In Romans 12, the Apostle Paul presents another transition in Christian living that is a result of what has been presented in the previous chapters. The word therefore points back to previous exhortations upon which the next section rests. Upon the basis of what has previously been referred to, we are to take this action.
Romans 5:1 NKJV Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
In Chapter 5, we are encouraged to keep on having peace with God because we have been justified through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:1 NKJV There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
We are reminded that since we have been delivered through Jesus Christ, therefore no condemnation awaits us as a result of our faith and identification with Him.
Romans 12:1 AMP I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.
In this final section of Romans, Paul ties together all the material that has been presented.
God’s compassion and great mercy has been described in detail in the first eleven chapters. Now Paul offers the practical application of the doctrines that have been presented. Romans 1-5 reveals the justification of the believer. Romans 6-8 demonstrates how the Holy Spirit enables the believer to live a righteous life. Romans 9-11 discusses God’s covenants and faithfulness to Israel and His mercy to all who believe.
Based on the mercy that God has demonstrated to us, the Holy Spirit is now drawing us to a place of practical Christianity.
Romans 12:1 AMP I APPEAL to you therefore, … in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties]
“On account of God’s mercy, I urge you… to present your body.”
God wants your body. Have you noticed how important your body is to you? How many of you looked at yourself in a mirror today? You wanted to see what your body looked like. Most of us had an idea, but we looked any way. Why is God interested in your body?
Since God has given us mercy, we are given this urgent message to present our bodies to Him.
As a result of all of the mercy that God has given you, I urge, beseech or beg you to offer your body to God. God wants your body. Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. The actions of your body is a reflection of your innermost being.
Romans 12:1 NIV Therefore, I urge you… in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices…
As a result of receiving all of God’s mercy, we should make a decisive dedication or offering of our bodies to God.
Look at the words: “living and sacrifice.” The word sacrifice has the idea of losing something. Usually the sacrifice lost its life on an altar. In the Old Testament when a sacrifice was presented on the altar, it was often burned. The sacrifice stopped living when it became a sacrifice. The Holy Spirit wants us to be a living sacrifice.
What is a living sacrifice?
A living sacrifice is the offering of all of one’s life, activities and desires to God. It is reasonable and logical for us to offer our entire lives to God since He has blessed and favored us with His mercies. A true relationship requires a fully committed life. We cannot have a life that is pleasing to God until it is wholly surrendered to God. God wants us to make a full commitment to Him of everything that we are and have.
God wants your body.
To be a living sacrifice, we must daily yield our own body to God. We do not have to make deals with God to do this. We do this because of what God has already done for us. We don’t do this in an attempt to get something from God, but on account of the mercy He has already shown. God does not have to do something more before we offer Him our bodies.
Have you ever tried to bargain with God?
“God, if you will do this for me, I will do that for you.” We do not serve Christ in order to receive His mercies. We have already been given His mercies, (Romans 3:21–8:39). We serve Him out of love and appreciation for all that God is and all that He has done. Take into account all of the mercy and grace that God has shown you. We need to learn to count the mercy and grace that God has given. His mercy is undeserved and unmerited favor. God’s grace is His kindness that makes salvation possible. God has been good to you.
Look at the multitude of things He has done.
We need to take account of His mercies. Do you know what God has done for you when He had mercy on you?
1 Peter 1:3 AMP By His boundless mercy we have been born again to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…
Titus 3:5 AMP, He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but because of His own mercy.
Psalms 100:5, His mercy is everlasting..
Psalms 117:2, His merciful kindness is great toward us…
Since we have received His mercy, we should fully surrender to God.
You are of God, little children… “Your sins are forgiven you,” 1 John 2:12. “You have overcome the world, because He who is in you is greater than the world,” 1 John 4:4. God’s merciful kindness and great grace has included us and brought us into the secret place of His presence. We need to hide under His shadow.
God wants your body.
Romans 12:1 AMP I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.
Offer your body as a living sacrifice, holy, and pleasing to God.
