The Mercies of God and the Pursuit of Holiness

For the first several weeks of 2008, we as a church memorized Bible verses together that have to do with the manifold excellencies of God: his glory and greatness and holiness and the like. This week we transitioned to the subject of personal holiness by memorizing Romans 12:1 which says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1).

Again and again the Bible teaches that the appropriate response to the manifold excellencies of God is the pursuit of personal holiness, and Romans 12:1 is no exception. In this verse, Paul teaches us that, in view of the mercies of God which he has showered upon us in Christ, we ought to offer ourselves to him as living sacrifices, as people who are eager to follow in his ways and obey his commands. This, Paul says, is our “spiritual worship.”

The original Greek word for “spiritual” is logikos, from which we get our word logical. This is, in fact, closer to the original meaning of the word which is why some translations render it “reasonable service” or “reasonable worship” (e.g., the NKJV). Again, the idea Paul is trying to communicate is that, in the light of the massive mercies of God which he showered upon us in Christ, nothing less than total devotion to him makes sense. In other words, it’s the only thing that’s logical or reasonable.

Isaac Watts, in his now classic 1707 hymn entitled “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” could not have more perfectly captured the spirit of Romans 12:1 when he penned the following words:

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Thus, brothers and sisters, let us not only dwell on the mercies of God in Christ, but let us respond to them in the only way that makes sense: by giving him our soul, our life, our all.

Seeking with you to be totally devoted to him,
Pastor Charlie