Sacrifice - it can be a powerful force in shaping our lives. Yet many around the Christian faith really never see or notice the sign being given. Still others of us see the sign but assume Jesus didn't mean it. Let's begin our study by seeing why we might want to sacrifice. I appeal to you, therefore, by the mercies of God.
Romans falls into two major sections.
The first eleven chapters are all about God's grace and our need of it. They are magisterial in the picture of God's grace that is described. From chapter 12 onward the text is about the way we are called to live in response. Everything that follows is because of the foundation and groundwork laid by the whole doctrine of grace which precedes this verse in Romans. Much of Romans from this point on sounds like performance - things to do.