I’m a cheesy guy

Deep down I know that eating too much cheese is bad for my body.

I love cheese. Blue cheese, soft cheese, mature cheddar, even cheap processed cheese squares used in burgers.

I also know that overeating is bad for my body, and if I really overdo it as a lifestyle, I’d be looking at disease and a shortened lifespan.

But hey, I’m a Christian, so what does it matter? It’s all about being spiritual, right?

Wrong. My body belongs to God. It is a temple of the Holy Spirit. I should respect it and look after it, partly because I can serve him better with a healthy body, but also because it’s an opportunity to honour him, showing discipline and sacrifice in order to

But I am often tempted, especially last thing at night when I’d like some supper. Just a bit of sneaky cheese knocked back with a glass of milk before I go upstairs.

I know what’s right, but I also know what I really want!

The battle with the body

This isn’t just me though. Everybody, even non-believers, struggle with the general idea:

“Deep down inside I’m actually excited by the idea of…

• Giving up smoking, and I keep telling myself that this cigarette will be the last one.
• Doing more for charity, but I just seem to find other things to do that feel urgent but are on reflection less important
• Not swearing so much when swearing has become a part of my vocabulary. The words come out before I’ve even thought about it!
• Being more generous. But money is tight right now. Perhaps after the current situation has cleared.
• Going to church, but my kids have a club on, and it’s hard when my partner doesn’t want to go.
• Controlling my anger, but if you knew that person, you’d understand how they press my buttons!
• Reaching out to that person. They may be lonely but I’m so busy!

I know inside what’s right. But there seems to be a war inside of me!”

Well, according to the bible, there is a war going on inside you! Look at how Paul put it:

²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³ but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. (Romans 7:22-23)

In fact, God’s word has a lot to say about these things. Staying in Romans, let’s remind ourselves of last time’s key verse. It’s all about the mind and the ‘flesh’ (our bodily urges and desires):

The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:6)

We talked about two practical action points:

1. Put in place some guardrails, or a battle plan for the areas where we can so easily become led by the flesh rather than the spirit.
2. Surrender to the Holy Spirit, daily. Ask him in prayer to lead your mind, to guard your thinking.

Let me know how you got on with those in the comment box below the video on YouTube.

We need to acknowledge that we have bodies; bodies with needs and urges that interact closely with the mind. Our bodies need to be surrendered.

‘Body’ and ‘Flesh’

Last time we talked about the word, ‘flesh’, or ‘sarx’ in Greek, because this is the word found in Romans 8:6 which shows us that the mind can be governed by the flesh. This word, ‘sarx’ means literal flesh, but in the New Testament is most often used to refer to human lusts and desires going in the wrong direction, i.e. away from the service of God and towards selfish satisfaction.

But today we have a new word to learn! It’s the Greek, ‘soma’ which means ‘body’. This word is far less emotive, less to do with desires and lusts, and is more practical and physical. It’s your body as a scientist would see it, rather than how a psychologist might help you relate to it.

And it’s this word that Paul uses in Romans 12:1 when talking about what we need to surrender to God.

This is today’s key verse:

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. (Romans 12:1)

Let’s examine this verse bit by bit and see what God is saying through his word.

I urge you…

Paul is urging his readers to offer their bodies. The word he uses (parakaleo) literally means to call from beside.

Actually, this can have two senses to it. He’s either saying, “I’m getting in your face here, not speaking from a distance,” or the second sense of the word is that he’s getting alongside you, like a brother putting his arm around you, walking alongside you. Either way, the point is, this is important. You have to listen to me!

So, let’s pay attention to God’s word today. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Let him speak through this verse to you today. I urge you!

…in view of God’s mercy

Remember that ‘mercy’ means the withholding of punishment that we would otherwise deserve.

God withheld punishment from us.

We deserved death.

He gave us life.

This is the viewing point from which we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. When you get out of the car at a viewing point and look across at a vast valley, you start to see things in perspective. We must gain such a perspective of God’s mercy before we offer ourselves to him. Otherwise we will fail. If we can see the beauty of what he has done for us, and the death we have escaped, offering our bodies to him will show itself a small price to pay. In fact it’s no price at all. It’s a gift willingly given.

Now imagine that you are standing at that viewing point again. You look down into the valley and you can see a tiny road winding its way up the hill. You realise that this is the road you have just travelled up. When you look closer you see the spot where only an hour ago your car had broken down in the valley.

