Living Sacrifice

“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.” Romans 12:1

The Christian life is a service for the glory of God. I have rarely heard pastors talk about presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice. Do we really know what this means? The Hebrew word for sacrifice is [zebach], which refers to the act of slaughtering an animal. It can also mean the act of offering something of value to God. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was worth the whole world. We cannot fathom the value of God’s Son. For God so loved the world that He gave us His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. The apostle Paul is speaking to the Roman Christians about what is acceptable unto God. Have you ever noticed how Paul presented himself at the beginning of the chapters of Romans? “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.” [Romans 1:1]. Remember that Paul was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. The gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes [see Romans 1:16].

Now we move to Romans chapter 12, and the apostle Paul is declaring to the Christians in Rome to present their bodies as a living Sacrifice that is holy, acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service. [see Romans 12:1]. Presenting our bodies as our reasonable service is something we are not accustomed to doing. We need a different mindset to even understand what this means.

For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. Ye are bought with a price; 1 Corinthians 7:22-23

Take note of the word freeman, which means a person who is not a slave, or a person who is entitled. We are now Christ’s servants because we have believed in Him. Christ sacrificed himself for our salvation. He has bought us at a great price. That means we as humans are valuable in God’s eyes. To present our bodies to God is to follow Christ’s example of giving up His own body for us. We are to dedicate ourselves to God in everything we do. This is not a partial dedication; this is a full dedication and decision to follow God by giving Him our bodies since we belong to Him. Through His love, He gave us Jesus Christ, His Son. God sees us through His Son; therefore, we have full inheritance and entitlement to all the promises of God.

As we present our bodies as a living sacrifice, we are separating ourselves from the world. Look at verse two of Romans chapter 12. Paul states, “Be not conformed to this world.” Conformed means not to adopt the form of those around you. We adopt instead the form of Christ and his character. Our mind is transformed into Christ. We are members of the body of Christ, and we do not all have the same office. It is God who gives each person a measure of faith. If you lack faith, you can ask for more. The apostle Paul mentions that the gifts differ according to the grace that was given us. He mentions prophecy, ministry, teaching, and exhortation [see Romans 12:3-8]. We are not to be high-minded above others in the gifts that we receive. These gifts are to edify the body of Christ. Love is the key to serving one another.

Through love, we are truly able to serve one another. As we become living sacrifices, we will learn to serve one another through the gifts that He has bestowed upon the members in the body of Christ. Then in verse 12 of Chapter 12, of Romans, we will be able to rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and continue diligently in prayer. Are you praying with care and conscientiousness? Are you in fellowship with the Father God? These are questions to meditate upon, especially if you are not praying diligently every day. The days we are living in are evil, and we should be praying to God to keep us from all evil. We are to overcome evil with good. Some say this is not easy to do. In the flesh, yes, but in the Spirit of Christ we stand in victory. As we present our bodies as a living sacrifice unto God, we are conscientious in knowing who we are in Christ.

Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.”

2 Corinthians 3:3

We are living representations of Christ. Think about this and ask God through the Holy Spirit to move upon your bodies to do good unto others. Let us be separated from the world and be consecrated to God. We each have a spiritual purpose. We each have an inheritance through Christ. Let us walk in it every day and prove what the perfect will of God is by renewing our minds and presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice to the glory of God.