Romans 12:1-2: 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.
The first two verses of Romans 12 are at the foundation of faithful Christian living. The words “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God” are a plea to consider what has been explained in the first eleven chapters of Romans: man’s rejection of God, and God’s plan to redeem mankind through His Son.
As the Holy Spirit pleaded with the Romans (and pleads with us) to consider these “mercies of God,” He offers the only appropriate response: to present ourselves as a “living sacrifice” to God. To be an acceptable sacrifice to God, we must be holy, or set apart from the sinfulness of the world to bring glory to God. This ties in with what is said in verse 2 of the chapter. Presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice to God involves not following the world’s pattern, but being transformed.
The Greek word for transformed (metamorphoo) is related to the English word metamorphosis. Like a caterpillar changes into a cocoon and then into a butterfly, those who present themselves as a living sacrifice to God must go through a spiritual metamorphosis. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Paul expressed this principle this way in Galatians 2:20: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.
This is the attitude we should all have: appreciate God’s mercies and respond by surrendering ourselves fully to God.
This transformation process begins with a renewing of the mind, allowing God’s Word to change how we see things instead of thinking like the world. By transforming in this way, we can discern “what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” The remainder of Romans 12 expands on the transformed lifestyle that pleases God. Verses 3-5, for instance, stress the need for humility, particularly as it applies to the functions we have within the church.
Verse 9 stresses the transformative thinking that cleaves to what God defines as good and abhors what God defines as evil. Verses 10 and 15 stress the need for care, sympathy, kindness, and brotherly love, particularly toward brothers and sisters in Christ. Verse 11 teaches the need for diligence, as well as the need for fervency, or a fiery passion for God and the good works He commands.
Verses 12-13 further exhort joy, hope, endurance, prayerfulness, benevolence, and hospitality. The end of the chapter stresses the need to seek peace with others, and particularly emphasizes the need to not seek revenge or render evil for evil (verses 14, 17-21).
This lifestyle doesn’t follow worldly wisdom. Rather, it’s a lifestyle that lets God’s will be the guide so that He may be pleased. Such is only fitting when we consider the mercies of God. What He’s done for us demands that we be transformed so as to be an acceptable sacrifice to Him.
– Michael Hickox