A Living Sacrifice
Romans 12:1-8
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. [Romans 12:1]
Thus far in Romans, we have looked at God’s Righteousness Revealed in Condemnation [Rom 1:18-3:20]; Justification [Rom 3:21-5:21]; Sanctification [Rom 6-8]; and Sovereign Choice [Rom 9-11]. This morning, we begin a final section: God’s Righteousness Revealed in Transformed Living [Rom 12:1-15:13].
This section, however, is of a different kind. Rather than doctrine, it will be full on application. Romans 1-11 are doctrinal bedrock truths that the Christian must know. “The truth shall make you free.” [Jn 8:32] “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” [Hos 4:6] Knowing truth is vital; but truth without application is empty. As believers in Christ, we must apply what we know in our daily living.
And so, we come to one of my favorite verses in Scripture: “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.”
After all that God has done for us in Christ, how ought we respond? Our reasonable response is to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to Him. Our answer should be to serve God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. This is the premise for the remainder of Romans.
We respond by serving God and others with our Spiritual gifts [12:1-8] and behaving differently as followers of Christ [12:9-21].
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.” [2 Cor 5:17] This is the thesis for the remainder of Romans; spiritual gifts for serving and Spirit-filled behavior for living.
