Romans is divided into 2 parts. The first part is chapters 1 to 11 and the second part is from chapter 12 to the end of the book, chapter 16. Chapters 1 to 11 teach that a person is saved by believing in Jesus Christ. In other words, it tells us about the contents of salvation and Jesus Christ who is the source of salvation. From here on Paul tells how those who believed should live. In today’s passage Paul is teaching on a general level. In verses 1 and 2 Paul says there are two fundamental premises. First is self-sacrifice. Here it says, “Present your bodies to God as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.” (1) The second premise is changing yourself. Here it says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (2) Self-sacrifice and changing yourself are the foundation for having a faith that pleases God. Today let’s look at three points about self-sacrifice and changing yourself.
I. Present your bodies (Vs. 1)
First let’s look at self-sacrifice. Verse 1 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to present your bodies to God as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.”
“Therefore” (1) refers to everything that Paul has said up until now, the salvation of the cross. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (3:23, 24) By God’s grace and mercy which is only by the blood shed on the cross that we are forgiven is far above any small man’s limited thinking. Thus Paul urges us.
Paul urges, “Present your bodies to God as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.” (1) Christians by the mercy of God, by faith of believing in Christ we are made righteous. By the power of the Holy Spirit are made holy. We are made heirs as a child of our Godly father, and we inherit the kingdom of God. Therefore, it is natural that we should sacrifice our self.
Galatians 2:20
Christians are not living in this world for their own pleasure and contentment, but by the faith of believing in God’s Son who loves us and gave his own life for us. Christians live confessing this. Therefore, giving everything to God is natural. Self-sacrifice is the most basic and important action that we should take towards God. That is a “spiritual act of worship.” (1) Worshipping God is the beginning of the Christian lifestyle. When man worships, he is the most human like. He can live brightly like the man he was originally made to be. And when we worship, we become filled with strength.
When Israel marched through the desert, in the middle was the Ark of the Covenant. This was a symbol that worship was their center. For the Israelites worship was life. Therefore, there were 3 tribes north of the ark, 3 tribes South, 3 tribes East and 3 tribes West of the Ark so all 12 tribes could move looking at the ark of covenant. When the Ark of the Covenant stopped then Israel stopped. Then where they stopped, with the Ark of Testament as their center, they worshipped God. Their center was worship.
We are the same. For all of our life, worship needs to be formed as the center of it. Worship where we give ourselves to God needs to be the center of our Christian lives. If not, even if we are living in the flesh, our insides are dieing. We have no power. We will be a weak people. Those who can’t offer worship that is alive are like a shriveled plant that day by day their spirit dries up. In other words, worship is in deed our lifeline, the most fundamental and necessary thing. Therefore, we need to “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice to God, holy and pleasing to God.” (1)
Here it says, “Present your bodies.” (1) Usually we would expect it to say, “Present your heart.” The heart is the center of man. However, Paul said, “Present your bodies.” (1) One Bible translation translates this as “Present yourself” This means to offer our whole self. We are to offer not just our bodies, but our whole self.
Not only that, but here it says, “as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.” (1) In the Old Testament when sacrifices were offered, first of all the animal was killed, and then it was offered according to the law. If it was offered that way, then the sacrifice would be pleasing to God, and sin would be atoned and as result fellowship with God could be restored. However, here it urges us not to offer a dead sacrifice, but a living sacrifice. The sacrifice that Christians offer is not a dead animal, but your living self, your whole self; your life itself is a sacrifice to God.
D.L. Moody one time when he felt God speaking to him, he wrote on a piece of paper “D.L. Moody” and put it in the offering plate. In other words, he thought that he wanted to give himself as an offering. This is what it means to give our bodies.
What God accepts, the offering that pleases God is this kind of heart. God wants us to offer ourselves as a holy, living sacrifice. “This is your spiritual act of worship.” (1)
II. Do not conform to the pattern of this world (Vs. 2)
One other fundamental Christian lifestyle premise is to change yourself. Verse 2 says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing, and perfect will.” This is the result of the sacrifice of verse 1, “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice.” This is urging us from a negative side, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world” (2) and a positive side, “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (2)
First let’s look from the negative side, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world” (2) Christians who by the grace of God have been led to salvation belong to God, and have offered their all to God. Each country has their own laws. In the same way, the principles of the Christian life also are to be according to the law of the kingdom of God not those of the world. What Paul calls “this world” (2) ignores God and turns its back on God. A characteristic of the world is living selfishly and self-centeredly. It has always been so, but today also this world is so selfish. “They neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (1:21) This is “this world”. (2) Where ever you go, they don’t glorify God as God and consider people as people, so as a result they do things that they shouldn’t do with no shame. Paul is saying “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world” (2)
One weak characteristic of man is that he conforms to the patterns of this world. Even if we go to school, even if we go to work, no matter where we go we don’t feel secure unless we are doing the same thing as everyone else. Young people are pulled by the current of this age that doesn’t know God. Just like things which have no life, even a huge log, flows with current, so those who don’t have the life of God are pulled by the current and flow down the current of this world, and are pushed by the fleshly style of this world into the flow. Like Ephesians 2:1-3 by what Satan says they are pushed into the current. However, just as a small fish if it has life, it can go against the current, if we have life, we can live against the current this world.
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world” (2) definitely does not mean to be separated from this world or isolation. To“ not conform any longer to the pattern of this world” (2) means that Christians who belong to God must not be controlled by the thinking of this world, nor do things from selfish motives, nor be driven by deep sinful impulses. It means that even though everyone around you is doing wrong, that you only stand before the Word of God.
The problem is that at church we worship God, but outside of church we live a life completely unrelated to worship. This is called dualism. The spirit and flesh are considered to be divided. Whether we are in the church or outside of the church, we need to choose to follow the will of God. This is a lifestyle of not being conformed “to the pattern of this world.” (2)
III. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Vs. 2)
The third point is negative side of personal change. Here it says, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (2) Even though it says, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (2), it is a very difficult thing to do. The question that I am asked the most as a Pastor is “How can I change?” No matter how great a talk I hear on self-change at a seminar or meeting that I go to, 2 weeks later I have returned to my old self. Even though they taught what I should do there, they didn’t give me the strength to do it.
There is good news.
Ephesians 1:18-21
Here the word “power” is “dunamis” in Greek and is the base for the English word, “dynamite”. In other words, we have been given a power like dynamite to change our lives. It is the power that 2000 years ago resurrected Jesus Christ from the dead. By this power of the resurrection, our past is canceled, our problems are overcome, and our personality is made anew. Also it is promised that the Holy Spirit will give us this power of the resurrection. By believing in Christ we have the Holy Spirit living within us. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are changed.
However, for that to happen there is one necessary condition. That is “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (2) How we think determines what we do and say. Therefore, Paul says “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (2) This can be seen as the purpose of changing yourself, but it can also be seen as the steps for change. It is necessary to distinguish what the will of God is, what is good, what pleases God, and what is perfect. By having such thinking and thoughts, the Holy Spirit works within us. Then we are able to change ourselves.
We are loved by God. By the shedding of Jesus’ blood we are forgiven of our sins and made a son of God. Therefore, we live not by “the pattern of this world” (2) but by following the will of God. We must not “conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (2) We must “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.” (1)
The first question in the Westminster catechism is, “What is the main purpose for which man was made?” The answer is “to give God glory, and eternally please God.” May our life give God glory and please God. That begins by sacrificing to and being consecrated to God.