I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
— Romans 12:1
- The sacrifice must be willing
- The sacrifice must be whole
- The sacrifice must be dedicated
- The sacrifice must be holy
- The sacrifice must be acceptable
Yesterday we looked at what it means to present our BODIES. Today we will look at what it means to present a LIVING sacrifice.
The Sacrifice Must Be Dedicated
We are told to present our bodies a LIVING sacrifice. The sacrifices of the Old Testament law were all DEAD sacrifices. We do see two examples of living sacrifices in Genesis 22. God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham would have done so, but God provided an alternative in the form of a ram. Abraham called the name of the place where this occurred Jehovah-Jireh. Many claim this name means “The Lord Will Provide.” The Lord did provide a sacrifice for sure. The Lord has provided a sacrifice for all. But Jehovah-Jireh actually literally signifies, “The Lord Who Will See.” The Hebrew word from which we get “Jireh” means “to see, examine, understand, inspect, show.” This is very clear in the Hebrew text as well as the English for our Bible explains, “in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen” (Genesis 22:14). What did the Lord see? Abraham’s sacrifice – a living sacrifice. Isaac was indeed Abraham’s LIVING sacrifice for the rest of Abraham’s life, but by sacrificing his most precious possession, Abraham himself became a LIVING sacrifice. One more detail to note is that the verb, “Jireh,” would translate into English as future tense. This doesn’t JUST imply “The Lord Sees.” This means “The Lord WILL SEE.” By calling the name of that place Jehovah-Jireh, Abraham is declaring to everyone else that passes by there, “The Lord WILL SEE your action. He WILL TRY your faith. You WILL BE inspected.”
JEHOVAH-JIREH!
The LORD WILL SEE. HE WILL EXAMINE. HE WILL INSPECT. That’s a fact. What will He examine in you? How will you fare under His inspection?
Offering our whole entire being to God as a LIVING sacrifice means that we are dedicating our lives to him in a FIRM COMMITMENT. This is NOT to be taken lightly. This is not something to merely get emotional about one day only to neglect the next. We should be living, walking sacrifices wholly dedicated to the will of God every day of our lives. Will He see a living sacrifice in you? Are you dedicated to His will?
There may be one reading this who does not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. You may be wondering about your future destination. Do you desire a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Someone without Christ in the heart is said to be “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). There is GOOD NEWS though. Jesus Christ HIMSELF is a LIVING SACRIFICE. “And he is the propitiation for our sins: AND NOT FOR OURS ONLY, BUT ALSO FOR THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD” (I John 2:2). “Propitiation” means “satisfying wrath.” Jesus sacrificed himself to satisfy the wrath of God for EVERYONE. Accept HIS sacrifice!
“If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” – Romans 10:9-10