Not Fleshly Conformation
BUT
Spirit Wrought Transformation
BUT
Spirit Wrought Transformation
The eyes of the LORD are searching
to and fro throughout the earth (2Chr 16:9) for men and women who
will not be conformed but rather transformed by the Holy Spirit into the
image of Jesus Christ. Beloved, there is no "middle ground", no neutral
territory - if you are a follower of Christ, you are either a conformer or
a transformer! Your life is being changed either by pressure from without
(conformation) or
by power from within (transformation). As we yield in
Romans 12:1 and meditate on His Word, God's Spirit transforms us into
"living sacrifices" with "renewed minds", God saturated people who radiate
His glory. May God be pleased to raise up a generation of transformers, not
conformers, men and women whose lives are controlled by a Divine Power from within,
not worldly pressure from without. Amen.
Sanday and Headlam's paraphrase
- Do not adopt the external and fleeting fashion of this world, but
be ye transformed in your inmost nature.
Beware of the subtle trap of seeking to
avoid all manner of worldly behaviors and influences and yet failing to be
transformed by the Spirit, for this is simply another form of
legalism. To keep out the weeds of the world, seek continually to yield to
and walk by the Spirit (Gal 5:16-note)
Who produces the fruit that effectively strangles the weeds. John Piper
says it this way...
“Be transformed by the renewing of your
mind.” The focus is not first on getting the outside of the cup cleaned
up, but on getting the inside cleaned up. In other words,
transformation and non-conformity on the outside
must flow from a new mind. Be transformed in the renewing of your
mind.
Wuest
has an enlightening "amplified version" - And stop assuming an outward
expression that does not come from within you and is not representative of
what you are in your inner being but is patterned after this age; but
change your outward expression to one that comes from within and is
representative of your inner being, by the renewing of your mind,
resulting in your putting to the test what is the will of God, the good
and well-pleasing and complete will, and having found that it meets
specifications, place your approval upon it.
(Wuest's
Word Studies from the Greek New Testament)
William Newell - Fashioned (conformed) is
literally, schemed-together-with. It is the very word of 1Co
7:31: scheme (Greek, schema),
made into a verb, with the conjunction along-with (sun/syn),
for prefix. The devil will
rope you into his "scheme," unless you surrender your body to God to be by
Him delivered. Harry Ironside (Romans 12 Commentary) introduces his comments on this verse noting that Romans 12:2...
makes clearer the meaning of the Ro
12:1. The Cross of Christ has come in between the believer and the world
(cp Ga 2:20-note).
To conform ourselves to the ways of this present evil age (Ga 1:4) is to
be unfaithful to the One whom the world has rejected but whom we confess
as our Lord and Savior.
"I would give the world to have your
experience," said a young woman on one occasion to a devoted Christian
lady.
"My dear," was the reply, "that's
exactly what it cost me. I gave the world for it."
The loyal heart exclaims with gladness,
not grudgingly,
Take The World, But Give Me Jesus
All its joys are but in name;
But His love abideth ever,
Through eternal years the same.
-Fanny J. Crosby
All its joys are but in name;
But His love abideth ever,
Through eternal years the same.
-Fanny J. Crosby
Moved by the "expulsive power of a new
affection," it becomes easy for the soul to say with Paul:
God forbid that I should glory, save
in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto
me, and I unto the world (Gal 6:14-note).
We are not to suppose that
nonconformity to the world necessarily involves awkward behavior, peculiar
dress, or rude manners. But the entire world system is summed up in three
terms: "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life [or the ostentation of living]" (1Jn 2:16-note).
Therefore nonconformity to the world implies bringing the body and its
appetites under the control of the Spirit of God, subjecting the
imagination to the mind of Christ, and walking in humility of spirit
through a world where self-confidence and boasting are the order of the
day.
And so in Romans 12:2 we are commanded
to be transformed by the renewing of our minds; that is, as the mind is
occupied with Christ and the affections set on things above, we become
like Him who has won our hearts for Himself. As we walk in loving
obedience, we prove the blessedness of the good, and acceptable, and
perfect will of God. (Ironside, H. Romans).
Alexander Maclaren...writes that
Paul is...
making the transition from the
doctrinal to the practical part of his letter, and that he lays down broad
principles, of which all his subsequent injunctions and exhortations are
simply the filling up of the details. One master word, for the whole
Christian life, as we then saw, is sacrifice (See sermon entitled -
Romans 12:1 The Sacrifice of the
Body), self-surrender,
and that to God. In like manner, Paul here brackets, with that great
conception of the Christian life, another equally dominant and equally
comprehensive. In one aspect, it is self-surrender; in another, it is
growing transformation (Ro 12:2). And, just as in (Ro 12:1) we found that
an inward surrender preceded the outward sacrifice, and that the inner
man, having been consecrated as a priest, by this yielding of himself to
God, was then called upon to manifest inward consecration by outward
sacrifice, so in this further exhortation (Ro 12:2), an inward ‘renewing
of the mind’ is regarded as the necessary antecedent of transformation of
outward life...Note, then, that the foundation of all transformation of
character and conduct is laid deep in a renewed mind...
The Gospel of Jesus Christ presents
itself, not as a mere republication of morality, not as merely a new
stimulus and motive to do what is right, but as an actual communication to
men of a new power to work in them, a strong hand laid upon our poor,
feeble hand with which we try to put on the brake or to apply the
stimulus. It is a new gift of a life which will unfold itself after its
own nature, as the bud into flower, and the flower into fruit; giving new
desires, tastes, directions, and renewing the whole nature. And so, says
Paul, the beginning of transformation of character is the renovation in
the very centre of the being, and the communication of a new impulse and
power to the inward self....
If you want to change your characters,
and God knows they all need it, change the deep convictions of your mind;
and get hold, as living realities, of the great truths of Christ’s Gospel.
If you and I really believed what we say we believe, that Jesus Christ has
died for us, and lives for us, and is ready to pour out upon us the gift
of His Divine Spirit, and wills that we should be like Him, and holds out
to us the great and wonderful hopes and prospects of an absolutely eternal
life of supreme and serene blessedness at His right hand, should we be,
could we be, the sort of people that most of us are? It is not the much
that you say you believe that shapes your character; it is the little that
you habitually realise. Truth professed has no transforming power; truth
received and fed upon can revolutionize a man’s whole character....
Make of your every thought an action;
link every action with a thought. Or, to put it more Christian like, let
there be nothing in your creed which is not in your commandments; and let
nothing be in your life which is not moulded by these. The beginning of
all transformation is the revolutionized conviction of a mind that has
accepted the truths of the Gospel. (For
full messages Read Romans 12:2 Transfiguration)
Spurgeon calls our attention to
the basic principle "that the only way to escape being
conformed to the world is to be transformed. The customs of
society will lead us away unless the grace of God (Ed:
see study of Titus 2:12-note
where grace of God is our instructor) rules in us with divine power. We
are set to prove to the world what the mind of God is: may we have grace
to accomplish our mission."
Do not be conformed
combines a negative particle (Greek
=
me)
with the
present imperative
which conveys the sense of "Stop doing this!" implying that they were
already allowing themselves to be poured into the mold of the godless
world (Gal 1:4, 1Jn 2:15-note,
1Jn 2:16-note,
1Jn 2:17-note,
Jas 4:4-note). Paul commands them to stop acting like
earth dwellers (the term John uses in the Revelation of the unsaved - see
Tony Garland's discussion of
Earth Dwellers). However do not misunderstand what
Paul is commanding. He is not
saying believers are to make a
list of "don't's" which we need to stop doing -- that is the
essence of legalism (listen to Pastor
Ray Stedman's excellent Mp3 entitled
Legalism)
(Transcript).
The only way to not be conformed is to seek Jesus first and as His
presence and power become more experientially intimate in your life (cp Jn
3:30), the things of this fallen world will grow strangely dim in the
light of His glory and grace. The right order is the Spirit of Christ
first, then the lusts of the flesh (cp Ga 5:16-note)
Frederick Godet explains
that "Paul has just pointed to the
believer's body as a consecrated instrument...In the use of
his consecrated body, the believer has first an everywhere
present model to be rejected, then a new type to be discerned and
realized. The model to be rejected is that presented to him by the
present world , or, as we should say, the reigning fashion ,
taking this word in its widest sense...The term (this) present
world is used in the Rabbis to denote the whole state of things
which precedes the epoch of the Messiah; in the N. T. it describes the
course of life followed by those who have not yet undergone the renewing
wrought by Christ in human life. It is this mode of living anterior to
regeneration which the believer is not to imitate in the use which he
makes of his body. (Romans
12:1-2 The Basis of Christian Activity)
(Bolding added)
J. C. Ryle - It is as true now as it was eighteen
hundred years ago, that the man "born of God" will be a man who, more or
less, resists and overcomes the world (cp 1Jn 5:4).
WHICH ARE YOU...
THERMOMETER
OR
THERMOSTAT?
THERMOMETER
OR
THERMOSTAT?
Jon Courson
asks "Are you a thermometer—adjusting to the
temperature of the culture, or are you a thermostat—changing the climate
of the culture? If you are a conformer, a thermometer, you’re in for
perpetual frustration because by the time you take the temperature and
figure out what’s hot, by the time you change your look, or buy the car,
or redo your house—the world will have moved on, leaving you out of style.
Truly, this is a great mystery to a lot of Christians. They try to make
their ministries relatable by analyzing what the
world is doing in order to emulate it. But by the time they figure it out
and implement it, the world has moved on. That’s why Christians are known
for being out of style. What’s the key? Don’t be a thermometer. Be a
thermostat. Don’t be a conformer. Be a transformer. Say, “I’m in a whole
different place than you are, world. I’m living for eternity. I’m
preparing for heaven.” (Jon Courson's Application Commentary)
J C Philpot
has a word of warning for believers who think they can keep one
foot in the unholy world and maintain sweet communion with the holy
God!...
In proportion as we are conformed to
the spirit of this world, our understanding becomes dull in the
things of God, our affections cold and torpid, and our
consciences less tender and sensitive. (Ed:
Dear reader - Stop right here! Before
you read further, ask yourself whether you have "drifted" in any of these
three areas-understanding, affections, conscience. Be honest with
yourself. If you are having trouble answering ask God's Spirit to help you
and He will - Ps 139:23-24. The passing pleasures of this world pale in
comparison to perpetual pleasures of paradise in the presence of God.
Don't sell yourself and your enjoyment of eternity short beloved! If you
need to cast off some "filthy" clothes, then by the Spirit's enabling
power "Just do it!" For example, if you have found yourself watching
television shows or movies that years earlier would have shocked you, then
STOP NOW! Beloved, I am convicted as I write this note and am asking
myself these same questions. Remember this is not about a guilt trip but
is about God's glory and your good [temporally and eternally]!)
There is an eternal opposition between
God and the world lying in wickedness. In order, then, that our spiritual
experience of the truth of God should maintain its ground, it must not be
dulled and deadened by conformity to the world. It is like the saber that
the soldier carries into battle; it must not trail unsheathed upon the
ground lest point and edge be dulled; both must be kept keen and sharp,
that execution may be done upon the foe.
So it is with our enlightened understanding, with our tender conscience, and our heavenly affections. If we let them fall upon the world, it is like a soldier trailing his saber upon the pavement; every step he takes dulls both edge and point. If we are conformed to this world, we lose the sweet understanding that we had before of the precious truth of God; we lose that tender sensitiveness of conscience, whereby sin—any sin—becomes a grief and a burden to the soul. A Christian should be what was said of an ancient knight, "without fear and without reproach." The least suspicion of either would have been a blot upon the noble knight's escutcheon. So the Christian's shield should be without a stain, his reputation without a blot. His character should not only be free from blemish, but even from suspicion—as untarnished as the modesty of a woman, or the honor and bravery of a man.
