We read in Romans 12:1, “For this reason I make request to you, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you will give your bodies as a living offering, holy, pleasing to God, which is the worship it is right for you to give him.” (BBE)
In Romans 12:1, when Paul exhorts the believers with the words ‘for this reason’ it is obvious that he had mentioned something earlier and on the basis of that word of admonition, he requested them to present their bodies as a living sacrifice unto the Lord. This reason is elucidated by Paul in Romans 11:36, “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things. To him be the glory forever. So be it.” (BBE)
There are three realities explained in Romans 11:36 that we are called to pay close attention to. Firstly, all things come ‘from God’, secondly all things come ‘through God’ and finally all things are made ‘for God’. When the word mentions ‘all things’ we are reminded that it includes all created things and the whole of mankind.
If we were to translate this to our day to day living it would mean that every part of us, our lives, our families, our work, our society, all of it originates, and ends with God, who alone is worthy of all the glory and honor. There are many who are not sure of the purpose for which they live here on earth. It is only when we comprehend this fact that our life here on earth is a gift from God, through God and for God, then we will most assuredly glorify Him in everything we do, and there will be no room for any sort of sin or bondage.
For instance there are some people who are so obsessed with food that ‘they don’t eat to live, but live to eat’ which is also a form of bondage. No wonder then that Paul exhorts the church in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (NLT)
The psalmist often prayed in the Psalms, ‘not to us Lord but to your name alone be all the glory’ which if we were to analyze are in complete contrast to our prayers, most of which are self-centered and self-seeking. We must learn to pray in submission to God’s will, so that He alone is glorified in and through us.
If the intentions for our prayers to God are good, and in accordance to His will, with the true motive to glorify the Lord, then most assuredly the Lord will be delighted to answer our prayers. Our ambition in life must be to glorify God in every aspect of our lives; our walk, our talk, our worship, at work, in our travels and in every single thing we do. If we sincerely seek that God’s kingdom come, His will be done on earth, right here where we are as it is in heaven, then we will experience a complete change all around us. When the glory of the Lord is all that we long for, everything we put our hands to will prosper, and all that we desire will surely be fulfilled.
We read in the Bible at the very outset in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (KJV) and if we read the last verse in the Bible in Revelation 22:21, it reads, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” (KJV). The first and the last verse in the Bible emphasize the truth that it all began with God, and will also end with God. Therefore, it is imperative that God and God alone, should be the recipient of all our glory and honor. If this is so, we will find the Lord’s hand of blessing resting on all that we do, and we will have no need to fear disfavor or dishonor at the hands of men.
Noah, a righteous man among ungodly people
In the Book of Genesis, the Bible records an incident of God’s destruction of all mankind and all of creation, except Noah and his family with floods. The reason for God’s wrath and judgement in those days, was that mankind had forgotten their primary purpose, and were in oblivion as to why God created them.
Recollecting the days of Noah, these are the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:37-38, "When the Son of Man comes again, it will be exactly like the days of Noah. In the days before the flood, people were eating, drinking, and getting married until the day that Noah went into the ship.” (GW)
It is not that the Lord was against the people eating, drinking or marrying, but it grieved the Lord that people were so engaged with the mundane, that they forgot their primary purpose for living. The people during the time of Noah had become so insensitive to the voice of God, become engrossed with the temporal, and had no concept of right and wrong.
The mind of man is so caught up with the worldly affairs, that it seems impossible for him to free himself from all forms of bondage. There are many people who argue that being addicted to certain habits like pornography affects no one, but the fact of the matter is that when a person is enslaved to sin of any kind, it completely hinders him or her from fulfilling God’s divine plan to glorify Him in all we do. This is the bondage that we need to break free from in order to fulfill God’s plans and purposes for our lives. Let us desire to be those who in our every waking moment seek to please the Lord and glorify Him, so that people can see the Lord reflected in and through us. For those who long to live this way, the Lord will stand close by and assure them of victory over every adverse situation.
