ROMANS 12:1-2 Presenting your Bodies as Living Sacrifices

 

We now come to the practical application of Paul’s letter to the Romans in Chapters 12-15.  

The great doctrines of Romans 1-11 (Orthodoxy) must lead to application (Orthopraxy).   

Right doctrine must be followed by   right doing.  Right living comes as a result of right thinking.  Paul, in almost all his letters deals with the doctrinal foundations of Christianity first before turning his attention to the duties of Christians. 

Matthew Henry (1662-1714) said, “The foundation of Christian practice must be laid in Christian knowledge and faith. We must first understand how we receive Christ Jesus the Lord, and then we shall know the better how to walk in him “.  Truth must be believed. It must be lived out. 

Paul reminds Timothy:” Watch your life and doctrine closely!” (1 Tim 4:16 NIV).

REMINDER: Primary theological truths  contained in Romans 1-11 

• Mankind is a fallen race - “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God“ (Rom 3:23).
• All can only be redeemed through Christ alone, by faith in Him alone.
• All who have faith in Jesus are justified and receive full forgiveness of their sin.
• This brings about true freedom from the slavery of sin and the wrath of God (Rom 8)
• Since no one believes naturally, God sovereignly elects His people from among Jews and gentiles. If He did not do this no one would be saved.  (Rom 9-11)
•  Chapter 11   concludes with the strong reminder that God is merciful to sinners.  This pivotal thought will be carried into Romans 12-15. Sinners who receive God’s mercy are thankful and grateful. They are debtors to God’s mercy. These are the doctrines of grace and if you are a recipient of the doctrines of grace then these   will make us gracious.  This is indeed the mark of a true believer. If you have been saved by the grace of God then you will increasingly exhibit the marks of that grace, by growing in grace (2 Pet. 3:18).  We will return to this thought  shortly...

OUTLINE OF ROMANS 12-15

•  12:1 – 2 Duty to God - WORSHIP
•  12:3-8 Duties to the Church
•  12: 9 – 21 Marks of a true Christian  
• 13: 1 – 7 Duties to  the governing  Authorities
• 13:8 - 14 Duty to love one another
• 14:1 - 15:13 Concerning Christian liberty

1. ROMANS 12:1-2 OUR DUTY TO GOD

OUTLINE

1. Starting point: God’s mercy
2. Response:  worshipping God with our bodies
3.  Exhortation: negatively - nonconformity to the world and positively   - transformation of the mind
4. A surprising result:  God’s will for our life can be discerned

1.  God’s Mercy – The Starting Point

 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God…”.   We saw that Paul ended Romans 11:30-32 on the high note of God’s mercy.  

What is mercy?

On a human level, mercy is the compassionate treatment of someone suffering or in need. The Bible calls Christians “to love mercy” (Micah 6:8); to “be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36).  This includes forgiving offenses and helping the poor or suffering— all because  we  have received mercy from God.

On a divine level, mercy is the free gift of God’s undeserved kindness and compassion to us, sinners. In Titus 3:4–7, Paul gives us one of the best descriptions of God’s mercy: 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. “God’s mercy is freely granted. It not only forgives our sins and saves us but also withholds the punishment we deserve and makes us fit for heaven.

The difference between mercy and grace: 

Mercy is not receiving the punishment, wrath, or consequences that you do deserve. 

Grace is receiving the unearned gift, favour, and spiritual blessings that you do not deserve (Eph. 2:4–9)

Paul has shown the  greatness of God’s mercy to sinners.  He says in effect, “Look what God has done! Even though you were disobedient, rebellious sinners, God has shown you undeserved mercy. ”

2. An appropriate Response : Give Him your Body as a Living Sacrifice!

“…by the mercies of God … present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship”.  

What ought to be our response to God’s mercy?  Knowing that we cannot repay God for His mercy, there is yet something that we  can and must do: “…present your bodies as a living sacrifice.”  

Ironically, salvation is the free gift that costs you everything. Paul is not saying, "give Jesus your heart”. God wants all of you. “You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart, soul, mind and strength”(Deut. 6:4,5; Mk 12:30).

