True and Proper Worship
Romans 12:1 NIVTherefore, 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.
Apostle Paul is edifying the church at Rome about leading a holy life. Epistle to the Romans is an evangelical exhortation to all believers in Rome. Righteousness through faith is the foundation on which the believer has to grow in sanctification to attain glorification. We become righteous by faith in the crucified Christ. He became sin for us bearing all our inequities on Himself and suffered the punishment of cross all by Himself and He has set us free. He sacrificed Himself as the blemish-less lamb of atonement for us, He was buried and He was raised from the dead. If we confess it by mouth and believe with our heart we would be saved and we are justified by faith. Our Christian life starts from this juncture and there starts an ongoing process of sanctification till the total transformation from the old self to the new man in Christ is achieved.
True worshippers worship the Lord in Spirit and Truth. In the Old Testament God instructed the Israelites to wash their clothes and sanctify themselves before coming to the presence of God at Sinai. He is Holy and so the people should be holy. People imputed their sins on the animals and killed them as sacrifices to set themselves free of the punishment of sins.
Jesus, the only begotten Son of God came to this earth as a human being to sacrifice Himself for our sins :
Hebrews 9:14 NKJV
how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
We the New Testament believers have to offer ourselves as living sacrifice before the Holy God
Apostle Paul exhorts: . I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:1-2 NKJV
In the letter to the Corinthians it’s said:
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
I Corinthians 6:19-20 NKJV
The living sacrifice we offer before God should be holy, and how is it possible. Believe in the redemption Christ Jesus has done for us, keep away from sin, renew your heart as you are purchased with a price, the blood of Jesus’.
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God;
I Thessalonians 4:3-5 NKJV
Prayer
Our loving heavenly Father, thank you for giving us your Son Jesus as the Sacrificial lamb to redeem us for eternal life. Thank you Holy Spirit for being with us, prompting us to lead a holy life. Help us O Lord, to renew our Spirit to make ourselves as an acceptable and pleasing sacrifice.
In the Name of Jesus we pray.
Amen.
Sol.Salomi Kurian.