The Lifestyle of Worship to our Great God - Romans 12:1

Romans 12:1 (NASB) "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God,which is your spiritual service of worship."

Note: The Reader is invited to check out a more thorough version of this post at: https://biblicalexegete.wordpress.com/2015/05/21/a-study-on-presenting-ones-body-as-a-living-sacrifice-and-the-lifestyle-of-worship-from-romans-121/

Introduction: 

Today's post is about explaining what Paul meant in Romans 12:1 by the phrase: "present your bodies as living sacrifices".  It will be suggested that this phrase refers to that which follows from the reception of eternal life in the Gospel - namely the living out a lifestyle of worship to our great God.

Briefly summarizing Romans 1-11 as leading up to Romans 12:1                

What Paul did in the prior 11 chapters of Romans was to unfold the power of the Gospel. This theme is described in the key verse of his epistle, Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." In journeying through the foothills of the Gospel, the Holy Spirit reveals through Paul's pen the greatness of God's redemption. At the heart of God's redemption is the qualification for being right with him (i.e righteousness in Romans 1:17). This qualification is received upon trusting in Jesus Christ by grace alone through faith alone apart from the law. In Romans 1-11 the following themes are explored:

1. Introduction to the Gospel. Romans 1:1-17

2. The Power of the Gospel. Romans 1:16-17

3. The Judgment of God - All Have Sinned. Romans 1:18-3:23

4. The Remedy from God - Justification & Reconciliation. Rom 4-5

5. The Christian Life - Sanctification. Romans 6-8

6. God's Sovereign Salvation for Israel, the Gentiles and the Church. Romans 9-11:32

7. The Grand Doxology - Romans 11:33-36

The Holman New Testament Commentary notes on the relationship of these first eleven chapters to Romans 12:1 - "This verse is one of the most important in all the Bible, and contains more key theological terms and truths for its size than perhaps any other verse of Scripture. Having completed his explanation of sin, salvation, sanctification, and sovereignty, Paul now does to the Roman believers, in a manner of speaking, what the Holy Spirit does in our lives—he urges the Rome believers to act on the truth they have received."

So the question is: with the power of the Gospel and the reception of it by grace alone through faith alone, does the Gospel of Jesus Christ bring about not only an internal change of heart but also external change in behavior? Romans 12-16 answers with a strong affirmative yes! 

At the head of Paul's discourse on the practical Christian life is this idea of presenting oneself as a living sacrifice. As was mentioned in the beginning of this post, Romans 12:1 is concerned with urging Christians to live out a lifestyle of worship that flows from the Gospel. Below we will briefly offer some exposition on this opening verse of Romans 12:1.

1. The power source for a lifestyle of worship - God's tender mercies

Paul's urgent tone for his readers (and for us) to apply what was just written is expressed by the opening phrase "I urge". Whenever this verbal idea appears in the New Testament, it performs the double duty of reinforcing encouragement and urgency to one's duties. The Evangelical Commentary of the Bible notes: "The transitional phrase in view of God’s mercy (12:1) links the previous section on divine sovereignty and the present unit on Christian behavior, for on this alone hangs the “therefore” of the exhortation, “I urge you, brothers.” 

So what is so special about the word translated "mercies"? This word refers to Divine pity, compassion and tenderness. One scholar has suggested the meaning of "a heart of pity", hence underscoring God's heart of pity towards His people. God's tender mercies make available to His people everything He is and everything He has. Such mercies enable them to achieve His purposes for them. Undoubtedly God's tender mercies are the power source behind living out the lifestyle of worship.

2 Corinthians 1:3 uses this word to describe the Person of the Father in the life of the Christian - "The Father of tender mercies and God of all consolation." Paul writes elsewhere in Philippians 2:1 how the other two Divine Persons of the the Trinity, the Son and Holy Spirit, directly administer these tender mercies - "Therefore if anyone (is) encouraged in Christ, if anyone is comforted from such love, if anyone is partaking of the Spirit, if anyone has strong affections and tender mercies." Together the Father, Son and Spirit are the One God that is the God of tender mercies.

It is from these mercies that God supplies strength to live out the daily walk of faith and to put into perspective today's challenges and tomorrow's concerns. (Lamentations 3:22-24; Matthew 6:34). So God's tender mercies are the power source for the lifestyle of worship. 

