Now that we are aware of the ½ pills of poison we have all been swallowing, how can we begin to remedy the problem? In Part 4, we dealt with 1 Corinthians 10:31 and learned that in ALL things we are to do everything to the glory of God.
Again, this means that every day is to be lived in accordance with the Word of God, and in a way that reveals our worship for the One Who loved us enough to give Himself a Ransom so that we might have eternal life.
While there are many verses which can and should be used to show forth the responsibility of worship, we are attempting to keep this to 3 key verses at this point. The second verse is found in Paul’s writings to the believers in Rome.
Like Corinth, Rome was a very wicked city. Just about anything your heart desired was available for the right price. Sex was used as a commodity. Disease was rampant throughout the filthy city. Debauchery was the order of the day even for those who found themselves at the bottom of society and culture. The games were a way for Roman citizens to relieve daily boredom by watching men and women fight each other to death, or watch battles between any number of ferocious animals, and watch lust-filled, orgiastic so-called re-enactments of glorious Roman victories.
Paul knew what these Christians faced on a daily basis and yet he has spent 11 chapters instilling doctrine which is today the heart of Christianity. All of this was based upon the gospel which is the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He now continues by giving them Holy Spirit inspired commands which were for the purpose of fulfilling the “all things work together for good” passage in Romans 8. He has already made sure though that they understand that all things do not work together for good just because they name and claim the verse. There is a criteria clearly explained. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
How tragically sad that many Christians think by quoting this verse that everything happening in their lives will all work out for the good. Some even think the quoting of this verse gives some good luck type of charm ensuring that no bad things will ultimately befall them. So, “Christians” live like the world, refuse to worship God in the manner which He rightly deserves AND demands, and when things fall apart have the gall to believe that this verse in Romans 8 is for them!
The Roman believers were under no misunderstanding by the time Paul got to Romans 12. They knew that for things to work out for good meant they had to love God. To love God meant they were seeking to keep His commandments. To keep His commandments in all areas in every way in every day was the purpose to which they had been called.
They knew the purpose of God was not to please themselves or satiate the lusts of the flesh like their fellow Roman citizens. In the eternal plan of God, He had chosen them to “be conformed to the image of His Son.”
There could be no mistake about it for these Roman believers. The conforming was to the image of Christ and not to the world. They knew what it meant to worship. For a Roman believer to worship meant possible persecution, assault, or even death.
With that in mind, we come to the practical aspects of Paul’s epistle to the Romans. Rom. 12:1, 2 – “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Let us break this passage down in a brief but concise manner. First, Paul implores or pleads with them because of all he has already written about in the first part of the book.
Second, he states that they are to be a living sacrifice! If anybody knew what a sacrifice was, it was these believers. If they were Jewish believers, they would have understood the sacrifices in Jerusalem. If they were Roman believers, they would have understood due to all the sacrifices given to the gods of Rome. Paul is pointedly telling them that a dead sacrifice will not suffice. They have to be willing to surrender EVERYTHING they are and have for the sacrifice to be acceptable.
Third, he continues by telling them that God not only wants them to present themselves like a victim for sacrifice, but that their presentation must be holy AND acceptable AND that this is our only reasonable service for what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us. If it is not holy, it cannot be acceptable. If it is not acceptable, then we are NOT doing what is reasonable for our Creator!
Fourth, Paul goes on with the command to not be conformed to this world. The word to be conformed means to “conform to the same pattern, or to fashion self according to the pattern.” We could dwell on this aspect for quite some time, but suffice it to say that after learning about all the ½ pills of poison Christians have been swallowing day after day, it is easy to see that we have fallen short in the area of this command.
By way of illustration, when we get saved, we turn from our sins and turn to Christ by grace through faith. When we first place our faith in Him, life is filled with joy because we are no longer giving our concern for what we have been saved from. However, it seems the more time we walk with the Lord, the more we want to look over our shoulders.
As we look over our shoulders to make sure we don’t get too close to the world, we end up keeping pace or right in the middle of the world and the Lord Jesus Christ. The problem is that the world quickly grows further and further into the distance. Yet, many times we pride ourselves on not getting too close to the world. BUT, WE ARE ONLY MAINTAINING OUR DISTANCE FROM THE WORLD!!!
However, what would we see if we put our eyes back on the eternal, back on that which alone should matter to true believers, back on the preciousness of the Lord Jesus Christ? If were to take the time to spend in His Word and in fellowship with Him, we would find that while we have kept our distance from the world – the sight of the Lord Jesus Christ is almost imperceptible for it is a far distance from where we should be.
Our standards in being conformed should be to the high and holy standards of our Righteous God. The Christian who finds they are continually measuring the distance between themselves and the world will find the reason why worship means nothing to them or very little.
When our homes are using our distance from the world as a measuring stick instead of our distance from Christ, believers will be seen wearing what does not bring honour and glory to Christ. Believers will watch things which demean the message of the Cross. They will listen to things that unwittingly invoke the demons of hell to join them in the quest for hedonism. Believers will continue to judge their marriages based on their neighbours or their own fleshly desires instead of the covenants made with God.
But many detractors will complain this is a narrow viewpoint. After all, they would believe that if it feels good, it still must be ok to listen to it, or watch it, or wear it, or drink it, etc. I know what I feel, they would say and by slapping a “Christian” label on it, their minds tell them that it must be acceptable to God.
(…to be continued…)
The Desert Pastor
1 Comment
December 8, 2008 at 10:06 am
I worship the God of Sinless Leaders.
Only He is worth worshipping.