The Importance of Motivation

The Living Sacrifice is motivated.

And to that end, I want to draw your attention to three elements in the book of Romans which sets God's mercy apart as incomparable and which emerge as the three of the major themes in this epistle.

The forgiveness of sin makes God’s mercy unique.

The word righteousness is a term that references the covenant relationship of God and man. Specifically this is a relationship founded upon promise. In essence, to be righteous or to possess righteousness is to fulfill the obligations of a promise. Now, in our discussion of this word you will recall that the "righteousness of God" is transferable. In other words in relation to the stipulations of the Law, others can share in God’s right standing.

From this perspective, "the righteousness of God" can be taken as "the righteousness that comes from God." And this is what Paul is referencing when he says that the "righteousness of God has been" manifested. Paul's usage here would indicate that by manifested he means that the "righteousness, which comes from God," has been brought into the open with the effect of salvation. In other words the righteousness which comes from God has been made evident with a saving result. The righteousness of God has been imparted to all those "believing" in Christ.

This gives us the beauty and magnificence of God’s mercy. The same God who has gone on record in Romans 1-3 saying that all men are sinners and therefore deserving of death is the same God who has salvifically IMPARTED His own righteousness to the sinner. And thus, in Christ we stand before God as this: Not guilty, innocent of sin, and as spotless and pure! Now the technical term used throughout this epistle to denote this is the term justification.

God’s mercy gives us peace with God.

Because of man's disobedience and rebellion, no longer is there fellowship between God and man. There is just enmity and war. It is in this context that we see the incomparable mercy of God.

The cross of Christ is what provides peace. This is not in reference to man's relationship with man, BUT in reference to man's relationship with God! The incomparable mercy of God is seen not only as we look at the forgiveness we receive in Christ, but also when we see the restored relationship of peace that God has provided at the cross.

God’s mercy helps us in times of weakness.

The word weakness originally referred to bodily sickness. But the word is also used to describe any sort of weakness, especially that of a SPIRITUAL kind. Thus, to be weak is to be one who easily falls into sin or quickly shrinks back.

A weak animal conveys the idea behind the word weak in the verse. We have all seen an animal that has a lame leg. The animal holds the leg up next to their bodies so that it does not make contact with the ground. This portrays the concept of a weak faith. Rather than confronting the difficulties of life those who are weak in faith shrink back to a comfortable distance from that which threatens it.

And so, though the cross of Christ has redeemed us, we nevertheless have areas in our lives that are weak. These are areas in which we "shrink back." And yet the GOOD NEWS of this text is that as a result of the cross of Christ, the child of God has a Comforter who comes along side and "helps them in their weakness."

This area is so vital in our lives today. There are many that claim that the church does not teach about the work of the Holy Spirit. There are those who desire that the preaching from the pulpit give them a hug so that they are helped in their Christian walks. Yet when the church has a time of prayer, they shrink in faith and refuse to allow the Holy Spirit help them. They walk as babes and want to do everything in their own strength. They want to live by their merits and not Christ’s. They are hiding behind the fig leaves and not communing with Christ.

This is a wonderful truth. And up to this point in the book of Romans Paul's explanation is rather ambiguous. Knowing this, Paul gives an example of how the Spirit "helps us." And that example is prayer. This is mortal man’s ultimate weakness. It is our weakness because we do not know how to pray, as we should. In the area of prayer we discover that we are indeed weak. What mortal can approach an eternal and holy God and not feel inadequate? And yet notice that it is at this point of weakness that the Spirit enters in and helps us. The Holy Spirit gives our desires a language that is both heard and understood by God. And thus, by the mercy of God, we overcome our greatest weakness as mortal men—communion with God!

From this we see that the MOTIVATING FACTOR in the life of the living sacrifice is GRATITUDE. Indeed, God's love is that which compels us in our walk with God. God’s love calls for the response of love in which we wholeheartedly offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice.

The Sacrificial System demonstrates our call.

Indeed, God's love for us has always been that which has compelled the genuine child of God unto love and good deeds. The Old Testament sacrificial system had only three sacrifices that a worshipper could bring. There was the sin offering which represented the forgiveness of sins. There was the burnt offering, which signified dedication. And there was a peace offering, which symbolized fellowship.

