What is a Living Sacrifice?
Jun 18 2024 - Eric Buresh
In Romans 12:1-2, Paul passes along a divine exhortation:
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
What a call to holy living! But what does this mean, and how can we, frail and fallible as we are, fulfill such a high calling? First, consider the nature of a sacrifice. Under the Old Covenant, sacrifices were offered to atone for sin, to worship, and to consecrate. These were offerings that cost the giver something significant—an unblemished lamb, a portion of the harvest, the first fruits of labor. But here, Paul speaks not of a dead sacrifice, but of a living one. This is a sacrifice that is ongoing, dynamic, and continual.
To present our bodies as a living sacrifice means to yield our entire being—our physical bodies, our desires, our ambitions—unto God. It is to place ourselves wholly upon the altar, saying, "Lord, not my will, but Thine be done." This is a sacrifice that touches every aspect of our lives. It involves our daily actions, our words, our thoughts, our interactions. It is, indeed, our reasonable service, our spiritual worship, in response to the infinite mercies of God.
Think on the mercies of God. In the first eleven chapters of his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul lays the foundation of this plea upon the bedrock of God's manifold mercies. Recall how He has justified us freely by His grace, redeemed us by the precious blood of Christ, and filled us with His Holy Spirit. How can we respond to such grace but by offering ourselves entirely to Him?
Moreover, Paul urges us, "Be not conformed to this world." The world with its fleeting pleasures, its vain pursuits, and its corrupt philosophies seeks to mold us into its image. But we are called higher. We are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. This transformation is not a mere external change but a profound inner metamorphosis, wrought by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. As He opens our eyes in increasing clarity to the Truth and Treasure of the Word, our mind becomes what we behold.
As our minds are renewed—our thoughts purified, our desires aligned with God's will, our affections set on things above—we begin to prove, to discern, and to live out what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. This is the essence of a living sacrifice: a life that increasingly reflects the beauty and holiness of our Savior.
Let us then present ourselves daily as living sacrifices. Let our lives be marked by holiness, not as an onerous duty but as a joyous privilege. For in this living sacrifice, we find true freedom, true fulfillment, and true joy. May the Spirit of God empower us to live out this high calling, to resist the pressures of this world, and to be transformed continually into the image of Christ for His glory and our highest good.