Benny Nalkara, CMI

“I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom 12:1-2). This exhortation of Paul in the Letter to the Romans is the transition to the last major segment of this Epistle to the Romans. The doctrinal foundation for the Christian life has been laid down in the first 11 chapters by explaining how the “mercies of God” made human beings righteous from the “wrath of God.” Now in chapters 12-15 Paul spell out some of the ways our faith and doctrine should be demonstrated in our daily lives. These transitional verses introduce us to the attitudes and actions which should set the Christian apart from the world in which he/she lives.
From a literal point of view, Rom 12:1-2 marks a “watershed” like passage in the Letter, namely all what precedes leads to this passage and all what proceeds springs out from this passage. These words of the apostle is an invitation to the faithful for an authentic and ethical way of responding to what god has done to the human race. Paul’s appeal is based on the “mercies of God.” God’s mercy is evident in His eternal plan to save men from their sins, to declare them righteous, and to assure them of the hope of glory. God’s mercy is personified in the person of Jesus Christ, who suffered and died for sinners. In His mercy, God has provided for guilty sinners to be delivered from their sins and destined for His glory. The mercies of God enable us to serve God and motivate us to serve out of gratitude. These two verses contain a call to commitment and change which are the fitting responses to God’s mercy revealed in Jesus Christ.
When Paul appeals to “offer the bodies as a living sacrifice,” it is to be read in the context of the Old Testament sacrifices of atonement and of the eternal sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Keeping in mind the background of these sacrifices, the Christian is asked to offer his body as living sacrifice which is holy and acceptable to God. In the Pauline thought, “body” refers to the relational realm of a person that enables one to have the communication with others. So, when Paul says “offer your body,” it refers to the offering of the self itself. And contrary to the previous sacrifices which involve a bloodshed and death, this sacrifice of the body is the one without bloodshed and a living one. This appeal points to the fact that the Christian life should be a continued commitment to the will of God and thus Christian life should be living liturgy where righteous life becomes the proper response to God’s mercy.
The worship of the Christian needs to be rational, the reasoned response of a grateful soul to the grace of God. Heathen worship was more a matter of magic where one sought to manipulate the “gods” to bring about one’s good or to avoid the wrath of God. The worship of God is to be focused on the One who shows mercy and bestows grace on unworthy sinners. His grace is a gratuitous gift to the human race. Understanding and remembering this “mercy” should translate our life into a lifelong commitment.
According to Paul, this continued commitment as a Christian should become commitment to a radical change, In Rom 12:2 he appeals us “not to be conformed to this passing age (world), but to be transformed by the renewal of our mind. This “age is characterized by self-centeredness, divisions, factionalism etc and the Christian life should take a U-turn from this by a reversal of our thinking and values, of our motives and methods. It is not a minor repair but a tearing down and complete rebuilding. What we need is a “metamorphosis,”- a change of the form. The Greek word used by Paul to denote, the change or transformation here is, “metamorpheo” which is used only in one another circumstance in the NT. It is to denote the transfiguration of our Lord at Tabor. So, what the apostle appeals to the Christians to have the same transformation or transfiguration in the life of the Christians through the “renewal of the mind.” What is suggested here is to have “the mind of Christ” (Phil 2:5). Only this transformation through the change of mind (metanoia) will help us to continue our “living sacrifice.”
The clarion call of Paul to “offer our bodies as a living sacrifice,” is having everlasting relevance for the Christian life. It is to be seen not merely from a spiritual or liturgical perspective though it has got these colourings. Moreover, it is pertaining to our ethical and moral life which to be transformed and renewed daily according to the will of God. With the vivid expression of “living sacrifice,” Paul exhorts us to come out of the ritualistic and rubric centred orientation of life to a more concrete daily change of life. This is to die for ourselves and live in Christ daily.