DEVOTION: How can we live full on for God?
ROMANS: Devotion – How can we live full on for God?
(ASD 8 & 10am 7th September: Romans – a letter that makes sense of life, by Andrew Ollerton - pgs. 177-200)
Revd. Emma Racklyeft (Vicar at All Saints)
Over recent weeks, as we’ve journeyed through Romans, the apostle Paul has spent eleven chapters exploring and unpacking the basic beliefs of the gospel – the good news of Jesus. These foundations have created a backdrop on which Paul lays out the practical implications of God’s mercy. Having marvelled at the gospel and God’s sovereign power, Paul now begins to consider the difference this makes in our lives and the way we treat one another.
Almighty God may my spoken words be faithful to your written word, and bring us to the living word – Jesus Christ our Lord and King. Amen.
So, let’s launch straight in…
Paul says, “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 and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
The phrase ‘offer your bodies as a living sacrifice’ alludes to numerous Pagan temples in ancient Rome where people would bring animals and offerings to the gods. Meat from the sacrifices was then repurposed by butchers and enjoyed in homes and restaurants throughout the city.
In Jerusalem, the Jewish temple was also a scene of sacrifice. Some animals were brought as sin or guilt offerings. However, other sacrifices were burnt offerings. They were not given to atone for sin but out of gratitude, as an act of worship to God. In this instance, no meat was kept back. The whole animal was devoted to the Lord as a costly sacrifice.
This may have been what Paul had in mind in Romans 12, verse one. Christ's sacrifice has fully atoned for our guilt and sin. However, in response, we are to devote the whole of our lives to God. Our worship is no longer bringing a sacrifice but being the sacrifice. We are living sacrifices, fully surrendered on the altar before God.
So for us today, worship s not just a matter of liturgy, hymn and songs, or our prayers, or Sunday attendance. Rather it's embodied, practical living that pleases God. Worship is about what I say with my tongue, what I watch with my eyes, what I think in my mind, where I go with my feet, how I conduct my sex life, how I steward my time and possessions.
Eugene Patterson therefore paraphrases it ‘take your every day, ordinary life, you're sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking around life, and place it before God as an offering.’
The fact that we are living sacrifices suggest this must be a continuous act of surrendering our whole self to God. After all, the problem with living sacrifices is that they tend to wriggle off the altar!
Jesus himself taught and modelled practices of delf-denial and self-discipline. Earlier in Romans, Paul has urged us to put to death the misdeeds of the body.
So, for us this might mean resisting the pressure to live as a constant consumer, it might mean refusing forms of excess, whether food, drink, or entertainment. Weekly disciplines like fasting from food, switching off social media, kneeling to pray, practising sabbath, giving away a significant percentage of our income, serving, volunteering – these practices remind us that we are not free agents on a cultural binge to be happy, or create magical moments – rather we are servants of Jesus Christ, called to live for God’s glory.
What would it mean for you, for me to offer our whole beings to God?
Verse 1 goes on to say that our goal is to be ‘holy and pleasing to God’. Paul challenges us – we’re not to be governed by nature - the instincts, desires and passions within us, nor to surrender to culture - the narratives, values and pressures around us. Instead, we can reorder our lives to please God by living according to his purpose: ‘do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind’. Weekly, daily we need to be immersed in Scripture, discovering the radical truths that will enable us to live in accordance with God’s pattern, plan and design.
After urging us to become living sacrifices, the rest of Romans 12 calls us to be loving servants who put others first. With our eyes wide open to the mercies of God, we are to live in harmony with one another – even if that means reversing, apologising and forgiving.
So, the central idea of verses 3 through to 13 is a devotion to one another in love. The word used is ‘philadelphia’ which means ‘brotherly love’. Through adoption by the Spirit, Christians are brothers and sisters in God's family. As siblings, we should therefore be devoted to one another.
In verses 3 to 8 Paul urges the Christians in Rome to serve each other with the gifts God has given. He lists several examples of spiritual gifts. Some are more up front, including prophecy, leadership and teaching. Others are practical gifts, such as giving, encouraging, serving. As loving servants, we are called to use whatever talents and abilities we have been given to serve God's people.
To reinforce the importance of using our gifts to serve, Paul draws on one of his favourite metaphors, the church is a collective body with many individual parts. This metaphor both encourages those who feel inferior - you have gifts, and we need you to play your part, and it humbles those who feel superior - remember, you are only one part and need to honour others. Paul expects all believers to think of themselves with modesty. Humility should be a distinct, countercultural feature of the Christian community. We must use our gifts to serve, not to self-promote.
In verses 9 - 13 Paul goes on to urge the Christians in Rome to develop healthy relationships marked by sincerity, generosity and hospitality.
Sincerity is the opposite of hypocrisy. ‘Hypokrites’ was a Greek word used for an actor who put on a show by hiding behind a mask. Throughout the performance you never got to see the real person. So much human socialising is just two masks meeting. But the gospel says we are loved and accepted on the basis of who we really are, not who we pretend to be. So, a church community should be a place where we can take off our masks, share our weaknesses and struggles. This level of from vulnerability will cultivate deep and meaningful relationships.
Paul also urges the practise of generosity and hospitality. After all, when we were out in the cold, God paid the greatest price to bring us home. So, as Christians, we ought to welcome strangers and meet the needs of others. When we invite someone into our home and share food together, we turn strangers into friends. When we show generosity and practise hospitality we put the gospel into practice. In our society, where so many feel lonely and isolated, showing kindness and welcoming people into our homes can make a big difference.
The final section of Romans 12 is the most radical. It's one thing to love and serve those who are on our side; it's another to extend this kindness to those who make life difficult for us, our enemies. Human instinct is to stand up for ourselves and to try to get our own back whenever possible. But the gospel calls us to live counter-intuitive lives.
Paul says ‘Blessed those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. If your enemy is hungry, feed him, if he is thirsty give him something to drink.’
The final verse sums it up best: ‘do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.’
What might it mean for you to ‘overcome evil with good’? Is there someone you have been hurt by to whom you could show kindness?
So, to sum up, Paul urges us ‘in view of God’s mercy’, to become living sacrifices and loving servants.
Let’s close with prayer:
Lord Jesus, help us this week to live well as your people. Help us to bring peace to a divided and broken world.
Empower us with the Holy Spirit to love our enemies and those we find difficult. Where we face opposition or ridicule, or are treated unjustly, give us extra grace to love and serve.
Help us to be radically hospitable, humble and forgiving. Please strengthen us to be salt and light in this dark world. Amen