We all want to experience spiritual transformation, but how does it take place? Join us as we meditate on Romans 12:2 and see the crucial role that renewing our minds plays in this transformation.
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How To Experience Spiritual Transformation
Romans 12:2
The Book of Romans is Paul’s explanation and application of the gospel. The first eleven chapters are doctrinal in nature, and can be summed up in three simple statements:
- God has a problem with us. That’s 1:18-3:20. God’s problem with us is that we are unrighteous. We have suppressed the truth in unrighteousness and rebelled against God’s holy will. As a result all men are condemned by God’s holy law, and are under His wrath.
- God has a solution for us. The solution is that He offers to impute His very righteousness to us as a gift for those who believe in Jesus Christ. For those who trust in Christ there is no condemnation. We are justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.
- God has a plan for us. His plan for those who believe is to free them from slavery to sin, send His Spirit to indwell them, so that they put sin to death, and look forward to eternal glory with Christ. Further, God’s plan is to use the conversion of the Gentiles to provoke the Jews to jealousy, in order to bring them to salvation.
That brings us to Romans 12-16 which is Paul’s answer to how we apply the gospel to our life. How should we live in light of God’s incredible mercies?
Well, Paul’s first answer is unconditional surrender. We are to present our bodies (our whole lives) to God as living and holy sacrifices. This unconditional surrender which we are to give to God every minute of every day is our spiritual worship, not the singing of praise songs for 30 minutes on Sunday morning. As we dedicate our whole life to God, we experience spiritual transformation.
But just how does this spiritual transformation take place. That’s what Paul is describing in verse 2. Paul gives us two commands and a reason for obeying them. He gives us one negative command (do not be conformed to this world), one positive command (but be transformed by the renewing of your mind), and one reason for obeying them (so that you may prove what the will of God is). In other words there is something we must refuse to do, there is something we must do, and there is a reason we must do it.
1. Do Not Be Conformed To This World
Conformed. The Greek word means “to assume a similar outward form.” It is the idea of taking an ice cube tray, and pouring water into it, and then putting it in the freezer. When you pull it out later, the ice has taken on the same outward form as the trays. Or it is the same ideas pouring jello into a mold and putting it in the refrigerator. When you pull it out of the fridge the jello has taken on the same outward form as the jello mold. Paul is telling us not to allow the world to squeeze us into its mold.
The World. What does Paul mean by “the world.” It can’t simply mean planet earth, because we are told not to be conformed to it. Obviously it must have to do with the thoughts, opinions, values and priorities of those who live in the world. But since we are told that we must not conform to it, it must be talking about the portion of the world that is not following Jesus Christ. The Greek word for “world” means “age.” Therefore, when we are told not to be conformed to this world, the meaning must be that we must not be conformed to the thoughts and values of those who are living for this present age, without reference to God or the age to come. The word “world” is used in this sense in 1 John 5:19, “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”
Present Tense Verb. The verb for “do not be conformed” is in the present tense, which speaks of continuous action. Paul is saying, “keep on every day refusing to be conformed to this world.” We must be continually on our guard not to adopt the philosophies and values of the world.
There is a Pressure On Us To Conform. There is a pressure on all of us, just by living in this world, to conform. Of course, all of us want to be liked by others. All of us want to be well thought of. So, we feel an inward pressure to go along, not make waves with the world. For example, if the world changes its mind on what constitutes marriage, we will feel pressured to conform. It doesn’t matter that the entire world has known for thousands of years that marriage is between a man and a woman. If the world now decides marriage can be between 2 men, or 2 women, there is now a social pressure for us to go along. Or, if homosexuality or abortion becomes popular in our culture, we will all be pressured to conform to that new value. If the world decides that there is nothing wrong for two young people to live together instead of getting married, all of us will feel a certain pressure to go along with it. Of course, for the Christian, the real issue is not what the world thinks, but what God thinks. We must obey God rather than men.
In, but not Of the World. In John 17, Jesus said that His disciples were in the world, but they were not of the world. This world is not our home. We are pilgrims and strangers here. Our true home is heaven.
Are you worldly? Now, of course, we need to more closely define worldliness. Fundamentalists tend to see worldliness as smoking, drinking, dancing, card playing or gambling. As you can readily see, these are all external actions. However, notice Paul’s words, “Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” The opposite of being conformed to the world is not to stop committing all the external sins of the flesh. It is to renew your mind. Therefore, I submit that worldliness is primarily a way of thinking. It has to do with the philosophies and values of the world. It is to consider all of life like the rest of the world does. How do they consider it? They view life without reference to the lordship of Jesus Christ. They see life as an opportunity to do their will. They live life for the here and now, without reference to eternity. They value self-esteem, and self-gratification. Self is the center of their universe. You know the old Schlitz beer commercial, “You only go around once in life; you’ve got to grab all the gusto you can.” That is the essence of worldliness. Living supremely for this life, and neglecting God and the life to come. It is setting the supreme value upon material possessions, money, comfort, earthly pleasures and neglecting God, Christ, the Spirit, faith, love, holiness, sanctification, suffering and perseverance. He is speaking of the opinions, attitudes, values, and priorities of the world. Ask yourself:
- What does the world think?
