Lesson 26 – Romans Chapter 12:1-3
We are now switching gears from chapters 9 thru 11 where we heard from Paul about the plight of the Jews in regards to their salvation. Now we will enter into the final section of Romans, which will have to do with our service to God as Christians. Paul will tell us how to put what we’ve learned about being a Christian into action. Chapter 12 will display four representations of the Christian;
(1) A sacrifice on the alter, (2) A member of the body of Christ, (3) A member of God’s family, (4) And a soldier in the battle.
Rom. 12:1
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.” (NLT)
Let’s look at the word beseech; it means to call to one’s side, to address, speak to, (call to, or call upon), which may be done in the way of encouragement, petition, comfort, or instruction. Other descriptions include; to admonish, exhort, to beg, to strive to appease by request, to console, to encourage and strengthen by support, to comfort, to instruct, and to teach.
By Paul using the word beseech, I think it’s worthy enough for us to give our full attention to what he’s saying.
Up to this point in the book of Romans, Paul has given us the pure foundations of Christianity. These doctrines of faith explain to us our human condition, God’s plan of salvation through His grace, and the truth of just how much God really loves us.
By the mercies of God…
Rom. 9:15
“For God said to Moses, “I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.”
As we sit here tonight, we must reflect on the fact that God chose each one of us, giving us the privilege and opportunity to become His very own children. And as we have just covered in the last chapter, we have been “grafted in” to the family of God.
Lamentations 3:22–23
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
The ESV and KJV use the word mercies instead of compassions. God’s mercy and compassions are “new every morning,” yet another reason for us to praise and worship Him.
Mercy in the Bible is described to us as God’s withholding of a just punishment. The particular Hebrew word used in Lamentations 3:22 has to do with God’s tender love and mercy, or compassion.
Luke 1:50
“And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.”
If it wasn’t for God’s mercy toward us, we would be headed for His judgment.
By the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice…
An earlier translation of the NLT says, “When you think about all that God has done for you, is this too much to ask.”
Present your bodies, present means to place a person or thing at one’s disposal, we should place our lives at God’s disposal.
John MacArthur gives an in-depth definition; “In the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament), paristēmi (to present) was often used as a technical term for a priest’s placing an offering on the alter. It therefore carried the general idea of surrendering or yielding up.
As members of God’s present “holy priesthood” (I Pet. 2:5), Christians are exhorted to preform what is essentially a priestly act of worship. Because the verb is in the imperative, the exhortation carries the weight of a command.”
Present Your bodies a living sacrifice…
When you gave yourself to Christ, you gave Him your soul. Your soul is the very core of your existence. Now Paul is saying to offer up the rest of you, your body, calling it a living sacrifice. The problem with living sacrifices is they have a tendency to crawl off the alter.
I Cor. 9:24-27
“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”
John MacArthur; “In order to maintain a holy life and testimony and to minister effectively, even the great apostle had to exert himself strongly and continually in order to control the human and sinful part of himself that persistently wanted to rule and corrupt his life and his work for the Lord.”
I think there are Christians out there that hope for the “simplistic” gospel. What I mean by that is their reasoning, they may say something like, “I said the prayer to God to forgive me, now I just want to go on living my life my way.”
They live with this attitude… if they go to church most Sundays they’ll have all the bases covered, and that’s just enough to get them by (which is totally the wrong way to think). Here in this scripture, we’re getting a command that we should give our whole body to God. What this means is we should give ourselves completely over to God. As I like to say, “don’t just give God your leftovers.”
Yes, living for Christ is going to take an effort on our part.
Remember…
Rom 8:18
“Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later.” (NLT)
Why should we give all of ourselves to God? Because of all He has done for us.
Rom. 5:8
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
We should be saying, “Lord, I’m going to give You my life because You gave me Your life. You have great things waiting for me and I don’t want to miss any of it, now or eternally.”
Part of our sacrifice to God is to be holy, which simply means for us to be set apart for the Lord’s use.