Paul reminds the Corinthians: “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body.”  (1 Cor 6:20). Salvation is the free gift that costs us everything.  Christian discipleship means giving the totality of ourselves to God.  

“…Which is your spiritual worship… That is the meaning of true worship!  Modern Christians think of worship as an event. Some think that singing praise songs is worship. However, the Bible thinks of it as a lifestyle and a habit that pervades our body and mind every day, as it influences the way in which we think and act.  I am a Christian 24/7. Sadly, many Christians have this incredible disconnect between life (how we live) and doctrine (what we believe). And it makes them fundamentally unhappy, because they live a compromised life. The Bible teaches me that what I do with my body is important.    Therefore, I must care  about  where I take my body and what I do with my body. It is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19). I am called to use this body to glorify God – in all situations!  

And all this because I have come to understand that this is not out of a mere sense of duty. Mere duty is legalism.  “Legalism  lacks the supreme sense of worship. It obeys, but it does not adore.” (Geerhardus Vos).  When I adore, I delight in God. I adore because I have begun to understand the nature of His mercy. I understand the consequences. I have been redeemed from a future in eternal hell. I am adopted as His beloved a child. I am loved. I have a place, a home in His eternal family.  I adore, therefore I give myself to Him, not because I have to because I want to.  

3. EXHORTATION : THIS IS HOW WE DO IT 

Exhortation  #1 Do not be conformed to this world

“Do not be conformed to this world”.  That is the great problem with nominal and liberal Christianity.  Liberal Christians think little of God and much of man. Liberal churches accommodate themselves to what people think and want. To do that they will even go against God’s Word, or they twist it.  But God does not want us to be ruled by current culture or the prevailing social norms.  We do not belong to the world.  God’s will is uppermost in our hearts, minds and behavior. And so, we must not send confusing messages into the world.  We must not be   ruled by double standards.   We do what God says in His word.

Exhortation #2 Be Transformed by the Renewal of your Mind

“…but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”   Here we are challenged not to put our minds into neutral but to actively seek the renewal of our minds by learning to think God’s thoughts after Him.   With our mind we  believe, think and exercise our will and desire.   Our mind in the wrong hands can be easily swayed, depending on who we listen to.  

Dear believer, you were designed to listen to God.  

How many years have you spent listening to the world?  

Who is talking to you?  

Many Christians claim to have Christian hearts but  their  minds are instructed by  the ungodly at many levels,  from the  social media, the entertainment culture to our systems of education. The late Voddie Baucham famously said, “We cannot  continue to send our children  to Caesar for their education  and be surprised  when they come home as Romans”.   We can’t be naïve. Our children are  not strong enough  to resist  the world. Do/did you teach your children well?  Do you/ did you know what your children were being taught at school and University? And did you help them?   Are you surprised that they turned out sceptics?  

The Bible says that our mind  has  to be transformed in order to live the Christian life. Well,  how is it transformed? Through renewal.  How is it renewed? Through learning to think God’s thoughts after Him. Our minds need to be held captive by the Word of God.  

Martin Luther  when at  the Council of Worms on April 18, 1521 was  under strong  pressure to  capitulate  to the  very corrupt Catholic  thought system of his day. His response was, “My conscience is captive to the Word of God! To go against conscience is neither right nor safe. I therefore cannot, and I will not recant. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen." That is where we need to be! Don’t be conformed … be transformed  by the renewing of your mind as your mind is held captive by the Word of God.

IV. THE RESULT:  A TRANSFORMED MIND KNOWS THE WILL OF GOD

“… that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Here is a  surprising and wonderful byproduct: A mind that is transformed by the renewing work of God’s Holy Spirit in accordance with the word of God will be a discerning mind.  It’s as simple as this: You cannot do the will of God if you do not know the will of God.  Wise living, making wise choices begins by  learning what the Bible teaches. The renewed mind, even whilst living in a fallen world is able to discern the issues of life.

Feeding on sound doctrine, feeding on the Word of God, believing God more than you believe anyone else will show you above all else how merciful God is to you. And when you have seen that, all your life will be lived in heartfelt worship, and if that is true,  you will be a blessed woman or man (Psalm 1).