Your body belongs to Christ. Present it to Him.

Romans 6:12-13 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. Yesterday we were encouraged by Paul’s admonition to the Romans not to let sin reign in their bodies, today we take further encouragement about how to do that. Verses 12-14 seem to be the application of the doctrine of our union with Jesus. If we were united with Jesus in His death and resurrection and we are new creations in Christ with Jesus dwelling in our bodies (We are His temple), then we have a responsibility, a stewardship if you will, in the process of sanctification. There is an obedience called for by the Holy Spirit if we are to walk in righteousness, which is the desire of Christ. Righteousness has to do with relating rightly to our fellow human beings. Paul clearly believed that regenerated persons have the capacity to stop practicing sin with their bodily members. He isn’t referring to their personalities because the soul of a believer is immortal. However, the body is mortal. Before we came to trust in Jesus, it was our practice to repeatedly present or give the members of our bodies to sin to use as instruments of unrighteousness. Paul commanded them to stop it because they now had the ability to do so since Jesus lives in them. Our bodies are no longer our own to use as we feel like it. Our bodily members belong to Jesus. Our bodies are His to use for the purpose of righteousness for the glory of God. Paul used this same reasoning with the Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 6:15 “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!” Here is the encouragement for today. If you are standing in the grace of God and indwelled by Jesus Christ, or let me put it this way. If you are living with Jesus, then stop giving your mind, eyes, mouths, ears, hands, feet, or sexual members to sin, but settle it once and for all. Present your body to God like Jesus does. He lives to God (vs. 10), and He’s living to God in your body. You must give Him access to use your body as instruments of righteousness. This presentation of your body to God is an action done at one point in time. It is having an official service of dedication before God where you say to God. “I am alive to You in Christ. Here is my mind. Here are my eyes. Here is my tongue and mouth, etc. I present them to You to use to love others. My body is Yours to love through. Make my mind, eyes, mouth, hands, feet, and sexual organs Yours.” This gives hands and feet to living to love with Jesus. Have you had such an official dedication service before God with your body? If not, consider that the Holy Spirit commands it. To live to love with Jesus is to give Him access to all that you have and are. Then daily walk in the reality and faithfulness of your commitment to God with Jesus. Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com