messenger
November 27th, 2007, 05:54 AM
Heb. 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: (against hope, He believed in hope: Romans 4:18) 19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
Romans 12:1 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.
Here we are looking at a "mindset" that we are to have in relationship to how we are to present ourselves to God.
First: we present our bodies. The reason we present our bodies is because it is there that my soul and my regenerated human spirit can function in the "atmosphere of the cross" as I live in obedience to the will of God. "Here I am Lord, send me"(Isaiah 6:8). The "atmosphere of the cross" is the only place where resurrection can be experienced for without death there can be no resurrection. (Philippians 3:10). As an example, in Esther chapter four verse sixteen through chapter five verse three, Esther's "mindset" was “if I perish, I perish” when sure death stood before her, she became a living sacrifice living with a higher purpose than that of her own; but she died to herself in order to accomplish the will of another. The end result was resurrection, for on the third day when she approached the king; he held out his golden scepter and offered her up to half his kingdom. She passed through death into resurrection life. (Death has no sting because Jesus Christ took the sting of death upon Himself for all of us, so we need not fear death.)
In Romans 12:1, the word "present" is aorist, active, infinitive. It’s a moment in time, a decision made on purpose.
The word living is a verb: present, active, part. It paints a picture of the character of the sacrifice as "living", not dead. The present tense means that this mind-set is on- going. I am standing in the place of death, yet I am alive. The word living means life with vitality in itself dependent on nothing else. This life is the quality that comes with resurrection power which comes through the cross of Christ through the faithfulness of God.
We are partakers of this life because we have decided to trust God to be faithful to his promises (2 Peter 1:4)
Abraham believed God; that was his mind-set. In Heb 11:19 when God told Abraham to offer Isaac, He, in his mind had already done it and not only so, but because the full promise to Abraham was going to come through Isaac, instead of doubting God, he believed that God would raise Isaac from the dead, not doubting in the promise. Abraham went into obedience, with a mind-set. His mind-set was resurrection life. He saw Isaac through the cross into resurrection.
That is the way it is with us. Jesus Christ is our life (Colossians 3:4). He became us when He died for us, paying the ultimate penalty for our sins that we might be made His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Joined to Him in One New Man Jew and gentile alike, now it’s Christ the head and we his body, flesh and bones. (Ephesians 5:30)
Just as Abraham reckoned Isaac to be dead already (before the fact), we are to recon ourselves as dead to sin (or self), but alive unto God “in Christ”.
I am: (not will be someday), crucified with Christ but nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20), and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. It’s not even my faith, but the faith out from Jesus Christ who now is my life. Total trust: not in anything of myself, but in the Son of God. As for me, I've been bought with a price and I'm not my own. (1 Corinthians 6:20); (1 Corinthians 7:23)
:yeah
Romans 12:1 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.
Here we are looking at a "mindset" that we are to have in relationship to how we are to present ourselves to God.
First: we present our bodies. The reason we present our bodies is because it is there that my soul and my regenerated human spirit can function in the "atmosphere of the cross" as I live in obedience to the will of God. "Here I am Lord, send me"(Isaiah 6:8). The "atmosphere of the cross" is the only place where resurrection can be experienced for without death there can be no resurrection. (Philippians 3:10). As an example, in Esther chapter four verse sixteen through chapter five verse three, Esther's "mindset" was “if I perish, I perish” when sure death stood before her, she became a living sacrifice living with a higher purpose than that of her own; but she died to herself in order to accomplish the will of another. The end result was resurrection, for on the third day when she approached the king; he held out his golden scepter and offered her up to half his kingdom. She passed through death into resurrection life. (Death has no sting because Jesus Christ took the sting of death upon Himself for all of us, so we need not fear death.)
In Romans 12:1, the word "present" is aorist, active, infinitive. It’s a moment in time, a decision made on purpose.
The word living is a verb: present, active, part. It paints a picture of the character of the sacrifice as "living", not dead. The present tense means that this mind-set is on- going. I am standing in the place of death, yet I am alive. The word living means life with vitality in itself dependent on nothing else. This life is the quality that comes with resurrection power which comes through the cross of Christ through the faithfulness of God.
We are partakers of this life because we have decided to trust God to be faithful to his promises (2 Peter 1:4)
Abraham believed God; that was his mind-set. In Heb 11:19 when God told Abraham to offer Isaac, He, in his mind had already done it and not only so, but because the full promise to Abraham was going to come through Isaac, instead of doubting God, he believed that God would raise Isaac from the dead, not doubting in the promise. Abraham went into obedience, with a mind-set. His mind-set was resurrection life. He saw Isaac through the cross into resurrection.
That is the way it is with us. Jesus Christ is our life (Colossians 3:4). He became us when He died for us, paying the ultimate penalty for our sins that we might be made His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Joined to Him in One New Man Jew and gentile alike, now it’s Christ the head and we his body, flesh and bones. (Ephesians 5:30)
Just as Abraham reckoned Isaac to be dead already (before the fact), we are to recon ourselves as dead to sin (or self), but alive unto God “in Christ”.
I am: (not will be someday), crucified with Christ but nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20), and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. It’s not even my faith, but the faith out from Jesus Christ who now is my life. Total trust: not in anything of myself, but in the Son of God. As for me, I've been bought with a price and I'm not my own. (1 Corinthians 6:20); (1 Corinthians 7:23)
:yeah