Today at The Way Assembly of God in Middleton we begin a new series titled “Godly Principles – Belief Impacts Behavior.” The first principle is simple, “You Are Not Your Own” out of 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. We were bought with a price, the precious blood of our Savior, Christ Jesus. We are to honor God with our bodies. As Romans 12 says, we are to “present” our bodies to God as a living sacrifice.
In the Old Testament, believers made a sacrifice; in the New Testament, believers are to be a living sacrifice. That means we need to learn self-control. Honestly, I am not sure I like that phrase “self-control.” It makes it sound like something I must work up or find within myself.
We need to understand that being self-controlled is really being grace-controlled. Paul wrote to Titus: “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age….” [Titus 2:11-12 NIV]
I’m not sure I have ever thought of grace as a teacher, yet among all the other functions of grace in our lives, teaching is a primary one … through grace we learn to turn from sin and the world’s passions. We learn how to live lives that are pleasing to God … which is what a sacrifice is to be after all—even a living one.
Father, may I learn from grace all that it means to be a pleasing sacrifice to You. Amen.
