LIVING SACRIFICES Devotion 5 of 24 Our text, verses one and two of the twelfth chapter of Romans, is not the thrust of this book. Nor, indeed, is it the loftiest doctrine. It is not the heart of the Gospel, or where we are to place our emphasis. Here is where the human spirit intersects with the purpose of God. It is where faith is revealed and eternal life made known. If we have ingested what the Spirit has said in the first eleven chapters, it will be evident to our hearts that this text is the only proper conclusion, and the only appropriate response to what our God has said. – Tomorrow:
This is an exhortation that is based upon the solid foundation that has been put in place. That foundation is, from one view, the Person of Christ (1 Cor 3:11; Acts 4:12). It consists of His accomplishments and present ministry. From another point of view, that foundation is the fact that we have been "made righteous" by the God of heaven, because we have believed the record He has given of His Son.
As individuals who are in Christ, we ourselves are the "workmanship" of God (Eph 2:10). The exhortation that follows is a summons to bring our lives into conformity with that work. The Spirit has informed us that we have been brought into Christ, and that our "members," or human capacities, are to be presented to God (Chapter 6). He has already dealt with the fierce inward struggle that has been induced by faith (Chapter 7). He has further shown us that men cannot be made acceptable to God by their own independent efforts. They must hear and embrace the Gospel (Chapter 10).
Now the Spirit will admonish us to formally and determinedly present our bodies to God. This is not an option, but is necessitated by the very nature of salvation. The text will further confirm to our hearts that unless this is done, the will of the Lord cannot be known. There is no suggestion that God will continue to graciously work within us if we fail to heed this admonition. No person who withholds his body from the Lord can expect to be strengthened with Divine power of covered with the Lord's tender mercies. To assume such a thing is possible is to deny the power of faith, the drawing power of Divine love, and the effectiveness of the new creation.
God will not bring us to glory while we allow our bodies to dictate the manner in which we live. Such a stance contradicts both the nature and power of salvation. It denies the effectiveness of salvation, and reveals that sin yet dominates the individual. This is a most sobering passage.
The person who refuses to present their bodies a living sacrifice unto God has, by that very refusal, given their bodies the preeminent place in their lives. Instead of glorying God in their bodies, as they are admonished to do (1 Cor 6:20), they are allowing their bodies to control them.
PRAYER POINT: Father, through Jesus Christ, grant me grace to bring my body into subjection, presenting it to You as a means through which You will receive glory and honor.