2007 Conference Theme: Consecrated to Thee, Lord
By Anson Wong

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” – Romans 12:1-2

In Old Testament times, the Lord set forth strict laws regarding priesthood ministry and the standards of holy sacrifices. An annual offering of blood by the high priest was essential for the atonement of sins. However, such offerings under the old covenant were problematic which did not carry a permanent effect of uprooting the effect of sins.  The priests who made the offerings were themselves vulnerable to sins and the blood of animals was not the ideal sacrifice. Therefore, God set up a new covenant with His people by giving us the holy and perfect Great High Priest Jesus Christ, whose sacrificial blood clears the guilty conscience of His believers once and for all.

In response to Christ’s example of sacrificial offering, Paul urged us to offer ourselves as living, holy and pleasing sacrifices to God. By the grace and mercy of God, we have been made holy through faith in the atoning power of the blood of Jesus so that we can ‘approach the throne of grace with confidence’ and ‘receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need’ (Hebrews 4:16) as we devote ourselves to God. We are not bound to God by servile fear, but attracted to Him by the sweetness of His grace and the cheerful love of His righteousness.

‘Consecration’ describes the act of ‘setting apart for holy purposes’. Paul looked at the consecration of both our bodies and our mind to God. The essence of Godly servant-hood involves the devotion of the members of our physical bodies to God with the right attitude. We should also acknowledge the ownership and authority of God over our lives by right of creation and redemption, such that God can continually transform us through the renewing of our minds to help us resist conformity to the world and enable us to test God’s will. 

In this winter’s conference, we shall learn from and be encouraged by Paul’s exhortation. As we humbly offer to our Wonderful Savior and Mighty Redeemer, may we all bow down before Him and profess: “Consecrated to Thee, Lord.”