About Us Quarterly Magazine Meditation: Our Reasonable Service
Meditation: Our Reasonable Service Print E-mail
Saturday, 12 June 2010 07:30
By Pastor Bart Elshout

“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

Paul here exhorts Christians to reflect on all the gospel truths he has articulated in the previous chapters. His own reflection on this caused him to end chapter eleven with a magnificent doxology, exhorting us to give all glory to Him of whom, through whom, and unto whom, are all things (Rom. 11:36).

Overflowing with adoration for the Triune God who has provided so great a salvation, Paul is saying here that in response to being the recipients of such a salvation, we owe a debt of gratitude for such a favor being bestowed upon us. Paul reminds us here that our salvation is a demonstration of the mercy of God – of the utterly unmerited favor of God. We may say here that in bestowing salvation upon us, God has given us the exact opposite of what we deserve. As sinners we deserve hell and damnation, and yet it has pleased God to bestow salvation upon us and to make us heirs of eternal life! What an extraordinary and profound favor indeed!

Given the context of the previous chapters, we know that the foundation for this salvation is the perfect sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. He truly presented His body as a living sacrifice unto God. Willingly, He gave Himself to be the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. Willingly, He allowed Himself to be slain on Calvary’s cross so that by the shedding of His precious blood the foundation could be laid upon which a holy and righteous God could be merciful to sinners. What a comfort it is to know that His sacrifice was truly holy and acceptable to God – a fact confirmed by the rending of the veil of the temple, and by the resurrection of His Son! Based on the fact that the Father has fully accepted the finished work of His Son, believers may therefore know that they are holy and acceptable in His sight.

It is the realization of that profound and glorious truth that must motivate the believer to give his life as a living sacrifice unto God. In other words, the fact that Christ gave Himself for us should motivate us to give ourselves wholly to Him – a life that is utterly devoted to Him, His glory, and His cause. For meriting so great a salvation for us, we owe our Savior a life-long debt of gratitude. The more we reflect on His inexpressible love for us, the more we should be motivated to love Him in return. The more we reflect on His self-sacrificing love for us, the more we should be motivated to live a self-sacrificing life for Him – a life in which we willingly use all our talents, energy, and resources for the advancement of the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Dear believer, are you presenting your life as a living sacrifice to the Christ who gave Himself as a ransom for you? This is your reasonable service!

Rev. Bart Elshout is pastor of the Heritage Reformed Church in Chilliwack, British Columbia.
 
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