Acceptable…
Means pleasing to God… yes we can please God.
Reasonable…
This indicates that our actions are the only sensible response to all the good gifts God has showered on us.
Now that we understand that our being a living sacrifice before the Lord is a command, we might want to raise our level of commitment toward Him.
Rom. 12:2
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
And do not be conformed to this world…
Conformed: to conform one’s self (this involves one’s mind and character) to conform to another’s pattern, (fashion one’s self according to). In this context, we want to conform to God’s ways.
John 17:15-18
“I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.”
Jesus is praying to the Father at the end of His ministry, and He’s not asking that the Father to take His disciples out of the world, but to keep them from being “in” the world. For a person to be in the world means they are allowing the world’s philosophies and cultures to shape and control their life and way of thinking.
A living sacrifice to God thus is one who does not conform, but is transformed by God. We are not to be conformed to this world, but to God’s ways.
Eph. 2:1-3
“Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil – the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.” (NLT)
As unbelievers, this was our history, the way we used to be, but now we are a new creation in Christ.
II Cor. 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (NIV)
A big change has taken place!
Rom. 8:9
“But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to Him at all.)” (NLT)
With our identity now in Christ, we must not follow the ways of the world. Why? Because the world hates Jesus and everything about Him, so, naturally, we must be different than the world.
John 16:33
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Matt. 10:22
“And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.”
Who will hate us? The world at large will hate us because we are children of God. The world hates anything to do with God. Why, because the world is ruled by satan and satan hates God!
Paul says, don’t be conformed to the world. We’re not to let it shape or mold us in any fashion. We have to live here, but we don’t have to let it steal us away from God.
Some might think the influence of the world is just too great and overwhelming. How is a person to fight against all this?
But be transformed by the renewing of your mind…
Is this like Scottie beaming you up to the Enterprise on Star Trek? No, of course not, as Paul would say.
The world around you with, all of its temptations and lusts, wants to control your mind, but God wants to transform your mind to where your thoughts and motivations become more pleasing to Him.
Eph. 4:17-23
“With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against Him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.”
From Jon Courson; “Every one of us is in one of two categories: Either we’re conformers or transformers. Right now, you’re either trying to figure out what she’s wearing, what he’s driving, or how you can fit in and be cool, or, like J.B. Phillips, you’re saying, “I don’t care what the world is doing. I’m not going to let it squeeze me into its mold.” Are you a thermometer, adjusting to the temperature of the culture, or are you a thermostat changing the climate of the culture? If you are a conformer, a thermometer, you’re in for perpetual frustration because by the time you take the temperature and figure out what’s hot, by the time you change your look, or buy the car, or redo your house, the world will have moved on, leaving you out of style. Truly, this is a great mystery to a lot of Christians. They try to make their ministries relatable by analyzing what the world is doing in order to emulate it. But by the time they figure it out and implement it, the world has moved on. That’s why Christians are known for being out of style. What’s the key? Don’t be a thermometer. Be a thermostat. Don’t be a conformer. Be a transformer. Say, “I’m in a whole different place than you are world. I’m living for eternity. I’m preparing for heaven.” The word translated “transformed” is the word for “metamorphosis.” Interestingly, it is used two other times in the New Testament, one to describe what happened to Jesus Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration when He began to shine; and once to describe what happens to us when we see the Lord.”
How are we transformed? How are we metamorphosed?
“But let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. (NLT) the renewing of your mind.”
So, how can God renew our minds? This can sound a little metaphysical on the surface, but it’s not. Trying things like transcendental meditation, where your goal is to empty your mind (which is a dangerous thing to do) or doing yoga, these things are not the answer. The only true answer for us is letting God change our mind. When we do this it all becomes relational for us, resulting in us having a personal relationship with Jesus.
John 17:21
“That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”
There is a meditation we can do, but instead of trying to empty our mind, we fill our mind with the truths about God and who He is to us.
Psalm 19:14
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.”
