Living on the Altar: A Life Fully Given to God
Romans 12:1
Introduction: A Call to Total Surrender
Romans 12:1 is not a casual suggestion—it’s a heartfelt plea. Paul writes, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God…” He’s urging us to respond to God’s grace with complete surrender. Not just a one-time decision, but a daily offering. Not just a sacrifice of death, but a life lived on the altar.
To understand this, we must look back to the Old Testament, gaze upon the cross, and then examine our own lives.
I. Worship Through Sacrifice: God’s Pattern in the Old Testament
In the Old Testament, sacrifice was central to worship. There were offerings for sin, yes—but also sacrifices of gratitude and praise. These were acts of devotion, given from what the believer owned.
God took great pleasure in worthy sacrifices. He gave detailed instructions for how offerings were to be presented.
He declared that they brought a “soothing aroma” to Him (Lev. 1:13, 17)—not because of the smell, but because of the heart behind the obedience.
Once an offering was given, it was no longer the worshiper’s possession. It belonged entirely to God.
And God would accept only the best. To offer Him something damaged or imperfect was an insult to His holiness.
Even before the law, we see the heart of worship in Isaac—who carried the wood, climbed the hill, and lay on the altar. He didn’t die that day, but he surrendered. He trusted his father, and Abraham trusted God. Isaac’s willingness foreshadows the kind of living sacrifice Paul describes: not just a moment of surrender, but a posture of trust and obedience.
II. The Ultimate Offering: God’s Sacrifice for Us
Paul appeals to the “mercies of God”—plural. He’s pointing to the cross, to the grace that flows from Calvary, to the unthinkable gift of God’s own Son.
God Himself met the standard for sacrifices when He offered His own Son as the spotless Lamb.
Only the death of His perfect Son was a worthy enough offering to atone for the sins of mankind.
Hebrews 10:12–14 reminds us that Christ’s sacrifice was once for all—complete, sufficient, and eternal:
“But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God… For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are sanctified.”
Christ has fulfilled the sacrifice for sin once and for all. There is nothing we can add to it. But living sacrifices of gratitude and praise are the appropriate response for those who live only by the mercy of God.
And remember—Jesus didn’t just die as a sacrifice. He lived as one. Every step, every word, every act of obedience was part of His offering. He laid down His will daily, served others, and obeyed the Father unto death. His life was a living sacrifice before His death became the final offering.
Just as dead animals were the act of worship in the Old Testament, our daily lives are the act of worship today.
III. Our Reasonable Response: Becoming a Living Sacrifice
In light of God’s mercy, Paul urges us to respond—not with dead offerings, but with living ones.
God asks us to lay down our lives on His altar as a living sacrifice of gratitude and praise.
Notice: we are the ones who must make this presentation. He will not do it for us.
Many people pray, “Lord, do whatever You have to do to make me serve You.” But that’s not a proper prayer.
You cannot have someone lay hands on you to impart this commitment. You cannot just rebuke the flesh and expect it to disappear.
We must give our bodies to God as a living sacrifice—daily. And just like in the Old Testament, once the sacrifice is made, it cannot be reclaimed. We belong entirely to Him.
We cannot make a partial sacrifice. Our offering must be wholehearted.
It’s possible to commit your life to the Lord for salvation, yet not be yielded in your daily walk.
Only when we make the total sacrifice of every area of our lives do we begin to see God’s perfect will manifest.
Isaac’s story reminds us that surrender is not passive. He wasn’t a small child—he was old enough to resist, strong enough to run, and aware enough to question. Yet he chose to trust and obey. That’s the kind of surrender God calls us to: not forced, but willing. Not blind, but faithful.
Rather than dying, God asks us to live for Him. That’s why Paul calls it a “living sacrifice.”
IV. Daily Surrender: The Ongoing Nature of Living Sacrifice
This sounds like a contradiction—how can a sacrifice be living when sacrifices are always dead? Paul is speaking of a continual surrender. A daily death to self.
Offering ourselves to God is not a one-time deal. It’s a living, ongoing commitment.
Every day, we must die to our own desires and reaffirm our decision to be separated unto God.
Illustration: The Apollo spacecraft traveled to the moon, but it wasn’t just a matter of blasting off and landing. Course corrections were made every ten minutes for the entire trip. And they landed just a few feet inside a 500-mile target zone. Yet the mission was a success.
Likewise, there has to be a starting place for this decision to be a living sacrifice. We have to blast off. But we don’t ever “arrive” in this life. We just start toward the goal (Phil. 3:12–13). And we may be making course corrections every ten minutes for the rest of our lives.
Living sacrifices have a tendency to crawl off the altar. That’s why this is a daily, moment-by-moment offering.
Every minute of every day, we reaffirm our surrender.
We do not serve God in our spare time or with leftover resources.
The way we live our lives is our offering to Him.
Isaac was willing to lay down his life. Jesus actually did. And now, we are called to do the same—not physically, but spiritually. Every day, we climb the altar. Every day, we say, “Not my will, but Yours.” That is the essence of being a living sacrifice.
So relentlessly pursue holiness. Let your offering be unblemished and acceptable to God.
Conclusion: Your Life Is the Offering
Romans 12:1 is not a call to die for Christ—it’s a call to live for Him. To live every moment as an act of worship. To say, “Lord, I am Yours. All of me. Every day.”
This is not a one-time decision. It’s a lifestyle. A posture of the heart. A relentless pursuit of the One who gave everything for us.
So today, I ask you: Will you get on the altar? Will you stay there? Will you be a living sacrifice?
Because that, my friend, is your reasonable service.
