08-26-2025 PART 2: A Living Sacrifice God’s Reasonable Request
Section 1
Romans 12 opens with Paul’s heartfelt plea: “Give your bodies to God, let them be a living and holy sacrifice.” After eleven chapters of laying out sin, redemption, life in the Spirit, and God’s plan for Israel, Paul shifts into application—what believers should now do. To love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength includes how we use our physical bodies. This doesn’t mean obsessing over diets or gyms; rather, it means treating our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit dwells in us because we received Christ by faith, and therefore our actions, choices, and even physical conduct should reflect that reality.
Section 2
Paul dismantles the worldly slogan “if it feels good, do it,” calling it a lie that leads to destruction. Some use extremes to justify behavior, but extremes are not truth. Instead, God calls us to balance—using our bodies to honor Him, not to indulge selfish passions. This doesn’t mean rejecting pleasure altogether; God designed intimacy, joy, and rest. But sin corrupts what God created, twisting it into something harmful. The real measure is whether our actions honor Christ. If you’d wince to see Jesus standing over your shoulder, it’s time to rethink. God is not asking for perfection but for honesty, surrender, and growth—recognizing that He, not pleasure, defines our purpose.
Section 3
The heart of Paul’s argument is simple yet unshakable: “When you think of what He’s done for you, is it too much to ask?” This is the ultimate microphone drop from God to us. Jesus gave His life while we were still sinners, loving us when we offered Him no love in return. In light of that sacrifice, surrendering our bodies, our desires, and our daily lives to Him is not unreasonable—it is the only reasonable response. Whether the Lord is teaching us patience, endurance, or faith, the same question rings true: is it too much to ask? The answer is always no. Christ’s sacrifice demands and deserves our full devotion, body and soul.
