Are You a Living Sacrifice to God?

Thinking about Romans 12:1-2.

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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. (Romans 12:1-2)

Now that the Christians in Rome had a deeper appreciation and understanding of the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16-17), Paul instructed them on how they ought to live based on what God has done for them.

An Appeal Based on God’s Mercies.

It’s always interesting to notice the “why” behind a command or an appeal being made. Here, Paul “beseeches” or “appeals” based on the mercies of God that He had shown to both the Jew and Gentile Christians (Romans 11:30-32).

Paul here teaches us that men will never worship God with a sincere heart, or be roused to fear and obey Him with sufficient zeal, until they properly understand how much they are indebted to His mercy. (Reese, Romans, 573)

Understanding that God has not given us what we rightly deserve (Romans 6:23) should motivate us to do what Paul is about to say next.

The Offering That is Pleasing to God.

Christians must “present” their bodies as “living sacrifices” that are holy and acceptable to God.

Jesus offered Himself for us in our place (Romans 5:6-10). Now, we are called upon to make a sacrifice as well. The Christian’s entire life is to be a “living sacrifice” to God.

The Christian’s life is to be set apart for God (1 Peter 1:13-16) and pure because now we belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:18-20). This complete “living sacrifice” is that which is pleasing to God.

In the Greco-Roman world, those who were noted for their civic-minded generosity and who endeavored to do things that pleased the citizenry were said to be acceptable. In the New Testament, a person (or an action done by that person) is sometimes said to be “acceptable” or “pleasing” to God (see Hebrews 11:5). - Pollard, Truth for Today Commentary, 426

Knowing the mercies God had shown them, it was “reasonable” or “appropriate” to offer themselves as a living sacrifice to God. This life of “service” or “spiritual service of worship” (NASB) is a life that honors and serves Him as Creator and Sovereign.

A life that is a “living sacrifice” for God is a life that kneels before God. This is the life that Paul appealed to the Christians in Rome to live.

Who is Molding You?

The way we live our lives is influenced by something or someone. After Paul appealed to Christians by God’s mercies to be living sacrifices for Him, he caused them to consider what would hold them back from being a living sacrifice for God.

If they allowed the world to mold them to its form, rather than allowing God to transform their minds, they would have a terribly difficult time offering their whole lives as living sacrifices to God.

Paul called upon Christians to reject the lifestyle the world viewed as “normal.”

When Paul called on brethren not to be conformed “to this world” (literally, “age”), he was touching the heart and soul of Roman society. Social class made up the very fabric of Roman life. Paul countered that with his call for the Christians in Rome to re-evaluate their place in the world - not in terms of their own role and status, but in terms that God has assigned. He turned upside down centuries of Roman self-definition based on class with his counter-cultural message. - Pollard, Truth for Today Commentary, 428

Those who resisted being molded into the shape of the world and instead allowed themselves to be transformed by God (2 Corinthians 3:18) would be in a position to be able to discern God’s will because their standard for living was not the world’s standard, but God’s (Hebrews 5:12-14).

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So, let’s recap what Paul has said.

• God’s great mercy shown to you calls upon you to be a living sacrifice for Him.

• But if you want to be a living sacrifice for Him, you cannot be molded by this world - instead, you must be transformed by God.

• Then, you will be able to properly discern from His word what His will is and how you should live as a “living sacrifice” for Him.

Paul’s point here is quite strong: We cannot let the world “mold us” to its form and still be a living sacrifice for God.