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TEXT: Romans 12:1
We come this evening to the fourth study in our series on "The Priesthood of the Believer". As Evangelical Christians, we believe that the priesthood is not confined to a small group of God's people, but extended to all believers, without exception. If you are a Christian, therefore, you are a "priest", and, therefore, must exercise your ministry.
But what is it? What does a priest do? In a word, he "gives". He gives gifts, offerings, or sacrifices to God. Under the Old Covenant, these gifts chiefly consisted of animals, especially, sheep, goats, oxen, and doves. But under the New Covenant, God demands something more from us, far more, namely ourselves. We are, as Christian priests, to offer up our whole lives to the service of God.
This is done, not only by "laying our all on the altar", but by offering our "everything" to God. In general, we are to give ourselves. In particular, each and every thing we have. Nothing is to be held back. Nothing in reserve. Nothing saved for a rainy day. We owe our God everything.
Over the past two weeks, we have noted what some of these things are: our minds and our emotions. Tonight, we look at a third, i.e., our "bodies".
The passage before us is too plain to require much exposition. It urges us to "present our bodies a...sacrifice." This "sacrifice" is not to be of the old-fashioned variety, i.e., dead, but a "living" gift to our God. This is done, in the words of Romans 6:13, as we "yield our members (i.e., bodily parts) as instruments of righteousness". The meaning in this second passage is equally clear: at one time these Roman Christians used their bodies for sin. "Their feet were swift in running to mischief". Their tongues were devoted to lying. Their "hands shed innocent blood". Their sex organs, of course, were employed in the sins of fornication, sodomy, and so on. Thus, they once "yielded their members as instruments of unrighteousness". But now, redeemed by Christ, they were to use their bodies to further His cause.
Here, a word of emphasis is called for. The First Century was dominated by Greek philosophy, especially Platonism. According to this scheme of things, the body was nothing but the "prison of the soul". Salvation consisted of freeing the pure soul from the corrupt body. As a consequence, it was thought to be permissible to engage the body in any sin, so long as the soul remained virtuous. Thus, "spiritual sins", like envy or cowardice were condemened; while merely "physical sins", like fornication, were permitted. This dreadful philosophy--it is sad to say--even affected the Church. For in Thyatira, a teacher instructed Christ's servants to "commit fornication and eat things sacrificed to idols". "These are--after all--only material things. God is interested in spiritual things" (or so the argument went, evidently). But nothing could be further from the truth! Body and soul alike are equally important to Christ. "Ye are bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and spirit, which are God's".
God, therefore, demands more than good intentions or holy motives. He also wants concrete acts of piety. The best "heart" in the world is of no value unless it produces tangible works of righteousness. "...whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth!"
These "works" require the use of the body. Many genuine needs cannot be met "spiritually". They need a body to go along with the spirit. And in doing this, we are "presenting our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service".
But how is this accomplished? How is your "body" to be offered up to God? Or, how can you "yield its members to righteousness"? Several things come to mind.
First--and most obviously--you must use your body against sin. II Corinthians 6:1 is appropos, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit..." From this, we learn that certain sins spring from or reside in the body. They are to be avoided and/or mortified. Another passage is equally relevant, I Thessalonians 4:3-5, "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from fornication, that each of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor; not in passion and lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God..." To be holy, therefore, you must not only strive for purity of heart, but for cleanness of body as well.
This will require a resolution on your part, one which must be thought about and stuck to!
1.You must avoid putting your body in a compromising position. There are certain places, in other words, you have no business being! Here, I will cite a couple examples, one obvious, the other a bit more cunning:
a.In one of his books, Jay Adams describes counseling a young man who had a severe problem with uncleanness. Every day he would resolve to overcome his powerful lust. But every night, he must needs confess that he did not. For every afternoon, he would go into a pornographic theater and do the things you might expect. In tears, the young man asked Dr. Adams for help. He was desperate. Adams asked him a simple question. "Do you have to pass by the theater on your way to work?" "No--was the answer--"there are other ways of getting there". "Then take one!" This different route to work--as purely "physical" as it is--is more helpful to this man's sanctification than hours of preventive prayer and buckets of penitent tears".
b.The other example concerns overspending. Many Christians not only covet material things they cannot afford. They also buy them! This leads to debt, anxiety, bankruptcy, begging, sometimes even to divorce and suicide! The battle over covetousness, of course, must be fought "in the heart". But overspending can be vanquished--to a large degree--"in the flesh", by simply not going to the stores or reading the catalogues you find so tempting! Proverbs 4:14-15: "Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it. Do not travel on it. Turn away from it and pass on".
c.Here, the Scripture is very plain and practical. The best way to avoid certain "fleshly sins" is to simply "get away from them physically". The best advice anyone ever gave a young man tempted to be with his girlfriend sexually, is I Corinthians 6:18: "Flee fornication!" It doesn't say, "Pray against it...Consider its risks, and so on". It says, "Run away from it". And that is precisely what one of the holiest young men ever did: Joseph. The best way to avoid certain temptations is not an enlightened mind or a warm heart, but quick feet! There is nothing wrong with being afraid of sin! And fear often causes us to run. "A wise man fears and departs from sin; but the fool rages and is confident" (Proverbs 14:16).
In the second place, you must not unnecessarily weaken your body, thus making it more susceptible to sin. Many physical activities are not wrong in and of themselves. But when they "open us up to temptation", they become wrong. Here, my proof text is Romans 13:14b: "And make no provision for the flesh, that you might fulfil the lusts thereof". This "provision" for the flesh is evidently different that "fulfilling its lusts". It is, in other words, "a work of preparation", a way of making lusts "welcome or comfortable". A few examples will do.
