WORSHIP
Living Worship
Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
The word ‘therefore’ points back to everything Paul has just taught about regarding God’s mercies - His compassion, forgiveness, salvation through Christ. Because of these mercies, Paul earnestly asks Christians to respond in a specific way:
‘Present your bodies’ is an act of dedication or offering. As an animal was presented as a sacrifice upon the altar in Old Testament times, Paul calls believers to present their entire selves as the offering. This includes one’s everyday life - their actions, habits, speech, relationships - it is a not just a Sunday morning type of offering. An animal sacrifice in Old Testament times was killed and consumed upon the altar. But ‘a living sacrifice’ means the Christian surrenders their life fully to God. It is ongoing and continual, not a one-time event, meaning every day you choose whether or not you will yield to God’s will or your own will. This offering must be set apart, ‘holy,’ for God’s purposes and to please Him. The word holy means ‘morally blameless, pure.’ It does not mean we are sinless, but we become holy when we accept Christ as our Saviour. It means we are to live as those who belong to God - we are to pursue moral purity - we should not be doing things that the world does. There should be a distinctiveness about us because we belong to God. The Greek words for ‘reasonable service’ literally mean ‘rational worship,’ or ‘spiritual worship.’ It means this total dedication is the logical, intelligent response to God’s mercy. It is the sensible thing to do, given what God has done for us in Christ. True worship is not limited to songs or rituals, true worship is to present your whole life to God as an act of devotion.
“Paul revolutionizes our understanding of worship when he urges us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. This expands worship beyond singing to include every aspect of life - our work, relationships, choices, and even our mundane daily tasks can become acts of worship when done for God’s glory. The question shifts from ‘when do we worship?’ To ‘how does everything we do reflect our worship?’”
Paul is not calling us to be martyrs in the sense that we deprive ourselves from pleasure or personal comforts (although some may be called to become a literal martyr for the cause of Christ). He is talking about surrendering control to God for His use - using our time, energy, strengths and abilities to serve Him and others. Perhaps God is calling you to give up something that may not be sinful, but it is preventing you from being holy and from being a living sacrifice. Don’t resist. We are to be holy because God is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). We are to be distinctly God’s, separated from sin and world’s ways. Lets ask the Holy Spirit to help us choose to surrender every day so that we can reflect God’s character in everything we do and in the choices we make.
Living Worship
Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
The word ‘therefore’ points back to everything Paul has just taught about regarding God’s mercies - His compassion, forgiveness, salvation through Christ. Because of these mercies, Paul earnestly asks Christians to respond in a specific way:
‘Present your bodies’ is an act of dedication or offering. As an animal was presented as a sacrifice upon the altar in Old Testament times, Paul calls believers to present their entire selves as the offering. This includes one’s everyday life - their actions, habits, speech, relationships - it is a not just a Sunday morning type of offering. An animal sacrifice in Old Testament times was killed and consumed upon the altar. But ‘a living sacrifice’ means the Christian surrenders their life fully to God. It is ongoing and continual, not a one-time event, meaning every day you choose whether or not you will yield to God’s will or your own will. This offering must be set apart, ‘holy,’ for God’s purposes and to please Him. The word holy means ‘morally blameless, pure.’ It does not mean we are sinless, but we become holy when we accept Christ as our Saviour. It means we are to live as those who belong to God - we are to pursue moral purity - we should not be doing things that the world does. There should be a distinctiveness about us because we belong to God. The Greek words for ‘reasonable service’ literally mean ‘rational worship,’ or ‘spiritual worship.’ It means this total dedication is the logical, intelligent response to God’s mercy. It is the sensible thing to do, given what God has done for us in Christ. True worship is not limited to songs or rituals, true worship is to present your whole life to God as an act of devotion.
“Paul revolutionizes our understanding of worship when he urges us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. This expands worship beyond singing to include every aspect of life - our work, relationships, choices, and even our mundane daily tasks can become acts of worship when done for God’s glory. The question shifts from ‘when do we worship?’ To ‘how does everything we do reflect our worship?’”
Paul is not calling us to be martyrs in the sense that we deprive ourselves from pleasure or personal comforts (although some may be called to become a literal martyr for the cause of Christ). He is talking about surrendering control to God for His use - using our time, energy, strengths and abilities to serve Him and others. Perhaps God is calling you to give up something that may not be sinful, but it is preventing you from being holy and from being a living sacrifice. Don’t resist. We are to be holy because God is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). We are to be distinctly God’s, separated from sin and world’s ways. Lets ask the Holy Spirit to help us choose to surrender every day so that we can reflect God’s character in everything we do and in the choices we make.
WORSHIP
Living Worship
Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
The word ‘therefore’ points back to everything Paul has just taught about regarding God’s mercies - His compassion, forgiveness, salvation through Christ. Because of these mercies, Paul earnestly asks Christians to respond in a specific way:
‘Present your bodies’ is an act of dedication or offering. As an animal was presented as a sacrifice upon the altar in Old Testament times, Paul calls believers to present their entire selves as the offering. This includes one’s everyday life - their actions, habits, speech, relationships - it is a not just a Sunday morning type of offering. An animal sacrifice in Old Testament times was killed and consumed upon the altar. But ‘a living sacrifice’ means the Christian surrenders their life fully to God. It is ongoing and continual, not a one-time event, meaning every day you choose whether or not you will yield to God’s will or your own will. This offering must be set apart, ‘holy,’ for God’s purposes and to please Him. The word holy means ‘morally blameless, pure.’ It does not mean we are sinless, but we become holy when we accept Christ as our Saviour. It means we are to live as those who belong to God - we are to pursue moral purity - we should not be doing things that the world does. There should be a distinctiveness about us because we belong to God. The Greek words for ‘reasonable service’ literally mean ‘rational worship,’ or ‘spiritual worship.’ It means this total dedication is the logical, intelligent response to God’s mercy. It is the sensible thing to do, given what God has done for us in Christ. True worship is not limited to songs or rituals, true worship is to present your whole life to God as an act of devotion.
“Paul revolutionizes our understanding of worship when he urges us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. This expands worship beyond singing to include every aspect of life - our work, relationships, choices, and even our mundane daily tasks can become acts of worship when done for God’s glory. The question shifts from ‘when do we worship?’ To ‘how does everything we do reflect our worship?’”
Paul is not calling us to be martyrs in the sense that we deprive ourselves from pleasure or personal comforts (although some may be called to become a literal martyr for the cause of Christ). He is talking about surrendering control to God for His use - using our time, energy, strengths and abilities to serve Him and others. Perhaps God is calling you to give up something that may not be sinful, but it is preventing you from being holy and from being a living sacrifice. Don’t resist. We are to be holy because God is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). We are to be distinctly God’s, separated from sin and world’s ways. Lets ask the Holy Spirit to help us choose to surrender every day so that we can reflect God’s character in everything we do and in the choices we make.
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