Romans Chapter 12 is written to and for Israel, but we also learn from it. The Apostle Paul begins;

¹ 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 (KJV)

Please understand that when Paul uses the word “bodies,” he is not solely talking about bodily parts – heads, arms, and legs. Rather, he is speaking about all that a person is.

This includes your intellect, personality, emotions, wealth, physical attributes, talents, and skills. All you are, all you have, all you hope to be – God wants. He wants all of you.

Next, notice the word “present.” This is not referring to something you do again and again. Rather, as the tense in the Greek indicates, to “present” yourself is to do so once and for all.

So, your thinking should be, ‘I understand what is involved here, and therefore I am making a conscious decision to present my body – all I am and all I have – to God.’ Paul is imploring us to make a once-and-for-all decision to give ourself totally to God for the rest of our lives.

A “Living” Sacrifice” -  Notice Paul does not say simply “a sacrifice,” but “a living sacrifice.”

Why is this?

Paul is contrasting a living sacrifice with a dead sacrifice. For the Jewish culture of that day, a sacrifice meant a slain animal. An animal was put to death for the sins of the one presenting it for sacrifice. Therefore, it was a “dead” sacrifice. You, however, are to be a “living” sacrifice.

In one way, there is a sense in which you should be “dead” – specifically where your will conflicts with God’s will. You should be “dead” to your own will, your own plans, your own dreams, your own aspirations, and your own desires, if these conflict with God’s plan for you.

Your attitude of mind ought to be: ‘I want to be dead to myself, but alive to God so that He can do anything He so desires through me.’

This may be difficult for you to digest, but be assured that anything God wants for your life is infinitely better than anything you could possibly want for it outside of God’s determination. If you are where God wants you to be and doing what God wants you to do, it will always be to your benefit. You will always come out ahead.

Paul goes on to say that not only are you to present yourself as a living sacrifice, but He wants your sacrifice to be “holy.” I find this astounding. Paul, in essence, is saying, ‘If you, by a conscious act of your will, present your body to God as a living sacrifice, He will view this presentation of your body as something holy.’

Here’s a question for you: What can you give God? Your tithe? From my understanding, a tithe was only for a servant under the Mosaic Law. We, however, are sons and daughters living under grace, having no such instruction. In the Old Testament, a servant was commanded to give three tithes. In the New Testament, a son or a daughter will give God far more on their own joyful volition... give from the heart, not grudgingly or don’t give. You give because you love God so much that you simply feel as if you can’t do enough to exhibit your affection and gratitude.

So, to the question, “What can I give God?” God’s answer is, ‘Your body [and all that goes with it], as a holy, living sacrifice. If I have your body, I have everything you possess.’ Once you give your life to God wholeheartedly, He can work in you to accomplish marvelous things.

¹³ For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Philippians 2:13 (KJV)
⁶ Being confident of this very thing, that he [The Lord] which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Philippians 1:6 (KJV)

Not only is your body to be presented to God as a holy, living sacrifice, but it is to be “acceptable to God.” This is something you do not have to work for. If you offer your body in the proper way, God will accept it.

Paul follows this by writing, “which is your reasonable [spiritual] service of worship.” In essence, Paul is saying, ‘If you have understood the theology that I have given to you in the first 11 chapters of the Book of Roman, you will understand that presenting your body as a living sacrifice is your reasonable and logical duty.’

In other words, once you consider the righteousness of God as presented in the first 11 chapters of Romans, you can have no other sensible reaction than to give back to God everything you are.

How to Achieve It
However, despite your desire to do what is right, there is a problem. You want to show your love for God, but you feel hindered. You want to witness, but you lack courage. You want to teach a Sunday, but you feel you don’t have the ability.

You want to get control over of a certain besetting sin, but you keep committing it repeatedly. You want to live more righteously, but you just don’t get there. You don’t want to think bad thoughts, but they keep coming. The key to overcoming these challenges is to yield to “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:2), working within you. He will empower you to have victory in your life. Thereby, you are being more and more “conformed into the image of His [God’s] Son” (Rom. 8:29) – this is called “sanctification.”

It is an ongoing process. Make it your goal to progressively grow in knowledge and faith, to thereby mature in the Lord. God will enable you to do this through the ‘indwelling Spirit of Christ’ – the Holy Spirit living in you is “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” - for there is only “One Spirit” (Eph. 4:5). And when God is done with you, you will be perfected and glorified.

⁴ When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in [heaven’s] glory. Colossians 3:4 (KJV)

Knowing what God has already done for you – saving your soul from everlasting destruction (2Thes 1:9) and justifying you (Rom. 5:1). Now, what He is doing for you – making you perfect, sanctifying you. What He will do for you – is give you a new and glorified body (glorification) as well as eternal life with Him (Col. 3:4). Knowing this, how can you not respond by now offering your body as a living sacrifice?

In all this know that Paul does not command you to do this, but beseeches you to consider it as the most logical duty you have. If your thinking is right, you will yield to make your life a living sacrifice!

• Portions adapted from Marvin Rosenthal -