Now, we often get into this worldly conformity, and run the risk of dulling the sword and sullying the shield, by degrees. We give way in this and that thing. We are hedged in, it is true, by the precepts of the gospel, the alarms of a tender conscience, and many powerful restraints—so many banks and dykes to keep out the sea of the world. But, as in Holland, if one breach be made in the dyke, the sea at once rushes in, so, if one gap be made in the conscience, then the sea of worldliness rushes through the breach, and but for God's grace would soon deluge the soul. But even apart from having any peculiar temptation to make a wide breach like this, our social ties, our daily occupation, the friends and relations whom we love in the flesh, all, through their power over our natural affections, draw us aside from time to time into this worldly conformity.
Here, then, is the point where we have to make our chief stand; for if we are conformed to the maxims, the principles, the customs, and the spirit of the world, we so far lose that spiritual position which is a believer's highest blessing and privilege. We descend from the mount of communion with the Lord, and fall into a cold, miserable spot, where the life of God, though not extinct, is reduced to its lowest ebb. The Apostle therefore says, "Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (The Living Sacrifice Presented)
So it is with our enlightened understanding, with our tender conscience, and our heavenly affections. If we let them fall upon the world, it is like a soldier trailing his saber upon the pavement; every step he takes dulls both edge and point. If we are conformed to this world, we lose the sweet understanding that we had before of the precious truth of God; we lose that tender sensitiveness of conscience, whereby sin—any sin—becomes a grief and a burden to the soul. A Christian should be what was said of an ancient knight, "without fear and without reproach." The least suspicion of either would have been a blot upon the noble knight's escutcheon. So the Christian's shield should be without a stain, his reputation without a blot. His character should not only be free from blemish, but even from suspicion—as untarnished as the modesty of a woman, or the honor and bravery of a man.
Now, we often get into this worldly conformity, and run the risk of dulling the sword and sullying the shield, by degrees. We give way in this and that thing. We are hedged in, it is true, by the precepts of the gospel, the alarms of a tender conscience, and many powerful restraints—so many banks and dykes to keep out the sea of the world. But, as in Holland, if one breach be made in the dyke, the sea at once rushes in, so, if one gap be made in the conscience, then the sea of worldliness rushes through the breach, and but for God's grace would soon deluge the soul. But even apart from having any peculiar temptation to make a wide breach like this, our social ties, our daily occupation, the friends and relations whom we love in the flesh, all, through their power over our natural affections, draw us aside from time to time into this worldly conformity.
Here, then, is the point where we have to make our chief stand; for if we are conformed to the maxims, the principles, the customs, and the spirit of the world, we so far lose that spiritual position which is a believer's highest blessing and privilege. We descend from the mount of communion with the Lord, and fall into a cold, miserable spot, where the life of God, though not extinct, is reduced to its lowest ebb. The Apostle therefore says, "Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (The Living Sacrifice Presented)
Conformed
(4964)
(suschematizo
[word study]
from
sun/syn = together
with + schema = external form, appearance) means to form according
to a pattern or mold, to fashion alike, to conform to the same pattern
outwardly. The meaning is to form or mold one’s behavior in accordance
with a particular pattern or set of standards. The preposition "sun" in
this compound verb denotes a personal assimilation to or conformity with
the pattern indicated.
Barnhouse picks up on the root
word schema and says "we are not to go along with the world's
schemes."
This verb speaks of an outward
conforming, that which is external and does not represent what is on the
inside. So when a believer conforms to the fallen world's standard, this
external does not represent the new creation on the inside of the
believer. Believers are to be changed by what is transpiring on the inside
(see below "but be transformed...") such that it effects the outside.
Suschematizo
is used only here and in
1Peter 1:14
(see
notes)
where it describes those who conform themselves to their former
lusts (strong desires in this context that emanate from the fallen
nature, the
flesh,
that evil disposition inherited from Adam) which were theirs in
their ignorance (before God in His kindness opened the eyes of their heart
to see the liberating truth of the Gospel and the new life in Christ Jesus
their Lord).
To reiterate,
suschematizo refers to
an outward expression that does not reflect (or come from) what is within,
in this case Christ in us the hope of glory (see Colossians 1:27-note),
Christ our life (see Colossians 3:4-note).
Suschematizo is used of masquerading or putting on an act, specifically by
following a prescribed pattern or scheme (a "schema"). The root noun
schema
(also source of English word scheme = a systematic plan or
arrangement for attaining some particular object or putting a particular
idea into effect)
denotes a pattern of life that does not come from within but is imposed
from without, in this case this present evil age (Gal 1:4) or world
system which lies in the power of the evil one (1John 5:19, cp Jn
12:31, 14:30, 2Cor 4:4, Ep 2:2, Rev 12:9).
Suschematizo
also conveys the thought of following a manner of life
that is unstable and changing rather than enduring. Paul’s prohibition is
directed against a manner of life that does not come from nor is
representative of the new creatures (creations) believers are in their inner being as the
result of
regeneration by the Holy Spirit Who now indwells every child of God (see
Romans 8:9-
note).
William Barclay explains that the root of suschematizo: is schema, which means the outward form that varies from year to year and from day to day. A man’s schema is not the same when he is seventeen as it is when he is seventy; it is not the same when he goes out to work as when he is dressed for dinner. It is continuously altering. So Paul says, “Don’t try to match your life to all the fashions of this world; don’t be like a chameleon which takes its color from its surroundings. (The Daily Study Bible Series - Online)
William Barclay explains that the root of suschematizo: is schema, which means the outward form that varies from year to year and from day to day. A man’s schema is not the same when he is seventeen as it is when he is seventy; it is not the same when he goes out to work as when he is dressed for dinner. It is continuously altering. So Paul says, “Don’t try to match your life to all the fashions of this world; don’t be like a chameleon which takes its color from its surroundings. (The Daily Study Bible Series - Online)
Haldane quotes the
apostle John "‘We know that we are of God, and the
whole world lies in the power of the evil one.’ (1Jn 5:19NLT) By
conformity to the world is meant assimilation to the people of the world;
or the sentiments, conduct, and customs by which they are distinguished. It is the character of those who are
dead in trespasses and sins, that they walk ‘according to the course of
this world,’ acting conformably to those maxims which regard only the
present life; and they ‘who mind earthly things’ are described as the
enemies of the cross of Christ; but the conversation of believers, as
being pilgrims and strangers, is in heaven. (Haldane)
Not being conformed is not a
negative approach so much as it is a positive one. It is not that you stop
doing a few things that other people are doing that are regarded as
"wrong". It is more that you start doing some things that they don't do at
all, like loving your enemy (try this one in your own strength), forgiving
when you have been unjustly wronged, returning good for evil,
showing kindness to those who are repay you with an ungrateful attitude.
These are attitudes and actions that living sacrifices are to
carry out. This quality of conduct is what it looks like practically to not be conformed to the world. The
way to see this supernatural lifestyle become a reality is to "be transformed by
having your mind renewed" so that you begin to think less and
less like the fallen world thinks and more and more like Christ in us
would have us think and act.
Dear Christian, how is your love for
Christ today
compared to your love when you first met Him by grace through faith?
compared to your love when you first met Him by grace through faith?
C H Spurgeon in his
highly recommended devotional (Morning and Evening) addresses this
question expounding on the inestimable worth of not being
conformed to the world...
If a Christian can by
possibility be saved while he conforms to this world, at any rate it must
be so as by fire (cp Jude 1:23). Such a bare salvation is almost as much
to be dreaded as desired. Reader, would you wish to leave this world in
the darkness of a desponding death bed, and enter heaven as a shipwrecked
mariner climbs the rocks of his native country? Then be worldly; be mixed
up with Mammonites (those devoted to the pursuit of wealth), and refuse to
go without (outside) the camp bearing Christ's reproach (see Heb13:13-note).
But would you have a heaven
below as well as a heaven above? Would you comprehend with all saints what
are the heights and depths, and know the love of Christ which passeth
knowledge? (see Ephesians 3:18-note;
Ep 3:19-note)
Would you receive an abundant entrance into the joy of your Lord? (see
notes 2Pe 1:10-note;
2Pe 1:11-note) Then come ye out from
among them, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing (2Co
6:17, Is 52:11). Would you
attain the full assurance of faith (see note
Hebrews 10:22)?
You cannot gain it while you commune with sinners.
Would you flame with vehement
(marked by intensity of feeling or conviction) love? Your love will be damped (literally made slightly wet but
here figuratively meaning stifled or deadened!) by the drenchings of
godless society. You cannot become a great Christian - you may be a babe in
grace, but you never can be a perfect man in Christ Jesus while you yield
yourself to the worldly maxims (short, pithy statements expressing general
truths or rules of conduct) and modes of business of men of the world.
It is ill for an heir of
heaven to be a great friend with the heirs of hell (read
especially James 4:4)
It has a bad look when a
courtier (a companion to a king, in our case the King of kings!) is too
intimate with his king's enemies.
Even small inconsistencies are
dangerous. Little thorns make great blisters, little moths destroy fine
garments, and little frivolities (those things not having any serious
purpose or value) and little rogueries (dishonest, unprincipled,
mischievous ways of conduct - in agriculture a rogue is a crop plant which
is inferior, diseased, or of a different, unwanted variety!) will rob
religion of a thousand joys.
O professor (a person
who affirms a faith in or allegiance to something), too little separated
from sinners, you know not what you lose by your conformity to the world.
It cuts the tendons of your strength, and makes you creep where you ought
to run. Then, for your own comfort's sake, and for the sake of your growth
in grace (see 2 Peter 3:18-note),
if you be a Christian, be a Christian, and be a marked and distinct one.
(Amen!) (Ed
note: Bolding, definitions and Scriptural references added for
amplification and emphasis).
Do you understand what Spurgeon is
saying? If the passion and flame we once had for Christ has
lessened, one of the reasons may be that we have become too
enamored with this present evil age. Nothing will dampen our love for
Christ as will love for the world. (cp notes on "two masters" in
Matthew 6:24 (note)
><>><>><>
Romans 12:1
(note) speaks of a specific
act in which we offer ourselves to God and Romans12:2 tells us of two ongoing
activities (both are
present tense) that carry out the intent to present ourselves as a living
sacrifice.
A believer’s continued practice of conforming to the world's way of thinking and acting is inconsistent with having given his or her body to the Lord the King and to the King's service. Indeed, such a practice is forbidden because it negates and seriously mars the presentation the believer has made as a living sacrifice and amounts in essence to a sacrifice that places itself on the altar but then begins to "crawl off the altar". To reiterate the present tense of the verb suschematizo indicates that this duty to resist conformity is necessary every moment of every day for the rest of our life on earth. Whereas Romans 12:1 (see notes) calls for a decisive commitment, (Romans 12:2) deals with the maintenance of that commitment. The process of non-conformity is a continuous duty that runs parallel with the continual process of being transformed (see discussion below) or as Harris summarizes it -- "a continual renunciation and renewal."
