Romans 12:1-2 is an excellent passage to reflect upon for the new year. Verse 1 says to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.” In the Greek, living, holy, and pleasing are in the same case as sacrifice, thus these three modify the word sacrifice. As a sacrifice, we are to die to ourselves: “crucified with Christ.” We are to take up our cross daily and follow him.
As holy, we are to be set apart from the people of the world: “light on a hill,” “salt of the earth.”
As living, we are to go into all the world preaching the gospel. We have been raised with Christ in his resurrection, and we live now as he lives.
Pleasing to God takes us back to Psalm 51. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart.” We are to be set apart from the world and we are to be doing that by humbly serving God. We can humbly serve him by knowing that when we serve him, its actually him serving us and showing us his mercy. (For a fuller development of thought on this, see John Piper, Desiring God)
In light of Psalm 51, it states “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right/steadfast spirit within me.” Next it says that these are only capable when the Holy Spirit is upon us; he gives us the ability to be willing to find joy in salvation by God.
These verses correlate well with Romans 12:2. Our minds are to be transformed by its renewal. Psalm 51 says only the Holy Spirit may renew our minds. He creates in us a clean heart and renews a right spirit in us. He is the power allowing us to no longer “be conformed to the pattern of this age.”
Much more, living by the Spirit will not only grant us to live lives unlike the world, be living sacrifices, and be holy and pleasing to the Lord, but also to disern God’s perfect purpose of our lives.
This is our “spiritual act of worship” to him.
so glad i just stumbled upon this! it completely gave me confirmation on what I have been dwelling on lately. It is so easy to get caught up in this “world”, but it takes a daily commitment to God and purity to be set apart. To please God – our creator. I just wanted to let you know that this blessed me and gave me some things to think about. thank you!