91ÆÞÓÑ

A Living Sacrifice

By Jeff Peterson, Professor of New Testament

Our chapel theme for 2026–27 is taken from the opening of Romans, chapter 12. This is the beginning of the “So what?” section of Paul’s most systematically argued letter, following the most expansive presentation of the gospel we have from his pen in chapters 1–11. As many commentators note, the little word translated “therefore” in many versions (Greek oun) closely connects the new section of the letter, and Paul’s appeal for transformation in its opening verses, to the preceding exposition of how God has acted to deliver humankind from the enslaving powers of Sin and Death through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah and the pouring of his transforming Spirit into our hearts. The “mercies of God” (Rom 12:1) open up the possibility of new life for us now and impel us to pursue it. 

The gospel, then, is not just a set of propositions to be believed; it is the announcement of a new creation into which God has introduced us by raising Jesus from the dead and of a new life that God empowers in us through the Spirit of his risen Son. In Romans, Paul urges his audience to embrace this gift from God using an image drawn from the practice of temple sacrifice, the central practice of ancient religion. The Romans are impelled “by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice” (Rom 12:1). Just as priests in the temple offered the bodies of animals in sacrifice, so Christians are to make our bodies an offering of thanks to the God who has shown us mercy in Christ. 

Some commentators suggest that “bodies” here has a broader sense than its common reference to the physical body as one aspect of our human being, but I can’t find anything in the text to suggest this. Rather, with the image of a “living sacrifice” Paul recalls his earlier exhortation to “let not sin reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions” (Rom 6:12) and to “not yield your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but yield yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness” (Rom 6:13). 

The “obedience of faith” (or, better, “obedience of trust”) that Paul’s gospel has produced across the eastern Mediterranean (Rom 1:5) begins, to be sure, with the purification of the heart (cf. Rom 2:25–29, echoing Deut 30:6–8), but as Paul details in chap. 6, in the course of the Christian life it also extends to submitting the “members” or “limbs” of our “bodies” to God. Christians being transformed by the grace of God in Christ don’t use our lips and tongues to impugn God among the nations, nor our hands to steal, nor our limbs to commit adultery, nor our hearts to covet. We are thus called by the gospel to “render” or “offer” the whole of our existence in the body as an offering to God in gratitude for the new life bestowed on us in Christ. Nor is this a solo project; in Romans 12, we all together offer our bodies in one “living sacrifice” as our “reasonable service” in the spiritual temple constituted by the church. 

The image of a “living sacrifice” is puzzling; how can a sacrifice go on living? We might think here of the bush in which God appeared to Moses, which was “burning but not consumed” (Exod 3:2). Just as the fire in which God revealed himself burned, but the bush continued to exist, so we offer ourselves entirely to God, and “the life that I now live in the flesh, I live in the trust of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20). Christians are called to live “always carrying about the death of Christ in our body, that the life of Christ may be manifested in our bodies” (2 Cor 4:10). May the Spirit of God continue to transform us into the image of his Son in the days and months ahead, so that we may truly live as sacrifices and offer our bodies to him as instruments of his righteousness.

If you would like to apply to 91ÆÞÓÑ School of Theology, please contact our Engagement Officer, Christopher Jackson, at christopher.jackson@harding.edu or 501-279-5036.  You can also schedule an informational meeting with him . 

For students who wish to begin in a fall semester, the admissions deadline for all materials is July 15.

For students who wish to begin in a spring semester, the admissions deadline for all materials is November 15.

91ÆÞÓÑ School of Theology offers four graduate degree programs: Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Christian Ministry, Master of Divinity, and Doctor of Ministry. Most degrees take 3-5 years to complete, depending on course load and undergraduate education.

Additionally, we offer non-degree programs for students looking to expand their knowledge without committing to a full degree path. Courses are available online and on-campus, including select audited courses.

Students must have an undergraduate degree to attend classes through HST.

In 1952, 91ÆÞÓÑ launched a graduate program for theology on the Searcy campus. The demand for graduate studies grew with time, and it quickly became apparent that the school needed to expand. In 1953, with the support of countless men and women, 91ÆÞÓÑ purchased the King Estate at 1000 Cherry Road in East Memphis to house an extension program for graduate theological studies. In 1958, the Board of Trustees established the 91ÆÞÓÑ Graduate School of Religion as an official branch of 91ÆÞÓÑ.

The Cherry Road campus soon became a vital center of learning for ministers of the Church of Christ, in addition to a training ground for local church members in the Memphis area. At that time, the campus consisted of a few buildings, the most notable being the Old King Mansion where students would gather to worship in chapel, or to take pictures after graduation on the front steps. In later years, the W.B. West Classroom Building was built, along with several apartment buildings to house full time students.

In 1964, the L.M. Graves Memorial Library was constructed on the Cherry Road campus. A major wing was added to the library in 1978, and the Oliver and Norma Rogers Research Center was completed in 2006. Over time, the library grew to be one of the finest theological libraries in the south.

In 2011, the Board of Trustees officially changed the name of 91ÆÞÓÑ Graduate School of Religion to 91ÆÞÓÑ School of Theology. To keep up with the changing face of higher education and to reach students around the world, HST began to offer distance learning programs, interactive online classes, and intensive one-week courses on campus.

91ÆÞÓÑ School of Theology resided at the Cherry Road campus for a total of 66 years before returning to the main Searcy campus in August of 2024. Later that same year, the Center for Church and City Engagement was launched by 91ÆÞÓÑ at Holmes Road Church of Christ to continue to provide training, experiences, and resources for students and church leaders in the Memphis area.

The students and faculty at HST come from all walks of life. Some students have just finished their undergraduate programs, and others are returning to school after years of ministry service. Our professors bring diverse experiences (in life, ministry, and education) to the table [or “into the classroom”], allowing students to learn from various perspectives.

All students, faculty, and staff share the common goal of glorifying God through rigorous academics and passionate engagement in the world.

91ÆÞÓÑ School of Theology is associated with Churches of Christ, part of the American Restoration Movement.

91ÆÞÓÑ School of Theology holds a strategic partnership with Global Christian Studies for students who live outside of the U.S. and are seeking graduate education or ministerial training.