A believer’s continued practice of conforming to the world's way of thinking and acting is inconsistent with having given his or her body to the Lord the King and to the King's service. Indeed, such a practice is forbidden because it negates and seriously mars the presentation the believer has made as a living sacrifice and amounts in essence to a sacrifice that places itself on the altar but then begins to "crawl off the altar". To reiterate the present tense of the verb suschematizo indicates that this duty to resist conformity is necessary every moment of every day for the rest of our life on earth. Whereas Romans 12:1 (see notes) calls for a decisive commitment, (Romans 12:2) deals with the maintenance of that commitment. The process of non-conformity is a continuous duty that runs parallel with the continual process of being transformed (see discussion below) or as Harris summarizes it -- "a continual renunciation and renewal."
We are to stop allowing ourselves to be fashioned after the schemes of
this passing evil age in which we live. Practically this means we must be
careful what we read and watch (see discussion of to this world
below). We must not be
afraid to be different (to be like Christ - see John 15:18, 19, 20, 21). This
same idea of not being conformed to
the world is found in 2Ti 2:4-note,
No soldier engaged in active duty entangles himself with the everyday
affairs of this life. (see
note on 2 Timothy 2:4)
You can’t be in God's army and
be a civilian. You can't serve God and mammon (see Matthew 6:24-note).
As citizens of heaven (see Philippians 3:20-note)
we are to “set [our] mind on things above, not on the things that are on
the earth" (see Colossians 3:1-note;
Col 3:2
note).
The danger of being conformed to the world's way of thinking and doing is ever present. James says that those who seek to practice pure and undefiled religion must keep themselves unstained by the world (James 1:27-note). James further warns us of the danger of "Friendship of the world” (Ja 4:4).
The danger of being conformed to the world's way of thinking and doing is ever present. James says that those who seek to practice pure and undefiled religion must keep themselves unstained by the world (James 1:27-note). James further warns us of the danger of "Friendship of the world” (Ja 4:4).
Righteous Lot (see 2Pe 2:7-note;
2Pe 2:8
note; 2Pe 2:2:9-note)
represents a tragic OT example of a believer who gradually conformed to
the world (and it cost him a "lot"). First he pitched his tent toward
Sodom (Ge 13:10, 11). Then he moved into Sodom (Ge 13:12,19:1). Before
long, Sodom moved into him (conformed to the world) and he lost his
testimony to the pagans and even with his own family (Ge 19:9,14, 26,1Co
15:33).
When judgment fell on Sodom, Lot lost everything. Abraham, the separated
believer, the friend of God
(James 2:23), had the greater ministry to the pagans than did Lot, the
friend of the world.
Compromise
leads to
Conformity
which leads to
Defeat
leads to
Conformity
which leads to
Defeat
It is when the believer is
separated from sin
(2Cor 6:14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 7:1) that he or she exerts the greatest
influence for God. The price of spiritual power is a purity of heart. As
discussed below spiritual transformation starts in the mind and heart. A
mind dedicated to the world and its concerns will produce a life tossed
back and forth by the currents of culture (see Ephesians 4:14-note).
But a mind dedicated to God’s truth will produce a life that can stand the
test of time. We can resist the temptations of our culture by meditating
on God’s truth and letting the Holy Spirit guide and shape our thoughts
and behaviors.
J C Ryle notes that the
believer who seeks to redeem this short time on earth must be fully aware
of the continual need to "fight the world. The subtle
influence of that mighty enemy must be daily resisted, and without a daily
battle can never be overcome. The love of the world’s good things, the
fear of the world’s laughter or blame, the secret desire to keep in with
the world, the secret wish to do as others in the world do, and not to run
into extremes (Ed: Have you ever been accused by other believers "You're
getting a bit too radical with your stated desire to not love the world"?)—all
these are spiritual foes which beset the Christian continually on his way
to heaven and must be conquered. "The friendship of the world is enmity
with God. Whoever therefore will be a friend of the
world is the enemy of God." "If any man love the world, the love of the
Father is not in him." "The world is crucified to me, and I unto the
world." "Whatever is born of God overcomes the world." "Be not conformed
to this world" (Jas 4:4-note;
1Jn 2:15-note;
Gal 6:14-note;
1Jn 5:4; Ro 12:2). (J. C. Ryle. Holiness)
Expositor's Bible Commentary
- The
dedicated life is also the transformed life. Whereas v1 has
called for a decisive commitment, v2 deals with the maintenance of that
commitment. We need to "bind the sacrifice with cords...unto the horns of
the altar" (Ps 118:27). Significantly, there is a shift in the tense of
the verbs (from the aorist "present") to the present tense, pointing up the
necessity of continual vigilance lest the original decision be vitiated or
weakened. The threat comes from "this world," whose ways and thoughts can
so easily impinge on the child of God.
(Gaebelein,
F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary 6-Volume New Testament. Zondervan
Publishing)
TO THIS WORLD (AGE): to aioni touto:
World (1658)
(aion
[word study]) is better rendered as the age referring to the
present sinful age which John reminds us "lies in the power of the evil one"
(1Jn 5:19), Satan himself, who Paul describes as “the god of this world
(aion)" (2Cor 4:4). This present evil age is contrasted with the age to
come (Mt 12:32).
See word study on related word:
kosmos
Maclaren says world is "the sum total of godless men
and things conceived of as separated from God...No doubt the Gospel
has sweetened society; no doubt the average of godless life in England is a
better thing than the average of godless life in the Roman Empire. No doubt
there is a great deal of Christianity diffused through the average opinion
and ways of looking at things, that prevail around us. But the World is the
world still. There are maxims and ways of living, and so on, characteristic
of the Christian life, which are in as complete antagonism to the ideas and
maxims and practices that prevail amongst men who are outside of the
influences of this Christian truth in their own hearts, as ever they were. (For
full messages Read Romans 12:2 Transfiguration)
William MacDonald
explains that the world as "as used here
means the society or system that man has built in order to make himself
happy without God. It is a kingdom that is antagonistic to God. The god and
prince of this world is Satan (2Cor 4:4; John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11. All
unconverted people are his subjects. He seeks to attract and hold people
through the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life
(1John 2:16). The world has its own politics, art, music, religion,
amusements, thought-patterns, and lifestyles, and it seeks to get everyone
to conform to its culture and customs. It hates nonconformists—like Christ
and His followers. Christ died to deliver us from this world. The world is
crucified to us, and we are crucified to the world. It would be absolute
disloyalty to the Lord for believers to love the world. Anyone who loves the
world is an enemy of God. Believers are not of the world any more than
Christ is of the world. However, they are sent into the world to testify
that its works are evil and that salvation is available to all who put their
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ." (MacDonald,
W and Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson)
Trench
has described
aion
as "that floating mass of thoughts,
opinions, maxims, speculations, hopes, impulses, aims, aspirations, at any
time current in the world, which it may be impossible to seize and
accurately define, but which constitute a most real and effective power,
being the moral, or immoral atmosphere which at every moment of our lives we
inhale, again inevitably to exhale." (World
- Trench's Synonyms of the New Testament)
Aion then is
the spirit of this age that seeks gratification of
self independent of and regardless of the consequences or cost to self or
others. This "world" or age is self-centered,
self-pleasing, self-indulgent, self-concerned and indifferent to needs of
others. The prevailing, popular thinking and culture is in continual rebellion against God
and His authority and seeks to conform all the world's inhabitants into its
godless "world view". The "world's view" impregnates
mankind, molding, corrupting and degrading and in
the process affecting all culture and every institution.
This world or age is like that in the days of Judges when
"there was no king in Israel;
every man did what was right in his own eyes." (see Jdg 17:6-
note
; Jdg 21:25-note)
The result of being conformed
to this age is not a
renewed mind
but "a depraved mind (reprobate - a mind not
enduring trial and so not of standard purity or fineness and in the final
analysis a mind that is rejected) (which does) those things which are not
proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full
of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers,
haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient
to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and,
although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things
are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty
approval to those who practice them." (Ro 1:28; 29; 30; 31; 32- see notes
Ro 1:28;
29;
30;
31;
32).
This age contrasts sharply with "the age"
(the messianic age or millennial reign of Christ on earth is the next "age")
to come when righteousness reigns (see 2Pe 3:13-note).
Denney - “This world”
or “age” is opposed to that which is to come; it is an evil world (Galatians
1:4) of which Satan is the God (2Corinthians 4:4). Even apparent or
superficial conformity to a system controlled by such a spirit, much more an
actual accommodation to its ways, would be fatal to the Christian life. By
nature, the Christian is at home in this world (cf. Ephesians 2:2); such as
it is, its life and his life are one; and his deliverance is accomplished as
he is transformed by the renewing of his mind. (Romans
12 - The Expositor's Greek Testament)
Paul writes that our Lord...
gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue
(to pluck out, tear out; take out from a number and so deliver, set free
from danger) us from
this present evil (pernicious) age (aion), according to the will of
our God and Father (Gal 1:4-note).
Before we were saved, we were
conformed to this present evil age and
walked
( ordered your behavior) according to
(dominated by) the course
(aion - the spirit of the age) of this world (kosmos = world’s values and way of doing things), according to the prince of the power of the air" (Ep
2:2-note).
When we come to the kingdom of God, we should abandon the thought-patterns
and lifestyles of the world because the world wants to control our mind, but
God wants to transform our mind (cf Ep 4:17; 18; 19; 20; 21; 22; 23
24; Col 3:1ff- notes
Ep 4:17;
18; 19; 20; 21; 22; 23 24;
Col 3:1ff).
And so
because of the mercies
of God, believers are in the world but are
not to be of the world. This truth is illustrated by a submarine
which is fully functional in water but is ruined if water comes
within. A submarine on the
ground (out of the water) is useless and is not accomplishing its
mission. When it is in the water it must be insulated (not isolated)
from the water. If the water ever gets into the submarine then there is
cause to sound the alarm. Believers are to be insulated from
the world (like Daniel in the midst of idol infested Babylon) but not isolated from the world.
A boat in the water is by design
but
Water in the boat is big disaster
Morris writes that "Christians have been
introduced to the life of the world to come; what a tragedy, then, if they
conform to the perishing world they have left."but
Water in the boat is big disaster
Keith Krell gives an excellent illustration of the subtle nature of becoming conformed to the world reminding us that...
The term “conformed” literally means to
be molded or stamped according to a pattern. The Phillips translation reads:
“Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold.” The contours
of the world’s mold flow along the lines of:
(1) fortune-money and materialism,
(2) fame-popularity and acceptance,
(3) power-influence and control, and
(4) pleasure-sensual desires.
We must not be shaped by these
influences. We must fight against the tide of sin, self, and Satan.
On a bright sunny day when you first walk into a dark movie theater, you usually remark about how dark it is. If there was no usher to show you to a seat, you probably had to stand in the back for a few minutes until the darkness seemed to clear and you began to see again. Before long, you could see without difficulty. Indeed, you seemed to be able to see normally. “Normally,” that is, until you walked out into the sunlight again and the bright glare forced you to cover your eyes. (Ed note: Physiologically this phenomenon is what is referred to in ophthalmic terms as adaptation. The eye takes approximately 30 minutes to fully adapt from bright sunlight to complete darkness and become one million times more sensitive than at full daylight. In this process, the eye's perception of color changes as well. However, it takes approximately five minutes for the eye to adapt to bright sunlight from darkness.)
We Christians are often in the same predicament. We live in a dimly lighted world, where sin is the rule and not the exception. And yet we are really children of the light (see Ephesians 5:8-note, cp sons of light and sons of day - see 1Th 5:5 note note) We must always be on our guard that we do not become so accustomed to the darkness of our world that we think it is normal and conform to its dubious guidelines. It is not normal. The dim moral and spiritual insight of the world is not the standard that the Christian is to walk by.
