Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy well pleasing to God, this is your logical divine service.1
We Glorify Your Name
God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.2 There has always been such a high payment for sin, a requirement that can only be satisfied by something worthy. A sacrifice is defined as the act of giving up something that you want to keep especially in order to get or do something else or to help someone.
Present your bodies... The word present here comes from parístēmi (from 3844 /pará, "from close-beside" and 2476 /hístēmi, "to stand") – properly, stand close beside, i.e. ready to present (exhibit). Of course I can not kill the indulgencies of the flesh I must stand close beside Christ to do this, but this is my logical service, it is a sacrifice on my part.
A sacrifice was needed to atone for the sin of man against God. For we set our heart as the heart of a god and only he deserves such glory. It is his kingdom not ours, yet you are a man, and not a god, though you set your heart as the heart of a god.3 If someone came into my house and said he was now becoming the man of the house, I would take offense to such. But we want to exalt ourselves and be like a god. This is the deception in the garden, sin was introduced to man by this concept, you can be like God. It is the nature of most religions, I can be like a god, enlightened without God. Even his own people exalt themselves over him when they do over others.
We were created with God's breath in us, until sin removed that, an emptiness we seek to fill. This emptiness inside can only be filled by God. But the enemy understands such, he says we can be like God, we can satisfy that longing through lust, worldly things, and pride. To cover such abomination, God required a sacrifice, he sent an atonement for all sin, through the word of God who became flesh and dwelt among us. The very God that spoke the world into existence, he became the lamb of God, the sacrifice. Such an amazing grace to man, and it no longer demands a blood sacrifice or works, as Jesus through his works (birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension) provided a payment once and for all.
When we accept this amazing Grace, we are justified by faith in him, made righteous by the works of Jesus.This is called justification. God desires our love above everything else and he provided a way for our justification. God looks at the heart and wants us to know him, For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. 4 This is the principle of the greatest commandment; the fulfillment of the law and prophets is to love God with all things and to love our neighbor as ourselves. He writes his laws on our hearts. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.5 We can not be a living sacrifice on our own.
Present your bodies... The word present here comes from parístēmi (from 3844 /pará, "from close-beside" and 2476 /hístēmi, "to stand") – properly, stand close beside, i.e. ready to present (exhibit). Of course I can not kill the indulgencies of the flesh I must stand close beside Christ to do this, but this is my logical service, it is a sacrifice on my part.
A sacrifice was needed to atone for the sin of man against God. For we set our heart as the heart of a god and only he deserves such glory. It is his kingdom not ours, yet you are a man, and not a god, though you set your heart as the heart of a god.3 If someone came into my house and said he was now becoming the man of the house, I would take offense to such. But we want to exalt ourselves and be like a god. This is the deception in the garden, sin was introduced to man by this concept, you can be like God. It is the nature of most religions, I can be like a god, enlightened without God. Even his own people exalt themselves over him when they do over others.
We were created with God's breath in us, until sin removed that, an emptiness we seek to fill. This emptiness inside can only be filled by God. But the enemy understands such, he says we can be like God, we can satisfy that longing through lust, worldly things, and pride. To cover such abomination, God required a sacrifice, he sent an atonement for all sin, through the word of God who became flesh and dwelt among us. The very God that spoke the world into existence, he became the lamb of God, the sacrifice. Such an amazing grace to man, and it no longer demands a blood sacrifice or works, as Jesus through his works (birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension) provided a payment once and for all.
When we accept this amazing Grace, we are justified by faith in him, made righteous by the works of Jesus.This is called justification. God desires our love above everything else and he provided a way for our justification. God looks at the heart and wants us to know him, For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. 4 This is the principle of the greatest commandment; the fulfillment of the law and prophets is to love God with all things and to love our neighbor as ourselves. He writes his laws on our hearts. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.5 We can not be a living sacrifice on our own.
When I became a Christian not many years ago, I got involved in a homeless ministry, God taught me many things there, some that contradicted teachings and traditions of men. I learned a lesson that God does what he does, to glorify him. A friend of mine Shelby gave his life to Christ one night, he stumbled down the aisle, some thought he was just drunk but he was sick. He went home sober that day for sure, but he was not delivered from alcoholism nor healed from cirrhosis of the liver. He struggled with this and would come to church with me, he loved to sing lifting his hands, he would have tears running down his cheeks as he was in the presence of God. You see Shelby had been taught he had to clean up to be in the presence of God.
People of the little church would be quick to tell him of such and I would see the enemy condemn, a wall would go up and he would listen no more. I truly saw God working in him, but I got in the ditch with him, most could not get past the external, he broke their rules and their doctrine. But Shelby and I found that God wants us to boldly come before his throne and receive grace and mercy as needed. A few months later he passed away, he is in heaven, this glorifies God. Shelby lived in great filth, thrown out to die by the world but God saw him and loved him. This what God did for his people, Israel under the old covenant.4 He reaches down to those we deem unworthy, he does so not through condemnation and thundering from the mountain with great words but through this amazing grace he gives.
We all were orphaned by sin, without a heavenly Father in this world. When he looked down and loved us, it was nothing that we did, no external beauty, nothing that would attract his love, he found us in our filth and chose to make us his child.5 His love reached out greatly to us. Even more amazing is that it glorifies him to adopt the worst of us into his family. What we consider lowly and weak, he turns into something strong, powerful, and beautiful, as such glorifies him and confounds our wisdom, so that we boast only in him. Our salvation means we are justified by God. This justification comes in Christ's righteousness and works, not our own, and it is a free gift.
