Dead Sacrifices vs. Living Sacrifices Part 3

Dead Sacrifices vs. Living Sacrifices Part 3

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 is the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance definition of the Greek word soma (4983) which is here translated “body”, “The body (as a sound whole), used in a very wide application, literally or figuratively:--bodily, body, slave.”  Wow he believed that the Christian should present himself or herself totally as though he or she was a slave.  So, if Strong is correct, the Christian musician does not have any rights—only obligations—because he or she is committed like a slave.

The word sacrifice (thusia 2378) means “the victim”.  The word present (paristemi 3936) means too be at hand (or ready), aid:--assist, bring before, give presently, present, provide, or, yield.  How could God’s Word be any clearer? The Christian musician is being begged to be willing to be the victim i.e. to on purpose yield his or her musical talents as a living sacrifice.

This verse in Romans chapter one also teaches that the presentation of the Christian’s body as a living, breathing, willing, active sacrifice is the reasonable thing to do!  The words reasonable and service have been translated from the Greek words logikos latreia (3050, 2999).  These two Greek words mean that presenting the Christian musician’s life literally as a living offering or sacrifice is the reasonable (logikos) thing to do i.e. the reasonable service (lateria) or way to present one’s life to God as an act of continual living, breathing, active, worship.

So, the Christian musician who majors on being dead will probably not get around to getting anything useful done for Christ.  God’s call to Christian musicians in the twenty first century is be dead enough to self to be alive unto God as we enter this century.  Jesus may come in the morning or before tomorrow morning for that matter.  However, He may not return today, tomorrow, or even this year.  If he does come quickly, Christian musicians who are majoring on being dead won’t be required to do much or anything at all.

In the meantime Christian musicians should be reminded of the words of Jesus’ parable recorded in St. Luke 19::13 which said, “And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.”  The word pragmateuomai (4231) which is used in this verse means in this situation to busy oneself with the work of God.  This word’s meaning is far from the idea of filling a pew in a church but rather connotes active involvement in the work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.