On a bright sunny day when you first walk into a dark movie theater, you usually remark about how dark it is. If there was no usher to show you to a seat, you probably had to stand in the back for a few minutes until the darkness seemed to clear and you began to see again. Before long, you could see without difficulty. Indeed, you seemed to be able to see normally. “Normally,” that is, until you walked out into the sunlight again and the bright glare forced you to cover your eyes. (Ed note: Physiologically this phenomenon is what is referred to in ophthalmic terms as adaptation. The eye takes approximately 30 minutes to fully adapt from bright sunlight to complete darkness and become one million times more sensitive than at full daylight. In this process, the eye's perception of color changes as well. However, it takes approximately five minutes for the eye to adapt to bright sunlight from darkness.)
We Christians are often in the same predicament. We live in a dimly lighted world, where sin is the rule and not the exception. And yet we are really children of the light (see Ephesians 5:8-note, cp sons of light and sons of day - see 1Th 5:5 note note) We must always be on our guard that we do not become so accustomed to the darkness of our world that we think it is normal and conform to its dubious guidelines. It is not normal. The dim moral and spiritual insight of the world is not the standard that the Christian is to walk by.
Comment: I can identify with the
seductive and subtle nature of what I call "spiritual adaptation" or
gradually being conformed to the world - I had heard about a show called
"The Sopranos" but since we did not receive the so called "premium
(pernicious)" channels, I paid no attention to the hype. And then one night
I was "surfing" [usually a bad thing for a man to be doing!] and I
encountered a show that was "entertaining" so I parked for a while and began
to be intrigued with the characters and subplots...before I knew it the show
was over. A free station had made re-runs of the Sopranos available and I
had taken the bait. But as my eyes "adapted" there was a high price, for I
found myself continuing to watch and listen to language that would have
previously prompted me immediately to change channels or walk out of the
room. Adaptation from the glorious pure light of Jesus to the dim, dreary,
decadent lights of this world is possible for any of us. May God's Spirit
energize us to be vigilant so that we continually set a guard at the
doorposts of our minds lest we fall for the seductive and subtle snares of
this evil world system.
John Piper advices believers to not be
conformed but instead to "cultivate the mindset of exiles.
What this does mainly is sober us up and wake us up so that we don't drift
with the world and take for granted that the way the world thinks and acts
is the best way. We don't assume that what is on TV is helpful to the soul;
we don't assume that the priorities of advertisers is helpful to the soul;
we don't assume that the strategies and values of business and industry are
helpful to the soul. We don't assume that any of this glorifies God. We stop
and we think and we consult the Wisdom of our own country, heaven, and we
don't assume that the conventional wisdom of this age is God's wisdom. We
get our bearings from God in his word. When you see yourself as an alien and
an exile with your citizenship in heaven, and God as your only Sovereign,
you stop drifting with the current of the day. You ponder what is good for
the soul and what honors God in everything: food, cars, videos, bathing
suits, birth control, driving speeds, bed times, financial savings,
education for the children, unreached peoples, famine, refugee camps,
sports, death, and everything else. Aliens get their cue from God and not
the world. (Read Dr Piper's full sermon
The War Against the Soul and the Glory of
God)
Augustine wrote "Two cities have been formed by
two loves; the earthly by the love of self, even to the contempt of God, the
heavenly by the love of God, even to the contempt of self. The former, in a
word, glories in itself, the latter in the Lord” (The
City of God). Many,
sad to say, reside in the earthly city of self-love.
ILLUSTRATIONS
RELATED TO THE
WORLD, WORLDLINESS
RELATED TO THE
WORLD, WORLDLINESS
A scuba diver lives in the water
but breathes the air. He is able to function because he takes his
environment with him. If he "conforms" to environment around him, he
will eventually die! (Modified from source unknown)
><>><>><>
The world system is
committed to at least four major objectives, which I can summarize in
four words: fortune, fame, power, pleasure. First and foremost:
Fortune, money. The world system is driven by money; it feeds on
materialism. Second: Fame. That is another word for popularity. Fame
is the longing to be known, to be somebody in someone else's eyes.
Third: Power. This is having influence, maintaining control over
individuals or groups or companies or whatever. It is the desire to
manipulate and maneuver others to do something for one's own benefit.
Fourth: Pleasure. At its basic level, pleasure has to do with
fulfilling one's sensual desires. It's the same mindset that's behind
the slogan: "If it feels good, do it." (Charles Swindoll, Living
Above the Level of Mediocrity, p.219)
><>><>><>
Addressing a national seminar of
Southern Baptist leaders, George Gallup said, "We find there is very
little difference in ethical behavior between churchgoers and those
who are not active religiously...The levels of lying, cheating, and
stealing are remarkable similar in both groups. Eight out of ten
Americans consider themselves Christians, Gallup said, yet only about
half of them could identify the person who gave the Sermon on the
Mount, and fewer still could recall five of the Ten Commandments. Only
two in ten said they would be willing to suffer for their faith.
(Erwin Lutzer, Pastor to Pastor, p. 76)
><>><>><>
The course of rebellion against God
may be very gradual, but it increases in rapidity as you progress in
it; and if you begin to run down the hill, the ever-increasing impetus
will send you down faster and faster to destruction. You Christians
ought to watch against the beginning of worldly conformity. I do
believe that the growth of worldliness is like strife, which is as the
letting out of water. Once you begin, there is no knowing where you
will stop. I sometimes get this question put to me, concerning certain
worldly amusements, "May I do so-and-so?" I am very sorry whenever
anyone asks me that question, because it shows that there is something
wrong, or it would not be raised at all. If a person's conscience lets
him say, "Well, I can go to A," he will very soon go on to B, C, D, E,
and through all the letters of the alphabet. . .When Satan cannot
catch us with a big sin, he will try a little one. It does not matter
to him as long as he catches his fish, what bait he uses. Beware of
the beginning of evil, for many, who bade fair to go right, have
turned aside and perished amongst the dark mountains in the wide field
of sin. (C. H. Spurgeon)
><>><>><>
The world's smiles are more
dangerous that its frowns. (Source Unknown)
><>><>><>
Some years ago, musicians noted
that errand boys in a certain part of London all whistled out of tune
as they went about their work. It was talked about and someone
suggested that it was because the bells of Westminster were slightly
out of tune. Something had gone wrong with the chimes and they were
discordant. The boys did not know there was anything wrong with the
peals, and quite unconsciously they had copied their pitch.
So we tend to copy the people with whom we associate; we borrow thoughts from the books we read and the programs to which we listen, almost without knowing it. God has given us His Word which is the absolute pitch of life and living. If we learn to sing by it, we shall easily detect the false in all of the music of the world. (Donald Grey Barnhouse) (All illustrations from Sermon Illustrations)
So we tend to copy the people with whom we associate; we borrow thoughts from the books we read and the programs to which we listen, almost without knowing it. God has given us His Word which is the absolute pitch of life and living. If we learn to sing by it, we shall easily detect the false in all of the music of the world. (Donald Grey Barnhouse) (All illustrations from Sermon Illustrations)
BUT
BE TRANSFORMED: alla metamorphousthe
(2PPPM)
(Ro
13:14; Psalms 51:10; Ezekiel 18:31; 36:26; 2Co 5:17; Eph 1:18; 4:22, 23, 24;
Col 1:21,22; 3:10; Titus 3:5)
but let God transform you
inwardly by a complete change of your mind (GNB)
But
(235)
(alla) (see
term of contrast)
presents a strong reversal of direction (and thought) following up a
negative command with a strong positive command to emphasize the dramatic contrast being external conformity
and internal
transformation.
The opposite of being
conformed to this world is being transformed by the renewing of
your mind. The battle ground between an evil conformity and a good
transformation is within the mind of the believer. Note that transformed is
Passive
Voice which indicates that this process is being performed by an
outside force, the Holy Spirit (see especially
2Cor 3:18)
God's Word (See discussion below under "renewing of your mind), not a change
produced by our self effort. We must be (passive) transformed by God,
trusting Him to do in and through us what only His Spirit can accomplish.
Keith Krell illustrates the
passive voice this way
"If I said to you, “I’m going to the
store”-that’s active. If I said to you, “I was taken to the store”-that’s
passive, someone else drove me. Paul is saying once we become living
sacrifices something beautiful happens-someone else transforms us! The
word translated “transformed” is a word that has been brought into the
English language without translation. It’s the word
“metamorphosis.” When a tadpole is changed into a frog or when a caterpillar
becomes a butterfly, we speak of it as a metamorphosis. That is what God
wants for each of His children-for us to be transformed from the spiritually
defeated, dull, and depressing existence so many endure, into the
victorious, vital, and enriching experience that is available to the
believer in Jesus Christ.
Furthermore, transformed is
present
tense signifying that this is not a one time event, not a single
crisis experience but a transformation that is progressively realized, a
gradual process.
PBPGIFWMY
Every believer can now wear the
PBPGIFWMY
button which means "Please
Be
Patient.
God
Isn’t
Finished
With
Me
Yet."
In addition "be transformed" is in
the
imperative mood (command), which
indicates that believers have some responsibility in this transformation.
How so? We are to have tender hearts and obedient, submissive wills so that
we might allow the Spirit to do His work within our hearts and lives, and
not quench, grieve or resist Him.
D L Moody - The Scriptures were
not given for our information, but for our transformation.
Sanday and Headlam’s paraphrase =
“do not adopt the external and fleeting fashion of this world, but be ye
transformed in your inmost nature”
Be transformed
(3339)
(metamorphoo
from metá = denotes change of place
or condition + morphoo = to form from morphe = form,
shape referring to the essential form of a thing) has the basic meaning of
changing into another form and is the term from which we get metamorphosis,
which in biology denotes the amazing change of a lowly worm into a beautiful
butterfly. So the change in view here is not a superficial fluctuation of
fashion or conduct but a vital change revealing a new life. Metamorphoo describes
Jesus' transfiguration in which His glory shined through His garments
so that what Jesus really was on the inside was made manifest to Peter, John
and James (Mt 17:2, Mk 9:2)
Metamorphoo
describes the
process by which that on the inside shows forth to the outside such that
that everyone can see. In Romans 12:2 it describes an inward renewal
of our mind through which our inner spirit is changed into the likeness of
Christ.
The verb morphoo does
not refer to what is outward and transient, but to what is
inward and real and thus that which produces an outward expression which
proceeds from and is truly representative of one’s inward character and
nature. Hence on the Mount of Transfiguration the glory which
was Jesus' essential and eternal inner divine nature, shone outward,
for a brief time and to a limited degree. In a similar way, the believer's inner redeemed
(divine - 2Pe 1:4-note) nature is to
continually be manifest outwardly in our daily thoughts, words and deeds.
Metamorphoo
is found 4x in the NT - Mt
17:12, Mk 9:2, Ro 12:2, 2Co 3:18
and is translated twice as transfigured and twice as
transformed.
Matthew 17:2 And He was transfigured
before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as
white as light.
Mark 9:2 Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them;
Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
2 Corinthians 3:18-note 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.
To be transformed
describes a change on the outside that comes from the
inside
(an "inside job" so to speak).
Paul is calling for an outward change in the character and conduct of
the believer, which is to correspond with his or her inward spiritual
condition. As someone has well said...
God loves us too much
to let us stay as we are.
to let us stay as we are.
Paul is saying that as we make
the conscious presentation of our bodies to God, shun (Php 2:13NLT) the pressure to be
squeezed into the world's mold, and allow God to renew our minds, then that
which is on the inside begins to show forth outwardly so those around
so that they see more and more of Christ in us the hope of glory (Col 1:27-note)
and less and less of our self (cp similar spiritual dynamic in Jn 3:30).
