convicts you most today?

Practical application for covenant living.

Live offered, withholding nothing from God.

Guard your thinking. Renew your mind daily in truth.

Walk in humility. See yourself with accuracy.

Use your gifts for the community, not for yourself.

Practice genuine Love through action.

Walk in urgency. Time is short.

Put on Messiah daily. Let His character clothe your decisions.

Reflection prayer.

Father in Heaven, renew my mind and transform my heart. Teach me to live offered as a living sacrifice. Give me humility that reflects Your truth. Strengthen me to love without hypocrisy and to serve with the gifts You have given. Dress me in the life of Messiah so I may walk in light, urgency, and holiness. Let my life reflect covenant faithfulness. In Yeshua’s holy Name, amen.

Footnotes.

1.Genesis 12:3, Lexham English Bible.

2.Genesis 12:3, Complete Jewish Study Bible.

3.John 8:44, Lexham English Bible.

4.John 8:44, Complete Jewish Study Bible.

5.Nahum M. Sarna, Genesis, JPS Torah Commentary.

6.Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm, Lexham Press.

7.Marvin Wilson, Our Father Abraham, Eerdmans.

8.Edwin Yamauchi, Israel and the Nations, Baker Academic.

9.Paul Johnson, A History of the Jews, Harper.

10.Bernard Lewis, Semites and Anti Semites, Norton.

Bibliography.

Heiser, Michael S. The Unseen Realm. Lexham Press.

Johnson, Paul. A History of the Jews. Harper Perennial.

Lewis, Bernard. Semites and Anti Semites. W. W. Norton.

Sarna, Nahum M. Genesis. JPS Torah Commentary.

Wilson, Marvin. Our Father Abraham. Eerdmans.

Shalom b’Shem Yeshua.  Live as God's People!

© 2025 Dr. Shawn M. Greener. All Rights Reserved.

True Word, Faith for LIFE!

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