Sunday Romans 12:3-21

The problem with a living sacrifice is that it can crawl off of the altar.

Click here for an online Bible. Romans 12:3-21

Paul told us that our proper response to the mercy of God in saving us who deserve condemnation is to offer ourselves as living sacrifices. This means giving ourselves wholly to God. Now he gives some real-life examples of how that works.

In verses 3-8, he talks about the church. If we are living for God rather than ourselves, then the way we exist as a church should reflect that. We are all integral parts of the church. The church is not a building or an organization; it is the people who make up to church. I don’t go to church. I am the church. When we gather together, we are the church gathered. When we leave, we are the church on mission. The absolute height of selfishness is to look at the church and ask what it can do for me. Similarly, if I think of the church as a place where my needs are met, then I am confused on two counts. One – the church is not a place, it is people. Two – my goal should not be to have my needs met, but to live my life for God by meeting the needs of others. As the church, we are in a relationship with each other. Any relationship where your primary goal is your own needs it unhealthy. A healthy relationship is where people come together and willingly met each others needs. My focus must be on others, not myself.

We often come to a church with the mindset of a consumer. I am here to consume the product that the church is selling. I am here for uplifting worship services, or great preaching (good luck!), or wonderful children’s activities, or whatever. We are not consumers of what the church offers, we are the church. Paul talks about several spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit gives people. Spiritual gifts are for the purpose of building up the church. All Christians have at least one spiritual gift. There is some debate within Christianity about spiritual gifts. Are the miraculous gifts still active today or were they only for the apostolic era? Are the lists of gifts in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4 the only gifts or are there more? The bottom line to remember is that God supernaturally equips His people to do what He has called them to do. All of these passages that talk about gifts address the common theme of the people of the church coming together to jointly do what God has called the church to do. There are no spectator Christians or consumer Christians. There are only producers.

Some people ask how they can know their spiritual gift. There are surveys that you can take. They are a good indicator, but since you are answering the questions, there is a tendency to be too subjective. It is a good thing to take a survey, but others who know you and see you in ministry can often tell you what your giftedness is. A survey to try is available online HERE.

In verses 9-21, Paul addressees how living for God drives our relationships. We should not deal with other people the way that the world does. We should treat others in light of the fact that we have died to self and now live as servants of God. Our dealings with others should be characterized by love, humility, hospitable, patient, and many others. Other people should see the love of Christ in our lives.