Friday, 12 June 2026

Romans part 176 - Life in the Body 1

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Romans 12:1 I urge you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice - holy, acceptable to God - which is your spiritual service.

In this world we have options. We can obey God or disobey Him. So it is important in this life to control what we can control. This is especially important concerning our physical bodies.

Rabbi Trail: In the US military, trainees (A generic term, to be specific we would have to know of which branch of the military we are speaking.) are instructed that their body is now government property. If a military member abuses his/her own body, one of the charges at the court martial could be destruction of government property. So it is in the Lord's army too. End RT.

We belong to God, so if we abuse ourselves, we are also guilty of stealing from Him. Furthermore; God has established His temple (His residence) within each of us. So, if we don't present our bodies as a living sacrifice, we add the offense of destroying God's temple.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Don't you know that you are God's temple and that the Ruach Elohim dwells among you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

Carrying these thoughts further, I am amazed at the proliferation of body tattoos, given the injunction in the Torah against it. Leviticus 19:28 You are not to make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead or make any tattoo marks upon yourself. I am Adonai. But, what do you do if you already have a tattoo? My recommendation, recognize it is sin and repent. Peter spoke this on the Temple Mount. Acts 3:19 Repent, therefore, and return - so your sins might be blotted out.

If you have a tattoo, or several, don't get mad at me, I'm just the messenger. Don't get mad at God either, it is only by Him that we know right from wrong. And don't get mad at yourself. Let the Holy Spirit bring conviction and let conviction have her perfect work. In the TLV, conviction is called grief.

2 Corinthians 7:9 Now I rejoice, not that you were grieved (convicted), but that you were grieved to the point of repentance. For you were grieved according to God's will, so that you might in no way suffer loss from us. 10 For the grief that God wills brings a repentance that leads to salvation, leaving no regret. But the world's grief brings death.

We offer ourselves to the Lord, in every way. Paul starts with our physical bodies, but you will soon see that our souls and our spirits will all follow. Shalom shalom.