Living Sacrifice

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1 KJV)

A living sacrifice, are you a living sacrifice? God wants us to be a living sacrifice so we can put off the old man (the natural, sinful, carnal nature), and put on the new man (the spiritual, holy, godly nature). We cannot live in the flesh and expect to reap the spiritual blessings for that which is of the flesh reaps of the flesh and that which is of the spirit will reap of the spiritual, (1 Corinthians 2:13-16). We must then yield to God by sacrificing our natural tendencies. This means when the lusts of the flesh, your natural desires arise, we must bring them before the plumb line of God’s word to see if they line up or need to be cast out. “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth [exalts] itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV).

If we do not sacrifice our natural desires, they will rise up and occupy the space of the spiritual. Then they will pull you away from what God loves, desires, and hates. They will mock the spiritual desire and suppress the appetite of the new nature and before you realize it you will look like the world, enmity with God. “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4 KJV).

If we let our natural man take over and occupy our thought life, we become a friend of the world and an enemy of God. How then, can we offer up praise or worship a Holy God if we are an enemy with God?

Let us therefore be mindful of our thoughts, words, and deeds. “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1 KJV). We are commanded to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. Bring into captivity every thought into the obedience of Christ, put off the old man and put on the new so we can offer up spiritual sacrifices and the sacrifice of praise unto the most holy God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Be therefore a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God, because it is our reasonable service or holy act of worship.

In Christ,

Greg