Romans 12:1

Romans 12:1

“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 spiritual service.”

In the new covenant, God has designated the body as a sacrifice. It was to be living, holy, and well-pleasing to God so that it would be acceptable to Him. God neither can nor will accept the sacrifice without these conditions being fulfilled. Our opinion is of no consequence. God is righteous, and He is not partial; there is no variation with Him, and He does not accept anything outside of what He has said in His Word. God’s Word is purified, and it shall be fulfilled in us—in as many as are Jesus’ disciples.

There is nothing that hinders us from sacrificing even our whole life. However, unless the sacrifices fulfill the conditions set by God, they will not lead to a spiritual blessing or progress. People deceive themselves; this is how the masses of God’s people live.

There is no lack of light from God, but there is a lack of an attitude of mind to do according to the light.

The intention with sacrificing is to put to death the root of sin (sin in the flesh).

When we (for example) do good to those who are evil to us, our natural man is delivered into death. We are sacrificed for Jesus’ sake. By thus daily bearing in our body the dying of Christ, we are being transformed from being carnal to being spiritual, from being human to being godly. The promises of the Scriptures are becoming true in us.

“And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering.” Gen. 4:4-5. Why did God respect Abel but not Cain? It is because Abel’s offering fulfilled the conditions, whereas Cain’s did not. The difference between the two was their attitude of mind that was revealed through the offerings. Abel was well-pleasing to God, but not Cain. What was wrong with Cain’s offering? God says it Himself: “If you have good things in mind, your countenance is lifted up.” Cain was not in a state of mind toward God that he could bring a perfect sacrifice. He did not present blood. All he could offer was vegetables. What should Cain have done when he noticed that God respected neither him nor his offering? He should have done the same thing that we must do in a similar situation; namely, humble himself under God’s righteous judgment, learn from it, and love his brother who could teach him how to proceed. He would then doubtless have learned to bring offerings that were well-pleasing to God.

God is not weak and cowardly, saying that things are well when they are not well. What would then become of our salvation from indwelling sin? He is righteous and good, letting us see our true state. He is incredibly longsuffering and gracious toward us so that none should fail to reach the goal that He has assigned to each one individually.

The apostle exhorts us not only to present our body as a sacrifice and not only to fulfill some of the commandments, but to be a complete sacrifice to God’s pleasure.

If you sacrifice it is not certain that your offering is as well-pleasing as your brother’s sacrifice and that God respects you as He does your brother. The day will come when it will be revealed. Then it is vital not to let envy enter as Cain did, but to be humble and willing to be instructed. For the humble person it is important not just to be there but to come there; not just to possess it, but to be able to receive it. The truth shall set us free from all deception. Love shall compel us to advance on the way.

God’s thoughts are for our salvation, and He is righteous in His work with us. If it is not so palatable to our natural man, it is palatable to our spirit when we have endured and are saved.