The world seeks to
change our mind, and thus exerts pressure from without. But the Holy Spirit
desires to renew our mind and He does so from within as we take in the Word and
obey truth illuminated in the Word (cp Jn 17:17). If the "liberated" thinking
(deceptive thinking for they are in bondage, not at liberty) of this world system
influences and controls your mind, you are a conformer. On the other hand, if God controls your
thinking, you are a transformer. It is easy to have an external conduct that
looks good, but an inward life and manner of thinking that is offensive to
God (cf Titus 1:16-note;
1Jn 3:4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13,
14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20). God's perfect righteousness and holiness is not
satisfied with external piety that men see, but is more concerned about who
we really are on the inside (cf Jas 1:26-note,
James 1:27-note).
Reputation is what others think about us. Character is what God knows is
true about us. When God measures the character of a man or woman, He does not put the tape measure around
their head
but around their heart!
If you are continually being transformed by the joy of Christ in your heart, it will
show on your face (cf Proverbs 15:13).
William Newell explains that "to be "transformed" or "transfigured" into the image of Christ is the blessed path and portion of the surrendered believer in the midst of this present evil world...Note that neither in world-conformity, nor in Christian transformation, are we the actors (Ed note: that is, we are not the ones initiating this action): the verbs are passive, in both cases. It is, "Be not fashioned, " and "Be transformed." In the first case, Satan and the world have abundant power, they know to fashion anyone found willing. But how are we to be transformed? The answer is, By the renewing of your mind; and here we come again upon that wonderful part of our salvation which is carried on by the Holy Spirit; and we must look at it attentively. (Romans: Verse by Verse)
William Newell explains that "to be "transformed" or "transfigured" into the image of Christ is the blessed path and portion of the surrendered believer in the midst of this present evil world...Note that neither in world-conformity, nor in Christian transformation, are we the actors (Ed note: that is, we are not the ones initiating this action): the verbs are passive, in both cases. It is, "Be not fashioned, " and "Be transformed." In the first case, Satan and the world have abundant power, they know to fashion anyone found willing. But how are we to be transformed? The answer is, By the renewing of your mind; and here we come again upon that wonderful part of our salvation which is carried on by the Holy Spirit; and we must look at it attentively. (Romans: Verse by Verse)
William Barclay - The word he uses
for being transformed from the world is metamorphousthai. Its root is
morphe,
which means the essential unchanging shape or element of anything. (Ed
Note:
For more on morphe and schema see Trench's Synonyms of
the New Testament) A man has not the same
schema
at seventeen and seventy, but he
has the same
morphe;
a man in dungarees has not the same
schema
as a man in evening dress, but
he has the same
morphe;
his outward form changes, but inwardly he is the same person. So, Paul says,
to worship and serve God, we must undergo a change, not of our outward form,
but of our inward personality. What is that change? Paul would say that left
to ourselves we live a life kata sarka, dominated by human nature at
its lowest; in Christ we live a life kata Christon or kata pneuma,
dominated by Christ or by the Spirit. The essential man has been changed;
now he lives, not a self-centered, but a Christ-centered life. This must
happen, Paul says, by the renewal of your mind. The word he uses for renewal
is
anakainosis.
In Greek there are two words for new--neos
and
kainos.
Neos means new in point of time;
kainos means new in point of character and nature. A newly manufactured
pencil is neos; but a man who was once a sinner and is now on the way to
being a saint is
kainos. When Christ comes into a man's life he is a new man; his mind is
different, for the mind of Christ is in him. When Christ becomes the centre
of life then we can present real worship, which is the offering of every
moment and every action to God. (Romans
12 - William Barclay's Daily Study Bible)
Harrison adds that "Our pattern here is Christ, Who
refused Satan's solicitations in the temptation and was transfigured
(metamorphoo--the same word as that translated "transformed") in His
acceptance of the path that led to Calvary (Mk 9:2, 3). As His mission could
be summarized in the affirmation that He had come to do the Father's will Jn
6:38), the Christian's service can be reduced to this simple description
also.
Paul knows that it is a moral axiom that
we become like the gods we serve and so using metamorphoo
he writes to the saints at Corinth explaining...
we all, with unveiled
face beholding (present tense = continually. Some like the NIV
favor this verb means reflecting, others like the NASB, KJV that it
means to gaze upon) as in a mirror the glory of the
Lord, are being transformed (present tense = pictures a continual
process; passive voice = indicates transformation is wrought by the Spirit)
into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." (2Cor 3:18-note)
If one takes the NASB, KJV renderings,
the meaning is that as we continually gaze at the "mirror" of
the Word of God, especially the Gospel, (cf, 2Cor 4:4) in which the glory of Christ is
seen, the Spirit of Christ is progressively transforming us from one level
of Christ likeness to another. This is another description of
progressive
sanctification (Click to see this
sanctification or present tense salvation graphically displayed and
contrasted with justification and glorification). The change
“from glory to glory” that is the lot of believers under the
New Covenant is such a wonderful contrast to the diminishing glory that
Moses experienced under the Old Covenant (see Paul's explanation in 2
Corinthians 3).
What does it look like to be transformed?
Here are some thoughts from A W Pink's book "The Holy Spirit"...
Here, then, are some of the principal
effects produced by our being “changed,” or reformed, conformed, and
transformed by the Spirit of God. There is a growing realization of the
ineffable holiness of God and of the righteousness and spirituality of the
Law, and the extent of its requirements. There is a deepening sense of our
utter sinfulness, failure and blameworthiness, and the daily loathing of
ourselves for our hard-heartedness, our base ingratitude, and the ill
returns we make to God for His infinite goodness to us. There is a
corresponding self-abasement, taking our place in the dust before God, and
frankly admitting that we are not worthy of the least of His mercies (Gen.
32:10). There is an increasing appreciation of the grace of God and of the
provision He has made for us in Christ, with a corresponding longing to be
done with this body of death and conformed fully to the lovely image of the
Lord; which longings will be completely realized at our glorification.
Haldane adds that
metamorphoo "signifies the change of the appearance
of one thing into that of another. It is used by the fabulous writers to
signify the change or metempsychosis of animals into trees, or of men into
the appearance of other animals. This term denotes the entire change that
passes on a man when he becomes a Christian. He is as different from what
he was before, as one species of animal is from another.
Let not men be so far the dupes of
self-deception as to reckon themselves Christians, while they are
unchanged in heart and life.
‘If any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature (or creation); old things are passed away, behold, all things are
become new.’ (2Co 5:17) If there be not a radical difference between their
present state and that in which they were by nature, they have no title to
the character of Christians. This shows that, in general, it is not
difficult to discriminate Christians from the world. If the change be as
great as the word of God here teaches, what difficulty can there be, in
most cases, in judging of the character of those who profess Christianity?
It is not the heart we are called to judge. If the person be
metamorphosed, as the word originally implies, from a state of nature to a
conformity with Christ, it will certainly appear, and the state of the
heart will be evident from the life. As there are degrees in this
transformation, although all Christians are transformed when they are born
again, yet they ought to be urged, as here, to a further degree of this
transformation. (Haldane)
Hodge - The
transformation to which Christians are exhorted, is not a mere
external change, but one which results from a change of heart, an entire
alteration of the state of the mind. The word
nous,
mind, is used as it is here, frequently in the New Testament, Romans
1:28; Ephesians 4:17, Ephesians 4:23; Colossians 2:18, etc. In all these
and in similar cases, it does not differ from the word heart, i.e. in
its wide sense for the whole soul. (Romans
12 - Hodge's Commentary on Romans)
AND GOD SAID: Let us FORM man in
our image.
THE DEVIL SAYS: I will DEFORM man by sin.
THE WORLD SAYS: We must CONFORM man in our image.
EDUCATION SAYS: Let us INFORM man by knowledge.
SOCIETY SAYS: We will REFORM man by culture.
ONLY CHRIST SAYS: I will TRANSFORM man by grace.
(Middletown Bible)
THE DEVIL SAYS: I will DEFORM man by sin.
THE WORLD SAYS: We must CONFORM man in our image.
EDUCATION SAYS: Let us INFORM man by knowledge.
SOCIETY SAYS: We will REFORM man by culture.
ONLY CHRIST SAYS: I will TRANSFORM man by grace.
(Middletown Bible)
Alexander Maclaren writes
this "transformation is no sudden thing,
though the revolution which underlies it may be instantaneous. The working
out of the new motives, the working in of the new power, is no mere work
of a moment. It is a lifelong task till the lump be leavened. Michael
Angelo, in his mystical way, used to say that sculpture effected its aim
by the removal of parts; as if the statue lay somehow hid in the marble
block. We have, day by day, to work at the task of removing the
superfluities that mask its outlines. Sometimes with a heavy mallet, and a
hard blow, and a broad chisel, we have to take away huge masses;
sometimes, with fine tools and delicate touches, to remove a grain or two
of powdered dust from the sparkling block, but always to seek more and
more, by slow, patient toil, to conform ourselves to that serene type of
all perfectness that we have learned to love in Jesus Christ. And
remember, brethren, this transformation is no magic change effected whilst
men sleep. It is a commandment which we have to brace ourselves to
perform, day by day to set ourselves to the task of more completely
assimilating ourselves to our Lord. It comes to be a solemn question for
each of us whether we can say, ‘To-day I am liker Jesus Christ than I was
yesterday; to-day the truth which renews the mind has a deeper hold upon
me than it ever had before.’ But this positive commandment is only
one side of the transfiguration that is to be effected. It is clear enough
that if a new likeness is being stamped upon a man, the process may be
looked at from the other side; and that in proportion as we become liker
Jesus Christ, we shall become more unlike the old type to which we were
previously conformed. And so, says Paul, ‘Be not conformed to this world,
but be ye transformed.’ He does not mean to say that the nonconformity
precedes the transformation. They are two sides of one process; both
arising from the renewing of the mind within. (For
full messages Read Romans 12:2 Transfiguration)
BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND: te anakainosei tou
noos:
Renewing (342)
(anakainosis from
anakainóo
[in
depth discussion] = renew qualitatively in turn
from aná = again + kainóo = make new in turn from
kainos
= qualitatively new which is derived from a root meaning to turn out fresh
and denotes that which is new in its own way) refers to a qualitative
renewal or renovation (renovate = from Latin renovatus = past
participle of renovare, from re- + novare = to make new, from novus = new) which
makes a person different than in the past - new heart, new Lord, new home,
new purpose and goal, etc.
The basic root word
kainos
is is the epitome of the wholly
different and miraculous "spiritual transaction" which is brought about at
the time of our
regeneration (Titus 3:5-note)
and which then continues in "day to day salvation" (sanctification) as we
present our bodies to God as living sacrifices, make choices to not become
conformed to this present evil, ungodly world but to be transformed by God's
Holy Word. When we make these choices to love God with all our heart and
soul and mind and strength, the Holy Spirit transforms our mind to be able
to think an entirely new way that we could not think before we were saved by
grace through faith. That beloved is the essence of the noun anakainosis.
Therefore we do not lose heart, but
though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being
renewed (anakainoo
= present
tense
= continuous process;
passive voice
= outside force producing this effect, i.e., the Spirit)
day by day, for momentary, light affliction is producing (working out) for us an eternal
weight of glory far beyond all comparison while we look not at the things
which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which
are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.. (2Cor 4:16, 17,18)
Again writing to the saints at Colossae Paul encourage them that
and have put on the new self who is
being renewed (anakainoo
= present
tense
= continuous process;
passive voice
= outside force producing this effect, i.e., the Spirit)
to a true knowledge according to the
image of the One who created him. (see Colossians 3:10-note)
The noun anakainosis is used only twice in the NT,
Romans 12:2
(see
discussion) and
Titus 3:5 and
means to cause something to become new and different with the implication of
becoming superior. Anakainosis is not known outside
Christian literature nor in the Greek
Septuagint (LXX). The reference in
Titus 3:5 refers to
the first and unique renewing by the Holy Spirit Who creates a life that was
not there before.
