July 8

Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God. — Rom 12:1

Doctrines are the roots from which duties grow.

After eleven chapters of severe logic, the strongest kind of strong meat, we have now five chapters of the most practical sort of teaching. Roots are necessary to beautiful plants, and doctrines are necessary to duties. Moralities without doctrines at the back of them are rootless plants.

The two phrases, “a little sacrifice,” and “be ye transformed,” give us the key of all the beautiful lessons in this chapter. We are to give ourselves to Christ as a sacrifice laid upon the altar, and are to grow into all divine loveliness of disposition and character.

In becoming Christians we become members of the body of Christ. This implies that it is the life of Christ that is in us, and that it is the life of Christ that is in us, and that we must be like Him, since we are animated by His life.

We can realize this beauty of life only by surrendering ourselves wholly to Christ, thus becoming in fact members of Him. Then shall we be in reality transformed into the likeness of Christ.