|
Honoring
the Body as Temple of God
Romans 12:1-8
VS. 1,2 “I
appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of
God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to
God, which is your spiritual worship. ….that you may discern what is the
will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect”.
The first eleven
chapters of Romans can be termed as a dogmatic treatise, a theological
exposition, in which Paul defines in its depth and breadth the Gospel
message. And, the section starting from Ch.12 focuses on how to
translate theology into actual practice in the lives of the faithful.
Through baptism we are incorporated into the body of Christ and thereby
we are set apart to belong to God. It is in the light of this
reality, that Paul exhorts those who are called to belong to God,
to present their bodies ‘as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable
to God..’
What Paul calls
for, from believers, is not to set apart for God a portion of one’s life
- time, talents or resources- but to ‘present’ one’s body, suggesting a
glad, willing offering of oneself as a living sacrifice for God. It
is submitting the entirety of one’s life. It is the kind of worship God
is looking for from those who truly belong to Him, and not worship at an
external, partial, lifeless level. True worship is a holistic act in
which the total being of a person is actively and vitally involved. In
this act of worship, our bodies are presented for holy, sacramental
living.
Here, we are
called to live a transformed life, continuously being renewed by the
indwelling Spirit, thereby discerning the perfect will of God. It is a
call for formation into a new being, necessitating an identity change.
It is a challenging task for each one of us. It is Martin Luther
King who commented about the pressures for cultural conformity ‘to
condition our minds and feet to move to the rhythmic drumbeat of the
status quo’. It is true that, the lures of the present competitive
consumerist society pressurises us a lot to a life of conformity to
the current streams of the dominant culture. Consciously and
intentionally we need to heed to God’s call and commit ourselves to a
holy living, pleasing to God.
PRAYER
Thank You Lord
for graciously calling us to be Your children. Strengthen us to
live as Your children, by being transformed by the renewing of our
minds, enabling us to discern Your will for us. Amen
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
“ Don’t let the world around
you squeeze you into its own mold” – J.B. Philips
- Die to self
and live for Christ.
Rev. Mathai Joseph, Mar Thoma College, Chungathara, Kerala
|