THE PASSION IN VIEW HERE
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God …. “
In Romans 12:1, 2, we find the Apostle Paul, inspired by thee Holy Spirit of God, pleading passionately with believers to live sanctified lives. He bases his plea on what the Lord Jesus, in His mercy towards sinners was willing to suffer so that we could be saved; the word “therefore,” is intended to refer the reader back to all that Paul had previously written in this letter. The word “beseech” is very strong. Paul is literally begging believers to give heed to the admonition that follows in the second part of verse one.
THE PRESENTATION IN VIEW HERE
“… Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service”
The admonition here is clear. As believers, we are told that it is the duty of every Christian to consciously and deliberately present their body as a living sacrifice to God; to consider their body as “holy,” that is, separated unto God. Furthermore, we are told that this it is nothing more or less than “reasonable” for us to do this.
It is reasonable for us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God, because God has told us plainly in His word that our bodies actually belong to Him and therefore, it is our duty is to use them in ways that acknowledge his ownership of us: “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's” (1 Cor. 6:20). In the verse preceding this one, Paul expressed amazement that there were people in the Corinthian church who apparently didn’t understand this: “What?,” he wrote, “know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (v. 19).
We might well wonder the same thing concerning the seeming majority of Christians today! Where is the disconnect? Why can’t Christians (or why won’t they) acknowledge the fact that their bodies are not their own and it is therefore a “reasonable” thing to expect that they would want to make sure that they are doing nothing in or with their bodies that would be inconsistent with God’s Word and therefore keeping Him from receiving the glory, through them, that He demands and deserves? (See Rom. 6:13)
THE PROHIBITION IN VIEW HERE
“And be not conformed to this world… “
The word “conformed” is translated from a word meaning, “Do not assume an outward expression in your life that is inconsistent with and falsely misrepresents the life that is within you.” In other words, we as believers are prohibited from displaying the mannerisms, expressions of speech, styles and habits that are common to the world. The “world” referred to here is that world system spoken of in 1 John 2:15-17: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away , and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:15-17).
The “world” which the Bible forbids Christians to conform to is, “All that floating mass of thoughts, opinions, maxims, speculations, hopes, impulses, aims, aspirations, at any time current in the world, which it may be impossible to seize and accurately define, but which constitute a most real and effective power, being moral, or immoral atmosphere which at every moment of our lives we inhale, again inevitably to exhale” (K. E. Wuest). See James 4:4;
THE PRESCRIPTION IN VIEW HERE
“be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind … “
There are professed believers who “mind earthly things” (Phil. 1:19); preoccupied with, and fixated on, and fascinated by, the things of this world, they give little if any serious thought to spiritual matters. Their conformity to this world in their thinking, is manifested in their lives (Prov. 23:7). Believers prevent their being conformed to this world when they practice good stewardship of their minds, allowing themselves to be steadily, daily, transformed through the development of a godly thought life. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” is a challenge and a command that we all should take seriously. See Eph 4:23; 1 Pet. 1:13.
THE PROMISE IN VIEW HERE
“ … that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
How important is it to you as a Christian that you have the ability to discern what the will of God is for your life? Understanding God’s will for you relative to marriage, parenting, Christian service, handling of finances – virtually anything and everything, is vital. But we can know God’s “good, and acceptable, and perfect, will” only to the degree that we are presenting our bodies to Christ as a living sacrifice, and avoiding our conformity to the world by being transformed through the renewal of our minds. There’s no other way to understand and follow through on that, which constitutes God’s will for us.
