Present Your Bodies as a Living Sacrifice Romans 12:1

As He referred to God, Paul the apostle told the believing people in Rome, “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen”, and in chapter twelve and verse one of Romans, Paul told his believing readers to, “present your bodies a living sacrifice” where we read:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

The verse begins, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, ...” Paul began with the words, “I beseech you” which means “Paul called to his side, summoned, addressed, exhorted, entreated and instructed”, “therefore” or “then, wherefore, consequently and these things being so” “brethren” which refers to “fellow believers who are united to one another by the bond of affection”, “by the mercies” which means “through and by means of the compassion and pity” “of God” which refers to “pertaining to the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”, “that you present” which means “that the believing readers in Rome provide, show, stand beside and prove” “your bodies” or “the believing readers in Rome's corpses” “a living sacrifice” which means “a breathing, active, vigorous, fresh, strong, efficient, powerful and efficacious act as a victim”. Paul pled with the believing readers in Rome through God's “compassion and pity” to “show and prove” themselves as “active and vigorous” “victims”.

The verse continues, “... holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”. Paul added the word, “holy” or “pure, morally blameless and religiously and ceremonially consecrated”, “acceptable” which means “well pleasing and fully agreeable” “unto God” or “toward the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit” “which is your reasonable” or “that is the believing people in Rome's agreeable to reason and logical” “service” which refers to “sacred worship and ministration”. Paul's appeal to the believers in Rome included “pure, morally blameless, well pleasing and logical” “ministration” to God.

When we think through these words of Paul, we see how he desired for the believers in Rome to live their lives in a “pure and morally blameless” way. Paul declared this to be their “reasonable service” to God, and only by God's “mercies” are people able to comply. Jesus Christ came into the world to “save sinners”, and once they are saved He helps them live a life that demonstrates to others that they know Him.

Next time we see Paul tell his believing readers in Rome, “be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.