Have you ever wanted to jump off the sidelines and get into the game? Maybe you’ve watched from the bench, itching for the coach to call your name. Paul reminds
us in Romans 12 that the Christian life is not a spectator sport. Every believer is called to be on the field, part of the team, and fully engaged in God’s mission.
He writes, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the
kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him” (Romans 12:1, NLT).
A “living sacrifice” sounds like a paradox. Sacrifices usually involve killing something. But Paul is clear: to follow Jesus means dying to ourselves again and again. It means relinquishing our claim to live as we please and offering our whole lives—our bodies, time, talents, and resources—as a sacrifice of worship to God.
Notice Paul’s grammar. He writes to brothers and sisters (plural), about our bodies (plural), but he calls us to offer a sacrifice (singular). This is the heart of the church. We don’t go off and make our own sacrifices in isolation. Instead, together, we offer one united sacrifice of love, service, and obedience to Christ.
The church is a body with many parts, each with a special function (Romans 12:4–5). Just as a hand can’t function apart from the arm, or a foot apart from the leg, we can’t live out God’s mission alone. Membership in the church is not like joining a country club, where you pay dues and expect services. It’s like joining a team, where
everyone has a role and works together toward victory.
Paul shows us what this looks like in action:
– We stop pretending and genuinely love others (v9).
– We honor one another above ourselves (v10).
– We stay patient, hopeful, and prayerful, even in suffering (v12).
– We practice hospitality (v13).
–We bless those who hurt us (v14).
– We rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep (v15).
– We live humbly, at peace with everyone as far as it depends on us (v16, 18).
– We overcome evil not by retaliation, but by doing good (v21).
Paul also reminds us that humility and diversity are essential. No one in the church is “too important” to serve (Galatians 6:3). At the same time, our diversity of gifts means the body of Christ is equipped to love a broken world in ways no one person could do alone. So what does it mean to be a living sacrifice? It means giving your life to God daily, humbly, and joyfully together with others. It means being useful to Him, not sitting on the sidelines.