Spiritual Formation in Romans 12:1–2: A Socio-Rhetorical and Theological Analysis of Transformative Christian Living

Romans 12:1–2 marks Paul’s transition from theological exposition to Christian living, yet scholarship has largely treated its key concepts in isolation. This study interprets the passage as an integrated Pauline account of spiritual formation. It combines socio-rhetorical analysis of the Greek text (NA28), examining its inner texture, intertexture, social and cultural texture, and ideological and sacred textures, with theological synthesis. The analysis shows that Paul grounds formation in God’s mercies, defines worship as the offering of embodied life (logikē latreia), sets conformity to “this age” against transformation by the renewal of the mind (a renewal that, in Romans, is the work of the Spirit and is directed towards conformity to Christ, 8:29), and makes discernment of God’s will the outcome of formation within the community of Romans 12:3–21. The study contributes a seven-dimensional model of formation – grace-grounded, Spirit-empowered, embodied, eschatological, cognitive, discerning and communal – for Pauline studies and discipleship practice.