What is a Living Sacrifice?

Paul pleads with us in Romans 12: 1 (ESV) to present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual worship.  But what exactly does any of that mean?  How does one present one’s own body as a living sacrifice and how, precisely, is that spiritual worship? Doesn’t a sacrifice require a death? And what is worship anyway? Let’s explore Paul's metaphor. His primary meaning is that our physical actions demonstrate our spiritual state. He doesn't mean that we must literally die -- since Jesus made the final blood sacrifice (Hebrews 10:12-14).  Paul understands that in order for our spirituality to be expressed in the physical, created world, it will require that we do something with our bodies. After all, our bodies are visible to the fallen human world. Our spirits are not. Our bodies, then, must be in alignment with our spirits so that they do spiritual things that embody whatever it is that worship is supposed to be. So let’s now consider what Paul means by his use of the word spiritual worship.  If you read Romans 12:1 in multiple translations, you’ll find that some of them will translate the word as either spiritual worship, or reasonable service, or some combination of those terms. This is because those words are translated into English from the Greek word, logikos (G3050). If that word looks familiar to you, it is because it is the basis of our English word, logic. Intriguingly, the Greek root which forms the Greek word, logikos, is spread heavily throughout the preamble of the Gospel of John. You may know it as the Greek word, Logos.  When John says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God,” he is saying that in the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God (John 1:1). That Greek word forms the basis for a great many of our English “thinking” words. It is the foundation not only for our English word logic, but the basis for all of our “ologies,” like Theology, Psychology, or Anthropology. All of the "ology" disciplines are expected to strive for a grounding in reason, logic, and correct thinking.

Logos is the linguistic and conceptual foundation of logic and reason. It is intertwined with our spirit in profound but not immediately discernible ways.  This is captured by Paul’s use of the word, worship (or service).  In Romans 12:1 it is translated from the Greek word latreia.  This is a word that carries a connotation of religious ministry or service to God -- the very kind of service moved along by our spirit. Paul is saying that the continual, daily sacrifices in our lives as marked by godly and reasoned physical choices count as religious service to God. When I choose to pray instead of giving in to my fleshly desire to scroll, I am making a living sacrifice. When I choose to honor the wife God gave me with a sacrifice of my time rather than neglecting her in favor of spending that time on some trivial sports cast, then I am making a small living sacrifice. When I turn down a well-paying job because it conflicts with my value for God as the highest possible good, then I am making a living sacrifice. If I am martyred because I refuse to worship a spirit of antichrist, then I am making a final living sacrifice. Doing these kinds of things is the exact opposite of what a fallen human world beckons you to do. 

Paul tells us not to conform to the seductive beckoning of that world (Romans 12:2). Rather, he tells us to be transformed by a renewed, logical mind that rejects transient, ungodly pleasures, and instead  logically recognizes God as the highest possible good, so that we can seek his will and by doing so really know what is a good and acceptable service to him. Once we understand that, we will logically submit our bodies to that service. God sacrificed himself to save us from our sins and to show us the depths of his love. It is reasonable that we sacrifice ourselves in service to him out of a thankfulness for that love. Doing this demonstrates an alignment of our spirit with his.