“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God..."
Get your life rooted in Romans 1-11. In fact you should be build your Christian life of worship on Romans 1–11. Do not substitute the grace and mercy that comes from heaven by Christ Jesus as if you're not expected share it and grow through it, instead submit your LIFE to Jesus and the mercies of God, become his mercy and grace. God has been merciful to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And he's broken the chains of "if you do this, then you get that". That's our joy, and in Christ Jesus' mercy, those who believe in him are justified by that joyful faith, and we're reconciled to God in him.
Jesus said the world is not saved by being condemned (John 3:17). Punitive measures has not saved anyone. What happened is God, through mercy and grace, has worked it out that HE is going to make the change. He's doing it. He's effecting that change. All anyone has to do is to turn from their natural self and follow Christ. That's what they do. They follow him, remain in him, keep watch for him, love him, obey him, praise him. That's called being "in him". He's making the change when you're in him day by day. The merit is in him. The holiness is in him. The salvation is in him.
Yeah but Mike, what's the evidence of this change called being in him?
Have you been feeding your enemy?
Are you no longer repaying evil for evil?
Have you clothed the naked and visited the sick?
Do you associate with the lowly ones?
Can it be said of you that you bless those who persecute you?
Are you blessing the saints and weeping with those who weep?
Have you visited the prisoners and shared the good news with them?
Is your love genuine love?
If these things reflect your worship life and can be said to be true of you, it can be said that you are bearing the fruit of a life built upon the mercy that comes from Jesus Christ. It can be said that you are being Christ-like. This is the evidence of the work being done by Jesus Christ through you. His Spirit is in you and moving you into these things. This is the evidence of you having been caught up and filled up in him. This is a worshipful life in him. Your spiritual work is worship. Presenting your flesh as a living sacrifice. You give yourselves away in worship to God. And doing this is the ultimate evidence. This worshipful life is the ultimate evidence. Because without it, all these evidences are just a life built upon a mere social agenda.
Your life must be founded upon worshipping Christ Jesus. And as ambassadors for Christ, in the end, we do no one any good if we are not worshiping and leading people to worship in acts of mercy and grace in Christ. All of it needs to conform to Christ's mercies. As Christians we're not about making people comfortable or helping them feel good on the way to everlasting punishment and hopelessness.
“Present your bodies as a sacrifice . . . to God.”
Q: What is that?
A: It's your spiritual worship.
“Be transformed in the renewal of your mind.”
This is not about a sacrifice for sin. That is done already in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This is about offering "spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ". And in him these spiritual acts (fruit) are made acceptable to God. Through his perfection, not our own.
By the way, this isn't about bodily beauty...remember, while Christ Jesus was torn and beaten, stripped naked, a bloody horror, mocked, and spit upon; he was also gloriously beautiful. Filled with mercy and grace through it all. He was beautiful in this horrible bodily state. It wasn't his repulsive physical condition that made him holy and perfect, that physical body wasn't the sacrifice. His acts of mercy and grace through it all was his beautiful sacrifice. His act of love and grace being poured out by his blood all over that cross was his true beauty. God doesn’t demand our bodies because he wants models, he wants our worship in Spirit and in truth. We wants models of mercy and grace. God wants visible, lived-out, bodily evidence that our lives are built on HIS mercy and HIS grace.
When we show mercy, we're showing God to the world. When we show love and grace, we're showing God our worshipful hope in him. When we live in Christ, when we speak his name, when we follow and obey his commands; we are showing God that we know his truth, he is our hope, and we genuinely value life in him.
Final thought:
I know there's this constant battle of the differing dogma's surrounding this salvation by grace or by works theme. And I believe it's mainly people talking past each other.
Listen, he that believes and trusts Jesus, out of him will flow rivers of living water. Jesus said that. Both things must occur. One's worship in Christ must be founded upon believing and trusting in the works of salvation through Christ Jesus' sacrifice. And one's worship in Christ must also be alive, active, and pouring out life giving mercies and grace by the works of The Holy Spirit. You can't have one without the other.
How can I say that? How can I boldly and confidently say that your salvation in Christ MUST be pouring out life giving mercies?
That's easy...Jesus said it. The apostles said it. The whole Bible says it. And I believe them.
You've been born again?
Good.
Act like it.
You can find your spiritual job description in Matthew chapter twenty five.
Take this to heart -
Hebrews 13:16: “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”