“The Believer’s Response to God!”

INTRODUCTION

(Romans 12) rightly marks the transition to the NEXT SECTION of this Letter.

According to John Stott’s outline:

(1:1-17) - The GOSPEL of God and Paul!

(1:18-3:20) - The WRATH of God Against All Humanity!

(3:21-8:39) - The GRACE of God in the Gospel

(9:1-11:36) - The PLAN of God for Jews and Gentiles

Paul now begins the FINAL SECTION…

(12:1-16:27) - The PRACTICE of the Believer!

BELIEF is ALWAYS to be followed by BEHAVIOR—correct DOCTRINE is followed by DEEDS!

And so these last FIVE CHAPTERS in Romans is all about the DIFFERENCE our THEOLOGY should make in HOW WE LIVE!

I anticipate at least TEN MESSAGES under the banner of “The PRACTICE of the Believer!”

WE BEGIN with a message from the first two verses of Chapter 12 entitled, “The Believer’s Response to God!”

WARNING! - I may be jumping between CSB, NASB95, LSB, NET, and NIV, so fasten your pew-belts for whatever turbulence we might experience!

Romans 12:1–2 CSB

1 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Romans 12:1–2 NASB95

1 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. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1–2 LSB

1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—living, holy, and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may approve what the will of God is, that which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Romans 12:1–2 NET

1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—alive, holy, and pleasing to God—which is your reasonable service. 2 Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

Romans 12:1–2 NIV84

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Though the differences are FEW and SUBTLE, I think it is beneficial to note the differences!

There are TWO MAIN POINTS answer the questions: “WHAT?” and “HOW?”

I. WHAT Is Our RESPONSE to the Mercies of God? - (12:1)

A. A Strong EXHORTATION! - (LSB, v.1a)

(LSB) - “Therefore I EXHORT [URGE] you…”

The first Greek word in (v.1) is, Παρακαλῶ - ‘to ask for (earnestly), to request, to plead for, to appeal to, to implore, to challenge.’

The picture is coming alongside (para) of someone and to call them to appropriate action (kaleō)! Used 109 times in the NT:

Acts 2:40 CSB

40 With many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt generation!”

2 Corinthians 5:20 CSB

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”

B. An Undeniable MOTIVATION! - (v.1b)

“…in view of the mercies of God”

“διὰ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν τοῦ θεοῦ” - Lit., ‘through the compassions of the God’

2 Corinthians 1:3 CSB

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.

Gilbrant writes, “The phrase “mercies of God” is said to sum up God’s saving acts and plan of salvation; it is the presupposition for the Christian life.”

In other words, our motivation is “Because of God’s compassions—Because of His mercies!”

Our MOTIVE is our RESPONSE to God’s LOVE!

1 John 4:19 CSB

19 We love because he first loved us.

C. An Unconditional SACRIFICE! - (v.1c)

FOUR phrases I want to draw your attention to:

“…present your bodies” - παραστῆσαι

From the root, παρίστημι - ‘Place beside, put at someone’s disposal, present, offer, provide; to bring to; show, demonstrate; stand by, help, come to the aid of.’

Louw-Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the NT based on Semantic Domains - “to make something available to someone without necessarily involving actual change of ownership—‘to make available, to provide, to present to.’”

Used EIGHT times in Romans!

Romans 6:13 CSB

13 And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness.

Romans 6:16 CSB

16 Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey—either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness?

Romans 6:19 CSB

19 I am using a human analogy because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification.

The POINT: You OFFER YOURSELVES!

The verb is in the ACTIVE voice! YOU are the one who presents the offering!

It’s NOT present tense, but rather AORIST tense—a COMPLETE action without reference to time!

“…as a living sacrifice”

The first part of that phrase, “living sacrifice” is actually REVERSED in Greek: θυσίαν ζῶσαν - ‘sacrifice living’!

“…living” is a VERB (not an adjective)! God desires that you be a living, moving sacrifice!

Romans 6:11 CSB

11 So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

You need to think/consider yourself as ALIVE! As LIVING before the Lord!

You are MUCH MORE USEFUL that way!

“…sacrifice” - is from θυσίαν - which means the exact same thing in English as it does in Greek: ‘a sacrifice, an offering’

In our culture we tend use the word “sacrifice” to describe something we give up in order to gain something else!

Here the emphasis is on sacrificing, not to gain, but to GIVE our lives to God as a literal OFFERING!

“…holy and pleasing to God”

TWO ADJECTIVES describe that offering: “…holy and pleasing to God”

The really GOOD NEWS is that both of these adjectives are something God does in us, when we give ourselves as a sacrifice!

“…holy” - ἁγίαν - ‘consecrated, set apart’

2 Corinthians 5:21 CSB

21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 3:6 CSB

6 He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

“…pleasing to God” - εὐάρεστον - ‘well pleasing, acceptable’

2 Corinthians 5:9 CSB

9 Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him.

Ephesians 5:10 CSB

10 testing what is pleasing to the Lord.

Hebrews 13:21 CSB

21 equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

I REALIZE at this point in the message, you might be thinking, “We’re never going to finish Romans if you keep examining EVERY WORD and PHRASE!” I hear you!

HOWEVER, have you ever considered that God views YOU (and MAKES YOU) HOLY and PLEASING—ACCEPTABLE!

You don’t have to do any more than “…present your bodies as a living sacrifice!”

A strong EXHORTATION; an undeniable MOTIVATION; an unconditional SACRIFICE!

ONE FINAL PHRASE in (v.1)

D. A Reasonable Expression of WORSHIP! - (v.1d)

(CSB) - “…this is your true worship.”

(NASB95, LSB, NIV84) - “…your spiritual service/act of worship.”

(NET) - “…which is your reasonable service.”

Which translates, λογικὴν λατρείαν - ‘reasonable service’

(λογικὴν) - Pertaining to being genuine, in the sense of being true to the real and essential nature of something— ‘rational, genuine, true.’

(λατρείαν) - ‘to perform religious rites as a part of worship’.

In other words, it just makes SENSE—it’s the logical, reasonable, worshipful response to “…the mercies of God!”

I think of it this way: This morning is special to me, because FORTY YEARS ago this week (August, 1986), I began in full-time Christian ministry as a Jr. High Bible Teacher at Tampa Christian Academy (TCA)!

AND THE REASON I began in ministry is because of what God did for me (in SAVING ME) and in my family (bringing HEALING—He kept my Dad and Step-mom together)!

God’s MERCIES through Jesus Christ brought salvation and healing to my family! I could do NO LESS than GIVE MY LIFE TO HIM IN SERVICE!

END OF PART ONE!