What is a Living Sacrifice? (Romans 12:1-2)

What exactly is a Living Sacrifice?

Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual (reasonable) act of worship.  Do not conform any longer 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.

Following Paul’s reasoning in verse 1, what are some differences between a “living” sacrifice and the typical heathen or Levitical burnt offering sacrifice?

• Living vs Dead
• Ongoing vs Once
• Voluntary vs Involuntary
• Given because we have received mercy vs Given in hope of receiving mercy
• Includes our body, our energy, spiritual vs Just the body is consumed, leaving nothing gifts, natural skill and learned talents, our hearts and emotions
• Stays alive, in fact, sustained at the altar vs Dies at or near the altar
• The act of sacrifice restores, makes whole vs Act of sacrifice is totally destructive
• Burns away impurities vs Burns away the flesh and life
• It is a reasonable sacrifice because of the mercies we have received vs No mercy is shown to the sacrifice and it is unreasonable
• You become more useful as you sacrifice vs Not of any use after a single sacrifice

What "mercy" bestowed on us is Paul referring to?

• Justification
• Adoption in and Identification with Christ
• Placed under grace and discharged from the Law (Rom 7:6)
• Received indwelling of the Holy Spirit

What are some spiritual (reasonable) acts of worship we should perform?

Reasonable is a play on the words – from the Greek logikos – “of the Word” means that our service is to be ‘in the Word’. Examples: prayer, praise, study, giving, service.

These are covered later in Romans 12 and involve using your spiritual gifts

• Romans 12: 3-8 - How to use the gifts God gave you
• Romans 12: 9-13 - Use your gifts to support the body, fellow Christians
• Romans 12: 14-21 – Use your gifts to reflect Christ to the world at large

Some Questions to Ponder

• How are we ‘transformed’ practically speaking?

• Why must this be an ongoing process?  Some related scripture citations are helpful:  2 Corinthians 3:18, Colossians 3:1-2 & 3:10, Ephesians 4:23-24.

• Does “not conforming” to the world simply mean to discover what the world does, wears, watches, or enjoys and do the exact opposite? (Colossians 2:23; 1 Timothy 4:3-5)

• Does non-conformity mean total abandonment or exclusion from the world?

• Are we transformed by our feelings? Our actions? Our thoughts? or something else?  Ephesians 4:23 ...and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness

Being Transformed

Transformed is from the Greek metamorphoo, like a caterpillar to a butterfly. What are we “transforming” into? …. into the image of Christ.

2 Corinthians 3:18 “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit

We are not to be satisfied with our current level of transformation.  What good is ½ of a butterfly? What good is ½ of a mature Christian?

Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:13 that the goal is that we grow “…until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. We are to grow into the maturity.”

“Don’t belong to this age, but to the age that comes.”

Colossians 3:1-2,10 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things
which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  Set your
mind on things above, not on things on the earth.... put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created
him.

• Have you prepared yourself and your children to withstand persecution?
• We will have to make a choice between love for the world and love for Christ.

What does it mean to “test” and “approve” God’s perfect and pleasing Will? What is Paul really saying here?

• It’s not just testing, but understanding the value of something and treasuring it.
• When you “test” something – you are discovering its truth or value
• Once you understand the value of something, you look for it – when you find it you value it / you prove it and approve of it.
• Then you incorporate it into your heart. 

This is how you to discover and test God’s Will, so you can savor it and value it.

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Scripture citations are from:  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) © 2009 Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville TN or New King James Version®. (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson