Knowing God’s Will (Part One)

I. Introduction.

Knowing God’s will has conditions which are tied to our everyday relationship with Him.  In very simple terms we might say that the more we become like Christ, the more we will know His will. The key to becoming like Him is twofold. It includes the entire human person through offering our bodies, and being transformed by the renewing of our minds. The two are inseparable because the mind cannot be renewed while the body is being used for sinful purposes. In this video we will examine the first part, the offering of our bodies.

Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – which is your spiritual worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing, and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2)

II. In View of God’s Mercy

Whenever we begin to read a passage which starts with the word ‘therefore’, we must always go back and see what the therefore relates to. ‘Therefore’ is a logical connector and is only used as a summary word for what preceded. The ‘therefore’ in Romans 12:1 is related to Paul’s discussion on the mercy of God towards both Gentiles and Israel. Throughout the entire letter of Romans Paul is explaining the mercy of God towards undeserving sinners, especially in the chapters preceding 9-11. Chapter 8 tells us that God will graciously give us all things (v32), and asks ‘what will separate us from the love of Christ’? His answer is that nothing in all creation can separate God’s children from His love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So Paul begins his appeal with the words, ‘I urge (appeal to) you brothers, in view of God’s mercy.’

Notice that Paul doesn’t command us as an apostle with the authority he has been given, rather, he stands with us as a brother and fellow recipient of God’s mercy and points us to Jesus Christ. The word parakalo (Παρακαλῶ) means to urge, appeal or invoke. Paul is saying ‘stop and think about what God’s mercy has gifted to us, and ask yourself how should we respond to His gracious love?’

Therefore, this is not command telling us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice out of fear in order to gain God’s favor, but appealing to the power of grace, the power of a heart which loves God because of his graciousness towards us. Fear will bring obedience with resentment, love brings obedience with joy.

III. Offering our Bodies

1. As ‘living sacrifices’

Paul’s appeal is to ‘offer our bodies as living sacrifices.’ This language has many parallels to sacrificial practises under the old covenant. The words ‘holy and pleasing’ reflect the instructions in the Old Testament for the sacrifice to be physically unblemished and without defect, and the ‘pleasing’ reflects the idea of the ‘pleasing aroma’ those sacrifices were to the Lord. All sacrifices offered to God were already dead, their blood drained out, and then they were burned. Other cultures, such as the Canaanites, who worshipped Molech, required living sacrifices, often children, but always the sacrifices died. 

Those past sacrifices to the Lord were offered by the priests for sin, but the dead sacrifice couldn’t do anything after it had been offered because it was gone, burned. Under the new covenant, we are the priests, offering our own bodies to God as living sacrifices. We are not offered to God so that we can be killed, Christ has done that part; rather we offer ourselves to live for Christ. 

2. Worship as a Rational Response

This, Paul says, is our ‘spiritual worship’. The word ‘spiritual’ here is ‘logikos’ which means rational or reasonable. The roots of this word are tied to that which is logical, intellectual. This means an act of intelligent worship as opposed to the type of ceremonial worship we offer as praise. It is a form of practical worship in our everyday lives, rather than an emotional response from the heart we may offer in a worship service. Under the old covenant God instructed the Jews to keep the Sabbath day holy as unto the Lord. The old covenant had specific prohibitions for the Sabbath, and Christians have mistakenly transferred this onto the new covenant.

Christians are called to fellowship with one another, to meet together to celebrate Christ, to lay aside specific time to offer praises, encouragement and support to each other, and most do this on Sunday. But Paul is telling us about offering our bodies as living sacrifices every day, in all that we do, living and sharing the grace of God in service to Him and others. Under the old covenant people went to the temple, but under the new covenant, the temple is within believers and wherever believers go, the temple goes with them.

3. Body and Soul: The Whole Person

This teaching of Paul’s would have been difficult for his Greek speaking readers. The Greeks had a very specific view of the body which can be illustrated in the expression they used, ‘soma sema estin’, translated as ‘the body is a tomb’ from which the soul was imprisoned longing to be released. This idea promoted a boundary between body and soul, and if the body was basically dead, it could not affect the soul. 

But God calls the entire person to be saved. God is not satisfied with a form of mystical, mental or emotional worship which excludes the body. Our bodies are not disconnected as the Greeks supposed, they are more than just a shell we live in, and they belong to Christ. This teaching is entirely throughout Scripture in one way or other. In the Old Testament God set down specific instructions for physical cleanliness which were required for daily life and entering the temple (eg, Leviticus chapters 9-15). In the New Testament we have several appeals to honouring God with our bodies, and that we will be judged as to how we have used our bodies. Paul asked the Corinthians, ‘do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ Himself’. 1 Corinthians 6:15, 18-20, 2 Corinthians 5:10).