Stated another way this renewal
as used here in Romans 12:2 depicts an essential change in character of your thinking - you can now
think a way that heretofore was not possible. Now your new mind allows you
at least the potential to see life the way God sees life. The believer
belongs to heaven and to the age to come and no longer has to (or should) think like an unbeliever.
Trench says that
the renewing of our minds "is the gradual conforming of the
man more and more to that new spiritual world into which he has been
introduced and in which he now lives and moves...the restoration of the
divine image” ("the mind of Christ"
[1Co
2:16])
In Paul's letter to Titus, we
encounter the only other use of anakainosis in the NT...
But
when the
kindness
(describes a genuine goodness and generosity of
heart = God's loving, benevolent, entirely gracious concern to draw us
to Himself and redeem us from sin forever - see discussion of
chrestotes) of God our Savior (soter) and His love (philanthropia) for mankind
appeared (see discussion of
epiphaino), He
saved (click
for discussion of
sozo) us, not on the basis of
deeds (see discussion what constitutes
good deeds) which we have done in righteousness
(because man's righteousness falls far short of God's perfect standard of
what is right), but according to His
mercy
(eleos
= outward manifestation
of pity which assumes need on the part of those who receive it and
sufficient resources to meet the need on the part of those who show it, in
this case God our Savior), by the washing of
regeneration
(paliggenesia
- carries the idea of
receiving new life, of being born again or being born from above) and renewing
(anakainosis - in this context describes the new life that emerges
from the new birth) by the Holy Spirit (the Holy Spirit, working
through the Word, empowers our new life in Christ)." (see notes
Titus 3:4;
Titus 3:5)
This
renewing of our minds is nothing short of a
"mental
revolution" - taking our "normal" (selfish, self centered) human way of
seeing life and giving us a point of view we could not have without God's
Spirit changing our way of thinking. Paul moves beyond the initial
change of mind to a continual yielding of the mind to the will of God. One of the best ways to "energize"
and
facilitate this "mental revolution" which produces
transformation is to memorize the living Word of God (see Memorizing
His Word), allowing
implantation of the "seed" (see 1 Pe 1:23-note;
1 Pe 1:24 -note;
1 Pe 1:25-note
cf
Jer 23:28, 29, James 1:18-note,
James 1:21-note)
which His Spirit can germinate into a new way of thinking
for as Jesus declared "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits
nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life."
(Jn 6:63)
It behooves every believer therefore to have a steady intake of these words
which are the only words that guarantee "spirit and life"!
For example, are you having trouble loving someone
totally unlovable!? Then allow the Spirit to "renew your mind" by memorizing
1Cor 13:4, 5, 6, 7, 8
(see notes
1Co 13:4;
5;
6;
7;
8)
asking God to change your thinking in the process. Don't be legalistic but
also don't think lightly of the power of His Word, His Spirit and the grace
in which you stand to change your mind, heart
and actions (cf Ps 107:19, 20 - See
Spurgeon's comments on
Verse 19;
Verse 20).
Remember that the Word of Truth is not given to merely inform but to transform.
Our Father is not seeking smarter sinners but saints who are growing more
and more like their Savior through the intake of the Word (see 2 Peter 3:18-note).
(See discussion of related topic
Application as the fruit of Inductive Bible Study)
The crucial ingredient in this mind renewal process
is regular ingestion of "everything that proceeds out of the mouth of
the LORD" (Dt 8:3,
"every word" in Mt 4:4, Why? see Lk 1:37ASV), cultivating an "infant like" attitude (see 1Pe 2:1-note for what you need to do to cultivate
this desire and give you an "appetite". If you do not have an
appetite for God's Word, do a personal inventory with 1Pe 2:1. Be honest.)
and
like
newborn
babes
long for
(epipotheo
- earnestly, intensely crave a command in the
aorist imperative
= indicates this is NOT optional! Do this now. Without delay. It is vitally
important!) for the
pure
("no additives", unadulterated,
nothing that would cause decay!)
milk of the
word, so that by it you may
grow
in respect to
salvation
(1Pe 2:2-note).
Every believer
needs to cultivate a heart attitude like Job who affirmed...
I have not departed (withdrawn, ceased, removed myself) from the command of
His lips; I have
treasured (laid
up, concealed or hidden = the same
Hebrew verb used by the psalmist in Ps 119:11
-
See Spurgeon's note)
the words of His (God's) mouth more than my necessary food"!
(Job 23:12-note).
(Question: Could Job's attitude toward the Word in any way explain
how he was able to persevere in the face of such incredible testing?! Look
at the
context
- specifically notice what Job had just declared in Job 23:10-note)
William Newell
writes that "the object
of this "renewing... includes the mind, with its thoughts; the
imagination--so untamed naturally, the sensibilities or feelings;
the tastes, or natural preferences, all which, since the fall of
Adam, are naturally under the influence and power of the sinful
flesh, and
must be operated upon by the Holy Spirit, after one's regeneration. The
memory, also, must be cleansed of all unclean, sinful
recollections...the renewing of the mind takes in the whole sphere of
conscious life for the child of God. (Romans
Verse by Verse)
Mind (3563)
(nous
with 6/24 uses in
Romans
--
Click to study these uses) refers to
reflective intelligence. Nous is the mind as the organ of mental perception
and apprehension. Simply stated, the mind
is the seat of understanding, the thinking faculty. The nous can be fleshly (see
Colossians 2:18 -
note)
where
flesh
denotes the principle of evil which dominates
fallen man. Nous can signify the new nature which belongs to the
believer by reason of his new birth, for now we have the mind (nous)
of Christ. (1Cor 2:16). In many context (the current verse included)
nous stands for the seat of emotions and affections, mode of thinking and
feeling, disposition, moral inclination and as such is equivalent to the
heart.
Nous - 24x in 22v in the NAS
- Lk. 24:45; Ro 1:28; 7:23, 25; 11:34; 12:2; 14:5; 1 Co. 1:10; 2:16; 14:14f,
19; Eph. 4:17, 23; Phil. 4:7; Col. 2:18; 2 Thess. 2:2; 1 Tim. 6:5; 2Ti 3:8;
Titus 1:15; Rev. 13:18; 17:9 and is rendered by the NAS as composure (1),
comprehension(1), mind(20), minds(1), understanding(1).
Your mind is the control center of
your attitudes, thoughts, feelings, and actions. Paul says that God wants
your mind because He knows the power of the mind and wants it for Himself.
He wants you to think His thoughts. As you do, your mind will be renewed. As
your mind is renewed, you will be able to fulfill His will for your life.
Denney -
nous
in the Apostle’s
usage is both intellectual and moral—the practical reason, or moral
consciousness. This is corrupted and atrophied in the natural man, and
renewed by the action of the Holy Spirit. The process would in modern
language be described rather as sanctification than regeneration, but
regeneration is assumed (Titus 3:5). (Romans
12 - The Expositor's Greek Testament)
Vine describes this renewing of
one's mind as "the adjustment of the
moral and spiritual vision and thinking to the mind of God, which is
designed to have a transforming effect upon the life."
How does this supernatural mind
renewal take place? As the believer chooses to saturate his or her mind
with the abiding seed, the living and active Word of God, the Spirit
progressively "renovates" our mind so that the way we see, think and feel
lines up more and more with the mind of God.
David Guzik explains the trap we
often fall into regarding the mind renewal necessary to bring about
transformation...
The battle ground between conforming to
the world and being transformed is within the mind of the
believer. Christians must think differently.
"I don't want to be conformed to
this world. I want to be transformed. How do I do it?"
By the renewing of your mind.
The problem with many Christians is they live based on feeling, or they are
only concerned about doing.
The life based on feeling says,
The life based on feeling says,
"How do I feel today? How
do I feel about my job? How do I feel about my wife? How do I feel about
worship? How do I feel about the preacher?"
This life by feeling will
never know the transforming power of God, because it ignores the renewing of
the mind.
The life based on doing says,
The life based on doing says,
"Don't give me your
theology. Just tell me what to do. Give me the four points for this and the
seven keys for that."
This life of doing will
never know the transforming power of God, because it ignores the renewing of
the mind.
God is never against feeling and doing. He is a God of powerful and passionate feeling, and He commands us to be doers. Yet feelings and doing are completely insufficient foundations for the Christian life. The first questions cannot be "How do I feel?" or "What do I do?" Rather, it must be "What is true here? What does God's Word say?"
God is never against feeling and doing. He is a God of powerful and passionate feeling, and He commands us to be doers. Yet feelings and doing are completely insufficient foundations for the Christian life. The first questions cannot be "How do I feel?" or "What do I do?" Rather, it must be "What is true here? What does God's Word say?"
If your mind is to be renewed
"this
book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall
meditate (meditation
is the same Hebrew word used in Psalm 1:2-note) on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to ALL that is
written in it (When you study the Bible "hit
or miss," you miss more than you hit) , for then you will make your
way prosperous (referring to spiritual wealth not necessarily fiscal
prosperity) and then you will have success"
(because your mind is renewed) (Joshua
1:8-note).
(See related resource - an
Inductive Study on the
Power of God's Word)
Joshua
1:8 (note)
called Joshua and by way of application all believers to think "Biblically", reading, assimilating and reflecting on
and obeying
the Word of God, so that we live "Biblically" in all we say and do. As
clearly stated in Joshua 1:8 (note)
a key element in this process is
meditation
which is so crucial to mind renewal but unfortunately is a vital
spiritual discipline which is seldom practiced by Christians today.
Now think with me for a moment.
Is meditation optional? Not really because reading the Bible without meditating on it is like eating without chewing.
It's not how many times you "go through" the Bible, but how much of the
Bible "goes through" you! One of the most productive ways to study the Bible for yourself is to learn
to read it
inductively (see
Introduction to Inductive Bible Study).
Click here to download lesson one of the
Precept inductive Bible study on Romans
12-16.
A. W. Tozer when speaking of the Bible once said "Read it much, read it often, brood over it, think over it, meditate over it—meditate on the Word of God day and night. When you are awake at night, think of a helpful verse (Ed note: see 2Pe 1:4-note regarding His precious and magnificent promises). When you get up in the morning, no matter how you feel, think of a verse and make the Word of God the important element in your day. The Holy Ghost wrote the Word, and if you make much of the Word, He will make much of you. It is through the Word that He reveals Himself. Between those covers is a living Book. God wrote it and it is still vital and effective and alive. God is in this Book, the Holy Ghost is in this Book, and if you want to find Him, go into this Book.
A. W. Tozer when speaking of the Bible once said "Read it much, read it often, brood over it, think over it, meditate over it—meditate on the Word of God day and night. When you are awake at night, think of a helpful verse (Ed note: see 2Pe 1:4-note regarding His precious and magnificent promises). When you get up in the morning, no matter how you feel, think of a verse and make the Word of God the important element in your day. The Holy Ghost wrote the Word, and if you make much of the Word, He will make much of you. It is through the Word that He reveals Himself. Between those covers is a living Book. God wrote it and it is still vital and effective and alive. God is in this Book, the Holy Ghost is in this Book, and if you want to find Him, go into this Book.