1.Sleep. The Bible nowhere mandates the number of hours one must sleep. But it does forbid "crankiness". "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice". Most of us, however, become susceptible to a rotten attitude when we don't get enough sleep. It therefore becomes necessary to avoid too much "late night activity". Not because it is sinful to stay up till all hours of the night, but because such excesses open us up to temptation.
2.Eating. The Bible nowhere forbids eating well (here, I don't mean gluttony). But it does command us to work hard. "Go to the ant, you sluggard, learn his ways, and be wise". But most of us can't really do much while stuffed. Thus the hours spent after a huge lunch are largely wasted. Therefore, you must avoid eating too well--not because it's sinful--but because it debilitates you from you duty and opens you up to temptatation.
3.A packed schedule. Again, the Bible nowhere forbids using your time efficiently. It fact, it commands such diligence. "Redeeming the time" is the word. But when you load up your schedule to excess--when you allow no leeway to an unforseen event--you produce anxiety. And that, the Bible forbids in words too plain to misunderstand: "Be anxious for nothing". But one who is overly fastidious, too organized, or super-concerned about every minute of the day will always be a worrier. Self-imposed and excessive pressure. And that is sinful. "You are bought with a price, do not become the slaves of men". And that includes a bondservant of yourself!
4.Fanatical dieting. Again, the Bible nowhere specifies how many calories you should take in per day. But it does tell you to "hope in the LORD". Hunger however (not the suppression of appetite, but real hunger) produces physical depression. The body and mind slow down for lack of fuel. And this causes depression and despair. If, therefore, you have a weight problem (or need to watch your calories, cholesterol, etc.), you must devise a sensible way of eating. Immoderate eating and non-eating alike are subversive to your sanctification.
5.Too much or too little exercise. People who exercise too much are typically "body-obsessive" and vain. Those who do too little are usually sluggish and easily exhausted. Neither of these states is conducive to your sanctification. And therefore, both are to be shunned. Not, again, as wrong in and of themselves, but as making the body more susceptible to sin.
Here, of course, I cannot be exhaustive. You must carefully examine your own life. Think about when you most often fall into sin. And then, go back, and see what (if any) physical act contributed to it. What weakened you to yield to that sin? Too little sleep? Too much food? Or something else. It doesn't matter what it is, or how lawful it may be. If it weakens you and makes you more liable to temptation, then it must be avoided.
Thirdly, if you are to "yield your members to righteousness", you must take care of yourself physically. Some Christians function best in a physically weakened condition. "When I am weak, said Paul, "then I am strong". But let God, in His Providence, weaken you, make you sick, strike you down--don't do it to yourself! One of the unchanging laws of God is "Thou shalt not kill". And that includes yourself. You're neither to put a gun to your head, nor to "dig your own grave with a spoon and a fork". To be obsessed with health is wrong. It won't do you any good. You're fallen, and therefore, will become sick and eventually die, whatever you do. But to be negligent of your health is downright irresponsible and sinful. It is a kind of murder. A man as spiritually minded as Paul would command his young friend, "Take a little wine for your stomach's sake and your oft infirmities". This means that:
1.You ought to watch your diet.
2.You ought to get some exercise. I Timothy 4:8.
3.You ought to seek needed medical attention. And here--please forgive me if I offend you, but I've been looking for and praying about an opportunity to say this in public--not quackery! By God's grace, I'm going to say what I mean. The leading quacks of today are chiropractors. Such practicioners are scientifically bankrupt. According to two Christian doctors I know (neither of whom can profit from my business), chiropracty: 1. Has no scientific basis; 2. Can often make matters worse ("a tumor, for example, is left untreated because the patient thinks the only thing he needs is another spinal adjustment"); 3. Their "success" has nothing to do with their practice: a. The body often goes into spontaneous remission. When this occurs shortly after a visit, the patient reasons "After it, and therefore, because of it". b. Back-cracking feels good and reduces stress. But stress causes any number of illnesses. Therefore, what you get from this "doctor" could be just well gotten from a masseuse (and at a much lower price). c. They are "placebos". A sugar pill, strongly believed in, will "cure" a large percentage of illnesses. But there is nothing in the sugar to do the job, it is all in the mind.
But more importantly, from a philosophical point-of view, it (along with acupuncture) is "New Age". According to Classical Chiropractic Therapy, "spinal manipulations allow the Innate to flow more easily through the nervous system". The "innate" is another word for "god".
4.Of most importance, you ought to repent of those sins which damage your body. Obvious things like gluttony and neglect. And less obvious things: discontent, envy, bitterness, anger, worry, despair, and so on. "Wrath kills the foolish man and envy slays the silly one" (Job 5:2).
In the fourth place, you are to restrain those bodily members which are so often yielded to unrighteousness. One organ will do here: the tongue. It must be--in the words of James--"bridled".
Fifthly, you are to discover what each "member" is for and how it is to be used for God's glory. The sex organs, for example, are "for your spouse", not for anyone else--including yourself! The tongue is for "blessing God, not cursing men". The feet should be found, not "running to mischief, but in "bringing glad tidings of good things". The hands are not for "shedding innocent blood", but for "a holy lifting up to God". In short, find out what your organs are for and use them appropriately.
Finally, pray for the sanctification of each bodily member. "Everything is sanctified by the word of God and prayer"--including your body.
"Take my hands, and let them move
at the impuse of Thy love,
Take my feet and let them be,
swift and beautiful for Thee.
"Take my voice and let me sing,
only always for my King,
Take my lips and let them be,
filled with messages from Thee".
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