Meditating on the Lord is not some mystical manipulation or a special way to hear God’s voice. Christian meditation is to be solely on the Word of God and what it reveals about Him and His works.
True Christian meditation is an active thought process by which we give ourselves over to the study of God’s Word, then praying over it and asking God to give us understanding by the Spirit, who has promised to lead us “into all truth” (John 16:13). Then by putting this method into practice, it becomes a routine norm as we go about our everyday lives. This causes spiritual growth and maturing in the things of God as we are taught by His Holy Spirit.
For example, if you take Proverbs 3:5 “Trust the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” Then repeat that scripture to yourself in your quiet time over and over, or just in thoughts throughout your day, this scripture will settle into the deepest part of your heart. Then, when you are tested or challenged in some way, the Holy Spirit will bring His truth to your thoughts and help you. Suddenly you might find yourself saying, “I really need to trust God in this situation.”
In a nutshell, it’s all about us taking God and His word very seriously. And of course, before all of this transformation of the mind takes place, it needs to begin with heart-felt prayer before the Lord.
We can be very studious in our devotions and in our Bible study, but the key is to allow the Word of God to direct your thoughts, your speech, and your behavior. This all happens with the help of the Holy Spirit. By taking steps like this, you may find that over time you will have more and more victories over sin and temptations.
Rom. 12:2b
So that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (NASB)
Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (NLT)
There are so many Christians out there who say, “I wish I knew God’s will for my life.” The ones that ask this question are usually the ones that need to grow more in their relationship with God. Scripture can help in this area.
Mark 3:35
“For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.”
Psalm 143:10
“Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.”
I Thess. 5:16-18
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
I Peter 2:15
“For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.”
Romans 12:2 shows us that the child of God refuses to be conformed to the world, but instead, allows himself or herself to be transformed by the Spirit of God. As their mind is renewed according to the things of God, then they can know God’s perfect will. It’s natural to want to know all of God’s will at once, but that’s not how God usually works. He usually reveals His will to us one step at a time, which also requires patience and a step of faith on our part, thus allowing us to continue to trust Him.
When it comes to God’s will we often want God to give us specifics… where to work, where to live, who should we marry, what car to buy, etc. God allows us to make choices, and, if we are yielded to Him, He has ways of preventing wrong choices through His Spirit.
Acts 16:6-7
“Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.”
So how do we know when the Holy Spirit is speaking to us? We know when God is speaking to us by having that close relationship with Him that we’ve been talking about.
For me personally, if I have a sense of peace about something in my heart, I know I’m going in the right direction, but if I’m troubled in any way, that tells me to be cautious.
Rom. 12:3
“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”
“Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.” (NLT)
Not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think,
Looking back at verse 2, our minds are to be transformed, thinking as God would have us think. We can call this “right thinking.”
I Cor. 11:28a
“But let a man examine himself,”
This scripture applies to us taking communion, but we can use it here as well. It’s always good for us to look inward and examine ourselves.
Psalm 26:2
“Examine me, O Lord, and try me; test my mind and my heart.”
For us to examine ourselves takes a measure of humility and honesty. If we include the Holy Spirit into this process, He usually gets the job done rather quickly.
Paul is bringing this to our attention because he is about to instruct us in serving God. If we are going to serve God in any fashion, we must do it with the right intensions, certainly not with a very high opinion of ourselves.
Proverbs 16:18-19
“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.”
Serving God after we are saved should become the number one priority in life, that is, after our spiritual and family obligations are fulfilled.
Matt. 6:20
“But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
By every good work we do for the Lord and His kingdom, we will be storing up treasures in heaven. Serving God with even the smallest amount of self or pride will count for nothing.
If we, think soberly… this will help us immensely. This is also translated as to have sound judgment, which leads us to recognize that in ourselves, we are nothing at all, but that in Christ, we can be used by God for His kingdom and His glory, and as we will see, this will come about through the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Remember, that apart from Jesus we can do nothing that has any everlasting kingdom value whatsoever. But through Christ, and through His Holy Spirit, all things are possible.