Vance Havner
understood this truth about the power of God's Word to renew our
minds writing that "The
storehouse of God’s Word was never meant for mere scrutiny, not even
primarily for study but for sustenance. It is not simply a collection
of fine proverbs and noble teachings for men to admire and quote as they
might Shakespeare. It is ration for the soul, resources of and
for the spirit, treasure for the inner man. Its goods exhibited upon
every page are ours, and we have no business merely moving respectfully
amongst them and coming away none the richer.
Ray Stedman adds these comments on the meditation
in his sermon on (Psalm 77:12 -
See Spurgeon's Note)
- "I
will
meditate on all Thy work, And muse on Thy deeds": He writes: "Meditate,
muse, what does that mean? It is not enough to recall what God does. One
must also think through as to the significance. That is the important thing.
"I will meditate on them, think about them, concentrate upon these, until I
see the meaning of these events." That is the important thing. Here
is the trouble with many Christians. Many faint at the second step. They do
the first, they think about what God has done in their life or in another
person's life, or in the past, such as the resurrection or some other event
of history. But then they expect some kind of an automatic reaction to
occur. They feel just to think about the event should do something for them.
But it isn't like that. "I will meditate on them. I will muse on them. I
will think them through." There is need to ask, "What does this mean? How
does it affect me? What is the significance of this event?" (sounds
like "Inductive
Bible Study"!)
When the writer (of
Psalm
77) began to do that,
then the answer came. (his mind was renewed!) This is what we need so much
today. I dare say that this is a major reason for the weakness of Christians
today. We don't want to think about events. We don't want to take time to
think about what God has said or what He does, and thus come through to a
significant understanding of the meaning of God's action. Turn off your
television sets and think about what God has said! You can think even while
you are working. I find that some of the most valuable and glorious times of
understanding of what God is doing come when I meditate on the Scriptures as
I am driving on the highways or in the city. A certain part of my mind can
handle the activities of driving, if I am not facing any traffic problem,
and I can give myself to thinking about Scripture passages. I have
discovered that this is far better than the radio in turning a long trip
into a short one. Oftentimes I can spend an hour or two thinking about these
things and the time goes by so fast that I arrive at my destination hardly
realizing that an hour or so has gone by. You can meditate like this while
you are washing the dishes. I don't know a greater place for a woman to
meditate than while washing the dishes. You don't need to think about
washing the dishes! You can do that automatically. But if you have a verse
of Scripture propped up on the window sill before you or a passage that you
are trying to think through to an understanding of it, your kitchen sink can
become the greatest altar you have ever experienced. Try it. This is what
the psalmist is telling us here." (The Cure For Doubt)
(For off site article click
Biblical Meditation)
John Stott explains how
transformation takes place, noting that "Although Paul does not here tell us how
our mind becomes renewed, we know from his other writings that it is by a
combination of the Spirit and the Word of God. Certainly regeneration by the
Holy Spirit involves the renewal of every part of our humanness, which has
been tainted and twisted by the fall, and this includes our mind. But in
addition, we need the Word of God, which is the Spirit’s ‘sword’, and
which acts as an objective revelation of God’s will. Here then are the
stages of Christian moral transformation: first our mind is renewed by the
Word and Spirit of God; then we are able to discern and desire the will of
God; and then we are increasingly transformed by it. (Stott, J. R. W. The
message of Romans Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP)
To summarize, God transforms our
minds and makes us spiritually minded by the instrumentality of His Word
(John 17:17) and His Spirit (John 6:63).
As you make God's Word your insatiable
delight
( Psalm 1:2-see
note)
and as you read and memorize it, you in turn make possible the delightful
discipline of
meditating
on His Word day and night (you cannot muse, mutter over, ponder or rehearse
what is not already in your heart and mind) and the result is that your very
innermost being becomes "Bibline" (Spurgeon's description of the
great writer John Bunyan -- Spurgeon said if you were to prick Bunyan he
would bleed "Bibline"),
as God Spirit takes the word you are eating and gradually renews "the spirit
of your mind" (2Cor
3:18; see Ephesians 4:23-note). This
transformation and renewing of our minds takes place as we behold the glory
of God, choosing to spend time in His presence meditating on His Word day
and night! This process is the only
effective preservative against outward conformity to this present age.
Ray Stedman has some practical insights on what a transformed mind looks like writing that "sin [affects] the human perception -- it makes us look at another person in terms of a symbol, not as a person. We see them as either "someone who can help us" or "someone who opposes us" -- and we resent them or bless them accordingly. But when the mind is transformed by the Spirit of God, you no longer look at people that way. You see a man as a person, even though he has been a crotchety, grouchy, old boss whom you thought was out to make every moment that you lived unpleasant. You begin to see that he is a person with an ulcer, that he has his own problems and troubles, and that he needs help. This is the transforming of the mind. You begin to see that money and material things are no longer important, as they once seemed to be. The big thing in your life no longer becomes this matter of whether you can close this deal and make so much money, but whether you will do it in a way that honors and glorifies the Lord your God -- whether you make money or not. That is a sign of a transformed mind. You no longer take everything that is said to you personally, but you become able to back off and look at it objectively....This is the work of the Spirit of God, and you find a concern for others beginning to show and to grow in your life. You see more and more how utterly self-centered you've been, and you become concerned that you demonstrate that concern for someone else. This is the transformed mind. (Discovering the Will of God) (Bolding added)
Ray Stedman has some practical insights on what a transformed mind looks like writing that "sin [affects] the human perception -- it makes us look at another person in terms of a symbol, not as a person. We see them as either "someone who can help us" or "someone who opposes us" -- and we resent them or bless them accordingly. But when the mind is transformed by the Spirit of God, you no longer look at people that way. You see a man as a person, even though he has been a crotchety, grouchy, old boss whom you thought was out to make every moment that you lived unpleasant. You begin to see that he is a person with an ulcer, that he has his own problems and troubles, and that he needs help. This is the transforming of the mind. You begin to see that money and material things are no longer important, as they once seemed to be. The big thing in your life no longer becomes this matter of whether you can close this deal and make so much money, but whether you will do it in a way that honors and glorifies the Lord your God -- whether you make money or not. That is a sign of a transformed mind. You no longer take everything that is said to you personally, but you become able to back off and look at it objectively....This is the work of the Spirit of God, and you find a concern for others beginning to show and to grow in your life. You see more and more how utterly self-centered you've been, and you become concerned that you demonstrate that concern for someone else. This is the transformed mind. (Discovering the Will of God) (Bolding added)
Pastor Claude Stauffer has some
thoughts on how not to renew your mind - "Don’t go to the world for help with
your mind. God will help us control our thoughts and bring them into
subjection to Jesus, to conform to His way of thinking. What we need to do
is present our selves to God to do so. Satan can bring evil thoughts and
desires into our minds, and we can’t stop him from dong so. But we can
stop from playing with those satanic thoughts. We can take such evil
thoughts captive in Christ and cast them down.
We aren’t to open our minds up to the New Age techniques that lead to mind
control. We aren’t to follow the Eastern Mysticism of emptying our minds
either. We are to present ourselves to God and seek that He transform and
renew our minds in the Spirit.
Here is where many people go wrong. People might never think of going to
an astrologer, or witch, or soothsayer, or New Age channeler, (thought far
too many do), but they will go to a secular psychologist who has been
training is rooted in the philosophy of this world which is self-centered.
Even so-called Christian counselors often go to the world for their
training. How can someone trained in the world, (which Romans 12:2 tells
us not to be conformed to) do anything but bring a person into conformity
with the world’s way of thinking? I believe there are godly Christian
counselors, people with the spiritual gifts of exhortation and
discernment, used by God to help people in their time of need; but it is
absolutely wrong and fruitless to seek the transformation God offers from
worldly sources. It just won’t work. Remember, Jesus is the Wonderful
Counselor (Isaiah 9:6), and any other counselor is a "step down" from Him.
You can’t top Jesus for counseling, yet so many people don’t even consider
Him as a viable resource. Such people probably haven’t even experienced a
true, real relationship or living relationship with Him. Jesus does speak
to us through counselors, but godly prayerful, Spirit-filled counselors
that will always steer a person to Jesus in their time of need. Beware
Christian, don’t be conformed to this world but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind. Paul in his letter to the Philippians gave us a
good objective to follow in the Spirit regarding our thought life (Read
Php 4:6-note,
Php 4:7-note,
Php 4:8-note,
Php 4:9-note)...Follow
that plan in the Spirit and your mind will definitely be transformed by
God. In effect what God is saying to us through the inspired words of Paul
in Romans 12:1, 2, and in the above Corinthian and Philippian passages is
if you give me your life and mind, if you give me your whole heart, I’ll
give you My life, mind and heart. That’s a deal no one should turn down. (Living
Sacrifices)
Haldane adds that
renewing of your mind signifies that "It is not the conduct merely, but the
heart itself, of the Christian that is changed; and it is from the renewal
of the mind that the conduct is also renewed. The transformation or change
that passes on the man who becomes a believer of the Gospel, is not one
produced by enthusiastically imaginations, monkish austerity, or a spirit
of legalism, endeavoring to attain salvation by good works (cp Ga 5:7, 8,
9). It is produced by the renewing of the mind, and by that only.
Many persons become for a time
changed in conduct from various motives, who are not changed in heart by
the Spirit of God, and the truth believed respecting the person and work
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But such changes are generally temporary, and though they should continue
for life, they are of no value in the sight of God. That change of life
which the Lord will approve, is a change produced by the renovation of the
mind, in the understanding, the affections, and the will... Indeed,
nothing can be more true than that these renewal of the mind is necessary
for a successful inquiry into every part of the will of God. The natural
man is in everything opposed to the mind of God. (Haldane)
James Montgomery Boice
- Harry Blamires, an Englishman who
wrote an important Christian book in 1963 titled The Christian Mind: How
Should a Christian Think? Blamires was a student of C. S. Lewis. His
book’s main thesis, repeated over and over in chapter 1, is that “There is
no longer a Christian mind,” meaning that in our time there is no longer a
distinctly Christian way of thinking. There is to some extent a Christian
ethic and even a somewhat Christian way of life and piety. But there is no
distinctly Christian frame of reference, no uniquely Christian worldview,
to guide our thinking in distinction from the thought of the secular world
around us.
Unfortunately, the situation has not improved over the past thirty years.
In fact, it has grown worse. Today, not only is there little or no genuine
Christian thinking, there is very little thinking of any kind. The Western
world (and perhaps even the world as a whole) is well on its way to
becoming what I have frequently called a “mindless society.” (Boice, J. M. Romans. Grand Rapids, Mich:
Baker Book House)
SO THAT YOU MAY PROVE:
eis to dokimazein (PAN) humas: (Ro 12:1; Ps 34:8; Ep 5:10,17; 1Pe
2:3)
Analyzed Literal: in order for you to be proving
what [is] the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
NIV: Then you will be able to test and approve what God's
will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. (The NIV use of two words
accurately reflects the meaning of dokimazo, which the NAS translates with the
single word "prove").
NLT: Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and
pleasing and perfect his will really is.
Weymouth: so that you may learn by experience what God's will is
Wuest: by the renewing of
your mind, resulting in your putting to the test what is the will of God,
the good and well-pleasing and complete will
So that (eis)
reads more literally "unto proving", and here conveys the purpose of the
transformation (transforming renewal) of one's mind.
