Worship And Sacrifice

Worship and sacrifice

Romans 12:1-2

Who defines worship? The obvious answer is God through His written Word .

God Himself defines worship in Scripture. We should "serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear" (Hebrews 12:28 NKJV). In this verse, the Greek word which is translated "serve" is a form of the word "worship" and is used 21 times in the New Testament in the contexts of service and worship. That means worship and service (the offering up of oneself) are intertwined in Scripture. Other Greek words translated "worship" are prokeneuo (G4352)meaning "paying homage" (1 Corinthians 14:25), sebazomai, (G4573) meaning "to render religious honor" (Romans 1:25), and sebomai (G4576) meaning "to revere or adore" (Acts 16:14). Jesus used the Greek word sebomai to describe the vain, hypocritical worship of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 15:9) leading us to the conclusion that not all "worship" is acceptable to God.

True biblical worship is to be first and foremost reverent (Hebrews 12:28), and offered with the understanding of the nature and attributes of the God being worshiped. God is holy, just, righteous, perfect, powerful, loving, wrathful, etc. If we want to worship biblically, we must worship God as He is revealed in Scripture.

Second, we must worship in truth (John 4:24). Personal expressions of worship are not indicated anywhere in Scripture and can actually lead to activities that are not God-honoring.

Third, true worship is worship in Spirit. Because God is Spirit, true worship is a pure, holy, spiritual worship, the offering of the soul and the homage of the heart rather than merely words or emotions of the moment.

Finally, true worship always accompanies a change in the heart of the worshiper, causing a greater desire to love and obey God. If worship does not propel us toward greater obedience, it isn't really worship. Many today come out of emotional worship services with a seemingly greater feeling of love in their hearts for God. But Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15). Unless our worship leads to a greater commitment to obedience, it isn't worship and the feeling it generates isn't love.

True biblical worship is a lifestyle, not a moment in time (1 Corinthians 10:31). Worship is not meant to occur only at church. Instead, it encompasses our entire lives. Our working, serving, relating with others, eating, sleeping, all that we do in our daily lives should be done in a spirit of worship of God. True worship is given to God from the depths of our inner being. It is given in song, in praise, in prayer, in giving of ourselves , in learning, in living in obedience, etc., and should always be offered in spirit and in truth.

The apostle Paul described true worship in Romans 12:1-2: “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable, or well pleasing and perfect.”

This passage contains all the elements of true worship. The “therefore” in Romans 12:1 shows the call to surrender ourselves as living sacrifices is predicated on the reality of the “mercies of God” described in chapters 1-11. These first eleven chapters of Romans instruct us in God’s plan for sinful man through the saving life and death of Jesus Christ. In other words, in view of all that God has done and is doing for us in Christ, it is illogical for the Christian to do anything else but give his life back in devoted surrender and sacrifice to God.

First, there is the motivation to worship: “the mercies of God.” God’s mercies are everything He has given us that we don’t deserve: eternal love, eternal grace, the Holy Spirit, everlasting peace, eternal joy, saving faith, comfort, strength, wisdom, hope, patience, kindness, honor, glory, righteousness, security, eternal life, forgiveness, reconciliation, justification, sanctification, freedom, intercession and much more. The knowledge and understanding of these incredible gifts motivate us to pour forth praise and thanksgiving—in other words, worship!

Also in the passage is a description of the manner of our worship: “present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice.” Presenting our bodies means giving to God all of ourselves. The reference to our bodies here means all our human faculties, all of our humanness—our hearts, minds, hands, thoughts, attitudes—are to be presented to God. In other words, we are to give up control of these things and turn them over to Him, just as a literal sacrifice was given totally to God on the altar. But how? Again, the passage is clear: “by the renewing of your mind.” We renew our minds daily by cleansing them of the world’s “wisdom” and replacing it with true wisdom that comes from God. We worship Him with our renewed and cleansed minds, not with our emotions. Emotions are wonderful things, but unless they are shaped by a mind saturated in Truth, they can be destructive, out-of-control forces. Where the mind goes, the will follows, and so do the emotions. First Corinthians 2:16 tells us we have “the mind of Christ,” not the emotions of Christ.