Week 11 – The Pathway: Consecration

Text: Romans 12:1

 

The last step in the pathway to spiritual power is consecration. In some respects, consecration is the final nail in the coffin of our death to self, but in reality, it is the resurrected life with Christ.

 

To consecrate something is to set it apart as sacred; we must set aside our entire lives as holy to the Lord. We must be careful that we do not over spiritualize this. We are not talking about selling everything and moving to a foreign country as a missionary, although it could mean that. In practicality, consecration means that everything is done as to the Lord. This is a transformation of our ordinary lives. It applies just as much to the retiree as it does the business owner. It applies just as much to the stay-at-home mom as it does the pastor. It is a full yielding of ourselves to embracing and delighting in the will of God.

 

There was a special ceremony that God enacted to consecrate the priests. In Leviticus 14, this ceremony is used for lepers who have been made clean. In essence, when Jesus declares us clean, we should consecrate our lives to Him. The symbolism begins with a complete confession of sin and application of the blood of Jesus to all our sins. The oil is a picture of the Holy Spirit and shows a consecration of our lives to the Lord.

–        The ear: We have not listened to God. We now consecrate our ears to listen to His voice.

–        The thumb: We have not done what God has told us to do. We now consecrate our actions to the Lord.

–        The toe: We have not walked in God’s ways. We now consecrate our feet to go wherever God would have us go.

–        The head: We consecrate the entirety of our being to Christ and His service.

 

We have spent weeks talking about crucifixion with Christ. Consecration is Christ now living in and through me. It is a presenting of ourselves to the Lord for His use (Romans 6.) To live is Christ (Philippians 1.) This is what it means to be a living sacrifice (Romans 12.) We have laid down our lives to live for Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.

In the Old Covenant there were many different types of sacrifices. The burnt offering was a sacrifice of dedication to the Lord. In this offering, the entire animal was consumed on the altar. This is what Paul is referring to in Romans 12. I am supposed to present the entirety of my life to be consumed by the Spirit of God and used for His purposes.

What are you holding back?

Will you place yourself on the altar?

Will you live your life as a sacrifice to the Lord?