2. Christ is the Pattern for the Lifestyle of Worship                                                         The next phrase we encounter in Romans 12:1 gives us the pattern for living out a lifestyle of worship, namely "present your bodies as living sacrifices that are holy, pleasing to God." Two thoughts are worth noting here. First, the pattern as it is set forth in the particular phrase "living sacrifice". What is so intriguing is how there co-exists the jamming together of two different ideas - "sacrifice" (what one would offer up as a burnt offering) and "living" (life, quality of life, particularly the spiritual life given by God in salvation).

Sacrifices placed on an altar are normally dead, and yet believers are portrayed as presenting their physical lives as a living offering to God. This implies a giving up of all rights, since in an offering the offerer would relinquish any rights of ownership and freely give up the animal being offered. It has been also noted by many how with a living sacrifice, one must make sure it doesn't try to sneak off the altar!

The second and perhaps more important observation about this pattern set forth by Paul is that it is a Christ-like pattern. How do we know the language of "presenting" corresponds to Christ? Consider two examples. First, the Pre-incarnate Son is recorded speaking these words in Hebrews 10:7 “Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come (In the scroll of the book it is written of Me) To do Your will, O God.’” The next example is Luke 2:22, wherein the infant Christ being brought to the temple by Mary and Joseph to fulfill what was prescribed by the law of Moses in "presenting (Him) to the Lord".

This pattern of "presenting" our bodies as living sacrifices is very Christ-like, which is why Paul commends it. Hebrews 12:2-3 encourages us with these words about this pattern - "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross,despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

To further reinforce this imagery, Paul describes the manner of our presentation as living sacrifices that are literally "set apart and very pleasing unto God". We are again reminded of how our practical righteousness operates within the credited righteousness of Jesus Christ. 

Commentator Matthew Henry notes: "We are temple, priest, and sacrifice, as Christ was in his peculiar sacrificing. There were sacrifices of atonement and sacrifices of acknowledgment. Christ, who was once offered to bear the sins of many, is the only sacrifice of atonement; but our persons and performances, tendered to God through Christ our priest, are as sacrifices of acknowledgment to the honour of God." Later on Henry remarks how Christ works in our works to make what we do acceptable - "A living sacrifice, that is, inspired with the spiritual life of the soul. It is Christ living in the soul by faith that makes the body a living sacrifice, Gal. 2:20."  The pattern of the lifestyle of worship is undeniably patterned from Christ Himself and the power thereof comes from God's tender mercies through the Holy Spirit.  Now let's focus on the final phrase in Romans 12:1 and one final observation about the meaning of "presenting our bodies as living sacrifices".

3. The purpose of the lifestyle of worship:  worship God in His greatness

The Westminister Shorter Catechism poses this opening question:

Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

Paul tells his readers that by presenting their bodies as living sacrifices to God, they are exercising what is, in some versions, the most reasonable act of worship. Other English versions translate this final phrase as: "your most spiritual act of worship." The phrase can be rendered in one of two ways: "reasonable" and "spiritual". The point?  To show the reader that the worshipful goal of presenting one's body as a living sacrifice is the height of Christian spirituality and most reasonable purpose of the Christian life. To take in the Gospel and not live out a life of worship dedicated to God makes any other purpose both unspiritual and unreasonable.

Closing thoughts:                                               Today's post aimed to explain what Paul meant when he urged his readers to "present their bodies as living sacrifices".  It was suggested that this phrase refers to that which follows from the reception of eternal life in the Gospel - namely the living out a lifestyle of worship to God. As we worked through the text of Romans 12:1, three thoughts emerged that set out to explain the meaning of Paul's exhortation:

1. The power source for a lifestyle of worship - God's tender mercies

2. Christ is the Pattern for the Lifestyle of Worship

3. The purpose of the lifestyle of worship:  worship God in His greatness

Worship is war

Joshua 6:1-5 "Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in. 2 The Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors. 3 You shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days. 4 Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up every man straight ahead.”

