February 19th, 2024
by Dr. Josh Franklin
by Dr. Josh Franklin
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 reasonable service.
The word “therefore” harkens back to what Paul has previously said in chapters 1-11. He has described what Jesus did on the Cross by paying for the sins of humanity. The first 3 chapters explain how lost every person is without Christ. Chapters 4-6 expound on God’s love and salvation. Chapters 7-8 give a foundation for the victorious Christian life through the power of the Holy Spirit. Chapters 9-11 show God’s sovereignty in the affairs of the world and especially Israel. As Christians, we can rejoice that Jesus saved us from sins, transformed us on the inside, and has given us the power of the Holy Spirit. God has a plan for our lives. Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
“Therefore”, that is, in light of all that God has done for us, “I beseech you.” He could have said, “I command you,” but he doesn’t. “Beseech” is a personal word that means “to request,” “to implore,” or “to ask.” Imagine that it’s cold outside, but you are in your warm and cozy home. You, your spouse, and your children have enjoyed a good meal together, and now you are relaxing in the living room. You hear a frail knock at your front door.
You open the door and notice that it’s your mother. She does not have any warm clothes though it’s bitterly cold outside. She’s noticeably hungry. She says to you, “Because of all that I’ve done for you, would you let me come into your house?” Maybe you pause for a moment, and then she says, “By the way, do you notice all the gray hear on my head? That came from you, dear. Do you notice the wrinkles on my brow? Those came from you, dear. Do you notice these hands that used to work so hard for you are now frail all because of all I did for you? In light of all that I did for you while you were growing up, will you let me come into your house, get warm, and have a good meal?” What would you say to that?
In a similar way, Paul has reminded the Christian brothers and sisters in the church at Rome of all the blessings that Jesus Christ has brought in their lives. “Therefore I beseech you…” In light of all that Jesus Christ has done for us, this is the request that Jesus makes of us. Why would we ever want to refuse His requests?
Paul says that we should “present our bodies as a living sacrifice.” This means we are to dedicate ourselves to God. The word conjures up the idea of a reservation, as one would make a reservation at a restaurant. You request a table, at which no one else can sit. You have reserved the table. He does not say for you to allow someone else to present you. He says for you to present yourself as a living sacrifice.
Genesis 22 tells the story of Abraham and Isaac going to sacrifice to the Lord. God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son. He gathers all of the materials needed. He tells his servants, “We will worship, and then we will come back down.” Hebrews 11:19 states that Abraham believed God would raise Isaac from the dead if needed because he was the son that God had promised Abraham many years prior. The story concludes with God assuring Abraham that He does not want Isaac sacrificed. God only wanted Abraham to be willing, and Abraham passed this test.
The imagery of this story relates to Romans 12. Isaac is going with Abraham, though he does not know what they will sacrifice. He asks in Genesis 22:7, “I see you have the wood and fire, but where is the sacrifice?” The reader knows that Isaac is the sacrifice, but Isaac doesn’t know yet. As the story develops, we see Isaac bound and Abraham’s knife raised before the angel of the Lord stops the sacrifice. Isaac has allowed himself to be bound.
“Several commentators have weighed in on the question of how old Isaac was when he was to be sacrificed: 18 to 20 years old (Leupold, 1:625); 25 years old (Josephus, 1.13.2); about 33 years old (Adam Clarke, 1:140); and over 20 years old (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, p. 29).”[1]
Though we don’t know how old Isaac is at this time, Genesis 22:6 says Isaac was carrying the wood up the mountain. If he was old enough and strong enough to do this, he could have resisted being sacrificed if he wanted to. Yet, when the time comes for him to be sacrificed, we don’t see Isaac resisting. Here we see a picture of the living sacrifice.
However, the imagery in Romans 12:1 is even more potent than the story of Abraham and Isaac. Isaac is bound, and Abraham is presenting him as a living sacrifice before God. Romans 12:1 pictures you presenting yourself. You are not bound, but free. Yet, you choose to lay yourself on the altar. We are to place ourselves on the altar and stay there as a living sacrifice for God.
