Rom 12:1-2 A Living Sacrifice

Nov 29, 2020 // By:Dave // No Comment

1 Therefore I urge you, 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.

2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Therefore.  When ever you see a “therefore”, take the time to determine what it’s there for.

  • in response to
  • because of
  • as a result of   

Paul says therefore to tell us that what follows the “therefore” is because of what comes before the “therefore”

What comes before the “therefore” in Rom 12:1 ?

chapters 1-11

  • Everyone of us of is guilty
  • Everyone of us is unable to bear the weight of the guilt
  • Everyone of us is totally unable to pay the price for even the smallest infraction against the law
  • Everyone faces eternal separation from God as a result
  • Everyone of us deserves the just wrath of God
  • Everyone of us sees (to one degree or another) the power and righteousness of God
  • God offers a free gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus
  • Those who accept this gift immediately experience two things
    • His mercy
    • His grace
  • Everyone who accepts this gift: 
    • is free from the debt of sin and death
    • becomes born again from above by the Spirit of God
    • is held securely by the power of the Father, by the sacrifice of the Son, sealed and empowered by His Spirit (who even prays on our behalf when we don’t know what to pray for, know how to pray, or don’t have words to express our thoughts)
    • becomes an indwell temple of God
    • receives the ability to 
      • trust god
      • understand His truth
      • speak with God
      • live a life pleasing to God
      • tell others about this free gift of God
  • all of the above is not limited to the Jews, but (with the exception of a small portion of believing Jews) , is actually being offered to the gentiles first (as God promised He would do back in the Old Test.)

that is the therefore and now you know what it’s there for.

eleven chapters of outlining the grace and mercy of God in comparison to what we all deserve (and why we deserve it)

therefore

1 Therefore I urge you, 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.

This passage has very little to do with relating to Jesus as Savior 

It has much to do with appreciating and worshipping Him as Lord
(and he has already connected the dots between God and Christ as God)

What’s the difference between Jesus being “Savior” and Jesus being “Lord” ?

It comes down to control.

  • calling Him savior puts Him in control of a distant future
  • calling Him Lord puts Him in control of our present.

This is not a struggle unique to only a few believers

most, in fact, go through a sanctification process over time to realize their need for Jesus as Lord just as there was a process to realize needing Jesus as Savior.

We cannot disconnect His Lordship from His Saviorship.
(we say we don’t, but our lives often contradict our words)

It goes beyond the “two sides to the same coin”

One gives power and authority to the other.

it’s like saying my checkbook is perfectly fine without my weekly paycheck

___________________________

Luke 2:11

for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Romans 10:9

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

Rom 14:8-9

For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died, and rose and lived again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Philippians 2:9-11

For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Colossians 3:17

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

1 Corinthians 8:6

yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

2 Corinthians 4:5

For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.

1 Peter 3:15

but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

Revelation 17:14

These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.

____________________________

Same word for Lord used in all places

Lord (  κύριος, kyrios, n. . lord, master. This can be a title of address to a person of higher status, “lord, sir”; a master of property or slaves; or a NT translation of the Hebrew 151 “Lord” or 3378 “LORD,” that is “Yahweh,” the proper name of God in the OT

LORD

This significant word occurs again and again in OT and NT. What does it mean when the OT identifies God as Lord? And what does it mean when this name is ascribed to Jesus Christ? The answer to these questions initiates us into some of the wonders of our faith.

The Greek word. The word translated “Lord” in the English versions is kyrios. In ordinary speech it may simply have been a term of respect or a form of address that emphasized superior position, as that of the master of a slave. When kyrios is so used, it is translated by an appropriate English equivalent, such as “master,” “owner,” or even “Sir.”

When kyrios designates God or Jesus, it is rendered “Lord.”

the Septuagint uses kyrios for Yahweh, it is clear that in many of its uses in the Gospels, the title Lord is equivalent to the divine name of God (Yahwey and Adonai)

Implications of Jesus’ lordship. Jesus is Lord. What does this mean and imply? It implies that he has authority of various kinds.

Universal authority. The NT teaches us that the risen Christ is seated at God’s right hand, the place of authority. His authority is universal, “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come” (Eph 1:21). All “angels, authorities and powers” are “in submission to him” (1 Pe 3:22).

Sovereign authority. The Lordship of Jesus is worked out in this present world. Peter explores the situation in which a believer does what is right but still endures suffering. He reminds us that the “eyes of the Lord are on the righteous” (1 Pe 3:12). Even if we suffer for what is right, we can “set apart Christ as Lord” in our hearts (v. 15); that is, we can remain confident that Christ, as Lord, is superintending events.

