Page 18 - February 2025 - Truth & Tidings

Read Romans 12:1,2 our bodies also will be redeemed when

Imagine Paul’s Epistle to the Romans Christ returns at the time of the Rapture.
Now, in 12:1, Paul exhorts us to present
as being like a great mountain. The peak our bodies as a living sacrifice to God. As
of that mountain is chapter 12, verses 1 we have previously seen, the body is the
and 2. Everything preceding that point means whereby we express our will and
leads up to it, and everything follow- our emotions. As believers, we can allow
ing it flows from it. In other words, the our bodies to be dominated either by the
purpose of the first eleven chapters is to flesh or by the Holy Spirit.
lead us to the appeal of 12:1,2, and the
rest of the book (12:3-16:27) provides us Paul commences the chapter, “I beseech
with practical expressions of what it is to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of
1
present our bodies as a living sacrifice. God.” Notice that Paul is not issuing a
If we fail to make the commitment for command. This is a very emotional appeal.
which Paul appeals, we have missed the Notice also the use of the word “there-
whole purpose of the book. Romans was fore.” This could have been translated
not written merely to educate us on the “for this reason.” The question arises,
great doctrines of redemption. God is not For what reason? Chapters 9-11 are a
impressed with how much of the Bible we parenthesis in which Paul is dealing with
know. Rather, His interest is what we do God’s purposes for the nation of Israel. So,
with what we know. the reason has to do with what Paul has
taught us in chapters 1-8, and especially
In Romans 6:1-8:39, where we have
concentrated our studies, we read of the 6-8. He is appealing to us on the ground
of all that God has done for us, which he
believer’s body seven times. In 6:6 we describes in the words “by the mercies of
read of “the body of sin” that describes God.” The substance of his appeal is “to
our bodies before we trusted Christ. Our present your bodies a living sacrifice.”
bodies were enslaved to sin. In 7:24 we Our bodies are representative of our total
read of “the body of this death.” This selves. You will notice that Paul is not
describes our bodies presently. Sin is a suggesting that we become “martyrs for
hostile lodger that seeks to hinder our the cause,” although in some cases it has
spiritual progress. In 8:11 we read of “your come to that. God wants us to live for Him.
mortal bodies.” Because our bodies were
not changed when we trusted Christ, we 1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV
still have to die. But Paul reminds us that unless otherwise noted.

50 TRUTH kTidings February 2025