Introduction
What are the first steps you would tell a new Christian to take?
Go to church, read the Bible, pray every day, tell someone else what has happened to you, be baptized?
Baptism is certainly the first step after salvation that the NT expects, but you probably wouldn’t think of the next two steps that Paul counsels new Christians to take here in the book of Romans. Perhaps that’s because our expectations for new Christians are not high enough. Perhaps its because we haven’t put a priority on taking these steps.
To review, when we left Romans 8 Paul had just completed explaining how God has changed those who have put their faith in Jesus alone for their salvation. In chapters 9-11 he turned to deal with the question of Israel. In a way this discussion interrupted the flow of his thought. In Romans 12 Paul returns to the theme of the gospel and its impact. Starting in chapter 12 and going through most of chapter 15, Paul moves from the truths of the gospel to the demands of the gospel, from the theology of salvation to the practice of salvation, from doctrine to duty. In other words, he tells us how the gospel is to change our lives.
Paul’s thinking is simple and clear: God has changed us, now we are to change. In Romans 12:1-2, Paul mentions the first two ways new Christians are to change.
#1: We must change
#2: We must change
#1: A Christian must change who he/she belongs to, 1
Paul uses the picture of to God as the illustration of the change we are to make.
We are to give completely to God.
Why should we do this?
Because of of God.
God’s mercy and grace are the for godly living.
What exactly are we to do?
Present our bodies to God as
We do this (aorist)
We offer our body, that is, our hands, feet, arms, eyes, tongue, etc. as a sacrifice.
When something is offered to God as a sacrifice it:
from then on
Cannot
Can be used God wants
Can only be used for purposes and in a way
When we offer our body to God as a sacrifice:
It from then on.
It can’t be .
It can be used God wants.
It can only be used for purposes and in a way.
We are to offer our bodies as a
God doesn’t need a bunch of lifeless bodies. He wants to to serve him, to carry out his purposes. He needs a living body to do this.
We will go on living, but only at God’s , for his .
We are to offer our bodies as a and sacrifice.
Holy means .
Acceptable means .
When we offer our bodies to God we set them apart for God’s use and , including our own. This act pleases God, it is acceptable to him.
How can Paul ask us to do this?
Paul says that offering our bodies as a living sacrifice to God is our spiritual (or rational) worship (service of God).
‘Spiritual’ translates logikos, which could mean either ‘reasonable’ (av) or ‘rational’. If the former is correct, then the offering of ourselves to God is seen as the only sensible, logical and appropriate response to him in view of his self-giving mercy. If ‘rational’ is correct, then it is ‘the worship offered by mind and heart’ (reb), spiritual as opposed to ceremonial, ‘an act of intelligent worship’ (jbp), in which our minds are fully engaged.
The former is how the KJV and many modern translators translate the word (true worship, reasonable worship). The ESV and NASB translate it ‘spiritual worship’ or ‘spiritual service of worship.’ I think there is much to be said for the idea of ‘rational’ service as the correct translation. That is, this way of serving God makes the most sense and is the most appropriate way we could respond to his many mercies.
The word ‘worship’ is a Greek word used in the NT only for serving or worshipping God.
#2: A Christian is to change who he/she looks like, 2
(Phillips: Don’t let the world .)
The world is trying to squeeze everyone to conform to its pattern or its form.
When Paul tells us not to let this happen, what exactly is he talking about?
Here are some examples:
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The world
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The Christian
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Goals
Ambitions
Desires
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I want to be happy
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I want God to be happy with me
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I want to enjoy life
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I want God to use my life
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I want to do a lot of things
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I want to do what God wants
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I want to be successful
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I want to accomplish God’s will
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I want to make a difference
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I will make a difference
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I want to have enough money
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I want to be a good steward
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Behaviors
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Values
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Time
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Money
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Interests
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| ??? |
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Transformed mean to be changed .
We are to ‘look like’ a totally , not just a cleaned up copy of what we were.
We are new people, so we should look like it.
Romans 6:1–4 (ESV)
2 Corinthians 5:15 (ESV)
2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)
Who, exactly, are we to look like?
Romans 8:29 (ESV)
We are to look like .
How can this transformation occur?
Paul tells us this change is an process (the Greek present tense), not an instantaneous accomplishment.
It occurs as we our minds.
What is this?
It is not a . It is making our minds . It means changing the our mind thinks, it thinks about, and it processes information.
A renewed mind is able to think about things , spends its time thinking about things it didn’t think of , and it thinks and reasons through the guidance of , the , and a Biblical .
BTW: This isn’t the only place Paul teaches us that change in comes though a change in .
Ephesians 4:22–24 (ESV)
How can we let this renewing of the mind happen?
One great tool: which reveal the character, mind, and purpose of God and direct us how to live successfully.
(MULTILINE)
Another great tool: the inner ministry of guiding our thinking, correcting us, and convicting us.
Why we are to make this change:
So we can
His will is:
Clearly Paul thinks of Christians doing all they can to and the will of God. If they are living sacrifices, refusing to being squeezed into the world’s mold but instead beings transformed to be more and more like Jesus, what would they want more than ? They can and will if they take these two steps.
Note, though, that Paul tells us that knowing God’s will requires to God (being a living sacrifice) and on-going from conformity to the world to Christ-likeness. God may not choose to reveal his will to us unless we have shown we are ready to follow it.
CONCLUSION
Paul begins this long section on Christian living with two critical first steps for believers.
First: we must change who we . We have to make a one time offering of our bodies to God as a living sacrifice.
Second, we must change who we . We do this by continually renewing our mind with scripture and the work of the Holy Spirit within us.
If we don’t take these two initial steps these steps we’ll find it difficult to consistently live as Paul will tell us to live as people who’ve been saved by faith in Jesus.