Because we, are bought with a price we can do nothing less that "glorify God in [our] body." Gratitude in light of God's incomparable mercy is that which motivates the living sacrifice in all that he does. This is the Sin Quo Non of the Christian life!

This truth gives us a two-sided exhortation. On the one hand our text calls us to abandon a mode of existence discordant with the life of the living sacrifice. On the other hand, it indicates the realm in which we must daily dwell as living sacrifices- the realm of thanksgiving.

Since it is normal for mankind to seek to be justified on the merits of works we need to be careful. The context of this passage shows us that the Galatians had devised a theology, which sought to sacrifice to obtain God's mercy. In other words because the Galatian believer's had effectively abandoned Christ as the basis upon which to stand before God Christ was no longer of any benefit to them. They had severed themselves not from His salvation but from His supply of daily grace! And thus the Galatian believers were impotent in their service of Christ. In fact, far from being a living sacrifice "pleasing to God" they were struggling with all kinds of sin!

Now I hope you see the problem. When the Galatian believers thought that what they did could somehow merit God's approval they forsook Christ as the basis upon which they stood before God. And having abandoned Christ, they abandoned His power. Based upon this, if we are going to be an effective living sacrifice, we likewise must be careful to abandon NOT our Lord and Savior and His work on our behalf BUT all self-attempts at seeking to secure God's approval and ll modes of existence by which we seek to earn God's mercy.

The Bible teaches that the non-Christian sacrifices in order to obtain mercy, where as the Christian sacrifices because he has received God's mercy! And thus Paul's exhortation regarding the motivation of the living sacrifice carries with it an appeal that the living sacrifice must not be motivated out of what he does!

Positively speaking, we learn from this text that the living sacrifice must be motivated out of what God has done on account of His Mercies! Gratitude on account of God's mercy must be the basis for all that we do! Do you attend church to get mercy—you know the warm fuzzies? Or do you attend church because you have received mercy? Do your strive for moral purity to gain God’s approval? Or do you strive for moral purity because you have God’s approval? Is your sacrifice in the kingdom of God out of a yearning to satisfy God? Or is your sacrifice to God a result of having satisfied God? One can never be a living sacrifice pleasing to the Lord when your service flows from a heart seeking to still please God!

The Hebrew writer exhorted the Jewish Christians of Judea this way:

The elementary principles that are being dealt with are found in the context of Hebrews 1-5. They are the sacrificial death of Christ and its ability alone to cleanse us from sin. This sacrifice procured freedom for the child of God because they no longer needed to work in order to please God! These elementary principles are the mercies of God, which motivates the believer to be a living sacrifice.

When faith is united with love we will rely upon Christ and, in love for all we have received, serve Him. Our service as ministers of the Lord will not be wasted or in vain. It should flow easily because love is not forced or contrived. As a living sacrifice we are unlimited, effective, useful and glorifying to God. Our strength and power comes not from the work that we perform, or our good intentions, or our great ability. Rather our strength and power comes from God’s great incomparable mercy! The living sacrifice is a grateful sacrifice.

Is your life and all that you do a Doxology to all that God has done for you? If it is not, your service as a living sacrifice is tainted. To overcome this one must begin by seeing that he is spiritually bankrupt, deserving of nothing, able to do nothing. It is only by recognizing the work of Christ and by becoming His child that we will be a living sacrifice.

The Heidelberg Catechism asks "How many things are necessary for you to know, that you in [your salvation] may live and die happily?

The answer is "Three; the first, how great my sins and miseries are; the second, how I am delivered from all my sins and misery [which is what we talked about in chapter one]; the third, how I am to be thankful to God for such deliverance." The Heidelberg Catechism has captured the heart and soul of what constitutes the living sacrifice. Not only are they ones who are spiritually bankrupt, and thus have fled to Christ for salvation but they also are ones who out of gratitude for what Christ has done, serve in the power of our Lord. According to Hebrews 12:28, it is this thankful disposition by which the living sacrifices offers to God acceptable service!

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