key verse: 1
PRESENT YOUR BODIES AS A LIVING SACRIFICE
In this chapter and the following ones, Paul gives a practical exhortation to show how the justified believer must live.
1. Present your bodies as a living sacrifice (1-2)
Our bodies no longer belong to us since Jesus redeemed our lives by his blood. We must thus offer our bodies as a sacrifice to God. Aside from Sunday church service, the deeper meaning is the sacrifice of our whole body for God. Our living sacrifice must be far from fatalistic thinking, be separated from sin, holy and pleasing to God because of our faith (Heb. 11:6). This demand is reasonable, since Jesus gave his life on the cross for us. Paul exhorts believers to not be conformed to this world, since the love of God cannot inhabit the one who loves the world. A life conformed to this world would make a man's heart divided. This does not please God. Instead, our mind must be renewed, which will help us discern what the will of God is.
2. A community of God (3-8)
As a humble shepherd, Paul tells the Romans to not become proud. We must think with sober judgement, without aiming too high or acting with too much ambition. God has assigned a measure of faith to each person. Therefore, we shouldn't compare ourselves and our spirituality. Each person must thank God for his own situation and encourage others, edifying the church. Then God will use each one in his own way to accomplish his will. The community of God is made of many members having different gifts. We must use them for God's glory. Each role has its own spirit in the church and we must each use our own gift to the fullest (6-8b).
Prayer: Lord, thank you for saving me and giving me a body that can be a whole sacrifice to you. Help me to exert my role to the fullest.
Bottom line: a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing
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