More Than Conquerors: The Challenge

Read Romans 12:1,2

Imagine Paul’s Epistle to the Romans as being like a great mountain. The peak of that mountain is chapter 12, verses 1 and 2. Everything preceding that point leads up to it, and everything following it flows from it. In other words, the purpose of the first eleven chapters is to lead us to the appeal of 12:1,2, and the rest of the book (12:3-16:27) provides us with practical expressions of what it is to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. If we fail to make the commitment for which Paul appeals, we have missed the whole purpose of the book. Romans was not written merely to educate us on the great doctrines of redemption. God is not impressed with how much of the Bible we know. Rather, His interest is what we do with what we know.

In Romans 6:1-8:39, where we have concentrated our studies, we read of the believer’s body seven times. In 6:6 we read of “the body of sin” that describes our bodies before we trusted Christ. Our bodies were enslaved to sin. In 7:24 we read of “the body of this death.” This describes our bodies presently. Sin is a hostile lodger that seeks to hinder our spiritual progress. In 8:11 we read of “your mortal bodies.” Because our bodies were not changed when we trusted Christ, we still have to die. But Paul reminds us that our bodies also will be redeemed when Christ returns at the time of the Rapture. Now, in 12:1, Paul exhorts us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God. As we have previously seen, the body is the means whereby we express our will and our emotions. As believers, we can allow our bodies to be dominated either by the flesh or by the Holy Spirit.

Paul commences the chapter, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God.”1  Notice that Paul is not issuing a command. This is a very emotional appeal. Notice also the use of the word “therefore.” This could have been translated “for this reason.” The question arises, For what reason? Chapters 9-11 are a parenthesis in which Paul is dealing with God’s purposes for the nation of Israel. So, the reason has to do with what Paul has taught us in chapters 1-8, and especially 6-8. He is appealing to us on the ground of all that God has done for us, which he describes in the words “by the mercies of God.” The substance of his appeal is “to present your bodies a living sacrifice.” Our bodies are representative of our total selves. You will notice that Paul is not suggesting that we become “martyrs for the cause,” although in some cases it has come to that. God wants us to live for Him. He is looking for total yieldedness on our part. He has the right to insist on it. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:19,20, “Ye are not your own … ye are bought with a price.” But He does not want our loyalty merely out of a sense of duty but out of devotion.

Next, notice the tense of the verb “to present.” It is expressing the idea of decisive action. In other words, He is looking for yieldedness, with no intention to ever withdraw that commitment. Now we know that we are all failing human beings, and as such are prone to failure. From time to time, we will need to renew that commitment, but, again, it should be intended to be permanent.

The next word used in verse 1 is “holy.” But we have already seen from Romans 7 that we still have sin lurking in our members. How can we present our bodies in a state of holiness? The Greek word for “holy” conveys the idea of “set apart for God.” The Lord wants to reign supremely in our hearts.

The next word that appears in verse 1 is “acceptable,” or “well-pleasing.” The idea that is being expressed is that presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice brings pleasure to God. Surely, we all want to please God who has done so much for us!

The final clause in verse 1 states, “which is your reasonable service.” In the NASB this is translated “which is your spiritual service of worship.” There is a Greek word for “spiritual” in the NT, but it is not this word. This word is the one from which we get our English word “logical.” In light of what the Lord has done for us, this is the most logical thing we can do. The reason the NASB translates “service” as “spiritual service of worship” is because the word used in the Greek text always relates to priestly service (see Heb 9:6). Probably this phrase should be translated “which is your logical priestly service,” since what Paul is appealing for here is actually a priestly function.

This brings us to verse 2. In verse 1 the appeal was for decisive action on the part of the Christians, to present their bodies as a living sacrifice. Now in verse 2 we have an appeal to allow a process to take place in their lives. First, the appeal is for negative action: “and be not conformed to this world.” I believe that J.B. Phillips gives us the sense of the verse: “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould.” The word translated “world” in the KJV literally means “age.” The word usually translated “world” speaks of the world in its unchanging hostility to God. The word used in this verse speaks of the world in its changing fashions, moral standards and interests.

Paul proceeds, “but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Again, Phillips captures the idea: “but let God re-mould your minds from within.” As we diligently search the Scriptures, with a view to allowing God to change us, He produces the necessary changes.

Finally, we see the end result: “that ye may prove [experientially] what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Three things are said about the will of God here. First, it is good, that is, it is beneficial to us. It may not be what we would choose, but it will produce the best results. Second, it is acceptable, or well-pleasing, to us. If we have yielded our bodies as a living sacrifice (v1), then we can always say “Amen!” to whatever He chooses for our lives. Third, it is perfect. God never makes mistakes. We can’t improve on God’s plans for us. We may not always understand what is happening, but we can always say, “Not my will, but thine, be done” (Luk 22:42).


1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV unless otherwise noted.