- What does the world believe?
- What does the world value?
- What does the world pursue?
So, I ask again, are you worldly? How much do you value your present life and devalue the life to come? Do you consciously live each day under the lordship of Christ? How often do you go to Him ask Him what His will is concerning how you are spending your time, money and possessions? If you are not, you are being conformed to this world. Realize it, repent, and turn to God.
2. Be Transformed By The Renewing Of Your Mind
Be Transformed. Here is the positive command. We must refuse to be squeezed into the world’s philosophies and values system. On the contrary, we must be transformed. Now, that word “transformed” is the same Greek word that is used in the gospels for the transfiguration of Jesus Christ. What was happening when Jesus was transfigured? The inner glory of Christ’s deity was being manifest outwardly. He was God all along, but for the most part, people couldn’t see it. Now, Christ was allowing His Deity to go on display. His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. Do you see how being conformed to something is very different from being transformed? When you are conformed, you change your external actions to fall in line with others. When you are transformed, you are changed on the inside, with the effect that the inner beauty and glory finds expression on the outside. “Conforming” emphasizes the external. “Transforming” emphasizes the internal.
Metamorphow. That is the Greek word for “transformed”, but we get our English word “metamorphosis” from it. When a caterpillar spins a cocoon around itself, and then later emerges as a completely different creature on the outside, a butterfly, it has gone through a metamorphosis. It has been transformed from one thing into another thing. It didn’t conform to anything. It was transformed. The same thing happens to a tadpole. When it is hatched from an egg, it looks more like a fish. It has a body and a tail. But as it gets older, it grows legs and arms, and loses its tail! Now, let me ask you, how does a creature, just grow arms and legs?! It has been transformed, because of its inner nature, into a different creature! That is exactly what takes place in the Christian life. Because we have been born again, and are a partaker of the divine nature, we change, and this change shows up on the inside. Real Christianity is the life of God formed and growing on the inside of a person, which eventually expresses itself on the outside.
Present Imperative Passive Verb.
Present Tense: Because this verb is in the present tense, it speaks of something that goes on continually in our lives. This is not a one shot deal. We are being transformed day after day after day.
Imperative Voice: Because this verb is an imperative, it is a command. We do not have the option of ignoring or refusing this. It is not just Paul’s advice or suggestion. It is a command of God.
Passive Mood: We are not the ones doing the acting; we are being acted upon. We are not transforming ourselves. We are being transformed. So, if we are not transforming ourselves, who is transforming us? The Holy Spirit! That’s what Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” So, you might be thinking, “Great, God is the one who does the transforming. Therefore, I’m not responsible for this – He is.” Well, let’s keep reading.
By The Renewing Of Your Mind. This is our part that we must play in our transformation. True, God is the One who does the transforming. But we must actively renew our mind. What does this mean? It means we must reshape our thinking so that it is informed by the gospel. We must not allow our minds to think in the old worldly way. We must “renew” them, or reshape them. How do we do this? We do this by thinking God’s thoughts after Him. We do this, by allowing God to purge out wrong, unbiblical thinking, and replace it with true biblical thoughts. We learn to see all of life from God’s perspective. We learn to adopt a God-centered view of all of life. And, the only way we can do this is by reading and meditating on the word of God. The key to transformation is the renewal of your mind!
Read the Scriptures Regularly. Your time in the Scriptures must be regular and consistent. If you seldom read the Bible, or read it one day, wait three or four, and read a little, then don’t read for a week or two, and then read one day, you will not renew your mind.
Read the Scriptures Expectantly: Every time we read God’s Word, we are giving Him an opportunity to speak to us. That’s why I say we need to read the Word expectantly. Debbie and I have a Date Night every week; it’s every Monday night. Well, I want you to schedule a date with the Lord every morning of your life. This is your time to commune with and worship the Creator of the universe. We should be excited to see how the Lord will speak to us each morning through His Word!
Read the Scriptures Humbly: If you come to the Bible with your mind already made up, how is your mind every going to be renewed? If you have faulty thinking, you need to be corrected, so you can change your thinking. However, a proud person, does not come to the Bible to be corrected. Remember, the Bible is the authority, not you! Let what you read in the Word challenge any preconceived opinions you may have. You will probably find that you have a pretty good understanding of this or that particular truth, but your understanding needs to be refined. You need to take this Scripture or that Scripture into account, so that your understanding of this doctrine is complete. James says in 1:21, “Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.”
Read the Scriptures Consecutively: What I mean by this, is start at the beginning of a book and read straight through to the end. I know a lot of Christians dip into the Bible here in Isaiah for a few verses, and the next day they read a little from Ecclesiastes, and the next day they are in Philippians, and the following day they are in Revelation. The problem with that is that you never get the context of what you are reading. You never see the author’s flow of thought, from one paragraph to the next, and from one chapter to the next. Too often we treat the Bible like a magic book. We close our eyes, flip open the Bible, and start reading, without any understanding of the historical background or the context, and we think God is really speaking to us. Would you read one of Shakespeare’s plays or C.S. Lewis’ fictional stories in the same way? Would you turn to page 166 and read a paragraph one day, then on the next day turn to page 32 and read another paragraph? Of course, that sounds ridiculous, but why do we do that with the Bible? Learn to read through the Scriptures consecutively from beginning to end.
