Pursuing authentic worship

The Opportunity of a Lifetime! (pt 3) October 26, 2011

(more thoughts on Romans 12:1)

How do I present my body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God?

We’ve already covered that the action here of presenting our bodies is to be a one-time dedication, with many recommitments. But how do we present ourselves as a sacrifice holy and acceptable to God? Do I have to first make myself into a sacrifice? Do I have to make myself holy and somehow acceptable to God? Looking at this verse out of context, it would be easy to think that this is what Paul is saying: I need to make my life an acceptable sacrifice to God, one with which he will be pleased.

Picture an alter with sheep lined up to be sacrificed. The Priest reviews the sheep and gives either a thumbs up or a thumbs down as to its acceptability. Is it good enough? Does it make the grade? “Yes” to this, “no” to that? The problem with this picture is that, one: It would be impossible for you to make yourself into a sacrifice holy and acceptable to God. He only accepts perfect sheep. No amount of “cleaning up your act” or adding good to out weigh the bad would satisfy God’s standards.

Second, this approach ignores all Paul has pointed out in the previous chapters. The fact is that none of us can measure up to God’s standards.  Through Christ however, as a believer in Him, you are NOW a sacrifice. You are NOW holy. You are NOW acceptable. You are an acceptable sacrifice! Again, Romans 6 reminds us of this as well as other passages such as Paul’s letter to the Colossians:

“And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,” (Colossians 1:21-22 ESV)

We have been so identified with Jesus that God now sees us with His righteousness, His holiness, His life as ours. So also, we must we consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus as a living sacrifice. (Rom 6:11)

It’s worth noting here too that even after you become a Christian, it’s easy to slip into a “performance” mode with God. Acting as if I have to somehow make myself holy, righteous and acceptable to God. God does not save us and then tell us to change our lives to become like Jesus. He saves us and tells us we are now like Jesus and our behavior can become like His – like who we really are – as we walk by faith, in His Spirit.

And this brings me to the answer to this question. How do I present my body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God? It is clearly by FAITH. It is by faith that I must accept what God says about me in Christ. I present myself as a living sacrifice because that is what I am in Christ! I present myself as a holy sacrifice because that is what I am through Christ! I present myself acceptable to God, because that is what I am because of the blessed grace of Jesus Christ!

At issue here I believe, is that I must meditate on and accept these truths about my identity rather than continue to believe the lies that my mind and heart have believed for so many years. Jesus has changed me! I am a sacrifice. I am holy. I am acceptable to God.

Lord, help me to capture the reality of what Your gospel has done for me. God let me not settle for the lies and performance mentality I am tempted to live by. Help me to see what is true of me and the new person you have created me to be in Christ and to live out my life in worship to You!