Koh Choon
Tue, May 2, 11:00 AM (22 hours ago)
to matthew, Andian, Douglas, me
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true worship: (Rom/ 12:1 TNIV).
In the first 11 chapters of Romans, Paul took pains to explain and elaborate on the mercies, love, and grace of God in God’s salvation plan (the gospel in all its implications) for us.
God’s love means His going out to bless those whom He sees as having no claim on Him; grace means His going out to bless those whom He sees as meriting His rejection; and mercy means His going out to bless those whose state He sees to be miserable.
Hence the exhortation in Romans 12:1. In view of His love, grace, and mercy in choosing to redeem us at a great cost to Himself (the Triune God), this exhortation is in order.
In effect, Paul is asking believers to show themselves truly grateful for God’s mercy, grace and love by the thoroughness of our commitment to Him henceforth, for holiness means giving our all to God as God has given, is giving, and will give His all to us. This exhortation is nothing spectacular – it is to be expected from those who truly appreciate what the Triune God has done for them.
We are to express our gratitude and commitment in our worship of Him; it implies living to Him through Him and for Him all the days of our lives!! It means faith in Him and obedience to Him no matter what the circumstances, and no matter how difficult and stressful the going may be. This is truly the stance of those who understand deeply how much God has done for them, is doing for them and will do for them in eternity.