The Altar of Sacrifice

“I beseech ye, 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 calls on the recipients of this letter to dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to God, their duty because of His great mercies toward them. “That ye present” implies voluntarily bringing and presenting a sacrifice without blemish before the altar, which was necessary according to God’s Law in the Old Testament. Yet, God made it clear (then and today) that obedience from the heart is better than sacrifices (1 Samuel 15:22). God wants us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices, not animals or other sacrifices—and daily lay aside our agendas and desires to trust and follow Him. Were the animals perfect that God’s people presented? They were not, but they were the best of what they possessed. The apostle’s pleading calls for us to give God an acceptable offering—the best of our time, talents, energies, and resources for His service, the least we can do out of gratitude that He has forgiven our sins. God wants His best for us; He gave His Son to make our new life possible.

The Old Testament sacrifices died at the altar; God calls us to die to ourselves. But we sometimes crawl or fall off the altar as living sacrifices. If that happens, climb back up with a renewed commitment as many times a day as it takes to serve our heavenly Father faithfully—it’s our reasonable service.