Section 4
to Judaism. Judaism was a serious hindrance to the practice of the Body life in the first century. Just as Judaism was part of the age in Paul's time, so Christianity as an organized religion is part of today's age. If you are conformed to organized Christianity, you will be conformed to this age. Instead of being conformed to this age, we need to be transformed by the renewing of our mind.
In 12:11 Paul speaks of the spirit; he tells us to be "burning in spirit." Our spirit must be fer vent, that is, it must be burned and burning. If we have a body presented, a soul in the process of being transformed, and a spirit burning, we shall be able to practice the Body life in a proper way.
TALK AND PRACTICE
Many talk about the Body life in Romans 12 without the actual practice of the Body life. For example, some have seen that in the Body of Christ we are "members one of another" (12:5). However, they cannot name any members to whom they are specifically related. Thus, their word about being members one of another is mere talk. We are not here for talk about the Body life; we are for the practice of the Body life.
The teaching in Romans concerning the Body life is in chapter twelve, but the practice is