Sometimes Christians dedicate themselves as a living sacrifice and then choose to crawl off the altar. They sing:
I'll say yes Lord yes
To Your will and to Your way
I'll say yes Lord yes
I will trust You and obey
When the Spirit speaks to me
With my whole heart I'll agree
And my answer will be
Yes Lord yes[2]
On Sunday they say, “Whatever you want, Lord, I’ll do,” and then Monday through Saturday they crawl back off the altar. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 reads, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
This sacrifice is not simply a gift from ourselves. It is the gift of ourselves to God. A pig and a chicken were walking along one day, and they both saw a hungry, destitute man. The chicken said to the pig, “Don’t you think we ought to give this man a meal? I propose that we give him a meal of eggs and bacon.” The pig replies, “For you, that would be a gift. For me, that would be total commitment.” Well, our dedication should not simply be a gift from ourselves but the gift of ourselves. It is total commitment.
God says in Romans 12:1, “In light of all that I’ve done for you, present yourself, dedicate yourself.” He is not demanding, but appealing. Our hearts should respond with a desire to sacrifice because of all that God has done for us.
How can I say thanks
For the things You have done for me?
Things so undeserved
Yet You gave to prove Your love for me
The voices of a million angels
Could not express my gratitude
All that I am and ever hope to be
I owe it all to Thee[3]
This is the heartbeat of every Christian in response to all that God has done. It is an act of total dedication. We give our lives in total surrender to Jesus. He deserves all that we would give. Church? That's easy. Bible reading? Of course. Prayer and praise? I long to. Tithing and giving of my resources to His Kingdom work? He owns it all anyway. Serving God in His church with my gifts? What an honor. Sharing my faith with a coworker or family member, inviting them to church? It's on the tip of my tongue. Don't just give from yourself to God, give yourself to God. Total surrender. Total dedication. God bless.
[1] Taken from https://www.gotquestions.org/how-old-was-Isaac.html.
[2] “Yes, Lord, Yes” lyrics by Lynn Keesecker, 1983.
[3] “My Tribute” lyrics by Andraé Crouch & The Disciples, 1971.
The word “therefore” harkens back to what Paul has previously said in chapters 1-11. He has described what Jesus did on the Cross by paying for the sins of humanity. The first 3 chapters explain how lost every person is without Christ. Chapters 4-6 expound on God’s love and salvation. Chapters 7-8 give a foundation for the victorious Christian life through the power of the Holy Spirit. Chapters 9-11 show God’s sovereignty in the affairs of the world and especially Israel. As Christians, we can rejoice that Jesus saved us from sins, transformed us on the inside, and has given us the power of the Holy Spirit. God has a plan for our lives. Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
“Therefore”, that is, in light of all that God has done for us, “I beseech you.” He could have said, “I command you,” but he doesn’t. “Beseech” is a personal word that means “to request,” “to implore,” or “to ask.” Imagine that it’s cold outside, but you are in your warm and cozy home. You, your spouse, and your children have enjoyed a good meal together, and now you are relaxing in the living room. You hear a frail knock at your front door.
You open the door and notice that it’s your mother. She does not have any warm clothes though it’s bitterly cold outside. She’s noticeably hungry. She says to you, “Because of all that I’ve done for you, would you let me come into your house?” Maybe you pause for a moment, and then she says, “By the way, do you notice all the gray hear on my head? That came from you, dear. Do you notice the wrinkles on my brow? Those came from you, dear. Do you notice these hands that used to work so hard for you are now frail all because of all I did for you? In light of all that I did for you while you were growing up, will you let me come into your house, get warm, and have a good meal?” What would you say to that?
In a similar way, Paul has reminded the Christian brothers and sisters in the church at Rome of all the blessings that Jesus Christ has brought in their lives. “Therefore I beseech you…” In light of all that Jesus Christ has done for us, this is the request that Jesus makes of us. Why would we ever want to refuse His requests?
Paul says that we should “present our bodies as a living sacrifice.” This means we are to dedicate ourselves to God. The word conjures up the idea of a reservation, as one would make a reservation at a restaurant. You request a table, at which no one else can sit. You have reserved the table. He does not say for you to allow someone else to present you. He says for you to present yourself as a living sacrifice.
