A Living SacrificeSample

"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good." (Romans 12:9 ESV)

The life of a living sacrifice definitely has a look about it. We talked about it being a life that is God’s will versus our will. It is a life of being filled with God’s Word. Also, it is a life of spiritual giftedness, and it is a life of community. Paul starts listing characteristics of this life, not as a checklist or as a list of behavior modifications for us to work on. Rather, I think it is just helpful for us to know what the Christian life should look like.

In John 15:5 (ESV), the final night Jesus had with His disciples before He would be betrayed and crucified the next day, He taught them a very important lesson,“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” He had been walking with them for three years, and He was departing. And He’s telling them to “abide” or “remain” in Him, which is interesting because He was about to die. But He had also just told them in John 14:15-17 that He was sending the Holy Spirit, Spirit of Christ (Philippians 1:19), to help them.

So, if they remain in His Spirit, they would bear fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV) helps us know what this “fruit” looks like. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Yes, if we walk as living sacrifices, staying close to His Spirit, we will bear genuine love and goodness, and will hate evil. This is new territory for us, who used to entertain evil.