Are you being transformed by the renewing of your mind? Is the answer “yes” or “no”? If the answer is “no”, you are disobeying this command of God, and need to repent this morning, and set about to change that immediately. Don’t make excuses for your actions or justify yourself. Simply confess your sin to God, and ask Him to give you the grace you need to obey Him.
3. So That You May Prove What The Will Of God Is
The Result. Paul gave us two commands – one positive, and one negative. Now, he finishes by telling us what will happen if we obey the commands. We will prove what the will of God is.
Prove. This Greek word contains two ideas in it. The NIV has translated it well: “Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is.” The idea is to test in order to approve. As our minds are renewed, we will be able to discern God’s will, and approve or delight in it. When we went to school, the teacher tested us. Why? Not so that she would have the pleasure of failing everyone! No, she tested us so that we would be approved when we passed the test. That’s the idea here. Sometimes Christians think that if they want to know the will of God in a particular area, all they have to do is pray about it and God will give them a revelation of His will. Now, of course God can, and sometimes does this. But His normal way of guiding us in difficult decisions is for us to thoughtfully test and discern God’s will as our minds are reshaped by Scripture. Our ability to discern the will of God will grow as our mind is renewed by the Scriptures. This is very different from living our life by trying to hear voices telling us to do this or that. People who try to live their lives by hearing voices are not in harmony with Romans 12:2. God’s aim is not to just give us new information (divine revelation). His aim is that we grow spiritually by learning to apply Scripture to new situations in our life.
The Will Of God. The Bible uses the phrase “the will of God” in different ways.
God’s Sovereign Purpose. Sometimes the Bible uses “the will of God” to refer to God’s sovereign will. By that I mean what God is going to bring to pass. We can not thwart this will of God. The sovereign will of God always comes to pass. This is the sense in which the will of God is used in Daniel 4:35, “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?” In other words, this will of God is unstoppable and invincible. Paul says in Ephesians 1:11, “we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.” Again, this will of God is His sovereign purpose which always comes to pass. Or again, Proverbs 16:33 says, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” Or, Proverbs 21:1, “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.”
God’s Commands. Sometimes the Bible uses “the will of God” to refer to God’s commands. It is the will of God that we not lie, steal, cheat, murder, or commit adultery. 1 Thess. 5:18 says “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” God commands us to give thanks in everything, so this is His will. Paul says in 1 Thess. 4:3, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality.” When the Bible uses the phrase “the will of God” in these places, it is not talking about God’s sovereign purpose, but rather His commands. Now, Paul can’t be talking about God’s sovereign purpose because we can’t test that. God has not told us what most of His sovereign plans are. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God” Dt. 29:29. Paul can’t be talking about God’s commands either, because we don’t need to test God’s commands. God’s commands are clear. It is not my place to test the 10 Commandments. It is my place to obey them. Well, then what is Paul talking about when he speaks of “the will of God”?
Making Godly Decisions When We Have No Direct Command from God. There are many situations in life where we will not have a clear command of Scripture. What do we do then? I believe that’s what Paul is talking about here. He is telling us that as our minds are renewed, we will be transformed so that we are able to discern and have the wisdom to make the best decision in a given situation, even though we have no clear command in Scripture. This requires maturity. We need to grow in our ability to make wise and godly decisions. We face decisions like this very often. The Bible gives us no verse about who we are to marry, what kind of employment we should seek, where we should live, what kind of car to buy, what cell phone plan to choose, which church we should be a member of, where our children should go to school, or a million other decisions. However, as we renew our minds, we will gain wisdom to make godly choices in these areas.
I believe this is what Paul is talking about in Philippians 1:9, “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent…” Or again in Ephesians 5:10 where he says, “trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.”
That which is good and acceptable and perfect. This points out the truth that as our minds are renewed, we are not just able to discern God’s will in new situations. Rather, we approve of God’s will. We take joy and delight in His will. We find that His will is good. His will is acceptable or pleasing. His will is perfect.
Are you growing in your ability to discern the will of God? When you don’t have a specific verse of Scripture that pertains to a decision you need to make, are you learning to apply Biblical principles in order to make wise and godly decisions?
Do you approve, rejoice and take pleasure in God’s will? It is one thing to be able to discern what God’s will is. It is totally another to take pleasure in it. We approve of God’s will because we know that of all the ways we could respond to this situation, this one is best. This way will glorify God. This way will cause me to walk as Jesus walked.
Conclusion
This week I encourage you to develop a regular, consistent, expectant, humble, and consecutive intake of God’s Word so that your mind will be renewed. The renewing of your mind is the key to your spiritual transformation, and the reading and meditating on the Scriptures is the key to the renewing of your mind. Make this a lifelong habit! If you give yourself to this in fits and starts, don’t expect much progress in the renewing of your mind. But if you will develop this as a godly habit for the rest of your life, then you can expect your mind to be renewed and spiritual transformation to take place.
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