Day4
Word Study
Sacrifice
Paul’s Appeal To Believers
The Tone of Paul’s Appeal
I appeal to you therefore, brothers…
Romans 12:1
Paul could have given a command. It’s noteworthy that he is not appealing to them in a condescending way from his position of authority as an apostle, but instead he’s appealing to them in a loving way from alongside them, as a brother in Christ.
The Basis of Paul’s Appeal
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God…
Romans 12:1
For eleven chapters Paul has been unfolding the mercies of God. The Gospel is precisely God’s mercy to undeserving sinners, in giving his Son to die for us, in justifying us freely by grace through faith, in sending us his life-giving Spirit, and in making us his children. In fact, it can be argued that the key word in chapters 9-11 is in fact “mercy.” Notice that “mercies” is plural. Paul is saying that there is no greater incentive to living holy lives than the consideration of the full array of all of God’s expressions and demonstrations of his grace and kindness toward us, and towering over all of them is the cross.
The Content (or Substance) of Paul’s Appeal
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God…
Romans 12:1
Paul is using temple language here. He’s picturing worshipers at the temple who come with an offering. Some offerings in the Old Testament were sin offerings. A worshiper would bring an animal or a bird, and the priest would offer it to God by shedding its blood for the forgiveness of their sins. But now there are no more sin offerings because Jesus IS our sin offering. So the offering Paul is calling us to is not a sin offering. The offering of our bodies cannot and must not be construed by us as a way of being made right with God.
Action Step:
Where have you seen God’s mercy show out in your life?
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