1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
by the mercies of God,
The “by” in this phrase gives the ground of presenting ourselves to God. The basis of our giving ourselves to the Lord is what He has done for us.
The phrase “mercies of God” here refers to all of God’s provisions in the first 11 chapters of Romans. “Mercies” are various compassions from God toward us, such as justification, our eternal status before God in Christ, glorification, provision of the Holy Spirit, the grace concept, and so on.
“Mercies” is in the plural indicating a wealth of mercy from God. God lavishes His mercy on believers. He has plenty of mercy—His compassions never fail. The plural indicates the different instances of God’s mercy throughout Romans 1 to 11.
PRINCIPLE:
We serve God because of His compassion toward us.
APPLICATION:
“Mercy” is an aspect of grace whereby God gives to the disgraceful and shameful. It is God’s action toward the miserable. Basic motivation for living before God comes from His compassion for us.
Lam 3:22-23, 22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
