The Bible calls us to be a living sacrifice. But what does that mean?
As followers of Jesus, the best thing we can celebrate together is the beauty of the great love and grace that Christ has shown us. Because of his great mercies, our proper response is to be what Paul calls a “living sacrifice” in Romans 12:1. The words “living sacrifice” together don’t make much sense at first. It’s actually an oxymoron. But reading Paul’s words in Romans just before this verse, we understand that this isn’t the case. We are alive in Christ because we begin to live solely led by his desires and purposes for us. We are also an offering to God because we have chosen to sacrifice our way and plans for the better ones God has for us. Of course, we realize that, because of our flesh, this is a highly tricky prospect. Thankfully, the verse continues to reveal how this can happen: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Ro...