Romans 12:1-8 Sermon

Romans 12:1–8 NKJV

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

Romans 12:1–8 NIV

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform 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. 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Paul exhaustively covered that all have sinned, Jews and Gentiles, and require salvation. Salvation comes from justification by faith and the gospel of Jesus Christ, the power of God to salvation. Now Paul was explaining to the church of Rome how to live this new life by faith. In it, he was also addressing to the lack of unity amongst them subtly.

Read verses 1

Romans 12:1 NKJV

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

Romans 12:1 NIV

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

romans 12:1

Number of key words

The Bible Guide Living Sacrifices (12:1–2)

Paul begins with sacrifice.

Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 12

bodies The Greek word used here, sōma, refers to the entire person.

Paul began with sacrifice - a living sacrifice.

Bodies -

bodies The Greek word used here, sōma, refers to the entire person.

living sacrifice This expression might indicate that believers are to continually offer themselves in service to God. It also could describe believers as dead to sin yet alive to God ().

Living Sacrifice

holy Indicates that the sacrifice is set apart for God. In the ot, such terminology is associated with worship in the tabernacle and temple (; ; ).

reasonable The Greek word used here, logikos, can mean “spiritual,” suggesting worship that involves the heart and mind in contrast to physical offerings and sacrifices. Alternatively, logikos could be translated as “reasonable” or “proper,” indicating worship that reflects a correct understanding of the gospel message and a rational response to it. It also might mean “true,” implying that worship is appropriate for those with a renewed mind ().

Living Sacrifice

service The Greek word used here, latreia, commonly refers to priestly duties in the temple (, ). Believers do not operate in a physical temple but are themselves God’s temple (). They offer themselves because God has made them a holy priesthood (, ).

Living Sacrifice

Question: What is a sacrifice in OT time?

Answer: Under the Old Covenant, God accepted the sacrifices of animals in the temple----- it’s a life paid for human sin.

Under the Old Covenant, God accepted the sacrifices of animals in the temple----- it’s a life paid for human sin.

Such a sacrifice is costly—but second-hand and dead.

Knowles, A. (2001). The Bible guide (1st Augsburg books ed., p. 572). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg.

But these were just a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

Question: When was the first sacrifice in the OT?

Answer: After man sinned, God made clothing for to cover man’s sin. ()

Question: What was the purpose of OT sacrifice?

Answer: To pay for our sins.

Question: Is there a need for the sacrifice now?

Answer: Because of His ultimate, once-for-all-time sacrifice on the cross, the Old Testament sacrifices became obsolete and are no longer of any effect ().

Hebrews 9:11–12 NKJV

11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Question: If Jesus already died for our sins, why then did Paul asked us to offer sacrifice again?

Answer: It is no longer a dead sacrifice but a live one. We are living under grace - hence by the mercies of God.

Question: ‘Offering your bodies’ - Does it mean you have to kill yourself?

Some may consider that that being a Catholic priest or nun would be the bodily sacrifice required. Do you think that is Paul’s meaning of living sacrifice.

Question: "What does it mean to be a living sacrifice?"

Answer:

Paulʼs admonition to the believers in Rome was to sacrifice themselves to God, not as a sacrifice on the altar, as the Mosaic Law required the sacrifice of animals, but as a living sacrifice. The dictionary defines sacrifice as “anything consecrated and offered to God.” As believers, how do we consecrate and offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice?

Paul explained this in

Romans 6:11–13 NKJV

11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

romans

Radical - radical living wholly devoted to Jesus:

Luke 9:57–62 NKJV

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Answer:

Answer: After man sinned, God made clothing for to cover man’s sin. ()

Question: What was the purpose of OT sacrifice?

Answer:

Because of His ultimate, once-for-all-time sacrifice on the cross, the Old Testament sacrifices became obsolete and are no longer of any effect ().

Testament sacrifices became obsolete and are no longer of any effect ().

Hebrews 9:11–12 NKJV

But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

9+11-12).

Answer:

Question: Some may consider that that being a Catholic priest or nun would be the bodily sacrifice. Do you think that is Paul’s meaning of living sacrifice.

Answer:

Paulʼs admonition to the believers in Rome was to sacrifice themselves to God, not as a sacrifice on the altar, as the Mosaic Law required the sacrifice of animals, but as a living sacrifice. The dictionary defines sacrifice as “anything consecrated and offered to God.” As believers, how do we consecrate and offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice?

Renewing of your mind - Born again

everything that appeals to our appetites and involves excessive desires for food, drink, sex, and anything else that satisfies physical needs. Lust of the eyes mostly involves materialism, coveting whatever we see that we donʼt have and envying those who have what we want. The pride of life is defined by any ambition for that which puffs us up and puts us on the throne of our own lives.

