We continue to examine the six steps of obedience to the good news preached by Jesus, in order to receive grace.

Paul’s Six Steps (Part 2)

6 Presenting Your Body a Living Sacrifice

Rom 12:1-2,11-12

One may properly regard a person as saved after all the above steps have taken. However Paul is also concerned that a person not be lost again. He encourages the continued "obedience of faith" (Rom 1:5). So Paul says, "Present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service" (Rom 12:1-2). Further on, he makes it plain that diligence and perseverance is required (Rom 12:11-12).

For simplicity, we have treated this as one step, but you will realise that this “step” is really a walk and a long one at that. Paul does speak of it as a walk. He tells us to...

• "walk in the steps of that faith" (Rom 4:12),
• "walk in newness of life" (Rom 6:4),
• "walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit" (Rom 8:1), and
• "walk honestly as in the day" (Rom 13:13)

If we will not take the step of a committed life, we cannot expect to keep a saving faith, hold on to eternal life, continue to have have the Spirit in us, and stay in the light of the day of God. So we see that ongoing faithfulness is the sixth step anyone must take in order to be saved.