Dedicated Service
(Romans 12:1-2 NASB)
1 Therefore ?a?I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to
?b?present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, ?1?acceptable to
God, which is your ?2?spiritual service of worship.
2 And do not ?a?be conformed to ?b?this ?1?world, but be
transformed by the ?c?renewing of your mind, so that you may
?2??d?prove what the will of God is, that which is good and
?3?acceptable and perfect.
[1]
12:1 In other words: Therefore, I beg of you, brethren, by the mercies
of God that you yield your bodies-your total personalities-a living
sacrifice, set apart for God, well-pleasing to God, which is your
rational or spiritual service.
Notice that the "therefore" ties it into everything that has come before
it. Although it has immediate connection with that which has just
preceded it, I am of the opinion that Paul is gathering up the whole
epistle when he says, "Therefore."
"I beg of you" is the language of grace, not law. There is no thunder
here from Mount Sinai. Moses commanded; Paul exhorts. Could Paul have
commanded? Well, he told Philemon that he could have given him a command,
but he didn't. Paul doesn't command; he says, "I beg of you."
"By the mercies of God"-the plural is a Hebraism, denoting an abundance
of mercy. God is rich in mercy; God has plenty of it, my friend. He has
had to use a lot of it for me, but He still has plenty of it for you.
"Mercy" means compassion, pity, and the tenderness of God. His
compassions never fail.
We are called upon to "present"-to yield. This is the same word we had,
you recall, back in chapter 6. Although some expositors suggest that
there it refers to the mind while here it refers to the will, I think it
is a false distinction. The appeal in both instances is to the will. In
the sixth chapter, the way to Christian character is to yield to Him.
Here yielding is the way to Christian consecration and conduct.
He says to yield "your bodies," your total personalities. The body is the
instrument through which we express ourselves. The mind, the affections,
the will, and the Holy Spirit can use the body.
Vincent has assembled the following Scriptures which reveal this wide
latitude. We are told to glorify God in our bodies. "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). "According to my earnest expectation and
my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness,
as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it
be by life, or by death" (Phil. 1:20). "Always bearing about in the body
the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made
manifest in our body" (2 Cor. 4:10).
By an act of the will we place our total personalities at the disposal of
God.
This is our "reasonable service," our rational service, and it is
well-pleasing to God.
[2]
12:2 Kenneth S. Wuest has an excellent translation-actually an
interpretation-of this verse: "And stop assuming an outward expression
that does not come from within you and is not representative of what you
are in your inner being, but is patterned after this age; but change your
outward expression to one that comes from within and is representative of
your inner being, by the renewing of your mind, resulting in your putting
to the test what is the will of God, the good and well-pleasing, and
complete will, and having found that it meets specifications, placing
your approval upon it" (Romans in the Greek New Testament, p. 290).
Although this is rather elaborate, it is exactly what Paul is saying in
this passage of Scripture. Paul is urging the believer not to fashion his
life and conduct by those around him, even those in the church.
I know two or three groups of folk who, when they come together in a
meeting, assume a front that is not real at all. They are super pious.
Oh, I tell you, when they meet on Sunday night, you would think they had
just had their halos shined. They are not normal and they are not
natural. Yet if you want to hear the meanest and dirtiest gossip, you
meet with that group! The child of God ought not to be like that. We
ought to be normal and natural-or probably I should say, normal and
supernatural. It is so easy to play a part. That is what the word
hypocrite really means. Hupokrites is the Greek word for actors. They
were playing a part. Hupokrites means to answer back. In acting it means
to get your cue and to say the right thing at the right time. In our
daily lives hypocrisy is to seem to be something that we are not. I have
learned over the years that some folk who flatter you to your face,
smile, and pat you on the back can be your worst enemies. They are
dangerous to be with. It was Shakespeare who said something about the
world being a stage and that every man must play a part. This is not true
of the believer. He must be genuine because the Holy Spirit is working
from within, transforming his life by "renewing" the mind.
Again and again Paul calls attention to this. To the Corinthians he said,
"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the
Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the
Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18). Also to Titus he said, "Not by works
of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved
us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost"
(Titus 3:5).
By permitting the Spirit of God to renew the mind, the believer will be
able to test the will of God and find it good. The minute that you and I
assume a pose and pretend to be something we are not, it is impossible
for us to determine the will of God for our lives. By yielding, the will
of God for the life of the believer becomes good and fits the believer's
will exactly. It's first good, and then it is acceptable, and finally it
is perfect, in that the believer's will and God's will are equal to each
other. My friend, you can't improve on that kind of a situation. Paul
could say, "I can do all things." Where? "Through Christ which
strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4:13). The believer can do all things that are
in God's will. It is wonderful not to have to act the part of being
Christian, but just be natural and let the Spirit of God move and work
through you. Handley C. G. Moule (The Epistle to the Romans, p. 335) has
put it like this:
I would not have the restless will
That hurries to and fro,
Seeking for some great thing to do
Or secret thing to know;
I would be treated as a child,
And guided where I go.