Genesis 22 tells the story of Abraham and Isaac going to sacrifice to the Lord. God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son. He gathers all of the materials needed. He tells his servants, “We will worship, and then we will come back down.” Hebrews 11:19 states that Abraham believed God would raise Isaac from the dead if needed because he was the son that God had promised Abraham many years prior. The story concludes with God assuring Abraham that He does not want Isaac sacrificed. God only wanted Abraham to be willing, and Abraham passed this test.
The imagery of this story relates to Romans 12. Isaac is going with Abraham, though he does not know what they will sacrifice. He asks in Genesis 22:7, “I see you have the wood and fire, but where is the sacrifice?” The reader knows that Isaac is the sacrifice, but Isaac doesn’t know yet. As the story develops, we see Isaac bound and Abraham’s knife raised before the angel of the Lord stops the sacrifice. Isaac has allowed himself to be bound.
“Several commentators have weighed in on the question of how old Isaac was when he was to be sacrificed: 18 to 20 years old (Leupold, 1:625); 25 years old (Josephus, 1.13.2); about 33 years old (Adam Clarke, 1:140); and over 20 years old (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, p. 29).”[1]
Though we don’t know how old Isaac is at this time, Genesis 22:6 says Isaac was carrying the wood up the mountain. If he was old enough and strong enough to do this, he could have resisted being sacrificed if he wanted to. Yet, when the time comes for him to be sacrificed, we don’t see Isaac resisting. Here we see a picture of the living sacrifice.
However, the imagery in Romans 12:1 is even more potent than the story of Abraham and Isaac. Isaac is bound, and Abraham is presenting him as a living sacrifice before God. Romans 12:1 pictures you presenting yourself. You are not bound, but free. Yet, you choose to lay yourself on the altar. We are to place ourselves on the altar and stay there as a living sacrifice for God.
Sometimes Christians dedicate themselves as a living sacrifice and then choose to crawl off the altar. They sing:
I'll say yes Lord yes
To Your will and to Your way
I'll say yes Lord yes
I will trust You and obey
When the Spirit speaks to me
With my whole heart I'll agree
And my answer will be
Yes Lord yes[2]
On Sunday they say, “Whatever you want, Lord, I’ll do,” and then Monday through Saturday they crawl back off the altar. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 reads, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
This sacrifice is not simply a gift from ourselves. It is the gift of ourselves to God. A pig and a chicken were walking along one day, and they both saw a hungry, destitute man. The chicken said to the pig, “Don’t you think we ought to give this man a meal? I propose that we give him a meal of eggs and bacon.” The pig replies, “For you, that would be a gift. For me, that would be total commitment.” Well, our dedication should not simply be a gift from ourselves but the gift of ourselves. It is total commitment.
God says in Romans 12:1, “In light of all that I’ve done for you, present yourself, dedicate yourself.” He is not demanding, but appealing. Our hearts should respond with a desire to sacrifice because of all that God has done for us.
How can I say thanks
For the things You have done for me?
Things so undeserved
Yet You gave to prove Your love for me
The voices of a million angels
Could not express my gratitude
All that I am and ever hope to be
I owe it all to Thee[3]
This is the heartbeat of every Christian in response to all that God has done. It is an act of total dedication. We give our lives in total surrender to Jesus. He deserves all that we would give. Church? That's easy. Bible reading? Of course. Prayer and praise? I long to. Tithing and giving of my resources to His Kingdom work? He owns it all anyway. Serving God in His church with my gifts? What an honor. Sharing my faith with a coworker or family member, inviting them to church? It's on the tip of my tongue. Don't just give from yourself to God, give yourself to God. Total surrender. Total dedication. God bless.
[1] Taken from https://www.gotquestions.org/how-old-was-Isaac.html.
[2] “Yes, Lord, Yes” lyrics by Lynn Keesecker, 1983.
[3] “My Tribute” lyrics by Andraé Crouch & The Disciples, 1971.
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