Romans 12:1

NASB – Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

NRSVUE – I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, on the basis of God’s mercy, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of worship.

VOICE – Brothers and sisters, in light of all I have shared with you about God’s mercies, I urge you to offer your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice to God, a sacred offering that brings Him pleasure; this is your reasonable and essential worship

A New View of Sacrifice

God’s mercy includes a variety of things: the forgiveness of our sin, the justification of our forgiveness through our faith, our relationship with Christ, the gift of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, and the sure hope of God’s glory in our lives. It’s not about obeying God, but about being grateful for the mercies that we have receives.

Under the old covenant, animals were slain and presented at the altar to ask for forgiveness of our sins. Now, we are a part of Christ and are called upon to live our lives according to God’s ways daily. We are continually renewed in faithful obedience to God’s will. These sacrifices that Paul calls his audience to become must be holy and pleasing. God wants what is set apart for Him and shaped by His will. We are called to reject the normalcy of sinful behavior and work towards reflecting God in all ways possible.

As a result, this sacrifice is a sign of worship to God. When we surrender our lives to Him, we are extending gratitude for the rescue that we have received for all eternity.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: With this aspect of sacrifice, how do you feel about being a sacrifice for God?

Holy and Pleasing

Holy is the Greek verb hagios (hag’-ee-os). It describes 1) a separation from everything that is common or impure and 2) a positive dedication to God’s use. It reflects what it means to belong to God specifically. Pleasing is the Greek adjective euarestos (yoo-ar’-es-tos). It describes something that brings delight to God through conduct, attitude, and offering. Let’s breakdown what it means to be a “holy” and “pleasing” sacrifice to God.

Holiness Conduct

God’s holiness is a foundational part of Christianity. God is morally perfect defines every attribute and action. His commands are holy and any judgments come from this place of perfect. Through Jesus, we see that holiness shown through Jesus’s sinless life and through His resurrection. The Holy Spirit regenerates, indwells, fills, empowers, and conforms believers to be like Christ. Rebelling against Christ as a believer rejects the only source of said holiness.

Christians are called to be holy, grounded in their relationship with Christ. Our worship needs to come from a pure place because Christ’s sacrifice gifted us access to approach God boldly and confidently. Our daily actions need reflect holiness through our speech, relationships and ethics. We do this by abiding through God’s moral standards and avoiding greed. Our relationships are to be kept pure from any adultery, lust, or extracurriculars that violate the relational covenant. Any business that has a conflict should be settled with people that can be just mediators. Even our pleasantries should come from a space of holy love and compassion.

For us, we can take away that holiness involves a code that grounds us in love, compassion, mercy, and justice. Our conduct is grounded is a deep, self-sacrificial love, showing that we will care for our neighbor in whatever way we can. Our actions involves in a deep and compassionate mindset that allows for an intentional path to meet their needs in whatever way is physically possible. It’s an intentional path to take to ensure that they are on an equal footing as each other. We also ensure that mercy is given at all times when possible, to ensure that there is a path of reconciliation and transformation at the end of the day. It’s can be offered through just systems, ensuring that there is no bias and stereotyping involved. It gives a place where humans can interact with humans on a common ground and see where we go from there.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: What differences of holiness can you add in your everyday life?

Pleasing Smells Only

A sign of being a pleasing sacrifice is when our generosity is motivated by them. We are called by God to be His hand’s and feet to all parts of the world. This pleasing mindset transformed our mind into focusing on the best of the Kingdom of God daily. It’s a mindset of willful obedience – to be joyous about doing what God has commanded us to do.

Pleasing follows the same mindset as holiness, but asks a reflecting question: “Is what I’m doing a pleasing thing to God?” It’s a reminder that our words, thoughts, desires, and actions must align with God’s character of compassion, grace, patience, love, and truth. It’s a reminder that our main commands to follow are to love God and love our neighbors. If our ways aren’t aligned with how God wants us to live, we must reassess. We must figure out how we are getting things wrongs. We must go to God, boldly and confidently, owning what we did was wrong and wanting to turn away from those actions. We must create a new path, through God’s wisdom and strength, guided by the Holy Spirit, that shows our actions and thoughts are guiding by Christ and Christ alone. The ways of the world are tmeporary, but God’s ways are eternal and last forever.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: When you reflect on your actions, what do you see that’s not pleasing to God? How can you make them more pleasing?

0

Likes So Far (click to like the blog)