Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2
This is the last (I think) in a series looking at Romans 12:2. I realized that I have been approaching this verse out of context, and the context is everything. Look at the verse right before it:
Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. Romans 12:1 (AMP)
I love that – logical act of worship. The Greek word is logikos (λογικός). It means reasonable, rational, "properly, logical because divinely reasonable, i.e. 'what is logical to God' (logic working through the divine reasoning known through faith). The believer grasps 'divine reasonableness' by the Lord's inbirthings (gift) of faith."1
In view of the mercies of God, all that God has done for me in sending Jesus to take my place on the cross, by setting me free from my messed-up self, by making a Way for me to come into the Presence of a loving Father God, it is logical that I respond by giving myself to Him as a living sacrifice. At least, it is logical to God. It seems insane to the unrenewed mind.
"From the world's point of view the cross of Jesus will always be a stumbling block. From the world's point of view God does not come and die, God comes to control and destroy. From the world's point of view, if we were God, we would act from a position of power, not from a stance of love and humility. Today, as throughout all of history, a God who 'so loves the world that he gave his only begotten son' is an act of insanity. For those of us who know Jesus, we want to model such insanity to all the peoples of the world because it is an insanity motivated by love, sacrifice, and obedience. It is an insanity motivated by going not staying. It is an insanity motivated by giving not receiving. It is how the world looks at God. This should be how the world looks at us." -- Nik Ripken Ministries
The world looks at the idea of being a living sacrifice as insane, certainly not logical. It does not make sense for a rich man like Abraham to leave everything and head out to an unknown destination. It does not make sense to offer the child of promise on the altar. It does not make sense for Job to cling to his faith in a good God when everything has been brutally taken from him. It does not make sense to "go, sell your possessions and give to the poor … [t]hen come, follow me." It seems absolutely insane to turn the other cheek, to return blessing for curse, to love my enemy.
Yet, that is what we are asked to do – to be thought illogical by the world, to be thought insane. To become like Jesus.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep … There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. Many of them said, "He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?" John 10:11, 19-20 (ESV)
When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind." Mark 3:21
It is our logical act of worship to yield ourselves completely, all that we are, all our brokenness - what we are conscious of and that of which we are not yet aware - lay down our lives on the altar as a holy and well-pleasing, living sacrifice. Look at that – well-pleasing. The word translated as "well-pleasing" in Romans 12:1 is the same word describing God's will in Romans 12:2. Our sacrifice is well-pleasing to God; God's will becomes well-pleasing to us.
So, it seems that to be able to understand God's will for us as well-pleasing and fully acceptable, in order for our minds to be renewed and our lives transformed, we must completely yield our all to God. Only then can we receive God's will as fully acceptable. Fully acceptable – because Jesus laid himself down on the altar for you and me.
If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. Either way, Christ's love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 2 Corinthians 5:13-14 (NLT)
Therefore – comprehending by His grace all that He has done for me - my logical, rational, intelligent act of worship is to be a holy, well-pleasing, living sacrifice to God by allowing Him to complete the process of freeing my thinking from the deadly patterns inherited from the world and renovating it, making it fresh and new, and thereby to transform me into someone completely different, a new life, a new creation never before imagined, to accomplish in me a deep and abiding change, and make me a demonstration of and a proving ground – both to me and to others - of His good, perfect, well-pleasing will.
Praise God!
1All the definitions of words in this series come from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance and HELPS studies by Discovery Bible unless noted.
Image by Linda Tanner, The Butterfly is Gone https://flic.kr/p/piUExS
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