Title: The Christian's Spiritual Worship
(Explanation on Romans = 89)
Christian spiritual worship
Romans 12:1 - 2)
Introduction: Paul's doctrine of Lee Shin-won's righteousness is the truth. It is filled with the wonderful providence of God's saving grace. The book of Romans is the place where the truths of the Old and New Testaments are organized as the doctrine of salvation, and Paul completed this amazing work. Some say that doctrine does not save people, but you should know that correct doctrine based on the Bible is the opposite because it exposes the identity of heresy and suggests the right way to salvation. Paul concludes the great doctrinal exposition of Christianity through chapter 11. And from chapter 12, we begin to deal with the application of that doctrine to the real life of Christians. Christians who have been united with Christ and have received the true life must have their lives blossom on the foundation of correct doctrine. It must bear fruit. In dealing with this issue, Paul summarizes all the fundamental issues of the Christian life in the first verses 1 and 2. It is the spiritual worship that Christians offer to God, which is to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.”
1. Spiritual Worship of Christians
Paul is using “spiritual worship” here when he says that the Christian life should be a spiritual life. The spiritual worship Paul pointed out here does not refer to the Christian worship of God, but rather the attitude toward the spiritual life that should be displayed in general life.
(1) Paul said, “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.” “Your body,” which Paul recommends here by the mercy of God, is referring to your body, which has become the new man, not the old man. Therefore, Paul is describing a new way of life for the born-again person. Christians are already forever separated from the old man. Because our old self died on the cross. To be dead is not just a word, not just a theory. This is an immovable truth and truth because God made his Son die on the cross for me and united me with him. If anyone denies this fact, Christ bore the cross in vain and has nothing to gain from Christianity because the grace of atonement, which is the root of salvation, is destroyed.
(2) A living sacrifice refers to a new sacrifice. This living sacrifice is a holy living sacrifice. A sacrifice is an offering to be offered on the altar. We are the ones who made sacrifices for the dead in the past. We once said that our old bodies were “presented to sin as instruments of unrighteousness” (Romans 6:13). Because we were slaves to sin, we offered our bodies to sin, which was a dead sacrifice. “Do you not know that to whomever you present yourselves as slaves to obey, you are slaves to the one to whom you obey, or are slaves to sin leading to death… ” (Romans 6:16). But a living sacrifice is a sacrifice in which we offer our bodies holy to God. It is a sacrifice offered from the weapons of sins of the past to the weapons of righteousness. “Thanks be to God, for you were originally slaves of sin, but you have been set free from sin and became slaves to righteousness, by obeying from your heart the pattern of doctrine delivered to you” (Romans 6:17, 18).
(3) Paul called this sacrifice “your spiritual worship.” The Christian life is a spiritual life. In the past, we have served sin in the flesh. But now, that physical person has already died as an old person and has been reborn as a spiritual person. Because sin is served by the flesh, but God is spirit, Christians must serve God not with the flesh, but with the spirit. To serve with the Spirit means to obey the Word of God. The Christian life, regardless of time and place, must be presented to God as a living, holy sacrifice pleasing to God, both in mind and body. Paul said, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). This is what it says, “This is your spiritual worship.” This kind of Christian life is a life of obedience to the Word.
2. Newly changed life
Paul goes to verse 2 and reveals what the Christian life of spiritual worship is revealed in verse 1. It tells us that it is a newly changed life, a life that discerns the will of God. Of course, there are many theological controversies over the connection between verses 1 and 2 at this point, but it is clear that verse 2 is interpreting spiritual worship in the words of “offer a living sacrifice acceptable to God.”
(2) He said, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” These words represent the source of a new Christian transformation. New actions are born from new minds. A life of spiritual worship without a change of heart is impossible. How, then, does a new change of heart come? This change is a fundamental change.
This change is impossible until you are born again by the Holy Spirit. Because those who have died in sins and transgressions cannot be changed. However, even though a foothold for change has been formed through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the change does not appear immediately in the Christian life. Thorough repentance for sin must follow, and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit who leads you in the path of righteousness must not be quenched. The moving of the Holy Spirit is always accomplished through the Word of God. The Bible allows us to hear the word and works in it, first renewing our hearts and creating a work of change.
(3) “Let them discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” There is a saying, “test what pleases the Lord” (Ephesians 5:10). Our lives should not be unconditionally following the habit of seeing the world rightly, following the world's customs, or following the world's moral and ethical ideas.
What Christians should keep in mind is that they should always live a life that discerns the will of God. God's will is always perfect. And God's will is always good. Therefore, we must be able to discern the will of God that God considers good and that can please Him. Because such discernment is recorded in God's Word, a life of obedience to the written Word is the shortcut to our spiritual life, and this life is the Christian's spiritual worship.
Conclusion: We should always keep in mind that our life is a spiritual worship of God, and we should live a life that discerns our bodies to offer them as living, holy sacrifices pleasing to God.