I appeal to you, brothers,
by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice… Romans 12:1
A
young ram stood quietly in the dusty courtyard, tethered to the hitching post
with a dozen others. Smoke from the Lord’s altar filled the air, adding its
aroma to the holy hush. The man who had brought this offering laid a weathered
hand on his sheep’s head and a tear made its way down one cheek. He had sinned,
and only perfect blood could make him right with God again. The lamb never
resisted when the high priest slit its throat, as though it knew it had been
born for this moment. With a few deft movements, the priest and his assistants
drained the ram’s blood, sliced him from top to bottom, and arranged the
sacrifice upon the stone altar. With a whoosh!
the flames licked at the flesh, sending a purifying fragrance toward the
heavens.
Now,
imagine that you are that ram. You have no will of your own. No one will ask
your preference or your opinion. You are there for one purpose only—to submit
to the will of God. That’s the picture Paul painted when he instructed us to
present our bodies as a living sacrifice. God has already spilled the perfect
blood of the Lamb for our sin. He has no more use for burnt offerings. However,
those of us who have accepted His Son’s sacrifice in our place should now willingly
offer ourselves to Him for His purposes. Just as a burnt sacrifice was under
the complete control of the high priest, so is a living sacrifice. We must
consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God (Rom. 6:11). Living as a sacrifice means we choose to
live each day on the altar.
Imagine lying on that altar. If the High Priest
split your life open, what parts have not been sacrificed?
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