Paul urges Christians to present themselves as living sacrifices to God. He teaches that their sacrifice should be active and holy, unlike the dead sacrifices of the past. Christians should not conform to the ways of the world, but rather undergo a metamorphosis through renewing their minds with prayer, study of scripture, worship, and acts of service. This transformation reveals God's perfect will.

1. LIVING SACRIFICES

2. 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. (Romans 12:1-2)
LIVING SACRIFICES

3. #1
Urgency of the Message
“I beseech you therefore...”
LIVING SACRIFICES

4. Paul teaches that:

There is urgency connected to
sacrificial living.

Paul uses the term, “beseech”,
meaning to beg.
-According to scholar Joseph H.
Thayer, the word translated
beseech comes from the Greek
word "parakaleo" (2000, 487).
Urgency of the Message

5. #2
Uniqueness of the Sacrifice
“present your bodies a living sacrifice...”
LIVING SACRIFICES

6. Paul teaches that:

Our sacrifice is to be living.

Our sacrifice is to be active.

Our sacrifice is to be holy.

Our sacrifice is to be reasonable.
Uniqueness of the Sacrifice

7. #3
Undergoing the Metamorphosis
“be ye transformed...”
LIVING SACRIFICES

8. 
We must not be “fashioned” after the
world.
– Fashioned means to be molded in
the form of.

We must be transformed from
worldliness.
– Transformed means to be changed
like a caterpillar changes into a
butterfly.
Undergoing a Metamorphosis

9. How do we become
transformed?
By renewing our minds:

Through Prayer

Through Study of God's Word

Through Worship of God

Through Serving others
Uniqueness of the Sacrifice

10. 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. (Romans 12:1-2)
LIVING SACRIFICES

11. Source
I also wrote an article originally published on
Suite101.com with the same title. You can
access that article at
http://suite101.com/article/romans-121-2-living-
sacrifices-a382044.