I am really not a big Star Trek fan, but at the same time I have a special place tucked away in my brain for Spock. I have always been one to look for the logical explanation in everything… even with the things of God. Yeah, I know, dangerous ground! Well, as I continue my journey through Romans I was pleased to discover that “logic” does play a part in our spirituality.
Rom 12:1 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.
I have always paused on the last part of verse 1 and thought about that term “reasonable.” Is it logical for me to determine what my reasonable service is, or is it defined somewhere in the Bible for me to follow? Well, it’s right there in verse 1.
As we have it here, the King James translates it as your reasonable service, the RSV says your spiritual worship, and Phillips says an act of intelligent service. The reason for the differences lies in translating the word in the Greek language. The early Greek translated it as logikos, from which we get our word logic. But the Greek scholars of our time have translated it more properly in its spiritual context as meaning a life of yieldness to the Lord God in order that He may live His life in us; therefore spiritual worship.
Now, if I may. My logic tells me that we have come to the Cross and looked up at the love He has poured out upon us. It logically follows then that we should go out and live our life in a way that is worthy of that love. The way we walk, talk, and carry ourselves should reflect how much we really do love Him. That is the life that is acceptable unto God. He wants us this way because He knows that we will then be living in the way that is best for us… ergo, living for Him.
So, put it all together… intelligent, spiritual worship.
The believer who knows that he or she has truly trusted in Jesus as Lord of their life is now beseeched (parakaleo – implored) to live a true Christian life. And if we will then, as we have discussed many times, the result is that we will be conformed.
Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
It’s reasonable that we should worship Jesus in the spirit, and in return we will become just like Him; His character will become our character. Paul tells us here that we are no longer conformed to this world; we are being transformed into Jesus’ image day-by-day; and we shall be fully conformed into His image when He comes.
Now that’s logical!