Discerning the will of God begins with your understanding that “this is the will of God, even your sanctification” (1 Thess. 4:3). Sanctification means setting ourselves apart to God, which requires setting ourselves apart from the world in terms of attitude, conduct, lifestyle, etc. God promises us that we will be able to discern His perfect will as we (1) present our bodies a living sacrifice, (2) do not let ourselves conform to this world and (3) become transformed by the renewing of our minds.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God …. “
In Romans 12:1, 2, we find the Apostle Paul, inspired by thee Holy Spirit of God, pleading passionately with believers to live sanctified lives. He bases his plea on what the Lord Jesus, in His mercy towards sinners was willing to suffer so that we could be saved; the word “therefore,” is intended to refer the reader back to all that Paul had previously written in this letter. The word “beseech” is very strong. Paul is literally begging believers to give heed to the admonition that follows in the second part of verse one.
THE PRESENTATION IN VIEW HERE
“… Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service”
The admonition here is clear. As believers, we are told that it is the duty of every Christian to consciously and deliberately present their body as a living sacrifice to God; to consider their body as “holy,” that is, separated unto God. Furthermore, we are told that this it is nothing more or less than “reasonable” for us to do this.
It is reasonable for us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God, because God has told us plainly in His word that our bodies actually belong to Him and therefore, it is our duty is to use them in ways that acknowledge his ownership of us: “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's” (1 Cor. 6:20). In the verse preceding this one, Paul expressed amazement that there were people in the Corinthian church who apparently didn’t understand this: “What?,” he wrote, “know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (v. 19).
We might well wonder the same thing concerning the seeming majority of Christians today! Where is the disconnect? Why can’t Christians (or why won’t they) acknowledge the fact that their bodies are not their own and it is therefore a “reasonable” thing to expect that they would want to make sure that they are doing nothing in or with their bodies that would be inconsistent with God’s Word and therefore keeping Him from receiving the glory, through them, that He demands and deserves? (See Rom. 6:13)
THE PROHIBITION IN VIEW HERE
“And be not conformed to this world… “
The word “conformed” is translated from a word meaning, “Do not assume an outward expression in your life that is inconsistent with and falsely misrepresents the life that is within you.” In other words, we as believers are prohibited from displaying the mannerisms, expressions of speech, styles and habits that are common to the world. The “world” referred to here is that world system spoken of in 1 John 2:15-17: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away , and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:15-17).
The “world” which the Bible forbids Christians to conform to is, “All that floating mass of thoughts, opinions, maxims, speculations, hopes, impulses, aims, aspirations, at any time current in the world, which it may be impossible to seize and accurately define, but which constitute a most real and effective power, being moral, or immoral atmosphere which at every moment of our lives we inhale, again inevitably to exhale” (K. E. Wuest). See James 4:4;
THE PRESCRIPTION IN VIEW HERE
“be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind … “
There are professed believers who “mind earthly things” (Phil. 1:19); preoccupied with, and fixated on, and fascinated by, the things of this world, they give little if any serious thought to spiritual matters. Their conformity to this world in their thinking, is manifested in their lives (Prov. 23:7). Believers prevent their being conformed to this world when they practice good stewardship of their minds, allowing themselves to be steadily, daily, transformed through the development of a godly thought life. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” is a challenge and a command that we all should take seriously. See Eph 4:23; 1 Pet. 1:13.
THE PROMISE IN VIEW HERE
“ … that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
How important is it to you as a Christian that you have the ability to discern what the will of God is for your life? Understanding God’s will for you relative to marriage, parenting, Christian service, handling of finances – virtually anything and everything, is vital. But we can know God’s “good, and acceptable, and perfect, will” only to the degree that we are presenting our bodies to Christ as a living sacrifice, and avoiding our conformity to the world by being transformed through the renewal of our minds. There’s no other way to understand and follow through on that, which constitutes God’s will for us.
Discerning the will of God begins with your understanding that “this is the will of God, even your sanctification” (1 Thess. 4:3). Sanctification means setting ourselves apart to God, which requires setting ourselves apart from the world in terms of attitude, conduct, lifestyle, etc. God promises us that we will be able to discern His perfect will as we (1) present our bodies a living sacrifice, (2) do not let ourselves conform to this world and (3) become transformed by the renewing of our minds.
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