“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.” Romans 12:1
Many, when they hear the word worship, think of a church service. The singing of hymns and songs, prayers, and the preaching of God’s Word. While those are ways to worship God, we are called to worship in more ways than what goes on during the service hour on Sunday. Paul tells us in the book of Romans that our main act of worship in to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, one that is holy and acceptable.
There were many different offerings that were given to God in the Old Testament. Some were required because of their sin, and others were given just out of thanks. The sacrifice Paul is talking about is one of thanks. The book of Romans tells us how sinful we are, what we deserve, and how God intervened on our behalf, by sending Christ to take our sin upon His shoulders and die in our place. The sacrifice we are to give, in ourselves, is one of thanks. Our living sacrifice also needs to be holy and acceptable. Apart from Christ, that is not possible. However, with the help of the Spirit, as we are conformed more into the image of Christ, we will start to walk in a way that is pleasing to Him. When people made sacrifices to God, they wanted to give Him the best of the best. We should strive to pursue holiness so that our sacrifice of thanksgiving is one that is acceptable. Again, it can only be acceptable with the help of the Spirit.
The Sacrifice we give does not save us. Christ’s sacrifice is what saved us from our sinfulness and spares our souls from the righteous wrath of God. We should offer ourselves as an act of worship to God. This means we are to worship God in our lives, in all that we do. In your job, at home, while you are out and about. Are you glorifying God in all that you do? We worship God in willful obedience. Are we willing to drop everything to do what He has called us to? We are not called to live comfortable lives. We are called to make disciples, and that means we have to put ourselves out there. “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Cor. 6:19-20).