You were alone and scared with no phone signal.

You were far from civilization and did not know what to do.

But out of nowhere, while you were still lost and stranded, a Land Rover appeared. A man got out and knew exactly what to do to get your car going. You felt stupid because you hadn’t bothered to get the car serviced and then you’d ignored the warning lights on the dash. Regardless, he fixed everything for you and off you went.

How much more do we feel when we realise the valley of sin we were stuck in before Jesus came and enabled us to climb to the heights? How much more mercy has he shown us? In view of this, let us consider the rest of the verse.

…offer your bodies

Jesus gave his body for us. This is the mercy Paul appeals to in is urging and encouraging. God gave a perfect spotless sacrifice in his body on the cross. Now we have received his mercy – forgiveness from the sins that should have brought us punishment. Our correct and proper response is to live for him, to offer our bodies.

If we are rich, we could offer money.

If we have time, we can offer to help others.

But what does it mean to offer my actual body?

• My body walks – where will I take it?
• My body talks – what will it say?
• My body has hands – what will they do?
• My body feels pain – how will I respond?
• With my body I can embrace, kiss, help, curse, hit and slander.
• I can choose to take my body to bed at a certain time and wake up with an alarm in time for work
• Or I can choose to wake up earlier than my body needs to, so that I can spend time with the One who gave his body for me.
• With my body I can sing his praises.
• Or with my body I can speak my unfiltered mind.

Last time I suggested praying a certain prayer for a week. How about this for a change, or in addition…

Here’s another good prayer to start the day with:

God, how can I offer my body to you today?

Oh, and it’s a question. So listen for an answer. This helps us to fulfil the verse from last time (Romans 8:6) in that my mind is being governed by the Spirit.

…as a living sacrifice

Sacrifices were offered by the priests every day. WE are now a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). We must make this sacrifice, daily, wherever we find ourselves today.

Sacrifice means death.

We can talk about making a sacrifice in English and limit the meaning to giving something up that we’d rather have kept for ourselves. Let’s not water down the meaning of ‘sacrifice’ here. Listen to Paul’s word in Galatians 2:20:

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me…

We need to die daily; to put to death all that we know deep down comes between us and God.

We sacrifice those parts of us that we know in our spirit, by his indwelling Spirit, we should offer to God. We could try to fight these propensities and addictions in our own strength. But we have a helper, the Holy Spirit, speaking to us, enabling us to sacrifice those fleshly desires. This is what it means to be a living sacrifice.

…holy and pleasing to God

To offer ourselves any other way than by the blood of Jesus would be unholy and displeasing. We can sometimes forget the grace of God and all that he has done for us and slip into sacrificial giving to earn God’s favour. This is not pleasing to God as it undermines what he has done for us on the cross.

The sacrifices that were pleasing to God in the Old Testament were those that were spotless and without blemish. Thanks be to God, this is now how God sees you because Jesus took your place. You can now offer your body to him knowing that despite all the faults you may see, God looks at you differently.

…this is your reasonable…

‘Reasonable’ here means rational, indicating a logical conclusion. It only makes sense that we would offer to God our bodies as worship. If it doesn’t seem logical for you to offer God everything, you probably haven’t really had a clear ‘view of his mercy’.

…act of worship

Worship in the temple involved blood. Jesus is our sacrifice once and for all. Under the new covenant of his blood we offer him our bodies for worship, not to earn his favour but as a  response to it.

Renew the mind

None of this can happen unless we allow God to renew our minds. However hard you try to behave better with your body, there are levels you will never reach without a renewed mind working in line with the Spirit to offer your body to him as a living sacrifice.

Next time we will see how we sacrifice our physical lives to him by renewing our minds. It’s all in the next verse. Read them now together:

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. (Romans 12:1-2)

Wouldn’t that be great? To be able to test and approve what God’s will is? There is great power in these verses! Stay tuned!

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Respond to the Word:

1. Pray this prayer every day for a week: “God, in view of your mercy, I offer you my body as a living sacrifice. How can I offer you my body today?” Quiet yourself and listen for an answer.
2. How do you feel about the idea that your body can be seen as ‘holy and pleasing to God’? Do you need to ask God to talk to you about this?
3. Offering our bodies is our ‘true and proper worship’. Does this challenge anything about your view of what true and proper worship is?
4. What does it mean for you personally and practically to worship God by offering him your body?

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