Romans 12 A Living Sacrifice
Verse 1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship.
THEREFORE....
I urge and appeal to you on the basis and truthful foundation laid out from Chapters 1 through 11 By those mercies - the mercies of God that I have unfolded for 11 chapters. This should be the motivation to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice. Living Sacrifice Present your bodies - that is, your whole bodily life...what you are....everywhere you go ...including everything you do - as a living sacrifice. It goes up on the altar, but it won’t die so that it ceases to live. It dies so that it lives a different way. As a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. This metaphor was taken from bringing sacrifices to the altar of God. The person offering picked out the choicest of his flock, brought it to the altar, and presented it there as an atonement for his sin. They are exhorted to give themselves up in the spirit of sacrifice; to be as wholly the Lord's property as the whole burnt-offering was, no part being devoted to any other use. Spiritual Act of Worship Offering our lives to God, is a life that is pleasing to God. All of life becomes worship. The act of offering a sacrifice was part of their worship to God. Worship recognizes that God reigns over your life. Worship is an act of submission and putting God first. It is giving Him our best and serving Him in every area of our lives. It is honoring God in all areas of our life. When life becomes worship and we honor God above everything else, your life becomes a witness to others. |
Romans 12 Outline
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Romans 12:2 "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will.
Do not conform to the pattern of the world
After offering ourselves as living sacrifices, we are instructed to not conform to the pattern of the world. We are greatly impacted by current culture and worldly wisdom. But since we are commanded to "not conform", this means that we must be intentional about not conforming. The Greek word for "conform" is Strong's #4964 suschematizo, and it means
While, self examination is important, we are not left to ourselves to make this transformation because it requires an inward change manifested by the working of the Holy Spirit. |
Paul's prayer for the people of Coloss:
Colossians 1:9b-14 "We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light. For He has rescued us fro the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. |
Be Transformed
The Greek word for "transformed" is Strong's #3339, metamorphos only occurs in regard to the transfiguration mentioned in Matthew and Mark, and then only 1 other time: And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 Meaning:
This transformation comes from the Holy Spirit! |
Consider the following: Acts 4:13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Peter and John were observed as having been with Jesus and were amazed at their courage and ability to speak confidently and boldness. The word "with" used here is #4862 and it means closely identified together. Even thought they spent time with Jesus and were identified as being His disciples, the change didn't take affect until later. Acts 4:29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. The preposition used here "with" is #3326 which has been defined as change happening "after with" and is the basis for the #3339 metamorphos. So while they were identified with Jesus, the change was affected by the Holy Spirit. |
How does this transformation take place?
By the renewing of our mind. The Greek word for renewing is Strong's #342 (noun, 2x) and it means
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The Greek word for "mind" is Strong's # (24x) and it means our reasoning facility; the organ receiving God's thoughts through faith Luke 24:45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. |
The noun version of this word is used in only one other place:
Titus 3:5 "...he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,..." |
The verb version of this word is Strong's #341 (2x) and it is used only twice:
2 Corinthians 4:16 "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." Colossians 3:10 "..and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." |
Why does this happen?
That you may prove/discern the will of God. Strong's #1381 - to try (test) to show something is acceptable (Strong's #1384, approved), put to the test to reveal what is good/genuine (doesn't focus on disproving something). |
Philippians 1:9-11 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern (#1381) what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. |