Personal authority. In Ro 14, Paul looks into the freedom of the Christian person. In matters of conviction each believer is to “be fully convinced in his own mind” (v. 5) and then must act on his convictions. It is not the Christian community but Jesus who is Lord, for this is the “very reason” that “Christ died and returned to life,” that is, “so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living” (v. 9). Jesus’ authority as Lord extends to the personal relationship that he has to each believing individual.

Pervasive authority. Both the church and the individual believer live “in” and “under” and “through” the Lord. These recurring prepositions in reference to one’s relationship to the Lord remind us that it is only by the presence and power of Jesus, who is Lord, that present and future victories are made possible. The very fact of our existence is determined by the reality of Jesus as Lord.

Ultimate authority. The NT speaks of a coming day of the Lord. Jesus will appear again, and then his ultimate lordship over all creation will be demonstrated. it is the final authority (See APPEARANCE OF JESUS: THE SECOND COMING) (See DAY)

Paul connects the authority of God to our reasonable, logical response being consecration. Setting ourselves apart for His service alone. The OT sacrifice was the death of the animal or plant given up to God, burned in it’s dedication to Him. Put at his disposal.  A living sacrifice does not offer itself once, but all day, every day , … living on the altar of dedication in ongoing act of praise.

by means of the mercies of God I have outlined so far, I strongly encourage (with all authority in His Name), to offer up and give total control to God, not as a slain animal sacrificed as a sin offering according to the law, but a living sacrifice as one of ongoing praise. No longer presented to sin, as I mentioned earlier in Rom 6, but setting yourselves apart for God’s purposes.  You surely see the simple logic of responding this way to all that God has done and will do for each of you.

(NASB uses the word spiritual here)  greek word is λογικν = logical, reasonable.

a mistranslation ?

maybe not… 

consider that Paul does not write “therefore, accept the free gift of eternal security and go on living just as before (just keep your salvation hidden in a backpocket for when you need it)

He exhorts the reader to live their lives set apart for God, their daily lives, everything about where they go, what they do, what they say … “living and holy sacrifice”

sounds like a spiritual focus on things to me.

and just in case, we are still trying to squirm away from the depth of the commitment to God that Paul is commanding here

2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

do not allow yourself to be squeezed into the mold or shape that the world tries fo force upon you, confine you into until you begin to become shaped into a perfect fit for the cage it wants to lock around you, 

but (instead, in contrast to, in opposition to)

allow yourself to be completely transformed from one shape into another, from one being into another, from an immature one to the mature form, receiving a new mind, a new birthed being inside and out.

prove means to ask about or test with the outcome of demonstrating or determining something

determine that God’s will is:

  • good (morally good) ἀγαθὸν agathon
  • acceptable (pleasing) ὐάρεστον euareston
  • perfect (mature, finished i.e. does not need to be added to)  τέλειον  telion

why would Paul take the time, use the valuable space on his papyrus to include such an obvious statement that God’s will is morally good, pleasing, and perfect ?

because the determining of His good, acceptable, and perfect will is carried out in our living sacrifice.

As we go about our daily walk, choices, decisions, thoughts, actions, etc

we are to first ask:

  • is this morally good (God’s good)
  • is this pleasing to God
  • am I doing what He wants or am I leaving things out
    • my obedience is incomplete
    • my relationship is incomplete
    • my spiritual wholeness is incomplete

Paul is reminding the reader that it is logical to surrender all of ourselves in response to all that God offers in His mercy. The entire strength of his appeal is based upon those very mercies outlined in the first 11 chapters of Romans.

It’s as if he is saying “how can you understand all that I have explained God gives you, say you receive it, and not allow yourself to be transformed by Him.?”

by contrast, he is also saying “it is remarkably illogical to say you understand all that God offers and not surrender to Him and be a living and holy sacrifice.”

(makes one wonder if someone who refuses to be a living sacrifice actually understands what salvation even means)

we are not just handed a stamped insurance policy, 

we are handed a new life, with power and purpose

(why would someone refuse to live with God’s power and purpose) ?

that power, purpose all come from calling on Jesus as Lord

Rom 14:8-9

For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died, and rose and lived again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Philippians 2:9-11

For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Colossians 3:17

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

1 Corinthians 8:6

yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

Jesus wants to be Lord to each one of us.

and while some of His Lordship is manifested and expressed without our consent:

universal, sovereign, ultimate

There are two expressions that are limited by our cooperation and His patience
personal – authority that is expressed through His relationship with us, which provides a deeper understanding of our purpose

pervasive – His Spirit giving us power to exercise His authority

Jesus as Savior is the beginning of Christianity

Jesus as Lord is the journey and destination of Christianity

why stop at the first few steps and go no further ?

The Message

Rom. 12:1 ¶ So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.

Rom. 12:2 Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

 

Jesus desires an intimate friendship with each of us. He also desires to be worshipped as our Lord, and desires the glory of the Father.   All three come together at the altar   … (the altar of the living sacrifice)

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