How Can We Give Back to God? Romans 12

 

A Living Sacrifice to God

12 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

In chapter 12 Paul transitions to the practical application of what it means to be a follower of Christ.  Importantly he pleads with them to offer their bodies to God because of "all he has done for you." As we give our lives back to God, Paul calls this worship. We often talk about worship with words like, "Did you go to worship today?"  But Paul describes worship as what we offer back to God.  He calls this a "living sacrifice".  In the Old Testament animals were offered as a sacrifice to God.  Jesus gave the once and for all sacrifice for us on the cross.  In response to this great sacrifice, we offer our lives back to him as a "living sacrifice".   

How do we do this?  Instead of copying the customs of the world, we allow God to transform us by "changing the way we think".  Our behavior always starts with the way we think. When we offer our bodies back to God and allow him to change the way we think, we turn from sin and align our actions with God's plan for our lives. As we do this we begin to experience what it means to do God's will.

We all want to know what God's will is for us?  Of course there are situations where we ask for God's will, as we make important decisions in our lives.  We might call this asking for God's specific will.  But God's general will is clearly described in the bible.  In the Old Testament God gave the Israelites his Ten Commandments.  Neither the Israelites or we could ever live up to keeping these rules perfectly.  But they still represent God's will for us.  In the New Testament Jesus perfectly fulfilled God's will.  If we want to see what carrying out God's will looks like we only need to look to Jesus and study and examine his life.  

The bottom line is tha God transforms us to look more like His Son, as we offer our bodies and minds back to Him. When we do this we experience his good, pleasing and perfect will.  Though we still fight our sinful nature and the temptation to be conformed to world's values, we have the power of God transforming us through the Holy Spirit.  

3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.[d] 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

Another way in which we give our lives back to God is using the gifts he has given us to benefits others.  The beauty of the body of Christ is that we each have different gifts, just like different parts of our bodies play different roles in helping us to function.  The heart and brain are two of the most important organs we have in our bodies. Without them working properly we would die. They play very different roles but they also work together.   Without the heart to pump blood to the brain, we would suffer an aneurism.  Without the impulses of the brain the heart wouldn't beat in rhythm and we would suffer a heart attack.  We need each other in the same way in the church.   

Paul gives a few examples of how we serve EACH OTHER in the church.  Those who have the gift of prophesy speak out in faith the words God has given them, which builds up everybody.  Teachers explain the Word of God so people in the church can understand who Jesus is, what He did on the cross, and how to follow him each day.  Paul gives other examples like those who give generously, those who lead to lead responsibly, and for those who encourage powerfully.  

So to sum up these first eight verses of Romans, Paul calls us to offer our bodies and minds back to God. We offer them freely as a living sacrifice, as a response to Jesus' great sacrifice for us. God also calls us to use our spiritual gifts to build up others in the church. When we all work together using our own particular spiritual gifts, the church functions effectively.  The church is built up and can fulfill the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. 

As you look at your life do you look more like a Christ follower, or someone who is being conformed to the world's image and its values?  What are you putting into your mind? Is it more likely to help you develop the mind of Christ, or copy the world?  Have you identified your spiritual gift?  Are you using it to help build up the body of Christ?  The bible tells us that one day we will be accountable for what we have done with what we have been given.  Your gift is very valuable and your church needs you.  You are an essential part of the body like the heart or the brain!  Let's offer our lives back to God because of the great sacrifice he has made for us!