LIVING SACRIFICES Devotion 11 of 24 Our body involves more than the skeleton and flesh in which we live. Earlier, the Spirit spoke of our bodies in a broader sense, setting the stage for this commission. The sixth chapter of Romans declared we were not to allow sin to "reign" in our mortal bodies (6:12). That is the opposite of presenting our bodies to God. – Tomorrow:
"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. 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." (Romans 12:1-2, NKJV)
In delineating this aspect of spiritual life, the Spirit continued, "yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and YOUR MEMBERS as instruments of righteousness unto God . . . even so now yield YOUR MEMBERS servants to righteousness unto holiness" (6:13,19). Our "instruments" are ALL of our capacities of expression. These were formerly devoted to sin. Our "bodies," "members," or "instruments" are described as the "throat" (3:13a), our "tongues" (3:13b), "lips" (3:13c), "mouth" (3:14), and "feet" (3:15). Formerly, these were given over to iniquity. Other texts refer to our "hands" and "fingers" (Isa 59:3; Eph 4:28), the mind (Eph 4:18; Rom 7:25), the "eyes" (2 Pet 2:14; 1 John 2:16; Job 31:1), the "ears" (2 Tim 4:4; Matt 13:43), and "affection" (Col 3:2,5). Whatever is employed to think, speak, and do iniquity is now to be presented to God!
The Body Belongs to God, Yet Is Yours
Strictly speaking, the body belongs to God, both by creation and redemption. He "formed" the body "in the womb" (Isa 44:2), and purchased it in redemption (1 Cor 6:19-20). Yet, the body is also "your body."
It is "your body" by stewardship, not by ownership. The advocates of abortion are completely wrong in affirming the woman has rights over her own body. It is not her body, but belongs to the One who formed and purchased it. No person is exempt from the declaration, "and you are not your own, for you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."
Those who take this text and apply it to dietary practices and other aspects of health are in serious error. They detract us from the truth. Such people would never advocate fasting from both food and water for forty days -- but Moses did (Ex 34:28; Deut 9:9). Jesus also "fasted forty days and forty nights" (Matt 4:2). In both cases, the body was offered to the Lord.
Some also criticize believers who are tireless in their labors for the Lord, saying they are "burning the candle at both ends." Whatever element of wisdom may be found in that saying, it is not worthy of extensive pursuit. Epaphroditus, for example, wearied himself "for the work of Christ," nearly to the point of death. It is said of him, "for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life" (Phil 2:30). Paul referred to this type of attitude as being glad to "spend and be spent" for the souls of men (2 Cor 12:15).
While these examples are extraordinary, they reveal the extent to which the body can be presented to the Lord. Such noble souls are acutely aware that their bodies have been purchased by the Lord and belong to Him. There certainly is room for decided improvement in this area among believers.
Present Them!
Armed with an awareness of, and sensitivity to, these realities, our bodies are to be "presented" to God. There is an element of formality in this presentation, although that does not exhaust the meaning. This is not merely an attitude, although that is involved. The presentation is something like the response of Isaiah when He "heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Having been purged of his iniquity, he immediately responded, "Here am I; send me" (Isa 6:8). He presented his body for Divine employment! When Jesus revealed Himself to Saul of Tarsus, "putting" him "into the ministry" (1 Tim 1:12), Saul's response was immediate. He set about to conform his life to the calling he had received. Of this Paul said, "immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus" (Gal 1:16-17). He presented his body to God that Christ might "be magnified" in his body (Phil 1:20). God received it, and he was blessed.
The Western world has been plagued with a spirit of casualness – an attitude of simplicity and informality that requires little focus or rigor of mind and body. It is reflected in how people regard the work of the Lord, the fellowship of the saints, and personal holiness. It is seen in the way they speak, how they dress, and where their prime energies are spent. There needs to be a revival of presenting the body to God.
It is quite true that we are to give our hearts and minds to the Lord, our thoughts and our wills. It is also true that we are to "present" our bodies to God. After all, they are only a stewardship to be occupied for a short season. They are also the weakest and most vulnerable part of our constitution, all the more requiring that they be presented to God. Our bodies are to be placed at God's disposal, ready for His employment. It appears to me that this requires a certain aggressiveness that will separate the individual from the religious masses.
This presentation involves a persuasion of the reality of God and the supremacy of His will and work. This is not a matter of mere discipline, but of insightful commitment. The Spirit is not calling us to a routine, but to personal involvement with God. Philip had to marshal the energies of his body to join himself to the chariot of the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:29). I suggest that may have appeared far too challenging to a casual disciple (if there is such a thing). After all, the chariot was apparently moving, and it was in a desert. The man in it was also a stranger to Philip. Philip was not told what to say, or how to join himself to the chariot. However, having presented his body to God, he "ran" to the person in the chariot, "heard" this government official reading, and "asked" him if he understood what he was reading (Acts 8:30). His body had been presented to the Lord.
But the presentation of our bodies to God is not always attended by such favorable circumstances. The bodies of Peter and John were "beaten" because of their presentation. However, they did not complain about the difficulty and pain related with that beating. They had presented their bodies to God. Thus, "they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ" (Acts 5:41-42). They knew why they suffered. They also knew the ultimate outcome of that suffering reigning with Christ (2 Tim 2:12).
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, grant me grace to yield my body to You with more consistency and aggressiveness than I yielded it to the devil and sinful lusts.