How can we be holy and well-pleasing to God? Holiness most clearly refers to God. Revelation 15:4 says, “Who will not fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy.” Most of us have trouble pleasing ourselves, and now we are challenged to live holy before God. God wants us to present ourselves totally devoted to Him.
God wants your body.
We are to present our bodies as a holy and pleasing or acceptable sacrifice. In the Old Testament, a sacrifice had to be whole and without blemish in order to qualify to be a sacrifice to God. The blemished, unclean, broken and scarred could not be used as a sacrifice to God. Here is a problem for each of us. We have been blemished, broken, and scarred. Our sins have made us unclean.
God wants us to be “living, holy, and well-pleasing” to Him.
We cannot dwell in His presence until we have presented our body as a holy and pleasing sacrifice. We cannot be well-pleasing to God and be conformed to this world.
How can we be holy and well-pleasing to God?
Remember what we were told in Romans 8.
Romans 8:1 NKJV There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Where does our righteousness and holiness come from?
It is not by works of our own righteous deed, but by grace and faith in Christ. Jesus has become for us righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, (1 Corinthians 1:30).
Romans 12:2 NKJV And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Because we have received mercy and grace through Christ, we must offer Him all of our body. We cannot please God if our body and mind is conformed to this world.
What kind of things have you had your body into this week?
Be careful little hands what you do. Be careful little eyes what you see. Be careful little feet where you go. For the Father up above is looking down in love.
Why do you do what you do?
Did you have the concept that God is sitting on His throne in heaven just waiting for you to make a mistake? He was ready to jump on your case. Some people obey God because they know that obedience is good for them, and they fear chastening.
We need to gain a new perspective of what God is doing while we are messing with our body.
When your body is mixed up with things it should not be in and your hands are not clean, and your eyes are polluted, and your ears are full of junk, and your feet have been busy in mischief: Your Father is looking down in love.
Some people think that the only way they can serve God is through fear and intimidation, but God has given you mercy.
God is still extending mercy, grace and love toward you. He wants to have a close relationship with you. He wants to use your body. He wants to reveal Christ’s glory in and through your life. He wants to demonstrate His power through your body.
What is a holy and well-pleasing sacrifice?
The Greek word hagios means “set apart” for God’s use. We must be set apart for God. We must be set apart from the world. We must be set apart and dedicated to God. We must be set apart in relationship to God. We must be set apart in love for God. We must be set apart in devotion.
Why are we set apart? We are set apart because of God’s mercies.
Since God has been merciful, I run to Him. I want to find the One Who has loved me when I was unloveable. I want to dwell in His presence and abide in the shelter of His mercies where I can find safety and help.
How can we be well pleasing to God? What makes us pleasing to God?
Isaiah presents the problem that we all have.
Isaiah 64:6 NKJV But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
How can we be holy and well-pleasing to God?
Our ways are faulty and our thoughts are imperfect. Our feet find mischief and our hands are busy with other things. Our eyes are not true. This takes us back to Paul’s struggles in Romans 6-7. He thought he knew what God’s law required, and he took pleasure in doing those things. He had a strong doctrinal foundation, but he just could not do everything he knew he should do. He kept falling short of the glory of God.
What gave him peace and a right standing before God?
Listen to his answer.
Romans 7:24-25 NLT Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Paul was contending with his body and recognized there was only One Who could help him with his weaknesses.
Thank God! Jesus is the One who makes your body holy and well-pleasing to the Father. In Christ Jesus there is therefore now no condemnation.
What God has done for you deserves a response.
Romans 12:1 AMP I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.
Since God has had mercy on us it is a reasonable and logical response to serve and worship Him.
Nothing less makes sense. We should not underestimate or devalue what the Lord has done for us. He bought you with His precious blood. He sought you while you were still in sin and away from God. He saved you by rescuing and cleansed you from the filth of your iniquities. He set you free from your slavery and bondage and He has given you new life and claimed you as His own. He healed you and has given you new hope and a future. He has given you His joy, peace and love. He has given you the Holy Spirit who abides with you. He has given you hope of heaven.
The only reasonable, rational and intelligent thing we can do is to give Him our bodies.
Allow Him to be the Lord of your life.