Living Sacrifices

Romans 12v1

12^th April 2024

Last time, we looked at:

Romans 11v33-36
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor?" "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

God is awesome. These words are a wonderful beginning in the task of describing just how awesome He is but, of course, a great deal more could be said. How could Paul best continue his letter after this amazing prose song of praise? What is our right response to the awesome majesty and kindness of God? Paul says:

Romans 12v1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship.

Paul urges us in view of God's mercy. God has shown us such mercy that He was willing to die on the cross for us. If it were not for the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ none of us would be here. This was not some sort of deal; we can give God no "quid pro quo". As we read, "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" God has given us redemption and eternal life. We didn't - and couldn't - earn it. It was a free gift. We can't pay back the debt we owe, but we must surely respond to God's goodness.

In view of God's mercy, Paul urges us to offer [our] bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. The Old Covenant included a sacrificial system in which people would offer bulls, sheep and other animals. They would put them on God's altar and cut their throats. They would bleed out and die on the altar. That sacrificial system has come to an end. Jesus Christ died as the perfect sacrifice, the Lamb of God. So we never need to sacrifice animals to God ever again. There's only one blood sacrifice that matters, and that's the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. And in response to God's mercy, the mercy that sent Jesus to sacrifice Himself for you and me, we are urged to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, to put ourselves on God's altar.

But we are living sacrifices. We offer ourselves to God not to die but to live! To put ourselves on God's altar as a living sacrifice is to give everything to Jesus, to hold nothing back. Is that the sort of Christianity you want? Some people live as if they think it's enough to accept Jesus as their saviour, wait for heaven, and carry on living their lives much as they always did. That's not what I want. I hope it's not what you want.

In Philippians 3v10 Paul said "I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection..." I'm sure all Christians do. Then Paul wrote, "... and the fellowship of His sufferings". Will we choose day by day by day to offer ourselves back to Christ? Will we say to God, "Do in me whatever you want to do in me. Do through me whatever you want to do through me. Do to me whatever you want to do to me."? That's what a living sacrifice truly is.

If we do that, we are holy and pleasing to God. I don't just want to be saved, I want to be holy. I don't just want to belong to God, I want to be pleasing to God, but I know there's a price to pay for it. That price is worth paying. I want to know Jesus as well as I can. I want to glorify Him as much as I can, and – let's be honest – let him down as little as I can.

This, says Paul, is your spiritual act of worship. The Greek word here is "logicon". Some Bibles translate it as "spiritual", and other Bibles say "reasonable". It's one of those Greek words that can be interpreted in more than one way. But either way, what it means here is "internal". It's not some animal we give to God; we give ourselves to God. Paul urges us to offer [our] bodies to God because he's using Old Testament sacrifices as a picture of Christian discipleship, but he means we should sacrifice all our ourselves: heart and soul and mind and body. "All to Jesus I surrender" as the old hymn says.

To do so is an act of worship, it's the ultimate act of worship - isn't it? - to climb onto God's altar every morning and say, "I am yours again today, Jesus. Do want you want with me. I exist for your glory, not for mine." And we pray it in the Lord's prayer:

Hallowed be Your name (and not mine).
Your kingdom come (and not mine).
Your will be done (and not mine).

How do we do this? Firstly, it's an act of the will. We must choose to do it, day by day. Secondly, we achieve this sacrifice better and better by understanding and implementing verse 2:

Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

We'll think about that next time.