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Romans 12:1–2
“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” (Rom. 12:1).
Worship in its more formal and corporate setting has been the focus of our look at what Scripture has to say about the worship that the people of God offer to Him. This is right and proper, for the individuals whom the Lord saves are united to Him and to one another, forming the corporate body of the church (Eph. 2:11–22). Yet while the Bible puts a premium on gathered worship, we would be remiss to overlook what Scripture says about offering up our entire lives unto the Lord and not just the hour or so that we spend gathering with other Christians on the morning of the Lord’s Day or the two hours we spend if we attend an evening worship service as well.
Because the Lord is our sovereign Creator, He has a claim not just on a few hours of our time or select aspects of our lives; rather, He owns all that we are and every minute of our lives. Today’s passage recognizes this reality when it says that we have a duty to offer up ourselves as living sacrifices unto God (Rom. 12:1). Sacrifice involves death, so being a living sacrifice means dying to ourselves so that we will live wholly dedicated to the Lord. This call to die to ourselves is implicit in the call of our Savior to take up our cross daily and follow Him (Luke 9:23). In the first century, only those who were going to die by crucifixion carried their own cross, so to take up our cross is to live in such a way that we die to self and serve God with our entire being.
The admonition to offer ourselves as living sacrifices in Romans 12:1 represents the practical application of what Paul outlines in Romans 1–11. Those chapters detail the great work of God in redeeming us from sin, describing the grace of the Lord poured out on those whom He has chosen to save. Worship, of course, is a duty that we owe to the Lord by virtue of the fact that we are creatures and He is our Creator, but His redemption of us means that we owe Him our worship even more. He did not have to save us, so our response to Him should be one of worshipful gratitude.
As long as sin remains, we are going to fall short in offering our entire selves to God. Yet as we seek His face, we will more and more die to ourselves and live to Him. Romans 12:2 shows us the way—transformation of our minds according to the Word of God. In knowing Scripture and practicing its teachings in our lives in the power of the Holy Spirit, we find ourselves ever more dedicated to our Creator as living sacrifices.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Until we are glorified, sin will in some measure get in the way of our offering ourselves as living sacrifices. Yet as Paul explains in Romans 6–8, the power of sin has been broken and cannot wholly prevent us from rendering true worship to God. Our worship will not be perfect, but as the Spirit works in us, it will be sincere and acceptable to our Maker in and through the mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ.
for further study
- Deuteronomy 6:5
- Deuteronomy 12:1–14
- Matthew 16:24–25
- Philippians 2:17