Let me begin today's post with one phrase: "worship is war". When we think of expressions of worship as portrayed in the Bible, the two methods of worship prescribed in the Bible are worshipping God with song and worshipping God through the Word. Too often when we come to sing the songs of praise or gather together to hear the Bible preached, we come more so as civilians rather than soldiers. 

Life and death are at stake in worship. The kingdom of darkness is our foe, stirring the flesh, the human ego and over preoccupation with personalities to suppress the supernatural surge of worship from instruments and preachers alike.

In our church world today you will hear the phrase "worship war" thrown around to refer to disagreements over styles of music. Such superficial nonsense is a symptom of the real problem - the tireless efforts of the enemy to get the church's eyes off of King Jesus. 

Worship is war. In Joshua 6 the famous battle of Jericho is being waged. This stronghold of the enemy needed routed by God's people to secure them in the land of promise. Unless they did it God's way, victory would elude them. 

When you look at God's battle strategy, what did He prescribe? Not soldiers out front, nor the mightiest generals, but rather the priests and blowing of trumpets. These were trumpets of war used in a triumphal procession of worship.

For a whole week the people of God did a "Jericho March" once around each day.  On the final day they encircled the mighty Jericho seven times - corresponding to God's perfect number. When the signal was given and the trumpets were blown, God's power was unleashed and the walls came tumbling down. The stronghold of the enemy was razed and the people of God were further along in their pursuit of God's will.

Worship is war. In 1 Samuel 16 King Saul had been besieged by a demonic spirit. Anger, rage and confusion filled King Saul's heart. However a young lad was summoned into King Saul's presence by the name of David. 1 Samuel 16:22-23 states: "Then David came to Saul and attended him; and Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer. 22 Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David now stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.” 23 So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him." Was it the harp that broke the yoke of bondage in Saul's life? The skill of David in the utility of his fingers? The melodious sounds that filled the air? As certain as those elements were present, they were not the cause of Saul's deliverance. Rather the Spirit of God attended the harp strings that were plucked and the sure fingers of David the mighty Psalmist. 2 Samuel 23:1-2 records David's later testimony: "Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse declares, The man who was raised on high declares, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel, 2 “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, And His word was on my tongue." 

The anointing power of God, which is the Spirit's extraordinary empowerment and illumination of His people for service, was at work through David's ministry. Isaiah 10:27 reminds us: "And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing."

Worship is war. In 2 Kings 3 we have the scene of a group of kings needing a word from God. Would they experience victory or defeat? Elisha was the man of God who was requested to seek the Lord and to deliver a Word on their behalf. As Elisha was preparing to speak, we pick up the account in 2 Kings 3:14-15 "Elisha said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you. 15 But now bring me a minstrel.” And it came about, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him." Notice how the ministry of song and the word are hitched together like a team of horses. God's power came upon Elisha and that unnamed musician. The Word came and victory followed. 

Worship is war. Whenever the Spirit of God anoints a preacher and music in a service, the war is being waged against the flesh. The preacher is fighting the fleshly drives of fear and self-approval, as well as the spiritual forces blinding the minds of unbelievers and afflicting God's people with confusion and doubt. The musician is fighting his own fleshly battles as well and the war on him is just as fierce. His heart is about the substance of the praise or worship song. 

The New Testament twice commands us to: "...with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God." (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16) When we come together to hear the Word and sing about it, King Jesus Himself is there with us by the Holy Spirit, singing and testifying before the throne about His people. (Hebrews 2:11-14)  Every Sunday is a war. The battle ground is people's hearts. The aim is to dislodge the rebel flag of unbelief and to plant a flag in the ground of the human heart by the Spirit of God that says: "Jesus reigns". 

Worship is war. As we close out today's post, I hope you can see why worship involves the declaration of King Jesus' glory and victory by His Spirit-called and empowered worshippers. May we go into worship as soldiers seeking audience with the General of our Faith. By the power of the Holy Spirit, the blood of the Lamb and the Word of testimony we shall overcome.

Great song: How Deep the Father's Love

1 John 3:1-3 "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."

Today's post features a great link to a song that was mentioned to me by one of the readers of this blog. It so edified my spirit that I felt it deserved its own post. The musicians in the video are from the Liberty University Worship band and they sing the song: "How deep the Father's love". The above song is available on youtube at this address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBe2iRIYjW0