Rom 12:1-2
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. 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.
Offering myself to God means giving my whole self to God. How? As a living sacrifice. Not one that is dead. Meaning that if I am on an altar of fire I don't die but continually give myself in my alive state
God's mercy and salvation
God's mercy is shown in John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Christ was made a sacrifice for us and died in our place, so that we may live through Him.
John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
In His mercy, God let His son take our place of death and took away the condemnation that was meant to be our portion. He released His salvation to us. And we can only access this salvation by believing He sent His son who died in our place and is alive, so we no longer live for ourselves but for Him.
In light of this truth, we should no longer live in our old ways, for ourselves, but for Him. Giving ourselves as an offering to Him, an offering that He calls holy and pleasing.
Living for God, His purpose
Rom 12:2 We should not be conformed to the patterns of this world any longer. We should not continue living as though Christ was not our Lord and saviour.
2 Cor 5:15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
Since Christ has already paid the penalty for our sins, we should live for Him. Putting away the old self and all the things we devoted our energies to before we accepted Christ as our Lord and saviour.
2 Cor 5:19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
When Christ died for us, He reconciled us back to the father. He made a way for anyone who believes to walk back to the Father and be reconciled. His blood on the cross covers our sin and His righteousness is our clothing.
John 14: 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
After receiving this mercy from God, He commits to us the same message of reconciliation for us to share with everybody in this world.
2 Cor 15:20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
Rom 12:1 -One way in which we offer our bodies as living sacrifices is by becoming Christ ambassadors and a channel for God to reconcile others back to Him through Christ.
2 Cor 15:20 -God uses us to carry the message of reconciliation to the world.
Eph 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Rom 12:1 reminds us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices. One way to do so is by doing the works God created for us to do as per Eph 2:10. The reason He created us. His purpose for us in this life. These works He wants us to do were created in advance, we are the ones that need to get on board. Start living our purposes. Becoming living sacrifices.
Where then are these works God created for us to do?
2 Cor 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
God's works are in us! We are clay works but something beautiful is in us, His works that He has put in us, His treasures. God works a beautiful work in us and through us as we offer ourselves continually as living sacrifices.
Caution on God's treasures in us
1 Cor 1:26-31
26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”[a]
verse 29, Acknowledging that nothing in us made God choose us
verse 30, we should only boast in God as His treasures shine in us. Treasures He has richly put in us in (2 Cor 4:7)
Eph 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God
It is God's grace working in us. He chose us for His glory. We should never look within to merit ourselves or disqualify ourselves. No. This is purely about God's work on the cross.
When we serve God, it is in obedience to His calling. Nothing in me should start feeling special and proud that I am serving God unless I am boasting in Christ.
We should also stop the self-righteous condemnations on ourselves and embrace God's grace by faith.
So help me God.
Amen
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