Your Body a Living Sacrifice:
What Sets A Christian Apart From Others.
There are “good people” in all societies - Africa, Asia, Europe, and America. Decent people who live at peace with others in the community - law-abiding but not overtly religious by our definition. Among them are born-again Christians, who, for whatever reasons, are not seen to attend local churches or other religious assemblies. What constitutes moral behaviors differ from one culture to another. At one level, the standards could be similar; at another, they are not. Moral or ethical rules are woven into traditions to prevent a breakdown of social ethos or minimize strains and frictions within the fabric of human society.
Moreover, different beliefs about the universe - worldviews - lead to other behaviors. Churches with different biblical interpretations and ethical standards produce different versions of the Christian man and woman, with some churches claiming to be the only true church. However, Galatians 3: 28 says:
“There’s neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free; there’s neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
This unity in Christ transcends differences in skin color, language, or culture. In Christ, we are new creations and are encouraged to have a new mindset. As Apostle Paul says to the Roman Christians and us:
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, given God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; that is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by renewing your mind. Then you can test and approve God’s will - his good, pleasing, and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2).
Paul warns the believer against a pattern: “the pattern of this world.” Different cultures have different patterns. We should note and avoid these patterns, for we are into a counterculture. Transformation comes with continuously renewing our minds to align with God’s good and perfect will. This transformation is not just a change but a journey towards a better understanding of God’s will — a new mindset that sees things the way God sees. It is what it means to “offer our bodies as a living sacrifice.”
Let’s reflect for a while on what it means to sacrifice. We sacrifice when we give up some things we hold dear: Renouncing ownership over what rightly belongs to us. Nothing is more precious than our own body. Alive and active, we run and fly with our bodies. In other words, this Scripture demands that we offer our whole self to God as a living sacrifice. Remember that the breath that keeps the body alive comes from God, who can take it at any moment. He gives and takes at His will.
It sounds reasonable and wise to give Him what He can take if and when He chooses, should He give us the leeway of offering it to Him as a living sacrifice.
It’s a personal prerogative. We decide for ourselves an issue that has to do with our relationship with God. Individual believers relate to God at different levels that are personal to them. It makes a difference whether I am the landlord of my mind and body or a tenant responsible to the actual landlord. If God created you and me for His purpose, then we have much to do in response to Him—much more than we have to do if we belong to ourselves.
It makes no sense, therefore, for me to judge other Christians using my standard or for a Christian who cannot give up a thing as a sacrifice without wanting others to give it up. That is not the Christian way. An individual Christian may see the need to give up all sorts of things as a sacrifice - meat, clubbing, Television, sex and marriage, for example. The Christian takes a wrong turn when he begins to say those things are bad or looks down his nose at other people who do them. By contrast, a man can make his car, football, or clubbing the center of his life, while a woman who devotes all her thoughts to clothes, hairdo, and physical appearance is likely to be as intemperate as someone who gets drunk with wine every weekend or eats heavily and blows up physically.
Offering our bodies a living sacrifice could lead us to stop prioritizing possessions. One pattern of this world is paying so much attention and focusing on the good things of the world: wealth, property, wellness, fame, etc.; we tend to ignore the reality of sorrow, weeping, and anguish - and that people go through them whether we like it or not. They all have a place in God’s eternal plan for humankind. We don’t serve God to get what we want in life. We serve God for God. Many Old Testament prophets suffered for declaring God’s oracle to the powerful and mighty. The apostle Paul went through hardship as well. He writes,
“I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.” (2 Corinthians 11: 23).
Paul also writes to the Philippians:
‘I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4: 12-13).
Contrast their experience with the fact that most rich people don’t think they need God. They become arrogant, self-centered, and self-opinionated, believing they own the world. Wealthy people, including wealthy pastors and church founders, tend to twist scriptures to justify their privileged status in society.
Yet, God has one standard for all: Jews, Gentiles, rich and poor - all need Jesus for their salvation and are called to offer themselves as living sacrifice to God.