Oh, to reach the place of just turning this over to the Lord! Paul begs
us to do this. This is the way of happiness. This is the way of joy. This
is the way of fullness in your life. If you are in a church or in a group
of play actors, for God's sake get away from it and try to live a normal
Christian life where you can be genuine. A man said to me the other day,
"My wife and I have quit going to such and such a group." I asked why. He
told me, "We just got tired of going to a place where you almost have to
assume something that you are not. Everyone there is being absolutely
abnormal. The way I found out was that I had an occasion to meet a super
pious member of the group in a place of business. I hardly recognized the
man-his manner and everything about him was different." He was "conformed
to the world" when he was not with the pious group. Oh, to be a normal
Christian and enjoy God's blessing.
[3]
In Personal Consecration (12:1, 2)
12:1 Serious and devout consideration of the mercies of God, as they have
been set forth in chapters 1-11, leads to only one conclusion-we should
present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. Our
bodies stand for all our members and, by extension, our entire lives.
Total commitment is our reasonable service. It is our reasonable service
in this sense: if the Son of God has died for me, then the least I can do
is live for Him. "If Jesus Christ be God and died for me," said the great
British athlete C. T. Studd, "then no sacrifice can be too great for me
to make for him."? 46 Isaac Watts' great hymn says the same thing: "Love
so amazing, so divine, demands my heart, my life, my all."
Reasonable service may also be translated "spiritual worship." As be
liever-priests, we do not come to God with the bodies of slain animals
but with the spiritual sacrifice of yielded lives. We also offer to Him
our service (Rom. 15:16), our praise (Heb. 13:15), and our possessions
(Heb. 13:16).
12:2 Secondly, Paul urges us not to be conformed to this world, or as
Phillips paraphrases it: "Don't let the world around you squeeze you into
its own mold." When we come to the kingdom of God, we should abandon the
thought-patterns and lifestyles of the world.
The world (literally age) as used here means the society or system that
man has built in order to make himself happy without God. It is a kingdom
that is antagonistic to God. The god and prince of this world is Satan (2
Cor. 4:4; John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11. All unconverted people are his
subjects. He seeks to attract and hold people through the lust of the
eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life (1 Jn. 2:16). The
world has its own politics, art, music, religion, amusements,
thought-patterns, and lifestyles, and it seeks to get everyone to conform
to its culture and customs. It hates nonconformists-like Christ and His
followers.
Christ died to deliver us from this world. The world is crucified to us,
and we are crucified to the world. It would be absolute disloyalty to the
Lord for believers to love the world. Anyone who loves the world is an
enemy of God.
Believers are not of the world any more than Christ is of the world.
However, they are sent into the world to testify that its works are evil
and that salvation is available to all who put their faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ. We should not only be separated from the world; we should
be transformed by the renewing of our mind, which means that we should
think the way God thinks, as revealed in the Bible. Then we can
experience the direct guidance of God in our lives. And we will find
that, instead of being distasteful and hard, His will is good and
acceptable and perfect.
Here, then, are three keys for knowing God's will. The first is a yielded
body, the second a separated life, and the third a transformed mind.
[4]
Give yourself to Him completely. Why? Because of what He did for you.
Truly, it's reasonable to give yourself to the Lord, to say, "I'm laying
my life down for You, Lord, because You gave Yourself for me. You have
great things awaiting me. And I don't want to miss any of them now or
eternally."[5]
12:2 Every one of us is in one of two categories: Either we're
conformers or transformers. Right now you're either trying to figure out
what she's wearing, what he's driving, or how you can fit in and be
cool-or, like J. B. Phillips, you're saying, "I don't care what the world
is doing. I'm not going to let it squeeze me into its mold."
Are you a thermometer-adjusting to the temperature of the culture, or are
you a thermostat-changing the climate of the culture? If you are a
conformer, a thermometer, you're in for perpetual frustration because by
the time you take the temperature and figure out what's hot, by the time
you change your look, or buy the car, or redo your house-the world will
have moved on, leaving you out of style. Truly, this is a great mystery
to a lot of Christians. They try to make their ministries relatable by
analyzing what the world is doing in order to emulate it. But by the time
they figure it out and implement it, the world has moved on. That's why
Christians are known for being out of style.
What's the key? Don't be a thermometer. Be a thermostat. Don't be a
conformer. Be a transformer. Say, "I'm in a whole different place than
you are, world. I'm living for eternity. I'm preparing for heaven."
