Behavior that Benefits

12.02.11

Romans 12.1-2 1 Therefore, 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. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. NIV

The hinge word is, “therefore” and it is there for this reason: the statements Paul makes after the word therefore, tie directly to the statements he made previous to this point. Therefore is the word he used to get us to see the magnitude of what he was going to say next. Therefore, any time we see the word therefore in the Scripture, we know what is going to be said next is based on what was said just before, and it is very important.

Therefore, Paul makes application for us starting in chapter twelve and it is all based on our behavior, for Israel chose to try to impress God with their behavior and the elect choose to please God by walking in faith. Behavior is directly tied to both, but way different in its objectivity: the behavior of works-based religion is all about me; the behavior of faith-based relationship is all about the other person. Paul’s instructions in most of his letters can be boiled down to this: do good – and don’t just do good to impress but, to please God and help others; Christianity is an others-based religion.

That’s why the call in Romans 12, is to offer ourselves as living sacrifices – we’re to do so to help others and to please God as a result. And pleasing God is simply obeying Him and living according to love. Sacrifices are always for the benefit of someone else. And that’s why the word therefore is there: our lives are to be lived not with ourselves in mind but for the benefit of others.

The rest of chapter twelve can be summed up in the words humility and faith. Sacrificial living dies when arrogance enters the picture; and humility is the true foundation for the free gift of love with no strings attached. There is no such thing as an arrogant sacrifice: there is such a thing as arrogance. Love without humility is not love but arrogance – a clanging cymbal. Therefore, the necessity of our lives being living sacrifices calls us always to walk in humble love. Our behavior is beautiful and pleasing to God when it is based in what His is based in: humble love. That’s when our behavior benefits…

Father in Heaven,

May this day find me in Your love and walking humbly by Your side for the benefit of others – amen.