Romans 12:1-2
Contents
Passage
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.[1]
Objectives
- Learners will determine to explore ways in which they can present themselves as a living sacrifice.
- Learners will will recognize the need to be transformed to Christ-like-ness.
Introduction
In Romans 12, Paul has just finished an extensive theological treatise in which he has demonstrated that the solution to our sin problem is justification is by faith through which we are all brought to a common salvation. Now in Romans 12 Paul takes the theoretical and makes it practical. It is worth noting the way in which Paul makes his appeal.
The degree of exhortation - I appeal. In the passage Paul appeals, urges, or exhorts his readers.
The relationship of the exhortation - brothers. Paul appeals to the common ground that exists between everyone.
The common ground - God's mercy. Paul notes that it is God's mercy that unites each believer in a common ground. Paul has just finished arguing that the mercy of God is great. Now he appeals to that mercy as common ground and reason for transformation.
As Christians we must take our theological knowledge and apply that knowledge to transform our patterns of behavior, transforming our minds.
Main Body
Living Sacrifice
The greek word for "offer" παραστησαι (parastesai) was the word that was often used for the act of slaughtering the animals in a religious sacrifice to please God. The idea of living sacrifice would have stood in sharp contrast to the typical slaughtered animal. When we think of sacrifice we often think of atonement but there were a great many sacrifices that the Israelites made in acts of worship and devotion to God. The ultimate sacrifice was made on the cross and atonement was achieved but we are still called on to worship God.
Holy and Acceptable
The word holy is intended to remind us of the sacrificial rituals. We often think of something holy as something that has been sanctified or set apart. Here we are told that presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice is a holy ritual. The act of presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice is acceptable or well-pleasing to God.
- Have you ever smelled someone grilling a steak and thought you are hungry?
In the sacrificial system the Israelites aimed to present an aroma that would be pleasing to the Lord. Here we see that presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice is acceptable or well-pleasing. Just like the aroma of a steak is pleasing so the living sacrifice we present is pleasing to God.
Spiritual Worship
Ultimately presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice is all about worship. When we when we each present ourselves as a living sacrifice we allow God to patch us together into the tapestry that is the church. This act is nothing short of an act of worship. All too often we think of worship as singing a hymn or maybe sharing a praise. Worship is so much more than these items. Paul tells us that when we present ourselves as a living sacrifice this is an act of worship.
Transformation
Maybe you feel like you have this living sacrifice thing down. Don't get too excited just yet. Remember that the sacrifice was to be without blemish, God's standard is nothing short of perfection and so Paul follows the command to present as a living sacrifice with a command to be transformed.
The words conformed and transformed have similar but not identical meanings. Some scholars have argued that being conformed would be a temporary change that tries to follow the world as it goes through a constant state of flux. In comparison, transformed is the idea of an inside out transformation, a permanent change. The greek verb transformed is in the passive voice, that is the transformation is a work of God on the believer. The verb transformed is itself interesting, "The Greek verb translated “transformed” (metamorphousthe) is seen in the English word “metamorphosis,” a total change from inside out (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18)." [2]
The christian is not to be conformed to the world. We are not to follow the worlds pattern that is in a constant state of flux. What is popular today will be unpopular tomorrow and what was unpopular yesterday has become popular today. The christian who tried to be conformed to the world is in a state of constant painful change.
Instead, a christian should be transformed. So, how does a Christian become transformed?
Renewal
Romans 1:28 notes that "And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.[3]". The debased mind refuses to acknowledge God. So what does it mean to acknowledge God? Acknowledging God means acknowledging our total depravity, our fallenness and complete need for God. Before we can do anything we must renew our minds.
Testing
In school a test serves two purposes. A test can be summative (gives a grade) and a test can be formative (tells the teacher and/or student what they know or don't know). We know for a fact that God's will is perfect, pleasing, and good. In order to renew our minds we must diligently test to know God's will. We must perform formative testing searching to know God's will in our lives.
Conclusion
God is quilting each of us together in the tapestry that is The Church, the Bride of Christ. We must present ourselves as a living sacrifice and be transformed by renewing our mind and searching for that perfect, good, pleasing will of God.
