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Just what was Paul talking about when he spoke about the living sacrifice?
The first three verses from Romans 12: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. When one references passages from the Bible, one always runs the risk of interpreting something differently than someone else. For this reason, I would like to make it clear that although my thoughts following this paragraph are definitely what I believe, I can in no way insist to the reader that I am more correct than anyone else on the matter. I have always recognized that everyone should look for themselves, and not just automatically accept the interpretations of other human beings. If there is truth to be found in the Bible, one can discover it best by searching sincerely alone, without the influence of a so-called 'person of God.' Disclaimer delivered; let's proceed. Living in the 21st century has allowed us to better see the dark side of humankind. Improved forms of communication and information dissemination are the main reasons for this clearer view. Some say humans are 'worse' than they were before, and this may be true, but something tells me that there have always been those who prefer to dismiss the well-being of others. There are myriad ways to take something good and twist it into bad by selfish intent. This happens every time a greedy entity squeezes another unnecessary nickel out of your pocket. It happens every time someone cuts you off on the freeway. It happens every time a sick individual kidnaps a young child for who-knows-what sort of depravity. It happens when someone decides that he or she is more deserving of the better seat than someone else. It happens every day, all day, around the world. To imagine a world where people didn't treat each other badly, or take advantage of each other, or use each other in a selfish manner... well, you might as well believe in the Tooth Fairy. So, because selfishness is so prevalent in the world, it is of course the path of least resistance to simply become a part of the machinery, so to speak. Why not make even more money by charging more than you have to? Why pass up the chance to be the big cheese? Why spend any time considering how your decisions affect the lives of others? Who cares about the people you stepped on and over to accomplish your goals? Someone has to be the winner; why not you? Someone has to be the loser; why can't it be the other person? People often think daily supplications to a higher power, or weekly attendance at a physical structure designed for the aggregation of the religious, will flip the switch of God's favor to the 'on' position in their lives. Many are fond of pointing out that faith in God is essential; works themselves are not sufficient to gain the favor of God. I would say yes; faith is important. But out of a person's heart comes his or her actions, and no amount of philosophizing or tithing will set the balance right if one's true intentions are in opposition to the Law. What is the "living sacrifice?" In the 21st century, it is the strenuous and humble avoidance of the endless selfish rationalizations of the vast majority. Unpopular choice? Indeed. Not as 'smart' as going along with the crowd? Perhaps. It really comes down to a very simple question: do you give deference to God or the flesh? Despite the self-deluding power of sophistry, you will never find a way to do both. |