Romans 1-11 lay the groundwork for the Christian faith, explaining God’s plan for salvation and sanctified lives. Then in Romans 12:1-2, we are urged to express these truths in our daily actions: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (v. 1).
We note that the exhortation to live a renewed life is given with a reminder of divine mercy towards Christians – “I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God”. This highlights God’s immense compassion towards us, even though we don’t deserve it (2 Corinthians 1:3). Realising God’s boundless mercies motivates us to live a life for Him. It’s God’s grace and mercy that renew us for His service. Resolutions and decisions are good and necessary, but they are not enough to live unto God! His mercies are essential for living a life consecrated to God.
Paul encourages us to consecrate or offer our bodies to God completely. The first aspect of our consecration of the body is that we “present” our bodies as “a living sacrifice” to God. The word “present” in Greek (paristemi) denotes placing a person or thing ready for one’s disposal. We must present ourselves ready to be used by God. Our desires for our bodies, whether in appearance or use, should be for the Lord’s glory and His holy will. Anytime we allow our bodies to be used by any man or for anything outside of God’s will, we are offering our bodies for unholy purposes! We must fight against our bodily desires and passions. Consecration requires us to stand with God.
The metaphor “living sacrifice” instructs us that we should devote our entire lives to serving God. In the Old Testament, when the Jews sacrificed animals to God, they would slaughter the animal and lay it on the altar. Similarly, we are on the altar of God’s service, but not as a dead animal! Christ died for us, so that we may live in Him and live in active service unto God.
We are to also consecrate our bodies in a “holy and acceptable” way unto God. Our bodies must never be used for anything unacceptable to God, as our bodies belong to God. It means living a modest life that is not conformed to the world. Our bodies should not be used for activities that are displeasing to God, but to honour Him. For example, we should not use our bodies to commit sins, and to enjoy and promote a carnal and materialistic lifestyle, which is forbidden in the Scriptures. Instead, we should use our bodies in obedience to His Word to honour Him, to help and edify others, and to spread the Gospel. Consecrating our bodies to God means living a modest and holy life, and presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice to Him. It is, after all, our “reasonable service”. Whenever we yield our bodies to anything that is not acceptable to God, we become unreasonable before God.
In verse 2, Paul draws our attention to another aspect of consecration: the need to offer our mind to God. The mind is where all our thoughts originate, and where our passions are controlled or let loose. If our mind is not offered up to the Lord, it will be misled to follow the evil present in this world. So, verse 2 admonishes us: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
There are two facets of offering our minds to God. The first one mentioned is that we must not be “conformed to this world”. The Greek word for “conformed” means fashioning oneself according to something. So, we are advised here that we should not fashion ourselves after this world. The world’s standards and values are often opposed to God’s will. Ephesians 2:2 reminds us that the world belongs to Satan, who seeks to promote sinful lifestyles and rebellion against authority – “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience”. As Christians, we cannot behave like the world. We need to be different from worldly people (unbelievers), and our difference is the evidence of God’s love and power that saved us from our sins. John 15:19 says, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” Remember, friendship with the world is enmity with God (James 4:4).
Secondly, we are also to be “transformed by the renewing of [our] mind[s]”. The Bible uses the metaphor of transformation to describe this process of renewing our minds. The process of transformation can be likened to a caterpillar’s metamorphosis into a butterfly. A real change must be seen in our lives, and that change can only be worked out by the renewing of our minds. The Greek word translated as “renew” means a complete change for the better. This spiritual transformation of our minds happens when we yield to God’s Word to work on our minds through the power of the Holy Spirit. Through listening to and meditating on God’s Word, we learn to reject the patterns of worldly thoughts (which are displeasing to God) and to think according to the will of God, that we may live a life pleasing to Him. We are thus renewed and transformed!
A renewed mind is a mind that is set on God’s will and not the world’s. The ultimate outcome of a renewed life is: the ability to discern and embrace what is truly good, pleasing, and perfect according to God’s will. Let us seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance through prayer, and rely on His power to be renewed daily. May we show the world that we are changed by the truth and grace of God.