Place On The Altar

... through the mercies of God present that your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, that your reasonable service (Romans 12:1)

The Greek word for reasonable is λογικός (logikos) "reasonable, logical" having the root word logos thus divinely inspired or divinely reasonable. The Greek word for service λατρεία (latreia) means exactly that. Many translations say this is your "spiritual worship" or "reasonable worship" but we will stay with the Greek. Very simple. Your reasonable or logical service as a child of God is to present your body on the altar of God as an acceptable sacrifice. 

Reasonable means being in accordance with; having sound judgment.* Logic is defined as being in "accordance with" and capable of reasoning.* Through the mercies of God you are in accordance with the sacrifice that is acceptable unto God. 

This is your reasonable service as it leads to transformation and transformation renews the mind so that you approve of God's will as good, pleasing, and perfect (Romans 12:2). If we change this reasonable service to mean something different we do not lead people into transformation which outcome is approving of the things of God. Thus we do not produce true obedience.

... present that your bodies a living sacrifice...

In the old covenant what was presented to God on the altar became holy. The tithing was presented on the altar to God and a portion was given to the priests so that they shared in its holiness. So they could serve in the temple of God. In the new Jesus was the sacrifice and offering acceptable to God to atone for sin and appease God's wrath. We share and participate in the sacrifice of Christ and eat of that which was presented at the altar as an acceptable sacrifice to God.

We do not present to God offerings and sacrifices for that which Christ accomplished once and for all. It would be sacrilegious for me to place at the altar offerings that were fulfilled by Christ; trying to appease God's wrath or atone for sin or somehow attain holiness through tithing. Our reasonable service now becomes to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, unto holiness. Why and how becomes the question.

The desires of the flesh are opposed to the Spirit and the Spirit is opposed to the flesh so you do the things you do not want to. Now if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the Law (Galatians 5:17-18)

In the body, no good thing lives. In the body exists the law of sin and death. We await our salvation, the redemption of our bodies. As prophecied and accomplished through the new covenant, we receive the promised Holy Spirit.* The Spirit frees us from the law of sin and death in the body so we are not condemned. But we still live in this body. 

so too, reason (logizomai) yourselves dead to sin, now alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11)

This verse ties to our reasonable service that the body must be presented a living sacrifice. In fact, it says if we are in Christ it already has. Paul counters logic that some people might use today, like "what are we saying, [that we are] to continue in sin so that grace may abound" (Romans 6:1). Today it is said in a similar way as "to use grace as a license to sin" or "what then [we should] sin because we are not under the Law but under grace?" (Romans 6:15). Paul's response is "do you not know?"

Do you not know that those baptized in Christ Jesus were baptized into his death (Romans 6:3). Do you not know, have you not reasoned the same or reckoned yourself the same? "Therefore if buried with him through baptism into death so that just as Christ was raised from the dead so also we might walk in newness of Life" (Romans 6:4). The old man was crucified with Jesus so if the old is not dead, what is the issue? You do not know, have not experienced because you have not been taught such truth (Romans 6:17-19). Do you not know your reasonable service?

Do you not know "if presenting yourselves like as to the extent of that obedient existing of whom you obey whether of sin to the extent of death or obedience to the extent of righteousness" (Romans 6:16). Does this answer the question of what is my part and what is God's part in transformation? Do you not know, have you committed from the heart to these teachings, thus have you not been taught? 

To answer the question of what is my reasonable service as a child of God; it is to "present your body as a living sacrifice." To answer the question of what is my part in this process we see it is to present our bodies a living sacrifice. Let us look further into this teaching. "Just as you presented your members to impurity and lawlessness which led to more lawlessness, in this way present your members to righteousness to the extent sanctification" (Romans 6:19).

for the one who dies is set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ believe that also living with him (Romans 6:7-8). 

Here is what you must consider or reckon. We reason that what happened to Christ happens to us as we participate in his death and life. "knowing that Christ was raised from the dead, to die no more, dying no more as death no longer has mastery over him. For the death, he died dying to sin once and for all, now the life he lives he lives of God so you to reason yourselves..." (Romans 6:7-11). 

Reason yourself. Christ was raised from the dead and death has no mastery over him. Before Christ was raised he died to sin, thus sin is dead in one who is dead. The state in which Christ exists now raised from the dead sin has no mastery over him. We are to consider ourselves the same way. Now unlike Christ, we still live in this body of sin and death so we need understanding in this teaching, that we have been united with him in his death. 

Being united in his death means we are dead to sin but also the one who dies is no longer bound to the Law (Romans 7:1-6). Very important to understand. "For sin will not have mastery over you for you exist not under the Law but under grace" (Romans 6:14). The Law arouses sinful desires (Romans 7:5) and brings condemnation (Romans 8:1). But being bound to Christ is to be free, to be "released from the Law having died to that which held us captive so that we serve in newness of Spirit and not the old written code" (Romans 7:6). 

We can hear it now, what are you saying the Law is bad! No, it is good and spiritual, "for we know the Law is spiritual, now I am fleshly sold under sin for I do not understand my own actions, for I am not doing what I want rather doing what I hate, but if am doing what I do not want I agree with the Law that it is good. Now at the present, it is no longer I but sin living in me" (Romans 7:14-20). If you are still of a sinful nature you are not indebted to live to righteousness, thus you would not hate or be ashamed of sin, it is your nature. The Law was weak through the flesh because man is carnal "because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God, not submitting to the law of God, for it has no power to" (Romans 8:7-9), and the laws of God are spiritual. 

God deals with this weakness of the sinful nature to submit to his laws by putting his Spirit in us, now as spiritual beings we have the power to obey. But what is our part and what is the Holy Spirit's? What must I do? I do not want to go back to the Law, it will not help me rule over sin, I want to approve of the spiritual things of God as good, pleasing, and perfect and thus fulfill the righteous requirements of the law. Transformation renews the mind so that it is spiritual or aligns with the mind of Christ. Only God can do that, what is my part? "... present your bodies a living sacrifice." 

I need to present to God as a living sacrifice my body. In the old covenant temple, a sacrifice was placed before God on the altar. Paul understood this. Present, place your body, in which sin dwells, at the altar of God as a living sacrifice. This is your reasonable service to God. I can reason and consider in my mind in conjunction with the working of the word and the Spirit of God. 

So we consider ourselves as Christ who died to sin and was raised into newness of life where sin has no mastery over us. The one dying dies to sin. He died and since we are united in his death we die with him and the body is crucified with him. To present my body as a living sacrifice is to reckon myself dead to sin and alive to God.

present your members to righteousness to the extent of sanctification (Romans 6:19)

Here it is, my part in this process. When I was free in regards to righteousness living in sinful nature I presented my members as instruments of impurity. Now, that I am free in regard to sin and indebted to righteousness, as it is my new nature, I am to present my members as instruments of righteousness. This in essence is presenting your body as a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God. The outcome is the fruit you get from sanctification, life (Romans 6:22). It is a matter of where you sow (Galatians 6:8). Place on the altar before God our bodies, a living sacrifice, this is our reasonable service.