Romans 12:1

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual [or reasonable] act of worship.

Paul shifts gears after his doxology and focuses on lifestyle applications for the Christian. But note that Paul views all of his previous instruction as applicable as well. In fact, in order to rightly follow his instructions in chapters 12-16 (live consistently), we must have a right understanding of chapters 1-11 (grace and mercy). Paul doesn’t separate lifestyle application from understanding doctrinal theology. Paul explains first here our relationship with ourselves, then secondly with each other, thirdly with the world, and fourthly, into chapter 13, with the government. Lastly, this chapter does not describe our effort to earn favor with God; rather, it describes the fruit of our having received the grace and mercy of God. Notice v1 first:

V1 – In view of God’s mercy, offer yourself as a living sacrifice of spiritual worship. We could offer several words to serve as the theme of Romans 12 (Love, Mercy, Worship, Humility, Gifts, etc.). Mercy happens to appear first. Paul has gone to great lengths to prove that God is merciful to us in the first 11 chapters of this epistle. Now he says to us that our lives should be founded on the mercy of God. I cannot adequately state how much Paul is stressing this truth. I can’t even begin to convey the importance of God’s mercy towards us as the foundation of our lifestyles. It’s true that Christians should be known for mercy, because we have been shown mercy, both in our wickedness and in our helplessness; but it’s a lot more than that: Every aspect of the Christian lifestyle is based on God’s mercy. Why love? God’s mercy. Why be humble? God’s mercy. Etc. Paul, in writing, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy,” is showing mercy and humility and love to his audience. That’s amazing how the inspiration of the Holy Spirit works to convey the principle not only through the words of the author, but also by the words of the author. Just as he did with Philemon, Paul could command right living by the authority given him by Christ, but instead he urges right living as a fellow Christian.

Furthermore, we should not only note that the basis of our holy living is God’s mercy, but also, and equally as if not more important, this holy living that we strive for as a result of God’s mercy is our primary act of worshipping God. Right living is worship. Right living is the only logical or reasonable, translated “spiritual,” thing to do as our act of worship and praise and thanksgiving. It’s not a couple hours a week; it’s all day, every day. Paul is calling us to worship God by living for God, in love and obedience, delighting in God’s word, God’s will, and God’s law, because of God’s mercy toward us. Christian living is worship, founded on our having received grace and on our understanding mercy. We glorify God with our lives, because we understand His mercy. See Romans 15:8-9.

Next, Paul says, “Because God has been merciful and compassionate and loving to you, fellow Christians in Rome, you are obligated to worship God with your whole self. As a member of the priesthood of all believers, you are to offer a living sacrifice of yourself.” He is purposely driving us back to the Old Testament language of worship. A “living” sacrifice, however, is not to be compared to the slain animals of Old Testament sacrificial rites, but instead compared to the deadness we experienced while in sin. “When we were dead in trespasses and sin, God, because of His rich mercy and great love for us, made us alive with Christ” (Ephesians 2:1-5). As a result, we give our lives to God as living sacrifices. Paul’s slogan might be, “Die for Jesus!” And his point is not that we die, but that we live – in the world but not of the world. In living for Jesus (in the world), we are dying to self (of the world) for Jesus. We are not our own because we have been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We don’t have the right to use our body as we please; we have the duty as slaves of Christ to use our body as He pleases. We are to present our bodies (notice the importance of the physical, as opposed to Gnosticism) to God as those who are alive from the dead (Romans 6:13). In light of God’s mercy and grace as shown at Calvary, how can we do anything less? We don’t make Christ Lord of our lives. As believers, He is Lord of our lives. Because we live Coram Deo, we live like we live Coram Deo. The free gift of salvation that we receive in Christ not only cost Him everything, but it costs us everything as well. We must give ourselves to Christ.