The word translated "transformed" is the word for "metamorphosis."
Interestingly, it is used two other times in the New Testament-one to
describe what happened to Jesus Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration
when He began to shine (Matthew 17:2); and once to describe what happens
to us when we see the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18).
How are we transformed? How are we metamorphosed?
Read on.
[6]
Just as Jesus was metamorphosed, so, too, you can be changed if you keep
your mind on Him. How do we keep our minds on Him? By keeping in the
Word. "Lo, I have come in the volume of the book," Scripture declares
concerning Jesus (see Psalm 40:7 and Hebrews 10:7).
You see, I can give my body to Him-that's a real key. But it's incomplete
in and of itself unless I keep my mind on Him-and that happens through a
diligent contemplation of the "volume of the book," the Word. However,
you can read your Bible every morning for devotions; you can study it
with us every Wednesday night; you can know the Word backward and forward
and not go through a metamorphosis. Indeed, Paul would say that, in and
of itself, the letter kills (2 Corinthians 3:6). If you read the
Scriptures just to get insights into theology, or practical tips about
parenting or relationships, metamorphosis will not take place because
transformation occurs only when we study the Word not for the sake of the
Word, but in order to touch the Lord.
"In the beginning," John wrote, "was the Word. And the Word became flesh
and dwelt among us" (John 1:1, 14). It's the Incarnation-the Word
becoming flesh, becoming personable, touchable, and relatable-that will
transform you. If you approach the Word strictly from an intellectual,
academic, theological perspective, you might gain a point or two, but
you'll not be changed.
At the stereotypical American breakfast table, the husband reads the
newspaper. Across from him sits his wife, waiting to talk with him. But
the man is interested in the impartation of information, not the intimacy
of communication-and I suggest the same thing happens all too often in
the devotional life of believers. They read the information in the Word
but completely neglect communication with the Word made flesh. I am
concerned about the great number of people who have a devotional life
that is basically informational. Only in the last couple of generations
has this happened, because throughout the vast majority of Christian
history, Bible study was neither academic nor theological. It was oral.
It was relational as people heard the Word being read. Communication
transpired as the Living Word was fleshed out in real life.
Those who say, "Lord, I'm reading Your Word in order to hear Your voice"
are those who leave their time of devotion metamorphosed-soaring like a
butterflies.
[7]
GOD'S WILL: SO SIMPLE! A Topical Study of
Romans 12:1, 2
I suppose that, as a pastor, the question asked of me more often than any
other is: How do I find God's will for my life? This question is based
upon the presupposition that God's will is something hidden, lost, or
hard to determine. But, gang, nothing could be further from the truth.
God's will is not something that has to be found. It isn't lost. It's not
hidden. It shouldn't be tough to discern. In our text today, in only two
verses, Paul tells you and me exactly what to do to discover God's plan
for our life. It's profoundly simple and incredibly wonderful.
The word translated "prove" in Romans 12:2 is a word not of academics,
but of intimacy-as in Genesis 4:1, where Scripture records that Adam
"knew" Eve. This doesn't mean Adam knew about Eve intellectually. It
means he knew her intimately. And this is what Paul is declaring to us.
You can know God's will intimately. You can know it not only
intellectually but experientially if you do a couple of things.
Give Yourself to the Lord
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. Romans 12:1
"Well, that disqualifies me," you say. "My body is anything but holy.
Therefore, how can it be acceptable?"
This is where a lot of people get discouraged unnecessarily. They say,
"Until my body is holy and acceptable, I really can't offer it as a
living sacrifice." But that's because they failed to read the most
important word of the verse: "I beseech you, therefore, brethren."
In this case, "therefore" is in reference to the first eleven chapters,
wherein Paul makes it clear that when you became a Christian, God placed
you in His Son, making you at once holy and acceptable in His sight.
Therefore, the first step to finding God's will is to present your body a
living sacrifice to Him.
What does it mean to be a living sacrifice? It means to say, "Lord, I'm
Yours. I love You more than anything else I might pursue." The problem,
however, with a living sacrifice, unlike a dead one, is that a living
sacrifice has a tendency to climb off the altar regularly. I squirm and
escape not infrequently. Thus, I need to continually return and say, "Oh,
Lord, on this new and beautiful day, I again give You my life. I'm tired
of trying to figure out where I should go or what I should be. I've
messed up time and time again. I've gone my own way and done my own
thing-and it's been disastrous. I give up, Lord. Take my life."
That's the first step to experiencing God's will.
