Romans 12: 1-2: “I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good
and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (NKJV)
Wow! There are so many lessons to be drawn just
from those two verses. We could study
and meditate on them for days. I know we
have discussed them before, but God’s word is so rich and powerful that we can
glean something new almost every time we study from it. Even if this passage brings to mind some of
the same things you have meditated upon before, it is good to be reminded of
them from time to time.
I
believe these verses are some of the most pertinent for those of us living the
Christian life. Paul sums things up for
us rather nicely. Yet, this is not just
a simple request; nor is it a rigid command.
Paul is very serious here. He is
pleading with the Roman brethren because of his great love for them- for their
souls. He is begging them (and us) to
live holy lives – apart from the world.
He asks us to prove through our lives the good, acceptable and perfect
will of God. God’s will IS
good and acceptable and perfect! God’s
way is the best way. Living for Him is
the best life we can live.
One
definition of sacrifice is to give up something valued for something that is
more valued or treasured. In Old
Testament times, animal sacrifices were given to God on different
occasions. Animals had great value; but
to God’s people worship and obedience were much more important than any animal
they could own.
Sacrifice has been part of man’s worship to God
from the beginning. And from the beginning
there were instructions (commandments) regarding the sacrifices. We know this because in Genesis chapter 4 we
read that Cain and Abel offered sacrifices to God. Abel’s sacrifice was acceptable. Cain’s was not. It was vital that this act of worship be done
according to God’s will. Abel had
offered “the firstlings of his flock.”
(Genesis 4:4) Those living under
Mosaic Law were also given specific instructions regarding sacrifice. They are found in Leviticus chapters 1
through 7. The animals used in sacrifice
had to be perfect and complete (without blemish). God has always asked that we show our
devotion to Him by giving the best of what we have.
I did not intend to go into a long drawn out
explanation regarding the sacrificial system of the Old Testament. However, it was necessary to mention it for the
points I wanted to make. Now, in the
Christian age – we no longer sacrifice in those ways. Christ was our sacrifice once and for
all. We understand this. He was perfect, complete – no sin was found
in Him and His blood was spilled for our sakes – for our sins, so that we might
be saved. Christ died for us. How
wonderful is that?!!!
So what is Paul asking us to do then? If Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice for our
sins once and for all – why is Paul asking us to be living sacrifices? Well, simply put, Paul is saying Christ died
for us – so we must live for Him. God
still wants us to show our dedication and devotion. We do that through living obedient lives to
God’s word. First of all, as in the Old
Testament – He wants the best we can give.
He doesn’t want our left overs – just a few flickering thoughts at the
end of the day. No sir! He wants our whole day to be lived in honor
to Him. Remember the sacrifice must be of
great value. Our lives – our time, love
and dedication are valuable to us. As we
live the Christian lifestyle and do everything we can to glorify the Father – then
we are offering our best.
Christianity should never be secondary in our
lives. We should give to and live for
God first and foremost. So Paul says the Father wants your best. He wants your all – He doesn’t want to play
second banana – EVER! The sacrifice part
indicates something important. You! Yes, sometimes it is hard to do the right
thing. And sometimes you will be
persecuted for His name’s sake. That is
part of the sacrifice!
What about the “living?” Well, we basically
already covered that too. God doesn’t
want us part time … you know three times a week. Do we honestly, really think that is
enough? Do we only live for three hours
a week? God wants us to put Him first in
every part of our living – as long as we are alive. Total commitment. To Him.
Our best all the time – day in and day out, every single day. We don’t get to take a break from this. That’s part of the sacrifice, too. God wants living, breathing, active sacrifices
to Him. Active is a key word. Our Father does not want passive devotion (if
there is such a thing).
So we are sacrificing something dear to us … we
are sacrificing ourselves … for something more important and valuable ….. our
souls. We are sacrificing our earthly
life for Jesus – so that we will gain
an eternal heavenly life with Him. And we are sacrificing to our God – our
Creator who is Almighty and All Powerful.
Paul (through the Holy Spirit) says this is our
reasonable service. It is reasonable -
logical, practical that we do this.
Why? We know why. Think of what Christ did for us! He sacrificed Heaven to come and live on
earth as a human. Everything He did
while he was here was for His Father on behalf of us. His life was lived for our benefit. It was not the privileged life of a king in a
castle. It was life as an ordinary man …
a regular guy. He worked while He was
here. He not only taught – but he did.
Then – then He died a cruel, painful and shameful death for us – for me
and you! He did this willingly. He allowed His precious blood to be shed to
wash us from our sins if we but obey His commandments.
Christ is being perfectly reasonable and logical
in asking us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. He is absolutely and totally justified in
doing so. He is not asking us to do any
more than He has already done for us. This makes perfect sense to me. He loved us that much; and we love Him
because He first loved us. After all,
the trade-off is completely worth it. As
the old song says, “Heaven will surely be worth it all.”
Christ above all things,
Robin
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