From about the middle of the first century and onwards, for nearly two hundred years, a heresy known as 'Gnosticism' crept into the church, perhaps founded by the man Simon the Sorcerer whom we read about in Acts 8. The word 'gnosis' means knowledge, and Gnosticism taught that there were higher forms of secret knowledge available to worshippers. One teaching of Gnosticism was the separation of body and soul, coming from the false belief that the entire material world was evil. The outcome of this teaching was that some Gnostics got involved with gross immorality, thinking that their actions had no effect on their spiritual lives. This form of Gnosticism was being promoted in the infant Corinthian Church where gross immorality was being practiced, and Paul rebuked the Corinthians writing:

19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Paul's appeal in Romans 12:1-2 abolishes any idea that we can live immorally in our bodies and deceive ourselves that this does not affect our 'spiritual worship'. Holiness implies sanctification, the action of 'being made holy'. The Holy Spirit dwelling within every believer works to empower us to holy living, our part is to be 'led by the Spirit' (Galatians 5). 

4. In Practical Service to God and Others

The offering of our bodies also implies other powerful and positive aspects. We can use our bodies for various forms of service. Every day we make intellectual decisions as to how we can use our bodies to worship God. In an emotional sense we can lift our hands to express what we feel in our hearts, or we can dance, bow down etc. All of these are emotional responses, but Paul appeals to us on an intellectual level in this verse. He calls us to practical worship. Jesus offered his body in practical service and we are called to do the same, indeed, verses 1-2 in Romans 12 are just an introduction to the rest of the chapter which speaks of using our gifts and talents in service. It is about serving Christ even when we don’t feel like serving Christ. Every Christian is called to be a servant, indeed, Paul summarizes this in Ephesians when he writes:

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 discusses spiritual gifts, works of service, and how every Christian has a role to play in the Body of Christ, the church. God has prepared these works in advance for us to do, and no Christian is exempt. Unfortunately, we have created a system of professional Christians, and many church-goers have the false notion that when they stand before the Lord to give an account of their service, they can answer, ‘I paid the pastor to do that’. To such people I would challenge them that their desire to serve Christ through serving others, is measured by their love and knowledge of Christ. If there is no desire to serve, I doubt there is any real relationship with Christ at all.

How do we serve Christ? Simply by serving others, for when we serve we are imitating Him. Jesus explained that He can tell the difference between a true and false Christian in this way. Matthew 25: 31-46 speaks about sheep and goats, and the only difference between them is what they did or didn’t do. Like Christ, the sheep saw the needs of others and served them, however, the goats were so self-absorbed they never saw the suffering of others. The entire section is about practical ways to serve others with the love of Jesus Christ. And the message is very clear. When we serve others, we are serving Jesus Christ motivated by His love and grace within us, and if we are not serving others, we do not have the love or grace of Christ.  

Some inactive Christians say that their inactivity is due to not knowing what the Lord wants them to do. Such people would do well to read Matthew 25 again, however, there may be some who are genuinely uncertain of where to begin. Consider this: When a ship isn’t moving it is impossible to steer, it just floats on the spot or gets pushed by the currents. When it is moving the friction of water means that when you move the rudder the ship will be able to be steered. If you feel that the Lord may want you to be working in some particular direction, or serving Him in some way, then make a start, get moving. He will then guide you in the right direction. Try Jesus’ suggestions in Matthew 25. Visit a hospital, a prison, an orphanage, or simply ask your pastor how you can help.

5. A Prerequisite of knowing God’s Will is in Being Prepared to do His Will.

Consider also Jesus' warning in Mathew 7: 21. Jesus tells us that not all who call Him 'Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of the Father. Those who say Christ is their Lord, but fail to obey Him as Lord, are merely hypocrites. The Lord will tell us His will if we really want to know it, however, being prepared to act on the knowledge we are given is a prerequisite for receiving that knowledge. Do not expect to know the Lord's will for service if you have no intention of obeying Him. He knows our hearts.

IV. In Summary

Paul appeals to us to focus on the cross of Christ, the place where God granted us mercy, placing our debt of sin on the perfect sacrifice, Jesus Christ. When we focus on the cross, we see God’s incredible grace toward us and the love that drove Christ to offer Himself. Paul calls us to imitate the grace, mercy, love and servitude of our Savior, not in death, but as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to Him. 

We are called to offer our bodies to God as clean vessels. The offering of our bodies is the first part of knowing the will of God for several reasons. Firstly, because by coming to Him as a clean vessel, our communication is not hindered by sin. Sin blinds us and deafens us to the voice of God because it separates us from a holy God. If we truly belong to Christ we can never lose our salvation, but we can lose intimate fellowship with the Lord because of sin in our lives. Paul calls us to be holy and pleasing to the Lord for these are essential for intimate fellowship with Him, and knowing His will and direction in our lives.

Secondly, by offering our bodies as living sacrifices, we are offering ourselves to serve as He served and know the joy of giving as He gave. This is the practical application of self-denial, but it is also the means by which we can experience the power, peace and joy of acting in love. If our motivation to serve is one of gratitude for the mercy granted to us, if it is out of love for Christ, then we will experience that same depth of love as we serve and have His peace that we are in His will.

I pray this article has been an encouragement for you. Please share it with others you believe may benefit from its message. 

Steve Copland