Be Transformed
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. Romans 12:2
The word translated "transformed" is metamorphoo, from which we get our
word "metamorphosis." Metamorphoo also appears in Matthew 17, when it is
used to describe the change that took place in the appearance of Jesus as
He began to glow on the Mount of Transfiguration. When was Jesus
metamorphosed, or transformed? When He spoke to Moses and Elijah about
His death (Luke 9:31), when He spoke about laying down His life
sacrificially.
How do you become transformed? Become a living sacrifice to the Lord and
keep your mind on the Lord. "Don't be conformed to the world's thinking,"
warns Paul. "Instead, give your mind to God, and you will know His good,
acceptable, and perfect will."
"That sounds good," you say. "But how does it work for me practically, in
my situation presently?"
When the disciples were wondering what was going on, what was coming
down, what was next, Jesus looked at them and said, "Let not your hearts
be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me. In my Father's house
are many mansions. I'm going to prepare a place for you-that where I am,
there you may be also. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come and receive you unto Myself. And where I go you know, and the way
you know" (John 14:1-4).
Thomas said, "Lord, we don't know where You're going, and we don't know
the way" (see John 14:5).
And Jesus said to those confused, distressed, disturbed disciples on the
night before His crucifixion "I am the Way. You know the way. It's Me.
It's not information I give to you; it's who I'll be for you" (see John
14:6).
If my granddaughter wanted to know the way to her Sunday-school class, I
could say, "Listen, go up those stairs; turn left; go down the ramp; turn
right; go up the walkway; and after about forty feet, you'll see another
set of stairs. Go up the stairs and down the hall to the third door.
After you get inside, take a left; go about fifteen more feet-and you're
there." Or-I could pick her up, put her on my shoulders and carry her to
his class.
What a great day it is when, at last, the light goes on, the bells ring
in our spiritual understanding, and we realize that we don't need to get
directions or follow instructions from the Lord-we just need to climb on
His shoulders and let Him be the Way.
As you let Jesus be the Way, Colossians 3:15 says His peace will rule in
your heart. The word translated "rule" is a Greek word that speaks of a
sports official, so Christ's peace will act as an umpire in your
heart-calling every thought or action "safe" or "out." Not only that, but
His will will be written in your heart (Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 10:16).
No longer will you struggle with or wonder about what you should do. With
His will imprinted upon your heart, you can follow your heart's desire
and know that it is God's will for you.
.. "My heart's desire is to go to Mexico and work in a mission."
Great! That is God's will for you.
.. "My heart's desire is to go windsurfing."
Go for it!
.. "My heart's desire is to ask her to marry me."
Do it!
.. "B-b-but what if it's not God's will?"
If it's not God's will, she'll tell you to pack sand, because He said, "I
will open doors no man can close, and close doors no man can open (see
Revelation 3:7).
"Delight thyself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your
heart," wrote the psalmist (see Psalm 37:4). To "delight thyself in the
Lord" simply means to have a good time with Him. Give your body to Him;
keep your mind on Him; climb on His shoulders and enjoy the ride.
Suddenly, you'll have desires in your heart that will constitute His will
for your life.
You see, I am simple enough to believe that if I just delight in Him, He
will change my desires to conform to His perfect plan. I just hang on to
Him and let Him work within me the desires He sees would be His best will
for my life. Look again at Psalm 37. The first words of verses 1-7 spell
it out perfectly: Fret not (verse 1), for (verse 2), trust (verse 3),
delight (verse 4), commit (verse 5), and (verse 6) rest (verse 7).
Stay on the shoulders of the One who said, "I am the Way. It's not a plan
I give to you. It's who I am for you. I am God's will. Cling to Me. Give
yourself to Me. Keep your mind on Me-and you'll end up right where you're
supposed to be vocationally, relationally, in every way. I am the Way.
You'll see."
[8]
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a 1 Cor 1:10; 2 Cor 10:1-4; Eph 4:1; 1 Pet 2:11 b Rom 6:13, 16, 19; 1 Cor
6:20; Heb 13:15; 1 Pet 2:5
1 Or well-pleasing 2 Or rational
a 1 Pet 1:14 b Matt 13:22; Gal 1:4; 1 John 2:15
1 Or age c Eph 4:23; Titus 3:5
2 Or approve d Eph 5:10, 17; Col 1:9
3 Or well-pleasing
[1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Ro 12:1-2). LaHabra,
CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2]McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the
Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (4:728-729). Nashville:
Thomas Nelson.
[3]McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the
Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (4:729-730). Nashville:
Thomas Nelson.
? 46 (12:1) Norman Grubb, C. T. Studd, Cricketer and Pioneer, p. 141.
[4]MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible
Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Ro 12:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[5]Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson's Application Commentary (970).
Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
[6]Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson's Application Commentary (970).
Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
[7]Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson's Application Commentary (970).
Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
[8]Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson's Application Commentary (975).
Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
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