“A Living Sacrifice”
Text: Romans 11:33–12:8
8-23-2026
In the name of Him who sacrificed Himself so that we may live, dear friends in Christ. Do you ever wish that you could have lived 2,000 years ago in St. Paul’s day? Think about it. You could visit Rome while the Pantheon was relatively new. In Athens you’d be able to see the numerous, impressive temples to their many gods, functioning and in good shape. Before the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D. you’d be able to see that magnificent structure. These would all be wonderful sites to visit. Okay, admittedly the lack of air conditioning, modern travel, and high-tech communication wouldn’t be so great. But even so, you’d be able to get a feel for the lifestyle of the people back then and hopefully better understand some of the background of what we read in much of the New Testament. Then, some of the statements that Paul and the other Biblical writers might make more sense and have the desired impact.
In lieu of that, you’ll have to use your imagination. And specifically, I’d like you to visualize the scene at the various temples that I just named. Even though they worshiped different gods, they had one thing in common: They all offered sacrifices, and many of those involved animals. Since we’re more familiar with what went on in Jerusalem let’s look at their sacrificial system. To put it bluntly, the Temple grounds, just outside the entrance, was a bloody place to be. Hundreds of thousands of Jews would visit there throughout the year and the Law required that certain animals needed to be sacrificed for the different kinds of offerings. It could be a turtledove, a lamb or a goat, or even a yearling bull. Regardless, near the altar for burnt offerings the animal would be slaughtered in a kosher manner by a priest. Some of the blood was caught in a special vessel to be sprinkled on the altar. The rest was allowed to flow into a drainage canal that emptied outside of the city walls. The canal had to be flushed periodically with water because otherwise all that blood would coagulate and stink, attracting flies and animals. Then the pieces of the sacrificed animal were either burnt or eventually eaten. In other words, even though it was done in a solemn manner, that altar area looked and smelled like the kill floor of a butcher shop. Now aren’t you glad that we simply pass the offering plate in our services?
I realize this is all rather graphic, but that’s the image that would come to mind for the early Christians reading our Epistle lesson for today. Whether they were raised as Jews or not, they would be quite familiar with a similar sacrificial system at their local temples. And it certainly would grab their attention when Paul says that now they are to offer their bodies as a sacrifice to God as an act of worship. But you’ll notice that Paul adds a word that would have made them all let out a sigh of relief. Their bodies were to be “a living sacrifice.” Phew! None of them would have to die. But what exactly did Paul mean then? Both the Jews and the Gentiles realized what the Bible states, that “the life is in the blood.” So how could they sacrifice their bodies to God without shedding their lifeblood?
Well, the first thing to realize is that even though God had commanded those sacrifices, it wasn’t the blood or the flesh of the animal He was interested in. Rather, as Psalm 51 says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” You can see here already that God was looking for the spiritual worship of the people who brought those sacrifices to Him. Their actions were supposed to reveal the humble cry of their hearts for mercy. But more than that, those sacrifices were a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice that would take place for their sakes. This sacrifice would involve the shedding of blood—human blood. It happened when Jesus was crucified on the cross for the sins of the world.
The bloody death of Jesus on the altar of the cross ended the need for any further sacrifices of animals or of humans. That’s why St. Paul says that believers are to offer their bodies as “a living sacrifice.” So, what does that mean? Well, Paul lays out what that living sacrifice looks like. First, it’s supposed to be “holy and acceptable to God.” That’s not something that we do, but what God does in us. He makes us holy and acceptable by sprinkling us with the blood of Christ’s righteousness. That’s what happened in our Baptisms. We were washed clean of all guilt and wrapped in the righteousness of Jesus. In those holy waters, you were transformed from an ugly, sinful being into a child of God. The Lord created a new and right spirit within you. Your mind was reprogrammed to think and believe as a Christian.
That being the case, Paul urges us to not allow the world to press our minds into the mold of its sinful ways. Rather, he says that the mind of a believer is to be continually renewed by God. Which is what happens when we regularly receive God’s Means of Grace. His Word teaches us to discern His will so that our actions are “good and acceptable and perfect.” And His Sacrament feeds us with the body and blood of Christ which was sacrificed to bring us forgiveness and strength for our souls. In this way we are empowered to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God.
That totally transforms our lives. And what Paul then says near the end of our reading describes how we are to live daily as living sacrifices. Each of us has been given different gifts by God. Our act of spiritual worship is to use those gifts to the best of our ability in order to bring honor and praise to His name. Paul lists for us several examples: Prophecy is not predicting the future as some people think. Instead, it’s proclaiming what God has revealed in His Word. Pastors have been given this gift to preach the Gospel publicly in our worship services. But the laity can also share the Gospel in their day-to-day lives. Serving is using our God-given talents and vocations not only to benefit ourselves but others also. Teaching is more than what goes on now in our schools. It especially includes explaining God’s Word to those who don’t know it. Yes, Pastors are supposed to do that, but we also need Sunday School teachers to help instruct our young. And it happens at home as parents and grandparents open God’s Word to the next generation. Exhortation isn’t as hard as it sounds. It simply is encouraging others by our words and Christian living. Contributing? Ah, you knew we’d get around to the sacrifice of your wallet sooner or later, didn’t you? But seriously, though, it’s a gift that God has given to all of us. It doesn’t matter how much you have, but rather that you give generously from the financial blessings God has showered upon you.
Next is leadership. You can use your talents as a leader in your occupation, in our society, and in your home. But we also need good and Godly leaders within our Church in order to give us direction as a body of believers. And finally, acts of mercy. Here again is a gift that we’ve all been blessed with in varying degrees. We employ it as we reach out with love and compassion to those in need, offering our assistance in whatever way we can. It might be as simple as offering someone a ride to Church. And might I add that one of the greatest acts of mercy is praying with and for each other whenever we’re faced with serious difficulties.
Okay, so hopefully you can see that being a living sacrifice for God isn’t as impossible as we once thought. The problem, though, is that a living sacrifice can crawl off the altar. How? When we willfully choose to not use our gifts as God intended. You may try to sound all humble saying, “Oh, God hasn’t given me that gift” when confronted with the opportunity to use them. Or perhaps your excuse is, “I’ve already done my time and used that gift. Now it’s someone else’s turn.” Listen, God never put any time limits on the use of our gifts. Frankly, it’s a shameful waste of what God blessed you with. Maybe you don’t even realize that you have that gift when you’re asked to be a Sunday School teacher or serve on a church board. Why not give it a try and find out? God will use you to accomplish his holy and perfect will. And what about our offerings to God? Are you giving generously with cheerfulness or begrudgingly? Just like those bloody sacrifices, God doesn’t need your money. However, it’s what’s in your heart that He’s looking for. Do your offerings reflect your humble gratitude to Him?
All of these negative attitudes can interfere with our worship of God. And the root cause of them all is that we’ve allowed the thinking of our sinful nature and the world around us to conform our minds to that dead, ungodly way of life. St. Paul is urging us to not allow ourselves to become the puppets of sinful thinking. Instead, let God transform your mind. Wherever the sinful world has pressed in on your thinking, let Him reprogram you to think and act in ways that are pleasing to Him. That reprogramming takes place as the Holy Spirit calls us to repent of our sinful thinking. Confess those sins and be restored to God’s way. Listen to His Word and study it here with other believers and at home on your own. Let it sink deep in your mind so that you can discern His good and gracious will. Faithfully and regularly receive Christ’s body and blood in the Sacrament of the Altar for the renewing of your mind. Through His Means of Grace, God will make you into His acceptable and holy, living sacrifice. To him be the glory now and forever. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria