“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” -Romans 12:1
This is a good place to recall that Paul’s letter to the Romans follows a chiastic structure that reaches its highest and most important point in chapter 8 where he breaks out with a doxology, praising and glorifying God for his grace and wisdom because of the mystery of the gospel.
1:1-17 Introduction
1:18-3:30 Chaos (Devolution of Humanity)
4-5 Faith Saves
6-7 Two Regimes
8 The Glory of the Gospel
9-11 Two Branches
12-13 Faith Works
14-15 Cosmos (Evolution of Humanity)
16 Farewell
Another way we considered this letter is to see it as an ascent to the summit of a great mountain and then a descent down the other side. The mountain is the gospel and the summit is its glory. Paul has led his readers up the front side of the mountain of the gospel (the theological side) and has posted his flag at the summit. He is now leading his readers down the other side (the practical or application side) and making important stops on the way.
His first stop on the descent is to visit the mystery of the olive tree (chs. 9-11). He considers two particular branches of the tree: one natural branch which has been temporarily cut off for unbelief and one wild branch that has been grafted in because of faith. His treatment of the two branches mirrors his treatment of the two regimes: the regime of Adam and the regime of Christ (chs. 6-7).
At this stop, mirroring his treatment of the way faith saves (chs. 4-5), he will show how faith works. As Martin Luther noted in his study of Romans, we are saved by faith and not by works, but the faith that saves is a faith that works. Thus, Paul appeals to the church at Rome, with the mercies of God recently explained and highlighted as their motivation, to present themselves to God.
In particular, Paul exhorts them to present their bodies to God as a living sacrifice that is both holy and acceptable to one such as a one who gave Christ, his only begotten, for our sins. This, Paul says, is our λογικὴν λατρείαν, our reasonable service or logical worship.
In other words, the first rational response of one who has been redeemed by faith in Christ, delivered from unbelief and damnation, is to set ourselves apart unto the Lord (holy) and lay down our bodies in his service (which is acceptable or pleasing to him).
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