What does it mean that Romans 12-16 is practical Christian living?
It means Romans 12-16 is common, ordinary Christian living. It emphasizes that believers are a set-apart people, living to please God first and setting priorities with God first, so their daily lives reflect that commitment. The term 'practical' here simply means common and ordinary.
Les explains that for nearly 20 years of teaching Romans, he has consistently called the last four chapters 'practical Christian living.' By practical, he means it is common, ordinary. He connects this to the believer being set apart for God's use, just as the Temple instruments were set apart for Temple use and nothing else. The high priest's wife could not take a Temple ladle for her own use, illustrating that believers are set apart for God's purposes. This does not make believers oddballs or put them in left field, but in God's mind it designates them as people of the Book, people living to please Him first. Les says this comes down to priority: you have to set your priorities and ask what is most important in your life. He points to Scripture: 'Seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven, and then all these other things can be added unto you.' Priority means God first, then other things come into their rightful place. He also mentions a Greek insight regarding 'your reasonable service,' which he had never known before.