Tag: Christian living

A Living Sacrifice

~ iolaHC ~ Leave a comment

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

‘Beseech’ [Greek: parakaleo] to call aside; make an appeal in view of certain facts. Here it is an appeal in view of the wonderful doctrines of Romans 1-8 and of God’s dispensational dealings with Jews and Gentiles in Romans 9-11. Paul comes now to the practical application of the gospel to people (Romans 12:1-15:7).

‘Mercies’ [Greek: oiktirmos] tender compassions. ‘Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God’ – people are now to bring themselves to God instead of sacrifices to the altar as of old. They are now to be wholly the Lord’s as were the former sacrifices.

‘Living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God’ – fifteen commands about the body: yield it to God (Rom. 11:1; 6:13-20); make it living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1); make it holy (Rom. 12:1; 1Cor. 3:17); make it accepted of God (Rom. 12:1); make it full of light (Matt. 6:22); reckon it dead to sin (Rom. 6:11); reckon it alive to God (Rom. 6:11); refuse its slavery to sin (Rom. 6:12); mortify its deeds (Rom. 8:13); refuse to defile it (1Cor. 3:17); make it fit temple of Holy Spirit (1Cor. 3:16-17; 6:13-20); make it free from fornication and only for the Lord (1Cor. 6:13-20); glorify God in it (1Cor. 6:20); keep it in control (1Cor. 9:27); put off its sins (Col. 2:11).

‘Reasonable service’ – rational worship, because performed with the heart, mind, and soul of intelligent beings, and is in contrast to the worship of idols of Romans 1:25.

‘Be not conformed to this world; but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’ Note the two commands of this verse.

‘Conformed’ [Greek: suschematizo] to conform to another’s example. We have a choice to follow in Jesus’ footsteps as given to us according to 1Peter 2:21-23, or the things that make up the world system of evil and rebellion against God. Men must not love the world system or the things in it, love of God and love of these things are not compatible. ‘World’ [Greek: aion] age. Do not pattern after this age or to the times.

‘Transformed’ [Greek: metamorphoo] transformed or transfigured by a supernatural change, as in Matthew 17:2; Mark 9:2; Romans 12:2 and 2Corinthians 3:18. This change is by a renewing of the mind or spirit (Tit. 3:5; cp. 2Cor. 4:16; Col. 3:10; Heb. 6:6; Eph. 4:23). The whole course of life must now flow in a different direction (2Cor. 5:17-18). Be renewed in the attitude of your mind by renouncing its vanity (Eph. 4:17), its darkness and blindness (Eph. 4:18) and learning of Christ (Eph. 4:20-21).

‘That you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’ Six things that constitute the acceptable and perfect will of God: Present your bodies a living sacrifice to God (12:1; 1Cor. 3:16-17; 6:20); make the body holy (12:1; 2Cor. 7:1); make self acceptable to God; render reasonable service (12:1); be not conformed to the world; be transformed from the world (12:2).

‘Perfect’ [Greek: teleios] that which has reached its end; nothing more to complete it.

Sons of God

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Romans 8:12-14 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if you live after the flesh, you shall die: but if you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 

‘Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh’ – So then, we owe the flesh nothing. It has no more control of our lives. We must not live in the sins of the flesh or we shall die. But if we will put to death the practices of the flesh by the Spirit, we shall live (8:12-13; Gal. 5:16-26; Col. 3:5-10).

The Flesh and Spirit life contrasted: The Fleshly Life: Minds things of flesh; carnally minded; spiritually dead; enmity to God; not subject to God; cannot be subject; cannot please God; not in the Spirit; not Christ’s; body alive to sin; spirit dead to God; no Christ; sinful life; no Holy Spirit; no physical quickening; debtor to flesh; no help from Spirit; the end is death. The Spiritual Life: minds things of Spirit (8:5); spiritually minded; alive (8:6); no enmity (8:7); subject to God; can be subjected; can please God (8:8); in the Spirit; is Christ’s (8:9); dead to sin; alive to God; Christ in life (8:10); righteous life; Spirit indwelling; a physical quickening; not a debtor (8:12); help from Spirit (8:13); the end is life.

‘Led by the Spirit of God’ – it is imperative for the child of God to be led by the Spirit, to live and walk in the Spirit, and to meditate on His Word and to obey it – if he is to have success and live a Christian life (8:1-16; Gal. 5:16-26; Jos. 1:8; Ps. 1:3-4). To be led by the Spirit one must live in obedience to all that is commanded to Christian living and behaviour in the Word of God – not to make decisions and then claimed to be led by the Spirit in them. God will not make our decisions for us, but can give us clarity when we know Him in our choices (Pro. 3:3-7).

‘The sons of God’ even so, we were children under bondage to the law until Christ came to redeem us from the law, that we might become adopted sons of God and free from the law (Gal. 4:3-7). Sons by adoption (8:15; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:5), not by begetting as in the case of Christ, who is the only begotten Son of God (John 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18).

Christian Consecration

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James 2:14, 17-18 What do it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him? Even so faith, if it had not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou has faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. 

This statement refers to those who say that they have faith and the works are not necessary for Christian living. It does not say they have a real and active faith, but they say they have. Can faith alone save? The Word is not referring to initial justifying faith but to the demonstration of Christian faith before men. Christianity demands of its followers’ good works to all men (Mat. 5:16; 16:27; 1Tim. 6:18; 2Tim. 3:17). One is not justified by works (Rom. 3:25-31; 4:1-6; 9:11; 11:6), but justified ones must do them – the works that follow obedience – to prove their Christian consecration (Jas. 2:14-18, 20-26).

Faith without works is dead; works without faith is dead (Jas. 2:17, 20, 26). Neither is complete in itself. It is like fire-burning without fuel and fuel-burning without fire. One can say that this is possible, but it is not; it is contrary to the creative makeup and the laws that govern fire and fuel.