The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 370

HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Ver. 1.-The lit1ing sacryio& In the oldest reoords that can be found of the various nations of the e.'U'th, sacrifice is always fonnd to have formed part of their religious sernces. Thus we find an idea universally existing that something was needed to obtain pardon for guilt, and to express gratitnde to the supreme being or beings whom they regarded as the givers and benefactors of their life. But it is only when we come to the religion of Israel that we find the idea of sa.crifice having any influence upon the life. The other na.tions offered sacrifices, but there was no turning away from evil. Kay, in the case of ma.ny heathen countries, their acts of religious worship beoame, and have become, associated with immoral and degrading practices. The religion of Israel, however, tanght the necessity of personal holiness. True, their religion wa.s largely composed of rites and ceremonies, but it was a. religion of pra.ctical mora.lity aL"O. Very plainly the Jewish psalmist recognizes that it is the sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart that is most acceptable to God, a.nd that without this it is vain to offer the blood of bulls and goats. But the high precepts of their religion were sadly neglected by the Jews in later years. In the time of Jesus Christ on earth, the religion of most of them was a religion of ritual and routine. He told the Pharisees that though they outwardly appeared righteous unto men, within they were full of hypocrisy and iniquity. But Jesus came to teach men true religion. The worship that he demands is a worship in ipirit and in truth. The sacrifice tha.t he requires is a sacrifice of our life. He wants the activities and energies of body, soul, and spirit to be consecrated to his service. This is what the apostle means when he speaks of pre- senting our bodies as a living sacrifice. I. IT IS TO BE A SACRIFICE OF OUR FEELINGS. The whole heart must be given up to God, so that whatever is right may be strengthened, and that whatever is wrong may be taken away. Many Christians render to Christ an imperfect sacrifice in this respect. They keep back part of their life from him. They allow themselves to be dominated by feelings which are inconsistent with his spirit and precepts. They will excw;e them.selves for some besetting sin by saying, "That is my nature; I can't help it." The evil nature is still with ns, it is true; but it is our duty to strive against it, to overcome it. :Moses appears to have been at first a man of hasty and violent temper. Yet the Divine discipline, and no doubt also his own obedience to the Divine will, produced such a change in his character that it is afterwards recorded of him, .. Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men who were' upon the face of the earth." It is a natural thing to be angry when things are said or done to provoke us; but is it Christian? So with the other feelings of envy, of pride, of revenge, of hatred-instead of yielding to them or excnsing them, the true Christian will be ashamed of them and sorry for them, and will do his beet to overcome their influence in his heart. II. IT IS TO BE A SACRIFICE OF OUR AFFECTIONS. The love of God should ever be the chief affection of our heart. Not that we are to love our friends less, but we are to love God more. Hence, when our natural affections become hindrances in the Christian life, they must be restrained and subdued. The strongest temptations to t1e Cbri5tian are not always those that come from the baser part of his nature, but 60 metimes those that come from the purer and better emotions of the soul. The love of a friend-it might seem strange that there should be anything wrong in that. Yet even this affection, right and natural in itself, becomes wrong when it interferes with love to God. The love of home-how can there be anything wrong in that? Yet there is wror:,g in it when it interferes with the call of duty. "He that loveth father or mother more than me," says Christ, "is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." When the din of war begins to resound throughout a land, the man who has dedicated himself to the military 11ervioe of his country does not hesitate to obey the trumpet-call. His farm or his business may require his presence, ar:d °;lay ~uffer ~eriou~ly by his abse~ce.. It is a sore trial v, war himself away from bis Wlfo, from his family, and from lu11 friends, whose fa.cos ht may IJever 11W again in this world. But lwwevcr proesing the claims of his daily work may be, however lltrong his domestic ties, all these CQUJjiderations mus~ now give mr, m.1-21.] THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS. 369