As God looked down on mankind whom He had created, he was displeased as men and women failed to glorify God as their creator and sustainer, and were instead content with the humdrum of day to day living. It was in this world of total chaos and wickedness that the Lord searched to see if there was anyone who walked uprightly and righteously. God did find Noah to be that one man.
We read in Genesis 6:9, “These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, without defect in his generations. Noah walked with God.” (LEB)
In the midst of this perverse generation, Noah walked with God. Two people can walk together in harmony only when they are of one heart and mind. Noah was in total union with God, and walked with God in complete obedience and righteousness.
If we were to examine ourselves, to see how much time we spend in fellowship with God on a daily basis, we will be appalled. A majority of us are so busy with our daily chores that we hardly even have time to think about God. This is also true of those who claim to walk with God, and yet are so preoccupied with their phones, their work, entertainment, education, family, relatives and the list goes on. The amount of time we spend in prayer and communion with God is a bare minimum. This is precisely why we fail so often in so many of our endeavors, and are unable to experience the victorious life that God intended for us to have. It is only when we prioritize our relationship with God, and earnestly yearn to glorify Him, will we become participants of His divine blessings in our lives.
It is in continuation with Romans 11:36, “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things. To him be the glory forever. So be it.” (BBE) that Paul now admonishes the people of God this way in Romans 12:1, “For this reason I make request to you, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you will give your bodies as a living offering, holy, pleasing to God, which is the worship it is right for you to give him.” (BBE)
The sacrifice that God desires
In the Old Testament whenever they sacrificed an animal, it meant death for the animal, but favor from God for the person who offered it. In the New Testament however, Paul talks about offering our bodies as a living sacrifice; meaning the things we do in this body while we live here on earth are the sacrifices that we offer to God. These include the things we think, the things we see, the things we hear, the words we speak, the deeds we do, all of which must be pleasing to the Lord and bring glory to His name. This is the kind of sacrifice that the Lord truly desires from us.
In the Old Testament, we read in Deuteronomy 15:21, we read “But if there is anything wrong with the animals, if they are crippled or blind or have any other serious defect, you must not sacrifice them to the LORD your God.” (GNB)
In the Old Testament, the above mentioned verse, details the kind of animals that the Lord expected for the sacrifice. The animal had to be without any defect in order to be accepted by God. So also, our sacrifice of our bodies must be without blemish, holy and acceptable to the Lord. This holiness must be evident in every area of our lives, because we are the temple of the living God, and His Holy Spirit lives within us. This is why a person for instance, can’t earn dishonestly, give his offering from that income, and expect that the Lord will accept and bless the labor of his hands.
We must be reminded constantly that everything we have, our bodies, our abilities, our families, our possessions, all of it belongs to God, and we must be cautious to use it as God intended for us to. Since everything comes from God, for God and through God, it is only when one totally surrenders their body to be holy and pleasing to God, is it considered true and proper worship to God.
Worship is not just singing and playing music, but true or reasonable worship is using our bodies to glorify the Lord alone, and not misusing it for anything that will displease or dishonor His name. There are some who restrain from smoking or drinking alcohol within the premises of a church building, not realizing that their body is indeed God’s temple. Any defilement that happens in the body is just the same as defilement of God’s holy temple.
From time immemorial people are content worshipping a graven image, confined to a room or a building, so that they can visit their gods as and when it suits them. But the God of the Holy Bible forbade worship of any graven image, as He desires to reside in us, and be the Lord and Master of our lives every moment of the day.
If Paul talks about giving up our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God as a right and reasonable worship, what would unreasonable or improper worship be? Improper worship is when we lead dichotomous lives, one on Sunday when in church, and the other one when we are out in the world, both of which are in contradiction.
Let us live each day with the realization that God is the beginning and the end. He alone is the source of everything we are and everything we possess. He is the author, the owner of our body, soul and spirit and we are just stewards. When we present our bodies to God a living sacrifice, daily choosing to walk in holiness, seeking to glorify His name, we will live triumphantly to be rid of every form of sin and bondage. With such lives the Lord is pleased and His hand will bless all that we undertake to do. May the Lord grant us grace to worship Him, the way He alone sees fit, and may His name be glorified through our lives.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
