“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
February 9, 2023
“The life of the Christian is just an add-on for happiness to what is a wonderful fire insurance policy.” This may sound like an unrefined way of stating it, but popular Christianity can promote bad theology. The book of Romans is all about the gospel of Jesus Christ. The first eleven chapters of Romans sets before us the multitude of mercies God has shown to sinners, having been under the condemnation of God (Rom. 8:1). This is much more than “fire insurance.” Yes, we are rescued from God’s wrath but that is only the beginning. Flowing out of the transference from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son is a new kind of life to be lived for the glory of God. This puts us in the middle of Romans 12:1. As Christians our bodies are to be offered to God, motivated by mercy. Think about all that God has done for us. How exquisite is the expression of divine love toward miserable sinners. We were delivered out of the dark, dank dungeon of slavery to sin and death and placed, as it were, in the warm sunlight of the undeserved favor of God. That is God’s grace. There will be problems. But they are more than off-set by the new-found power of the Holy Spirit and the new way of thinking God opens up to the Christian. Rejoice, my friend, in the mercies of God.
H
“Dear Lord, help me to not spare anything in giving all of myself to your service.”