Early in my Christian life, I memorized Romans 12:1-2, “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. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
This text has been significant in directing my daily walk and for nearly fifty years shaping my ministry. While the verses apply to all believers, I want to target those who serve as elders in the church.
Paul calls us to have A SURRENDERED BODY, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies…”. God’s Spirit indwells these physical forms. He does his work through our hands. He speaks by our voice. Our body is to be surrendered to Him. That means we are to care for our body. It is His Temple. We ought to get the proper amount of exercise, eat the right food, and have enough rest, otherwise these bodies will not function at peak efficiency.
This is the summons to A SACRIFICIAL LIFE, “a living sacrifice…”. Paul reaches into the Old Testament for an illustration of a New Testament principle. As the priests would place an animal on the altar to be consumed in fire as a burnt offering, so I am to place my life on the altar of complete surrender to be consumed with God and His service. It is not a one time decision, but a day by day, moment by moment devotion. Christian ministry is a costly matter.
We are directed to A SANCTIFIED WALK, “holy, acceptable to God…”. This is the pursuit of holiness. As God is holy, we are to be holy. We are sanctified—that is, set apart for Him. Again, the Old Testament analogy is clear—an animal had to be without blemish if it was to be fit as an offering to God. Men will evaluate us and make their judgments. But, what really matters is what God knows about us. Are we acceptable to Him?
We need A SERVANT HEART, “which is your reasonable service.” We are saved to serve. It is what we do. It is a reasonable thing based on the mercies of God bestowed to us. Paul begins this verse with the pivotal phrase, “I beseech you, therefore, by the mercies of God…”. For eleven chapters, the Apostle has given us doctrine as to what we are to believe concerning the salvation Christ has brought. Now, in the final five chapters, he moves to duty as to how we are to behave responding to that salvation Christ has wrought. When we are tempted to give up, give in, or give out—look to Calvary. Recognize the price Jesus paid. As the hymn says, “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe.”
That last phrase in Romans 12:1 can also be translated, “your spiritual worship.” That would again connect this to the Old Testament sacrificial system, as the offerings were at the core of Jewish worship. This reminds us that central to why we do what we do, it is our love for God. Worship is not just a one day a week action, but a daily disposition. What God supremely desires is our heart.
This results in A STEADFAST RESISTANCE, “And do not be conformed to this world…”. The world powerfully and persistently pressures us to be conformed to its warped ideologies and sensual behaviors. To yield to these is to become disqualified for Gospel ministry. We have often seen some preacher caught up in scandal, and fail to understand that spectacle was likely the result of a sinister process. Worldliness works much like erosion—gradually eating away, unseen until there is collapse.
That resistance can only be successful if accompanied by A SCRIPTURAL MIND, “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”. We will be conformed to the world, unless we are transformed by the Word. The battle is in our mind, (cf. 2 Cor. 4-5). It is a marvelous computer, and the information downloaded into that mental hard drive determines the data that will be put out. Our mind will have the malicious viruses of the world ruining it or the mighty verses of the Word renewing it.
We may recall the tragedy of the Titan—a small sub that imploded in an effort to explore the Titanic wreckage, killing the five on board. So long as the air pressure inside the vessel was as great as the water pressure against the hull, all was well. When the pressure outside exceeded the inside, then came destruction.
I need to be consistently studying, memorizing, meditating, sharing, and applying Scripture, if my mind is to be renewed.
The end result is A SUCCESSFUL MINISTRY, “that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” The human tendency in recognizing a successful preacher is in the size of the congregation and name recognition. While these may have some significance, the true measure of success is doing all the good we can in an acceptable manner according to the will of God. It is being the shepherd God had called us to be with the flock He has assigned to us. At the Judgment Seat of Christ, there will be a lot of preachers celebrated on earth which will be burnt up under the fire of Christ’s scrutiny in eternity. Then, there will be some virtual unknowns who will be called to the front of the line and honored for faithful service though laboring in obscurity. Focus on the “good and acceptable and perfect will of God,” which is your decision and leave the results to God which He dictates.
Or be perfectly blest,
Until all on the altar is laid.
In the light of His Word,
And have peace and contentment alway?
To be free from all ill–
On the altar your all you must lay.
He will send from above,
And how happy our hearts will be made,
Of the fellowship sweet
We shall share at His feet
When our all on the altar is laid!
Your heart does the Spirit control?
You can only be blest,
And have peace and sweet rest,
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