LIVING SACRIFICES FOR JESUS
The call to follow Christ is not partial. It is total. “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1). This is not the offering of animals, but of self. The old sacrifices were slain (Hebrews 10:1-4), but this sacrifice lives. It is continual, not momentary, and it belongs entirely to God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
A living sacrifice does not conform to the world. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed” (Romans 12:2). The pattern of this age passes away (1 Corinthians 7:31), but the will of God endures (1 John 2:17). Therefore, the mind must be renewed (Ephesians 4:23), and the life reshaped by truth (John 17:17). Transformation is not external only, but inward and complete.
Such a life requires death to self. “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself” (Luke 9:23). The old man is crucified (Romans 6:6), and those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh (Galatians 5:24). One cannot serve self and God at the same time (Matthew 6:24). The sacrifice lives, but self-rule dies.
This offering is marked by holiness. Without holiness no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14), and God has called us to holiness, not uncleanness (1 Thessalonians 4:7). As He who called you is holy, so be holy in all conduct (1 Peter 1:15-16). A living sacrifice is not common; it is set apart.
It is also marked by obedience. “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). Christ is the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him (Hebrews 5:9), and love is shown by keeping His commandments (John 14:15). The sacrifice is not merely declared; it is demonstrated.
Endurance is required in this life. “Be faithful until death” (Revelation 2:10), for he who endures to the end shall be saved (Matthew 24:13). Weariness must be resisted (Galatians 6:9), and the race must be run with patience (Hebrews 12:1). A living sacrifice does not withdraw when trials come.
The body itself becomes an instrument of righteousness. “Do not present your members as instruments of sin” (Romans 6:13), but as servants of righteousness unto holiness. What once served sin must now serve God (Romans 6:19), and even daily actions are to glorify Him (1 Corinthians 10:31). Nothing is outside the scope of this sacrifice.
The mind is to be governed by spiritual things. “To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Romans 8:6). Thoughts are brought into captivity to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5), and meditation is set upon what is true and pure (Philippians 4:8). The inward life directs the outward offering.
This life is sustained by God’s mercy. It is by His mercies that we present ourselves (Romans 12:1), for without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). He works in us to will and to do (Philippians 2:13), and His grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9). The sacrifice depends on the One to whom it is given.
The end of such a life is not loss, but gain. “Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25). God is not unjust to forget your work (Hebrews 6:10), and there is laid up a crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8). The living sacrifice, though given fully, is rewarded eternally (1 Peter 1:4).
BDD
