“A Living Sacrifice”

Romans 12:1- I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. Beseech is a Greek word which comes from a root meaning to “call alongside to help”. “Mercies of God”: The gracious, extravagant, divine graces Paul expounded in the first eleven chapters, including Jesus’ love, grace, righteousness and the gift of faith. “Present your bodies a living sacrifice”: Under the Old Covenant, God (Jesus) accepted the sacrifices of dead animals. But when He became our ultimate sacrifice, those animals are no longer of any use. For those seeking Jesus, the only acceptable sacrifice is to offer themselves completely to the Lord. Under Jesus control, the true believer’s yet unredeemed body can and must be yielded to Him as an instrument of righteousness.

“Reasonable service”: Reasonable is from the Greek for “logic.” In light of all the spiritual riches, true believers enjoy solely as the fruit of Jesus mercies. It logically flows that I owe Jesus my highest form of service. Understood here is the idea of priestly, spiritual service, which was such an integral part of Old Testament worship. (Psalm 51:16-17)

1 Peter 2:5- Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Psalms 19:14- Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

We can see from this that Jesus expects our loyalty. We have been bought and paid for with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. The least we can do is live for Him since He ransomed us from death.

Romans 12:2- And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Paul says, “Stop conforming yourselves to this world”. They are to resist being poured into the mold of the present thinking, value systems, and conduct of this world. This term is used only here and in 1 Peter 1:14.

Jesus’ will refers to His purpose for the life of the true believer. It implies His guidance or direction in all of life’s decisions. Dedication is an act of surrender or submission to His will for our lives whereby we become a “Living sacrifice.”

The Greek word, for which the English word “metamorphosis” connotes a change in outward appearance. Matthew uses the same word to describe the Transfiguration. Just as Jesus briefly and in a limited way displayed outwardly His inner, divine nature and glory at the Transfiguration, Saints should outwardly manifest their inner, redeemed natures daily, the (Holy Ghost).

The renewing of your mind is the kind of transformation that occurs only as the Holy Ghost changes our thinking through consistent study and meditation of Scripture (Psalms 119:11).

“Good, acceptable, and perfect is the Holy living which Jesus approves.

These words borrowed from the Old Testament sacrificial language and describe a life that is morally and spiritually spotless, just as the sacrificial animals had to be. The things that displeased God (Jesus) in the Old Testament are still what displease Him today. He wants us to be holy as He is holy. Jesus is coming back for those who are without spot or wrinkle or any such blemish. If you have sin in your life, repent and ask Jesus to help you live free of sin.

Paul is Holiness greatest theologian, and Romans is considered to be Paul’s greatest theological work. One gets the sense from this letter and others, however, that Paul didn’t consider himself primarily as a theologian, but as a missionary pastor. We should expect, therefore, that Paul’s letter to the Roman-Jews is not just a theological treatise, but also a pastoral letter.

Knowing what to believe is never enough; believers must go on and apply the truth to their lives.

Chapters 12–15 of this book do just that. In verse 1 of chapter 12, Paul begins with “I urge you, therefore…”  And as has often been said, whenever you run into a ‘therefore,’ you need to see what it’s there for. We have been examining in great depth the mercies of Jesus – those things that Jesus has been orchestrating throughout history in order to be gracious unto us – and it is appropriate to ask how we will respond.

Chapter 12 can be viewed as a threefold answer to this question. First, we learn how we should respond to Jesus. (12:1–2). Second, we learn how we should treat other true believers. (12:3–13). And lastly, we learn how to relate to non-believers (12:14–21), which leads smoothly into a discussion of the Saint’s position toward the government in chapter 13.

12:1–2 The True Believers relationship to Jesus. The instruction is brief and comprehensive.

Living Sacrifices: (Symbolic or Type)

Living:  the blood of bulls and goats are no longer necessary, because the price for sin was paid once for all by Jesus’ death. (Hebrews 10). We are walking, talking, breathing, continuous offerings to Jesus, which means that every moment of our lives is be lived for Him. Sacrifices:  Jesus (God) required Israel to offer Him the best of what He provided to them: the first of the harvest, the best of the flock. It sounds great, but it was hard to practice! Even the few hours we dedicate to Jesus are often half-hearted, forced, or routine. Jesus deserves our best. In light of His mercies, we should give Him our best.

“Reasonable” or logical service

Offering our whole lives to Jesus is the logical (reasonable) response for what He has done for us.

Our responsibility is to live according to His will. Do not conform to the world, but be transformed: Don’t let the world’s ways define your life. The form of this world is doomed. (1 Cor 7:31). The Greek word for “transformed” (metamorphous) is only used two other places in the NT:  one is in 2 Cor 3:18, which teaches that believers will, with unveiled faces, be transformed into Christ’s likeness. The other is Matthew 17:2 (also Mark 9:2) where Christ is ‘transfigured’ – He exhibited the radiance of His divine nature. Clearly our transformation is also a supernatural event.

Renewing of your mind: renewing (to “again make new”) is a rebirth of the mind! It is part of the new self. (Ephesians 4:24) A renewed mind enables us to live by the will of God-- to prove it--in order to establish its goodness and perfection. Although it sounds like an event, it is a process (growth). Paul also proclaims that the old man has been put to death with Christ, but then he turns around and encourages believers not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies, (chapter 6). The event of salvation is the beginning of the (Redemptive Acts and Process). Jesus has certainly done something new to our minds, opening them to the beauty of His law. The natural man has no ability to appreciate the goodness and perfection of His commands. However, we cannot say that our minds are completely renewed yet. Therefore, we are in a unsure position when it comes to proving the will of God.

Paul uses a passive verb (be transformed), inferring that it is His work and ours. It is the work of the Holy Spirit. But then he commands us to do it, we must obey. Isn’t that a typical example of sovereignty and free will? We might stand perplexed at this paradox, like Nicodemus did when Jesus told him he must be born again. How are we to accomplish “being transformed?”  How do our minds get renewed? Paul doesn’t really elaborate, but it’s not a trick question. It occurs by developing our relationship with Jesus through prayer, meditation and applying the Word. We must not deceive and convince ourselves that Jesus has given us permission after confession to live by our old ways. Thus, we also need to be familiar with the Scripture, and to be, honest in its proper application. We must also seek the counsel of our Leaders and sometimes heed the advice of our brothers and sisters even when it conflicts with our own personal judgment.

We also must pay great attention when praying for Jesus to reveal His will to us. What do we really want to know? Are we asking for Jesus to help us discern what is good in His eyes? Jesus calls us to seek out and do what is right. The Lord’s mercies should also affect our relationships with our holy and sanctified brothers and sisters, and to a world that does not share our values and commitments, our way of living which True Holiness.

by Elder Bruce Sanders