Bible Studies

Defining Reasonable Service

by Henry Jaegers
02/27/25
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Studies in the Book of Romans

By Henry Jaegers

Chapter 12

Part 1

Defining "Reasonable Service"

 All On the Altar (Verses 1 and 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 that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God is.

 These first two verses define to us what our response should be to those closing words of chapter  "For of him, and and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen."

 Several months ago, as I was meditating on these verses, the words ' Reasonable service' captured my attention. I thought this would be a great heading to place upon all the remaining chapters. It is unfortunate that some translators chose to translate this as 'which is your spiritual service of worship.' This distinction is crucial for our understanding and discernment.

 I discovered how the Greek New Testament translated "reasonable service" and found that it was correct. Why do I have to make it complex by changing it? Translating it according to people's thinking would mean what is reasonable by human standards. But reasonable service from God's point of view borders more on perfection. Reasonable service is more than "acceptable service"." In the Old Testament, it was not the animal that pleased God, but it was the heart of the man who offered it. That is what made it "A living Sacrifice" back then.

 Before us is a comparison to the Old Testament' Burnt Offering.' Unlike the other offerings, the burnt offering was to be offered totally on the altar, inwards and all. It was all for God and none for self. Here, we find a powerful picture of what the Christian life is: all of God and none of self, and this harmonizes perfectly with the teachings found in Romans chapters six through eight. This is the weight of commitment and dedication in our worship; total consecration.

 But let us not disregard the 'Spiritual Offering of Worship.' This is how all of our services should begin: with worship. Anything else is 'the work of the flesh.' The offering was to be offered willingly. This form of worship should invoke in us a sense of reverence and humility.

 Now, as we examine the text, let us discover our " reasonable service" in relation to God.  

 I love these opening words of Paul, which he uses so frequently in his letters. The words " I beseech you" can be understood more passionately. I like to translate them as "I entreat you." It means "to be called alongside in order to receive something great." The word can be translated in many ways, but "I entreat you" is my favorite. Our response ought to be in light of what God has already made known to us.

 In the Old Testament, it was a dead sacrifice that sufficed for that time. But now we have something better to offer to God. "A living Sacrifice." The Holy Spirit that lives within makes our worship acceptable to God. Without the Holy Spirit, it is like something dead being offered to God. 'Remeber the words of Paul, that "They that are in the flesh cannot please God." Spiritual worship is the source of reasonable service. Only the Holy Spirit can make this possible. This emphasizes the importance of maintaining a fresh, anointed service to God daily.

 Only a living sacrifice is acceptable to God. And although we have living bodies, that is not the only offering we must make to God. We can have living bodies, but without the inward working of the Holy Spirit, our offerings are lifeless and meaningless. The presence of the Holy Spirit is what brings glory to God. The workings of the flesh bring only glory to ourselves and rob God of the glory due to Him. And we cannot disregard the importance of prayer. That is how we receive that power. And we have just considered the first verse.

 Then consider, "And be not conformed to this world." That is also a powerful injunction. Being conformed to this world is not what we are to be. Consider the first words of Psalm 1. "Blessed is the man who walks not after the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of the sinner, nor sits in the seat of the scornful." That gives us a clear picture of what the godly man should avoid. This Psalm describes perfectly what a "Happy Man" is. (He is a blessed man.) Do not let Satan tell you that you are missing out on something when you choose to follow God.

 Another translation of this word is "Don't let the world squeeze you into its mold." (Phillips translation of the New Testament)

 Then we must give a clear definition of what I meant by "The world." John, in his first epistle, gives the most apparent and most biblical answer of what "The World" is. Consider: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." (First John 2: 15 through 17)

 Perhaps there is no clearer definition than what these words record. First, to love the world is idolatry in its rawest form. It is an enemy of God because it attempts to substitute something precious and eternal for something temporal and short-lived. It promises something that it cannot give: harmony and blessedness.

 So compelling has this temptation been that Satan uses it over and over again to trip us up. The only person in the world that it could not overcome was our Lord Jesus Christ. This temptation consists of only three parts: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. If ever there was a device designed to completely destroy humanity, it is this. What are these? The lust of the flesh refers to the desire for pleasure. It is a pleasure forbidden by God but one that has a tendency to make us its slaves. It appeals to the lowest part of our sinful nature and promises to give it satisfaction and eventually makes us captive to a slavery that will utterly destroy us. The second phase is the lust of the eyes. That comes from never being satisfied with what we have. The desire for things is another form of slavery that leads to poverty. Those who are not tempted to yield to the flesh may find their slavery by an uncontrolled desire to have things that are beyond their capacity to have. If it is not addiction, it is poverty.

 Finally, the third phase is worse than them all and often less noticeable: the pride of Life. This is the desire to be liked and admired by all. It is displayed through everything that has the word "Self" attached to it. It is the desire to please and exalt ourselves. It is the highest form of idolatry, and God has provided the cross to control all of these selfish tendencies.

  This is "The World", that we are told not to conform.

Then, we come to the final part of our verse that gives us the solution to the problem of the world. Notice:

 "And be transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

 That means forming a conviction about acceptable behavior and being transformed by renewing our mind. It does not say to give in to our feelings and emotions. The mind is the central processing area of the body and the soul. We are transformed by what we place into our minds. As Christians, we have an advantage that the world does not have. We have the Holy Spirit, who has allowed us to change course in our actions. We also have an objective truth that brings discernment and understanding of God's ways. Our lives are transformed because we have an inward and outward substance that makes true righteousness possible, and true righteousness convinces the world of its emptiness and need.

 Even as we complete this exposition on this verse and grow in our spiritual understanding, we will discover that we have just skimmed the surface of what the phrase " reasonable service" means. This is what reasonable service, Godward, means. We will discover more of its application as we proceed through the rest of these chapters.