Romans 12: 1,2 is a favorite verse of mine. It is a favorite because it puts life’s meaning in proper perspective for me.
How it became so important to me
It all started when I was a Sophomore or Junior in high school. An evangelist came to our small Baptist church for a week of sermons. He shared these verses when I asked him, “how can we know God’s will?”
“Do you desire to do God’s will?” his question confused me, but I answered thinking he didn’t understand that was my reason for my question.
“Yes, I believe I do,” or something like that is how I answered.
“Then, you will.”
He may have gone on to explain further, but I don’t remember. I spent the next few minutes, and almost a lifetime since trying to understand.
I have learned much from returning to a study and efforts to apply these verses to my life. My poor relationship with God, the familiarity with the verses and many others’ interpretations and perspectives of them lead to some understanding, although slow and broad. But no matter my degree of understanding, I recognized the importance of these verses.
Finally, at this juncture in my spiritual journey, I have more respect for the evangelist who I can’t even name and the way he answered. The key is in his question. The key is in the word “desire.”
My desires are similarly shaped as anyone’s
My desires for all my life are like all humans. Counselors and students of psychology will tell you our desires stem from a give and take between differing biological urges, the learned behaviors through experience and training, and the influences of society and culture.
The desire to serve God and do his will is no exception. My strongest biological urge is survival. Survival for me means keeping my failures and shortcomings under the radar. My desire to do God’s will at the time I asked the evangelist and still too often even today is really about not failing, not doing anything displeasing to God.
Therefore, I must know about every issue and every decision I make that I am doing the right thing. This too often leads to being wishy-washy or neutral about issues or indecisive and/or unproductive out of fear of doing the “wrong” thing. It can also lead to feelings of guilt and shame for doing the “wrong” thing.
“…therefore by the mercies of God”
It is important we start here. Understanding of Who God is and his role in all of humanity, believer or nonbeliever, is vital in our pursuit of his purpose in our lives. 1 Corinthians 13, describes God as well as any scripture. First, put your faith in that God and it removes fear, guilt, and shame.
“…present your bodies a living sacrifice, set apart and acceptable to God” –
Set Apart
I used the words “set apart” instead of “holy” purposefully. First, I think this is closer to a true translation from the original, cultural meaning of holy in this context. Second, it eliminates any idea that doing God’s will has anything to do with your spirituality or righteousness and more to do with God’s love and Christ’s righteousness.
Alive
We are to offer this corrupt body as a sacrifice. First, it is a living sacrifice which means spiritually alive which means the power of spiritual enlightenment coming from God in the form of his Holy Spirit breathing life into us.
Rational and Proper
“… which is your reasonable worship”
It is reasonable because Christ offered his body, his incorrupt body for all of us. This means it’s not even remotely a fair trade – his sinless sacrifice and momentary separation from his own holiness so that we could offer our sinful self to gain access to God and share in Christ’s righteousness. That is a really good deal for us.
The original language used is translated in some Bible translations as reasonable service. My use of the word worship comes from researching various Concordances and how the author and his first audience might have understood it. Proper worship is our acknowledgment of our ineptitude of righteousness and gratitude for the privilege of service to and with the Creator.
“Be not conformed to the worldview”
Remember my explanation of desires:
- between differing biological urges
- the learned behaviors through experience and training
- the influences of society and culture.
That’s my understanding of what also shapes our worldview. My desire to please God for decades was influenced by my religious worldview. That worldview encourages the desire to please God by doing good works. The good works are the Do’s and Don’t’s laid out by traditional interpretations of scripture and teachings of local church leadership. That needed transformation. Truthfully, I am still transforming from years of this ingrained religiosity.
Much of that religious cultural worldview was clouded by experience and biology that were and will always be carnal. This fact alluded me for decades, yet I was still able to carry out the will of God for my life. Does that sound counterintuitive, even bewildering? That’s my point. Battling much of my resistance with merciful and righteous persistence, God is transforming me by renewing that mindset.
“…by the renewing of your mind”
RenewING of my mind – it is an ongoing process. Saying a prayer of confession once for salvation from the guilt, shame, and penalty for my sinful condition doesn’t make me more righteous than someone who hasn’t seen there need for Christ. It didn’t even make me righteous. At that moment, I became aware of only one thing, the gift of God, not everything God needs to teach me.
Little by little, lesson by lesson, circumstance by circumstance, etc, God’s mercy, love, discipline teaches me the lessons I can handle at that point in my spiritual life. My response to God’s lessons has been the most positive transformation. Gratitude to God is the right response. Trust, a greater faith is the right response.
The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 – 7) teaches us that trying harder is a human response and ineffective in the long run. It made me self-righteous (self-righteousness is my default mechanism) when I misinterpret good works as righteous maturity.
“So you may know God’s perfect and pleasing will for your life”
While in this life, I will only be aware of what God needs for me to know to accomplish his will for my life. My desire is to do the will of God. Right now that means I keep in touch with Him through prayer, praying not my will but thine be done; by studying and applying God’s Word in whatever form it presents to me – Bible, sermon, personal private study, songs and hymns; and by consistently as possible being aware of his presence with me.
Preaching the Gospel to myself is how my pastor puts it. Doing so reminds me that like everyone else, I fall short of the glory of God – past, present, future.
Comparing or contrasting myself with others is a human act and it never leads to much good. Contrasting my inner self to the righteousness of God should never lead to humiliation, guilt, or shame or definitely not self-hate, but gratitude that even though I fall short, God loves me and wants to work with me to accomplish his will. I must also keep in mind God wants that for all humanity. I should also want that for everyone I meet. This is God’s will.
Categories: Author Confession Spiritual Awareness
Douglas Knight
I have the rich life full of a sinner wounded by misunderstanding and punishment but blessed by mercy and forgiveness.
Knight Writer 