Living Sacrifice
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform 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.
Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)
If you think about it, the concept of a "living sacrifice" seems almost like a contradiction of terms, especially in the context Paul is talking about. Old Testament sacrifices were almost always made from animals killed at the altar. As the writer of Hebrews says, "in fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." (9:22, NIV) We do not live under this law anymore, but under the law of grace, "for by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy". (Hebrews 10:14, NIV)
How can then a sacrifice also be living? We find the clue in both Hebrews 10:14, and in Romans 12:2. By one sacrifice we were made perfect forever, but we are continually being made holy, even now, as we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. This happens when we chose to not conform to the world's pattern, but rather by the pattern are transformed to follow the patterns of those who know they are citizens of the Kingdom of God. There are many patterns in God's Kingdom which are contrary to the way the world works. We choose rest and trust in God over worry or striving on our own (Matthew 6:25-34), love rather than hate for enemies (Matthew 5:43-48), family in faith, rather than family by blood (Matthew 12:46-50), seeking to serve rather than to be served (John 13:1-17), among other things. These patterns become easier as we continue to intentionally live by the commands of Jesus, rather than our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). God's way, usually, is completely contrary to the way of the world, but not always in the ways we expect.
Often, presenting ourselves as living sacrifices carries as much seeming contradiction as those two words do side by side. For example, in Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says to come to Him, and He will give you rest. He also says that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. In Luke 9:23-24, however, He says to pick up your cross daily and follow Him. Likewise, in John 10:7-11, Jesus calls Himself the good shepherd and says He has come that we may have life and have it more abundantly. However in Matthew 10:34-36 He says has come not to bring peace but the sword and to set families against each other. Finally, in Matthew 6:25-34, He tells us not to worry about what we will eat, drink, or wear, because God will take care of us, but we find in Philippians 4:11-13 that Paul says he has been hungry and at want but that God has given him the strength to endure.
What do we make of these things? In my opinion, they do not contradict, but rather complete the picture for each other. If we are to follow Jesus both sides will be true. Living and sacrifice. They come together. They are both promises of Christ for his followers. If either side is missing from the life of a follower of Jesus it begs the question of why. Our worship is to step forward every day to Jesus, and say, "here I am. I have come as one alive in you, whole, and purchased, but ready to sacrifice all as I continue to follow." These things come together in the same way that faith and works come together in James 2:14-26 where James boldly states "faith without works is dead." (vs 17)
We are justified freely by His grace (Romans 3:24) but are continually made holy by the renewing of our minds, in choosing to not conform to the pattern of this world, and by our primary act of worship, in offering our bodies as living sacrifices. What does this look like practically? I was taught growing up to put my life in a correct order of priority. God first, family second, work third, etc. While the order of that list may vary, I think the system of putting things in priority order is faulty, at best. Jesus doesn't demand that He be the first priority in our life, He demands that He become the only one. That all things come under his submission. To represent it in a picture: rather than a list, as shown on the left, we are to live our lives as a circle, as shown on the right.
In this model, our goal is to bring all things into the circle under submission to Christ. We do not have multiple narratives, or priorities, but rather one story, one leader, and one path. That path is to follow Jesus in all things. Does it happen perfectly? Of course not! Even small things can end up outside of the circle (my life around coffee, for example, has been one of mine), and need to be either brought inside, and transformed, or eliminated. What happens when you bring something like like fear, comparisons, or insecurity into the circle? It is not destroyed, but rather transformed, as your mind is renewed. Fear, becomes faith in the One who continually protects, guides, and leads. Comparisons, or feeling you are less than others, becomes an ability to see strengths in other people, and use them to encourage, rather than compete, or tear yourself down. Insecurity becomes humility, and trust in a Father who made you exactly the way you are for a purpose. In our journey with Jesus, we can't afford to be sidetracked. As God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13, NIV).
About the author: All Nations Missionary Keifer Lucchi lives and works in the Czech Republic with his wife and two children, where they reach out to Czech and Roma people, while also working with LGBTQ+ individuals across Europe. Together they run a Czech non-profit, with the aim of bringing hope to neglected people, and are passionate about writing, and telling stories as well as being a part of the stories of others.
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