Reasonable Service

For those who are in Christ by virtue of saving faith, the only acceptable worship is to offer ourselves completely to the Lord. Under Godʼs control, the believerʼs yet-unredeemed body can and must be yielded to Him as an instrument of righteousness (; ). In view of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus for us, this is only “reasonable.”

What does a living sacrifice look like in the practical sense? The following verse (:2) helps us to understand.

everything that appeals to our appetites and involves excessive desires for food, drink, sex, and anything else that satisfies physical needs. Lust of the eyes mostly involves materialism, coveting whatever we see that we donʼt have and envying those who have what we want. The pride of life is defined by any ambition for that which puffs us up and puts us on the throne of our own lives.

Read

Answer:

Romans 12:2 NKJV

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

Paulʼs admonition to the believers in Rome was to sacrifice themselves to God, not as a sacrifice on the altar, as the Mosaic Law required the sacrifice of animals, but as a living sacrifice. The dictionary defines sacrifice as “anything consecrated and offered to God.” As believers, how do we consecrate and offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice?Renewing of your mind - Born again

Do not be conformed to this world

everything that appeals to our appetites and involves excessive desires for food, drink, sex, and anything else that satisfies physical needs. Lust of the eyes mostly involves materialism, coveting whatever we see that we donʼt have and envying those who have what we want. The pride of life is defined by any ambition for that which puffs us up and puts us on the throne of our own lives.

Conformed, suschematizo (ssos-khay-mat-id-zoe) Strong’s #4964. Compare “scheme” and “schematic” Refers to confirming oneself to the outer fashion or outward appearance, accommodating oneself to a model or pattern. suschematizo occurs elsewhere in the NT only in , where it describes those conforming themselves to worldly lusts. Even apparent or superficial conformity to the present world system or any accommodation to tits ways would be fatal to the Christian life.

We are a living sacrifice for God by not being conformed to this world. The world is defined for us in as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. All that the world has to offer can be reduced to these three things. The lust of the flesh includes everything that appeals to our appetites and involves excessive desires for food, drink, sex, and anything else that satisfies physical needs. Lust of the eyes mostly involves materialism, coveting whatever we see that we donʼt have and envying those who have what we want. The pride of life is defined by any ambition for that which puffs us up and puts us on the throne of our own lives.

Transformation by the Renewal of your mind

Renewal of your mind T “renew” is to “renovate” implying a resotratio nto freshness or to an original state. It intimatea teh potential of redemption’s power to reinstate features of GOd’s origina intention for humanity and a recovery of many potentialites of the human mind and soul as desined before the Fall. The ‘mind’ constitues the intellect or undertanding, but also includes all taht is described in teh word “mind-set”. that is the feelings and the will. Being “taransformed” by the renewal of the mind indicated a literal ‘change in the form or forumulas of thoughts or being.” Thsi describes dedemption’s provion of power to install godliness in us --- a power that transforms 1)our thoughts, whihc lead to formulating 2) our purposes,, which proceed to disctate our actions; and thus 3) our actions become character-determining habits, shaping the life and setting the course or the future. The path to godly living is not complicated, nor is ti energised by the flessh, but it does call teh believer to willing submission to the Father’s provision and ways.

Pursuing holiness

everything that appeals to our appetites and involves excessive desires for food, drink, sex, and anything else that satisfies physical needs. Lust of the eyes mostly involves materialism, coveting whatever we see that we donʼt have and envying those who have what we want. The pride of life is defined by any ambition for that which puffs us up and puts us on the throne of our own lives.

How can believers NOT be conformed to the world? By being “transformed by the renewing of our minds.” We do this primarily through the power of Godʼs Word to transform us. We need to hear (:17), read (:3), study (:11), memorize (:9-11), and meditate on (:2-3) Scripture. The Word of God, ministered in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, is the only power on earth that can transform us from worldliness to true spirituality. In fact, it is all we need to be made “complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (:16, NKJV). The result is that we will be “able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (:2b). It is the will of God for every believer to be a living sacrifice for Jesus Christ.

The two most important commandments Jesus summarised: to love God and every one. ()

“"But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” NASB

Renewing of your mind - Born again

Read romans 12:3-8

Romans 12:3 NKJV

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

Romans 12:3–8 NKJV

3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

Pride

Pride

Cheerfulness hilarotes (hil-ar-ot-ace) Stong’s #2432; Compare “hilarious” and “hilarity”. Graciousness, joyfulness, gladness, benevolence, amiability, cheerfulness, gaiety, affability. In primitive lands Bible translators define hilarotes as “The heart is laughing and the eyes are dancing”. The word was often used for the cheerful demeanour fo those visiting the sick and infirm and of those giving alms. The person who exhibits hilarotes is a sunbeam lighting up a sick room with warmth and love.

Radical - radical living wholly devoted to Jesus:

Luke 9:57–62 NKJV

57 Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 59 Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” 61 And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” 62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Unity

Read Romans 4-