Holy and Pleasing to God!

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.

In the Old Testament, sacrifices could not be offered to God unless they were first checked by the priest and found to be pleasing - no blemish whatsoever!
The living animal after being checked and found to be worthy was then sacrificed on behalf of the sinner. God had made a way that He could have mercy on the sinner via a substitutory sacrifice, so that His Pleasure and Goodwill could now be directed towards the sinner. Note that it was ALWAYS Gods intention to be Good towards and Bless mankind, but man had rejected Him and fallen into Unbelief towards His Goodness (Through Adam and Eve not believing God and believing Satan that were not already like God - created in His image and likeness, as well as Israel rejecting the Free Blessing of the Abrahamic Covenant that they were already under and choosing to be blessed by "sight" - by what they did outwardly, and not by "Faith" - by what they believed..... So God made another way through the Law, but this was NOT Gods best or First choice for man.)

Back to the living sacrifice of the Old Testament. Once God was pleased with the atoning sacrifice He could now have Mercy (which is based on His Righteousness in judging the atoning sacrifice) on the offerer and they were now "set-apart/holy/sanctified" until this offering was again due. So God had Mercy on the offerer because He was pleased with the Sacrifice
And because the offerer was accepted by God, he was set appart (or holy, or sanctified).
So Paul, in Romans 12:1 says, Brothers (Brethren - believers), I beg/exhort/encourage strongly/urge you, because you now know that Gods mercy is fully directed towards you, and His Mercy IS NOW upon you - as he has just reiterated a few verses earlier: (Rom 11:32 For God has shut up all in unbelief, so that He might show mercy to all.)
show yourself before God as He now sees you in the NEW COVENANT - as Holy/set appart/sanctified, and Pleasing..... because this is what you are!!
He then says that this is your "reasonable/logical" "service/thing to do".

Its completely logical, because of/by reason of/in view of, Gods mercy towards you that is ALREADY IN PLACE through the Cross, that you now show yourself to God as He sees you, because He IS already pleased with you - Evidenced by His Mercy towards you- and therefore you are set apart/Holy already.
Its most commonly taught - by me too in the past - that we must try to live holy and become pleasing to God because He has done so much for you. But part of the "so much" He has done for us is make us righteous already by JUST believing this Good News.

Here is the thing: Is Jesus Holy?..... Absolutely!!
Is Jesus Pleasing to the Father?..... most definitely!!

Now,:1Jn 4:17 Herein is love made perfect with us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, even so are we in this world.

So because Jesus is holy and pleasing, SO ARE WE..... even NOW... "in THIS World"

When you and I begin to constantly see ourselves the way God already sees us, and not the way the world sees us - and tries to force us into its mould - we will automatically be able to distinguish what Gods will is because we know His heart:

Rom 12:2 And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, and ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

When your mind thinks like God thinks about you, you are able to PROVE that Gods will for you is Always Good/beneficial, Acceptable/fully agreeable/well pleasing and perfect in evey way.
The converse of this ofcourse is that if our minds are not renewed to the Gospel of Gods grace towads us, we will soon begin to think that Gods will is not always Good, pleasing and perfect for us. This "conformed to the world" type of unrenewed thinking has space for sickness, poverty, divorce, car accidents... and the like, as being from God to teach us or draw us nearer to Him or judgement as a result of sin in our lives, but this is Completely and Utterly ANTI-Christ because it ignores the Cross that was the means to reconcile us to God:

"2Co 5:19 whereas God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing/counting their trespasses/sins to/against them, and putting the word of reconciliation in us."

God wants us to know that He is FOR us and NOT against us.... He Loves us perfectly inspite of ouselves.... WE MUST SEE THIS!!
We are already holy and pleasing in His sight because of the atoning act of Jesus on our behalf.

(All this Goodness is available even for unbelievers, but they need to believe the Gospel/Good News that Jesus died for all their sins once for all time in order to access and appropiate/walk under Gods Good, pleasing and perfect will for themselves.)

Isnt it quite something that submitting to the Goodness of our Gracious Lord is often the most difficult thing to do - because we have been programed for so long work for and earn any kind of favour.... this Gospel really is "Almost too good to be true news"

God Blessed you!!
Andrew