I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
In this verse, we see the culmination of the preceding eleven chapters of Paul’s argument for and explanation of the Gospel.* His “therefore” brings these eleven chapters to this point: worship.
The worship of Christians today ought to mirror the appeal of Paul. Paul appeals (he does not command, for the act of worship must be voluntary) to the Church in Rome to present themselves as living sacrifices.* This idea may seem scary or romantic (depending upon your general disposition and experiences), but to the people of Rome in the time of Paul, the metaphor would have come with vivid imagery.* The people of Pauls’s day were well acquainted with the transition from life to death that sacrifices experienced as their blood was spilled.* It was not an idea to them; it was a memory of something they had seen and experienced.*
For Paul to invite them to be living sacrifices was jolting.* How could one live as a sacrifice? It’s simple: all that we do should be worship to the Lord.* The worship of a Christian does not exist in between four walls, a welcome message, and church announcements. The worship of a Christian that is pleasing to the Lord is practically lived out in a way that emanates from the heart.* This is the worship that is set apart and pleases the Lord.*
Interestingly, while biblical scholars agree on these points, some haziness exists in the proper english translation of the Greek word used for “spiritual” in Romans 12:1.* Some argue that a more fitting translation would leave us with this:
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your informed worship.
How could informed be a fitting translation? Sacrifices of Paul’s day shared two characteristics: 1) they were dead once they were sacrificed, and 2) they did not know what they were getting themselves into.* Paul invites the Christian believer to know exactly what they are getting into.* Paul argues that the living and informed sacrifice of the believer is both what makes the sacrifice holy and pleasing.* In fact, what is holy is pleasing to God.*
Here is an invitation: what are you worshiping? Where do you sacrifice yourself? Do you do your practical living (working out, having conversations, spending time in Scripture, raising kids, working your job, etc.) for God? Are you intentional with your activities to make them worship to God?
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to start living a life of a living sacrifice today. Perhaps God would have you intentionally turn the practical activities of life into holy acts of worship to Him. Maybe today God would have you choose to live a lifestyle of worship.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.
Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!
*Kruse, C. G. (2012). Paul’s Letter to the Romans (D. A. Carson, Ed.; p. 460–463). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.
Osborne, G. R. (2004). Romans (pp. 318–320). InterVarsity Press.
Morris, L. (1988). The Epistle to the Romans (pp. 432–434). W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press.
Moo, D. J. (2000). Romans (p. 393–398). Zondervan Publishing House.