Romans 12:1-13
Wednesday, 21 June 2023
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” -Romans 12: 1
In the first verse of this chapter, Paul appeals to the believers in Rome to respond for all the mercies that God has showered on them [chaps 9-11]. The only reason a Christian needs to be motivated to do anything for God is, on the ground of what God has already done for him. The kind of response expected of us is to be a ‘Living Sacrifice’ in worthy service to Him. Ever heard of a “living sacrifice?” Isn’t that a contradiction?
So, what does Paul mean here? He expects all believers to act in an effective manner, as faithful people fulfilling Christ’s plans and purposes in this world. It is a Christian’s service to God!
Now what should the life and attitude of a Christian look like? Paul explains further from vs 3 to 13, two areas to be worked on for our service to be pleasing to God.
I. In The Collective life – (Vs 3-8)
Everyone is equally important v. 3 - Paul begins by exhorting the church in the way believers need to consider each other within the church. Since the church is a living organism, a unified whole with many parts, every part is equally important. The body cannot function if one part fails or has fallen away. As Ephesians 4:16 says “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” For this to become a reality there are 2 things every believer must do:
· Do not think too highly of oneself.
· Evaluate oneself in the faith that God has given you.
If we were to remember these truths we will always keep God and His Kingdom as priority over the desire to project oneself.
Every task is equally important v. 4– Though the church works as a unified whole, there is diversity of gifts in operation within the whole. This unique gifting given to us is for the benefit of the church. Whatever the gifting, it is given to us by the grace of God and not because of any special qualities we possess. So, we should never compare our gifts and think that our gifting has no value or too much value in building the body of Christ. No gift is replaceable. Every gift is very much needed for the body to grow in health. By each of us serving faithfully with what is given to us we would edify, comfort, correct and encourage every believer in their Christian journey on earth.
II. In Our Personal Life – (vs 9-13)
In these verses Paul focuses on the individual life of a Christian that will enable him/her to be of service to God. He does not want any Christian to LAC anything that would hinder them from being a true follower of Christ.
What does the acronym “LAC” stand for?
1. L – Love without faking it (V.9) – This is a word that is so overused in the present age. The love that Paul writes about is a selfless, self-sacrificing one called ‘agape’. The love that was demonstrated by God in and through Christ Jesus (Rom. 5:8).
2. A -Abhor what is evil (V.9)–Since God hates lawlessness/evil (Heb. 1:9), we who fear and love God are called to do the same (Prov. 8:13 & Ps 97:10). We are to hate the evil, controlling people but love them enough to pray for them.
3. C -Cling to what is good (V.9)– The picture that comes to mind when we say the word ‘cling’ is how a baby clings to his mother. In the same way the only ‘good’ in heaven and earth is ‘God’. As long as we are in an intimate relationship with Him, all that we do and say will surely reflect the good nature of God in and through us.
So let us live our lives with this understanding daily, thereby becoming pleasing sacrifices to The Lord.
Quote for the Day: “No sacrifice should be too great for Him who gave Himself for us.” - Harry Ironside
Listen: 'Living Sacrifice '