Romans 12:1-2 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)
“1Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”
The Mercy of God
What is the mercy of God? It is His compassion, His
kindness, His forgiveness, and His grace to us who are born into this world
with sin natures, in the image of Adam, unable within ourselves to be made
right with God. And what does His grace look like? His grace, which is bringing
us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and
to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s
return (see Titus 2:11-14). For Christ died to free us from sin’s control.
Jesus Christ, in His death and resurrection, made the way
for us to die with Him to sin and to now live with Him in walks of obedience to
His commands. For in His death He put our sins to death with Him so that, by
faith in Christ Jesus we will deny self, die to sin, and obey our Lord in life
practice. And by faith in Him we are raised with Him to walk in newness of life
in Him, no longer as slaves to sin but now as servants of righteousness, living
godly and holy lives, pleasing to God – all in the power of God by His Spirit.
Living Sacrifices to God
Therefore, since Jesus made the way for us to be forgiven of
our sins, we who have trusted in Him to be Lord and Savior of our lives are now
to offer our bodies to God as living sacrifices to Him, holy and pleasing to
God. And this includes our whole being, i.e. our minds, eyes, ears, hearts, thoughts,
and behaviors. They are to be given over to God to be for His glory and for His
purposes, and not to please our flesh. So we are not to be taking into our minds,
eyes, ears, hearts, and thoughts the sinful desires and pleasures that this
world has to offer, resulting in us then engaging in sinful behaviors.
For our spiritual service of worship to our Lord is not in
words only, nor in the singing of “songs of worship” only. Our spiritual
service of worship of our Lord is in our doing and not doing. It is first of
all by faith in Him denying self, dying with Christ to sin, and now walking
with Him in obedience to His commands in holy living. And then it is us walking
(in conduct) with Him moment by moment and day by day in surrender to His will
and in doing what He commands, going wherever He leads us in ministry to Him
and to the people of this world. For He has a calling for each one of our
lives.
Be Not Conformed
There are many ways in which we might become conformed to
this world, and not all of them are related to obvious and deliberate and
habitual sins. Some of them may be very subtle and we may not even realize that
is what is happening. For we live in a day and age of the Internet and/or
television when it is so easy to get distracted and caught up in what is just a
waste of time. Especially for us who write on the internet, and so we are on
the internet daily, there are all sorts of not wicked things to draw our
attention and to distract us. And that is not all bad. But we need to be on the
alert.
But conformity to the world, as is described here, is primarily
anything which takes us in the opposite direction of obedience to God and
living holy lives, pleasing to God. For it has to do with taking on the
thinking and the values and the behaviors and the attitudes that this world has
to offer, which are contrary to the teachings of the Scriptures and the call of
God on our lives. And this usually ends up consuming people’s lives to the
point where Jesus is barely thought of or considered in their daily activities.
But as followers of Christ we are to be living to please God in every area of
our lives 24/7.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts
26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans
8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1
Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians
5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14;
Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24;
1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation
3:1-22]
Living Sacrifices to God
An Original Work / September 5, 2026
Christ’s
Free Servant, Sue J Love
Living Sacrifices
(song)
Based off Romans 12:1-2; Romans
6:11-14 NIV
An Original Work / September 14, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Oh, holy ones, I
counsel you,
In view of God’s
mercy,
To give yourselves
to God in love
As living offerings,
Pleasing to God,
holy in love.
This is your true
worship.
Do not conform to
worldly lives.
Let God transform
you today.
Then you’ll be able
to
Test and approve of
what
God’s will is – His
pleasing
And perfect will.
Oh, holy ones,
I counsel you –
Offer yourselves unto God.
Oh, holy ones, I
counsel you –
Do not be conceited.
Humble yourselves
before your God.
Do not be
self-righteous.
The strength you
have to live in love
Comes from your Lord
God, so
Live your new lives
in pow’r of God.
Be changed in heart,
mind and will.
Do this because of
what
Christ did for you
when
He died on the cross
to save
The world from sin.
Oh, holy ones,
I counsel you –
Humble yourselves before God.
Oh, holy ones, I
counsel you –
Count yourselves
dead to sin,
But be alive to God
in Christ.
Do not let sin reign
in
Your earthly lives
so you
Obey its evil
desires.
Offer yourselves
unto your God
As those who’ve been
born again.
For sin shall no
longer be
Your lord and
master.
Give of yourselves
to God
For righteousness.
Oh, holy ones,
I counsel you – Be
alive to God in Christ.
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