How do we be holy like him? If he sacrificed must not we? We must be consecrated, set apart, sanctified. Sanctification is working out our salvation, it is getting this salvation in me, this new creation of the spirit in me, to live it out, fighting from the victory already in me. It is learning to be holy as he is, it is learning to walk in the Spirit and not the flesh. But I am a new creation, behold all things new, right? If we were made perfect, poof, what would be needed of me? You would just tell people to believe and they too would be made perfect.
Satan was made perfect, he was the most beautiful of God's creation, his external beauty was great and he acquired many riches from what God had given him and then he sinned... he exalted himself and said look at me, I am a god, I sit in the realm of God.6 Perfect humans would never relate to sinners, never understand their infirmities, never mediate for them in prayer... you get the picture. If we were made perfect without this process that God uses to refine us we would be much like Satan, I believe, our loyalty would be questioned. God wants us to be perfect as he is but he also wants our heart, our loyalty for eternity, this required much sacrifice. Jesus was without sin and as such he became our sacrifice, now he is our high priest mediating for us as he knows our infirmities.
Though equal to God, Jesus set aside that godhead and became a servant. He asks us to follow him, to be like him, and to run that race, as he did. To race is to sacrifice, it requires me to run it his way, to train. When I choose to accept, I have joined the race he has set before me. I must run the race with his instructions, if I do not it is no longer his race but mine. I need strength, patience, and endurance to finish, thus I must train my body and mind. It has been conditioned to seek fleshly desires, conformed to qualities of this world, now I must re-condition it, conform to Him, create new habits and thoughts, to be renewed in my mind. I must be committed for this task, will I be like God or like Satan. I need someone to help equip me, to build me up, to train me to run this race. He knew this.
People of the little church would be quick to tell him of such and I would see the enemy condemn, a wall would go up and he would listen no more. I truly saw God working in him, but I got in the ditch with him, most could not get past the external, he broke their rules and their doctrine. But Shelby and I found that God wants us to boldly come before his throne and receive grace and mercy as needed. A few months later he passed away, he is in heaven, this glorifies God. Shelby lived in great filth, thrown out to die by the world but God saw him and loved him. This what God did for his people, Israel under the old covenant.4 He reaches down to those we deem unworthy, he does so not through condemnation and thundering from the mountain with great words but through this amazing grace he gives.
We all were orphaned by sin, without a heavenly Father in this world. When he looked down and loved us, it was nothing that we did, no external beauty, nothing that would attract his love, he found us in our filth and chose to make us his child.5 His love reached out greatly to us. Even more amazing is that it glorifies him to adopt the worst of us into his family. What we consider lowly and weak, he turns into something strong, powerful, and beautiful, as such glorifies him and confounds our wisdom, so that we boast only in him. Our salvation means we are justified by God. This justification comes in Christ's righteousness and works, not our own, and it is a free gift.
While we were yet orphaned he chose to adopt us, making us his sons and daughters. But like a father who wants his children to behave as he, not just as he says but as he does also, he wants his children to be like Him. To love him and to follow his instructions, Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?6 Being chosen by the King is a high honor but now this honor requires sacrifice, there are responsibilities entrusted. God requires holiness in his family, as he is holy. If we say we are his children and do not follow his instructions then we do not reflect his image, his character, and this doesn't glorify him, nor his kingdom.
How do we be holy like him? If he sacrificed must not we? We must be consecrated, set apart, sanctified. Sanctification is working out our salvation, it is getting this salvation in me, this new creation of the spirit in me, to live it out, fighting from the victory already in me. It is learning to be holy as he is, it is learning to walk in the Spirit and not the flesh. But I am a new creation, behold all things new, right? If we were made perfect, poof, what would be needed of me? You would just tell people to believe and they too would be made perfect.
Satan was made perfect, he was the most beautiful of God's creation, his external beauty was great and he acquired many riches from what God had given him and then he sinned... he exalted himself and said look at me, I am a god, I sit in the realm of God.6 Perfect humans would never relate to sinners, never understand their infirmities, never mediate for them in prayer... you get the picture. If we were made perfect without this process that God uses to refine us we would be much like Satan, I believe, our loyalty would be questioned. God wants us to be perfect as he is but he also wants our heart, our loyalty for eternity, this required much sacrifice. Jesus was without sin and as such he became our sacrifice, now he is our high priest mediating for us as he knows our infirmities.
Though equal to God, Jesus set aside that godhead and became a servant. He asks us to follow him, to be like him, and to run that race, as he did. To race is to sacrifice, it requires me to run it his way, to train. When I choose to accept, I have joined the race he has set before me. I must run the race with his instructions, if I do not it is no longer his race but mine. I need strength, patience, and endurance to finish, thus I must train my body and mind. It has been conditioned to seek fleshly desires, conformed to qualities of this world, now I must re-condition it, conform to Him, create new habits and thoughts, to be renewed in my mind. I must be committed for this task, will I be like God or like Satan. I need someone to help equip me, to build me up, to train me to run this race. He knew this.
Jesus prayed to the Father, take this cup from me. And as such our holiness seems to be a daunting task. But the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.7 If we love him we must present our bodies as a living sacrifice, a broken spirit and humble heart. We can only do such through his spirit and his word. I must work out my salvation in my body and mind, I must conform to the image of Christ, who lives in me, in my spirit. I need the mind of Christ and I can only have this through his word and with his spirit teaching me. Sanctification is presenting the body a living sacrifice, every day, holy and acceptable to him, this is our logical godly service.