Present Your Bodies as a Living Sacrifice

Romans 12:1-2 "Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

Brothers and Sisters, it is not what we do for God that counts it is what He does through us that demonstrates our Spiritual sacrifice. There is nothing we can do that would satisfy a holy God in terms of service to Him.

It is what He has already done on our behalf and how He works in everyone who trusts in Him, transforming each person into a new creation. From this transformation come the actions and attitudes of Christ as we obey Him.

Our worship is Spiritual and based on Truth, not outward rituals we do to satisfy our own need to placate or impress God.

When we realize our bodies are the temple, then there is no longer a need for a physical building or rituals to walk with Christ. We honor Him the best when we obey Him and live out our lives dedicated to Him in all our ways. When we fail because we battle the flesh which is perishing, He disciplines us to return to obedience.

Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. 6For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.” 7Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"

Job 5:17
"Blessed indeed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty."

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, glorify God with your body."

1 Peter 2:5 "You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

We are living stones spiritually built up by God as a holy priesthood. Yes, we are priests as born-again believers. We do not offer animal sacrifices or any other kind of physical offering; we offer our bodies to be used and guided by Christ Who lives in us.

In the days before Christ, the priests offered animals on the altar to God; sacrificing them was a picture of Christ to come later as the final and real sacrifice that removed the stain of sin. Offering animals never took away the penalty of sin; it was an acknowledgment of Christ, Who was to come in the future and what He had to do, that is to die on our behalf.

Some priests believed in Christ when He came because they knew the scriptures, realizing why He came and that He would take the place of animal sacrifices.
Those animal sacrifices never took away the penalty of sin; they only offered a picture of what Christ would do in the future.

When Christ rose from the dead, He went into the paradise part of hell called Sheol to preach to the Old Testament saints who believed God and who lived by faith. They trusted Christ there, and then He took them out of there to heaven.
That place of paradise where the Old Testament saints were before the cross is empty.

Now, when believers trust in Christ, they go straight to heaven when they die.
2 Corinthians 5:8 "8 but we are of good courage and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord."

There is no longer a holding place for believers when we die, as there was with the Old Testament saints. There are also no rituals commanded in the Bible other than the Lord's supper, to remember Christ and what He did.

Praise God Christ did it all on the cross, when we trust in Him, He works in us. Too many people attempt to help God out by making up their own rituals God never commanded, even changing His Word to create a religion of their own that satisfies their pride.

I was amazed at how many activities in the church were a burden, when He opened my eyes, things that God never commanded. When those burdens were lifted, life was so much more peaceful and stress-free.

If God never told us to observe something, if He never gave a command to do it, then we are free to ignore it and even reject it as human fodder (hay and stubble for cattle) to elevate the ego, not at all useful in our walk with Christ; they only build pride and often replace obedience to His Word.

May we be diligent to walk in obedience to Christ through knowing His word and loving His principles and commands.