Christians, what does it mean to "offer our bodies as LIVING SACRIFICES"?

A LIVING SACRIFICE

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Rom. 12:1 -2.

In the above verses we find the following words that would be good to look into more closely; because they are essential to our walk in Christ. The words are: present, bodies, living, sacrifice, holy world, mind, and prove.

1. PRESENT means, to introduce one person to another, or self to Christ, also make a gift to, and I give myself to you.

2. We know our BODY is the temple of God. The temple is the building in which God dwells. “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” 1 Cor. 3:16

3. LIVING means, not dead, alive, active, moving and pulsating with life.

4. A SACRIFICE is an unselfish, giving up of one’s life. Matthew 16:25 says: “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” Matt. 16:25

5. HOLY — Set apart for the services of God. Be ye holy, for I am holy. It says, we are holy because we are the temple of God. 1 Cor. 3:17

6. WORLD — do not become one with the world. Forget the things of the world, as much as it is possible.

7. MIND — “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Rom. 8:6

8. PROVE — to demonstrate, to show the reality, to prove something is to bring it into manifestation, into being for people to see.

So, to become a living sacrifice, we first present, yield, and introduce our bodies, self, temple, as a gift to God, alive, not dead, pulsating with life, holy, pure, not being mindful of worldly things, having our mind renewed to prove the reality of God and Christ. To prove Christ means to bring forth Christ in our lives to be seen of all men. It is to bring a manifested reality, a proof to the world of His indwelling presence.

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Psa. 51:17. Contrite means sorrowful, crushed.

Every sacrifice must be put on the altar to be burned by fire, so the sweet smelling savor can come forth. “For our God is a consuming fire.” Heb. 12:29

When we give ourselves as a living sacrifice and are consumed by the fire of God, the Glory of God will be seen, which is Christ. “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” Col. 1:27. I think we all know that the hope is Christ coming forth from us to be seen by all.

“...Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.” Isa. 33:14-17

We know the rock and the bread speak of Jesus, and water represents the Holy Spirit. When we see the beauty, we see His fulness. And the land speaks of His kingdom.

He that is laid on the altar, as a living sacrifice, will first live with the devouring fire, and then with everlasting fire — Praise God! The devouring fire will burn everything that is not of God. “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” 1 Cor. 3:13-15

Now to dwell with everlasting burnings reminds me of the living sacrifice. The scripture says, “For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another. Mark 9:49-50

Salt in the natural realm makes thing’s taste better. But salt is a lot more than just to season our food. The salt of the sacrifice is called, the salt of the covenant of God; because in common life, salt was the symbol of covenant. The salt had the power to preserve from putrification and corruption. It imparted to the sacrifice the unbending truthfulness of that self-surrender to the Lord embodied in the sacrifice, by which, all impurity and hypocrisy were repelled. Without salt we will be corrupt and we will decay. T

It simply means giving of ourselves to God and others. If God says to take in a child through adoption, you may not want to, but by being a living sacrifice, you sacrifice your time and money to help a child in need. That is a simple example. Mostly, we are to use the time and talents we have been given for the glory of God and the love of others.

There is much to that scripture, but here is some. When we are born we are sinful in nature, our flesh is what likes sin. To lie or too enjoy those things that are not pleasing to God like sexual immorality. Well to offer your body as a living sacrifice is to ask Jesus into your heart and use your entire being mind body and soul to please God. Not allowing your body to be used in sin (sex outside of marriage, adultery, drugs, etc) Worshiping God by obeying his word with all that you are. Another scripture talks about crucifying your flesh, your flesh is not in the literal but the flesh is your sinful nature. The flesh is that innermost part of you that enjoys that which the Lord says is wrong.

One statement I always found to be true is, "whichever you feed more will be stronger" If you feed your flesh more than your spirit then it will be stronger, if you feed your spirit more than your flesh than it will be stronger.

Offer our bodies as living sacrifices so that our mind get transformed to know the perfect will of God. 1) offer our eyes not to see and enjoy anything that is evil or lead to an evil thought or decision. 2) offer our ears not to open for gossip,backbiting, even music that is ungodly. 3) Offer our tongue so that life may flow from it. Tongue is the most dangerous weapon and any one who has control over it is a king. Knowledge of evil is no wisdom. Anyone who control his senses to be pure is the most wise man. He will know the will of God. His words and thoughts will be pure.

To die to self and rise in the newness of Christ and submission to his will for us. We are to be dead to the world and alive in Christ.

Jesus said four things concerning the flesh that come to mind

Deny the flesh

crucify the flesh

walk in the spirit and not the flesh

Don't fulfill the desires of the flesh

The flesh can be our enemy if Satan gets control of it. Satan has many members of our flesh to work with, Our mind, eyes, mouth, ears, tongue, hands, feet, and our sexual parts by all means. But when we give Jesus control of these members we can be a holy living SACRIFICE for the Lord.

Paul also said, "I don't live any more, but Christ lives in me." "I was bought at a price"

So, We're dead, yet living....

As a living sacrifice we are baptised into Christ, as well as His perfect use of human free-will/freedom which choose complete trust and, therefore, obedience to His Father, Who is also our Father. We partake in Christ and Christ's sacrifice, because we - by the power of the Holy Spirit - have be brought into Christ, into the Body of Christ, and we do as He does as perfect, sinless man (Heb 4.12ff): we join in Christ's sacrifice of trust and obedience to Our Father as His Children, which the world hates and so seeks to kill us, as the world hated and killed Christ.

But, we have been baptised into Christ and, therefore, into His death and, thus, into His resurrection!

Living fully united to Christ's all-sufficient sacrifice on Calvary

by living united to God by grace in offering one's whole being with all we are , plan and do to God and in service to one another in love

It means to present your body before the Lord in true worship, praise, relationship, fellowship and service in the presence of the Lord daily.

Isaiah gives us some good examples:

to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke,

to set the oppressed free and break every yoke.

Share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter.

When you see the naked, to clothe him and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood.

(This is from Isaiah 58)

To offer our whole lives to Him, to His service. It can mean different things to different people when it comes to specifics. For me it means homeschooling my kids despite the cost in both time and money, it means teaching Sunday school, it means submitting to Him even in the area of my eating habits. It means reaching out to the homeless, putting my husband's needs before my own, and choosing obedience moment by moment.

Crucifying our selfish desires and choosing to live for what God wants from us. Choosing to say no to sin, which is what our body naturally desires, choosing to say yes to God. also to love one another sometimes is a sacrifice. Parents know this one - you have a kid, you often have to set aside having "me time" anymore.