Rom 12:1 offer yourselves as living sacrifice that is your reasonable service.
Paul has meticulously articulated the doctrines of the Christian faith and here urges the Church of its duty. The wisdom he had taught was transcendental, its principles phenomenal, and the blessings it promises outstanding yet it will do them no good if they did not obey its requirements. Spiritual information must be matched with practical obedience to unleash its blessings. Therefore as he had laid a strong foundation of the Christian doctrine, he offers the blueprint of expressions needed to build an edifice fit to be a living temple of God. Upon all that he had said in the eleven chapters of Romans, He now pleads with the Church to offer themselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. All that he had taught was to culminate to this. All deep revelations exposed, spiritual information given, and ethical arguments preached must ultimately lead a believer to consecration. If our spirituality does not get us to yield to the Lord then it is not divine. If our spiritual knowledge just puffs us and inflate our religious ego but does not affect our character then we have missed it.
Paul pleads with the church to offer themselves as a living sacrifice referring to the animal sacrifices that was offered at the temple then. He used the bringing of the sacrifices to the altar as a metaphor to effectively portray the picture he was communicating to the church. At that time, the person offering picked out the best of his flock, brought it to the altar and presented it there as an atonement for burnt offering for sin. The worshiper transferred to God all his right, title and interest in it by laying his hands on the head of it. Paul therefore exhorts them to give themselves up to the Lord in the Spirit of the sacrifice then, to be wholly the property of the Lord. A burnt offering to the Lord but useless to the world. When they do this, they will be holy, acceptable and their service will be reasonable. It is interesting to note the progression of acceptable service. After you have heard the doctrine of the Christian faith, you must offer yourself as living sacrifice, then you will be able to bear holy fruits, you will be acceptable person before the Lord and your service will be reasonable. If you are not holy, you are not accepted by God and all your service is rejected. Their consecration was necessary to make their earthly service heavenly relevant. What makes their services reasonable is their consecration. Therefore, if you arm yourself with biblical knowledge with excellent dramatics yet live a lifestyle of profanity then your service is not reasonable.
The church today does excel in communicating the gospel message, our religious dramatics is flawless however our life does not reflect that holy life that will legitimate our service. The original Greek word translated service is “latreia” which also means worship. Therefore true worship must be based on a consecrated lifestyle. It unreasonable to perform any Christian duty without first living a consecrated life.
It is unreasonable for us to purchase expensive musical instruments to be played by musicians who are homosexuals, fornicators, who live profane lifestyle and expect the blessings of God. It is irrational to pray for our hours and live offence, unforgiveness, bitterness, murmuring, backbiting. It is illogical to pay your tithes and offering and not live right to receive its blessings. It is inappropriate to build empires for God, build ministries in His name yet not live a holy lifestyle. It is crazy to use demonic powers in your ministry and expect to die and go to heaven. Why go to Church and live like Satan? Why bother being a religious hypocrite whiles you know the God who rewards will find you out? We offer unreasonable service to placate our religious burden but fail to realize it is God that validates our service. God is calling us to examine ourselves in this time. Let us not be just excited about what we know but how we live. It is time we offer what God is demanding. HE DEMANDS A LIVING SACRIFICE, HOLY AND ACCEPTABLE then our services will warrant a divine response of Blessings.
