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33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
“For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be glory forever. Amen.
1 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 11:33-12:1
In the context of Paul helping the Roman people understand the mysteries of salvation, the present threats to the Gospel and their well-being, the apostle pens one of the most eloquent and potent outlines of God’s character. Included are a couple of verses from Job, where he makes a beautiful case for the power, presence and all knowing nature of God. So much so that he calls His ways, “inscrutable” or in other words incontestable. His ways are not to be disputed.
On the heels of this statement and in the middle of the golden section of his letter to the Romans, the author slips past this glorious prayer into one of the most famous statements in the New Testament; Chapter twelve, verse one.
In the context of these verses there are 4 phrases that stand out to instruct us. Thankfully, the Lord saw fit to give us these verses as anchors in difficult times. Paul recognizes that the Roman people will likely be called upon to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the Gospel as he would inevitably do within a decade of writing this letter.
With a resounding “therefore” these 4 phrases give us 4 truths to help us as we walk through life and endure hardship. Though our lives may not be threatened directly on a daily basis, there are circumstances and situations that feel threatening to us. He is calling the early church to live the Gospel with a different mindset. One that is fixed on who God is and the life he wants us to live now and in eternity.
By the Mercy of God – In light of God’s mercy. Because of God’s mercy. The calling here is to a perspective shift. What would it look like to focus on God’s everlasting patience, kindness and forgiveness and make decisions in light of that reality? When circumstances in life are unjust, unfair or seem threatening, resting in this truth according to Paul is the aim of believers. He knows everything, our thoughts, our hearts and our motives and loves us anyway. (Ps. 139) Because of His mercy, our perspective can be higher than our circumstances.
Present Your bodies – To offer. To surrender. You have no greater offering than that of your own physical frame to give. No higher price is paid than that of death. Dying to self and giving up your apparent rights and your sense of justice for the sake of Christ is something that is not natural to humanity. As a child of God you are “not your own, you were bought with a price”. (1 Cor. 6:20) Therefore, because of God’s mercy offer your very body to Him and entrust yourself and your life to His control. There is a freedom and joy that comes from this surrender.
Living Sacrifice – On-going surrender. Actively giving. Once we offer our very bodies to God to have His will and way, we are tempted to think that is where it will stop. But there are sacrifices to be made. They come in the form of humiliation, ridicule, slander, lies, loss, injustice, pain, sickness, persecution, and betrayal. We will all endure some measure of these in our lives. When we see them in light of God’s mercy toward us we can again get a perspective that doesn’t make us doormats or soft but simply allows us to see circumstances differently. Only then will we become truly grateful for the grace we have received in spite of our own failures and sin. Hope comes from knowing that no matter what sacrifice we make, it pales in comparison to what price He paid unjustly for us.
Acceptable…Spiritual Worship – Received. Welcomed. Since Cain and Abel we have known that some offerings of worship are acceptable and some are not. There is a way in which God wants to be worshipped. When we offer our struggles, failures and surrender the so called “rights” we think we deserve to Christ, we become a acceptable and holy offering ready for worship. By ascribing full worth or “worth-ship” to God means we come to an understanding that whatever suffering we face, whatever trial we endure, whatever injustice comes our way, we know that we are in the hands of a loving God who will always out give us and has already given everything for us.
In Summary
God loves you. God is not to be contested. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. We were bought with a price and are called to surrender our will and our lives to Him. Our acceptable worship is contingent on positioning ourselves in front of the cross, looking toward our savior as our example and surrendering to His will above our own. In this way letting our perspective be one that is more like His; less focused on our circumstances and more actively surrendered to His will.
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