Romans 12: 1-2 Vis-à-vis God’s Mission: Revitalizing Church’s Participation and Stimulating Transformation

Abstract

The object of God’s mission, to which the church is called to participate, is to redeem, reconcile
and transform humanity and their world. However, disunity and ethnic tension in Rome houses
churches could have impeded her participation. Furthermore, negative ethnicity, ethnic hostility,
ethnic profiling and corruption in Africa seem to have silently and steadily networked to deny
humanity a place to feel at home, serve, and be served as well as to lead. Yet through missional
hermeneutical reading of Romans 12: 1-2, the text can be applied so as to revitalize
participation and stimulate transformation of the African church. Besides, the church can be
inspired to use the text as an instruction manual for lifelong reformation. Additionally, varied
denominations can be inspired to jointly participate in God’s mission without exalting
themselves and always making sober judgements not based on gender, class, status or ethnic
bias.