Denney notes that the purpose of
the transforming renewal of our mind "is that Christians may prove, i.e.,
discern in their experience, what the will of God is. Cf. Romans 2:18. An
unrenewed mind cannot do this; it is destitute of moral discernment—has no
proper moral faculty." (Romans
12 - The Expositor's Greek Testament)
The ability to test and prove
what is that good and acceptable and perfect
will of God begins with having a renewed mind. To truly perceive life from
God's perspective we must live it in His way. Paul assures us that this is
not the great risk so many fear. Paul is saying in essence "Trust
God's will to be good (cp Pr 3:5-6), test your confidence by doing God's will and you will
discover God's way truly is good, pleasing and perfect". The
present tense
infinitive makes clear that this testing of what God’s will is in any given
situation or question must be an ongoing practice.
Stauffer - The mind renewed by God
will be better suited to discern God’s will because distractions are
removed that would hinder such discernment. (Ibid)
Prove
(1381)
(dokimazo
[word study]).
means to test or examine something with the object of the test being to
display or prove the genuineness of that which is tried. In the secular
Greek culture dokimazo described the testing of metals by fire to see whether they were
pure (especially used to test authenticity of metal coins).
Dokimazo
was a technical Greek expression found in an early manuscript, which
referred to the action of an examining board testing to approve those who
had successfully passed the examinations for the degree of Doctor of
Medicine.
Dokimazo
is used 4x (out of 22 total NT uses) in Romans (Click)
Consider studying the following selected uses of
dokimazo in context to help get a
sense of this picturesque Greek word (1Co 3:13, 1Co 11:28, 2Co 8:22, 2Co
13:5, Gal 6:4, Eph 5:10-note,Php
1:10-note,1Th
2:4-note,
1Th 5:21-note,
1Ti 3:10, 1Pe 1:7-note,1Jn
4:1).
Then
Click in depth study of this great Greek word
dokimazo.
According to John Piper
dokimazo "has two implications: one is
the idea of testing and proving something's value. And the other idea is
the capacity to assess it and approve of a value when you see it. It is
very hard in English to bring out both these ideas with one word. The
NIV does it in fact by using two words. It refers to the renewing of
your mind, then says, "Then you will be able to test and approve what
God's will is." That is the full idea. Test and approve."
Alexander Maclaren
expressed it like this: To know beyond doubt what I
ought to do, and knowing to do it, seems to me to be heaven on earth, and
the man that has it needs but little more. The one who is committed to God
sees life with a sure eye. While the careless and uncommitted are in
confusion, he knows God’s will...
Maclaren
in another discourse describes "the great reward and crown of this
transfigured life. Paul puts it in words which, if I had time, would require
some commenting upon. The issue of such a life is, to put it into plain
English, an increased power of perceiving, instinctively and surely, what it
is God’s will that we should do. And that is the reward. Just as when you
take away disturbing masses of metal from near a compass, it trembles to its
true point, so when, by the discipline of which I have been speaking, there
are swept away from either side of us the things that would perturb our
judgment, there comes, as blessing and reward, a clear insight into that
which it is our duty to do.
There may be many difficulties left, many perplexities. There is no promise
here, nor is there anything in the tendencies of Christ-like living, to lead
us to anticipate that guidance in regard to matters of prudence or
expediency or temporal advantage will follow from such a transfigured life.
All such matters are still to be determined in the proper fashion, by the
exercise of our own best judgment and common-sense. But in the higher
region, the knowledge of good and evil, surely it is a blessed reward, and
one of the highest that can be given to a man, that there shall be in him so
complete a harmony with God that, like God’s Son, he ‘does always the things
that please Him,’ and that the Father will show him whatsoever things
Himself doeth; and that these also will the son do likewise. To know beyond
doubt what I ought to do, and knowing, to have no hesitation or reluctance
in doing it, seems to me to be heaven upon earth, and the man that has it
needs but little more. This, then, is the reward. Each peak we climb opens
wider and clearer prospects into the untravelled land before us.
And so, brethren, here is the way, the only way, by which we can change ourselves, first let us have our minds renewed by contact with the truth, then we shall be able to transform our lives into the likeness of Jesus Christ, and our faces too will shine, and our lives will be ennobled, by a serene beauty which men cannot but admire, though it may rebuke them. And as the issue of all we shall have clearer and deeper insight into that will, which to know is life, in keeping of which there is great reward. And thus our apostle’s promise may be fulfilled for each of us. ‘We all with unveiled faces reflecting’—as a mirror does—‘the glory of the Lord, are changed . . . into the same image.’ (Romans 12:2 Transfiguration)
In the margin of
many pages in D. L. Moody's Bible, he wrote the letters T and P, meaning
And so, brethren, here is the way, the only way, by which we can change ourselves, first let us have our minds renewed by contact with the truth, then we shall be able to transform our lives into the likeness of Jesus Christ, and our faces too will shine, and our lives will be ennobled, by a serene beauty which men cannot but admire, though it may rebuke them. And as the issue of all we shall have clearer and deeper insight into that will, which to know is life, in keeping of which there is great reward. And thus our apostle’s promise may be fulfilled for each of us. ‘We all with unveiled faces reflecting’—as a mirror does—‘the glory of the Lord, are changed . . . into the same image.’ (Romans 12:2 Transfiguration)
Tried
and
Proved
and
Proved
Moody had put into practice passages from God's Word,
proving that they work. You too can try and prove God's wonder-working Word.
Calvin remarks that "If the renewal of our mind
is necessary for the purpose of proving what the
will of the Most High is, we may hence see how much this mind is opposed
to God.
WHAT THE WILL
OF GOD IS: ti to thelema tou Theou:
(Ro 12:1; 7:12,14,22; Ps 19:7, 8, 9, 10, 11; Ps
119:47,48,72,97,103,128,174; Pr 3:1, 2, 3, 4; Pr 3:13, 14, 15,16, 17,
18; Ga 5:22, 23; Ep 5:9; Col 4:12; 1Th 4:3; 2Ti 3:16,17)
As Middletown Bible rightly reminds
us "The
heart-cry of the believer (should be) "I WANT WANT GOD WANTS, no more
and no less! I want nothing but God’s best! Not my will but Thine be
done!"
Will (2307)
(thelema
[word study] from thelo
= to will, the ending -ma signifying the result of something, in this
case of God willing) is
what one wishes or has determined shall be done
or that which is desired or wished for.
It refers to a desire which proceeds from one’s heart or emotions. This term
expresses the result of one’s purpose or desire.
Thelema has both an objective
meaning (“what one wishes to happen”) and a subjective connotation (“the act
of willing or desiring”). Thelema conveys the idea of desire, even a
heart’s desire, for the word primarily expresses emotion instead of
volition. Thus God’s will is not so much God’s intention, as it is His
heart’s desire.
Related Resources:
Zodhiates says that thelema
is the "Will, not to be conceived as a
demand, but as an expression or inclination of pleasure towards that
which is liked, that which pleases and creates joy. When it denotes
God's will, it signifies His gracious disposition toward something. Used
to designate what God Himself does of His own good pleasure.
(Zodhiates,
S. The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament. AMG)
Thelema -
62x in 58v - Mt 6:10; 7:21; 12:50; 18:14; 21:31; 26:42; Mark 3:35; Luke
12:47; 22:42; 23:25; Jn 1:13; 4:34; 5:30; 6:38, 39, 40; 7:17; 9:31;
Acts 13:22; 21:14; 22:14; Ro 1:10-note;
Ro 2:18-note;
Ro 12:2-note;
Ro 15:32-note;
1Cor 1:1; 7:37; 16:12; 2Cor 1:1; 8:5; Gal 1:4; Ep 1:1-note,
Ep 1:5-note,
Ep 1:9-note,
Ep 1:11-note;
Ep 2:3-note;
Ep 5:17-note;
Ep 6:6-note; Col
1:1-note,
Col 1:9-note;
Col 4:12-note; 1Th 4:3-note;
1Th 5:18-note; 2Ti 1:1-note;
2Ti 2:26-note; He 10:7-note,
He 10:9-note,
He 10:10-note,
He 10:36-note;
He 13:21-note; 1Pe 2:15-note;
1Pe 3:17-note;
1Pe 4:2-note,
1Pe 4:19-note; 2Pe 1:21-note; 1Jn 2:17; 5:14; Rev
4:11-note. NAS = desire(1), desires(1), will(57).
James Denney - The will of God is
identified with what is agathos, good in the moral sense,
euarestos well pleasing, sc., to God; and teleion ethically
adequate or complete: Deut 18:13, Mt5:48. No one discovers the line of
action which from possessing these characteristics can be identified as the
will of God unless he is transformed from his native affinity to the world
by the renewing of his mind by the Holy Spirit. (Romans
12 - The Expositor's Greek Testament)
In these first two verses of
Romans 12 note the progression...
Dedication
leads to
Discernment
leads to
Delight
in God's will.
leads to
Discernment
leads to
Delight
in God's will.
We understand the will of God
through the Word of God. The Spirit teaches us as we submit to Him (Jn
14:26,16:13),
renewing our mind producing transformation and this ongoing process enables
the believer to more and more discern what is the "will of God" in
various settings. Could it be that one reason so many who profess Christ
have difficulty discerning God's will for their life is that they are
conforming to the world's way of thinking and failing to spend time in His
Word to allow the Spirit to renew their minds and transform them from glory to
glory? A "renewed mind" in a sense results in a "holy instinct"
if you will. Until you lay your life on God’s altar as a living
sacrifice—until your will is dead—God’s will won’t be manifest
in your life.
Oswald Chambers writes that...
We should be so one with God that we
don’t need to ask continually for guidance. Sanctification means that we are
made the children of God. A child’s life is normally obedient, until he
chooses disobedience. But as soon as he chooses to disobey, an inherent
inner conflict is produced. On the spiritual level, inner conflict is the
warning of the Spirit of God. When He warns us in this way, we must stop at
once and be renewed in the spirit of our mind to discern God’s
will (Ro 12:2 ). If we are born again by the Spirit of God, our devotion to
Him is hindered, or even stopped, by continually asking Him to guide us here
and there. ". . . the Lord led me . . ." and on looking back we see the
presence of an amazing design. If we are born of God we will see His guiding
hand and give Him the credit. (Excerpt
from My Utmost For His Highest)
Conscience is that ability within me that
attaches itself to the highest standard I know, and then continually reminds
me of what that standard demands that I do. It is the eye of the soul which
looks out either toward God or toward what we regard as the highest
standard. This explains why conscience is different in different people. If
I am in the habit of continually holding God’s standard in front of me, my
conscience will always direct me to God’s perfect law and indicate what I
should do. The question is, will I obey?
I have to make an effort to keep my
conscience so sensitive that I can live without any offense toward anyone. I
should be living in such perfect harmony with God’s Son that the spirit of
my mind is being renewed through every circumstance of life,
and that I may be able to quickly "prove what is that good and acceptable
and perfect will of God" ( Romans 12:2 ; also see Ephesians 4:23-note).
(Excerpt
from The Habit of Keeping a Clear Conscience - My Utmost For His Highest)
(Bolding added)
Ray Stedman adds that a
genuinely committed heart will begin to discover the will of God and...
to experience the conscious
guidance of the Spirit of God (Ro 8:5-note,
Ro 8:9-note,
Ro 8:14-note, Ps 143:10-note, Gal 4:6,
Gal 5:16-note,
Gal 5:18-note). You discover that when you have put God in His rightful place and you
are willing to do His will, this in itself is the will of God. There is so
much nonsense made about the matter of the will of God in Christian
affairs. We think of it as specific directions at a specific time, and we
only seek it when we have some big problem to face. But this isn't what
the will of God is at all. The will of God is your being willing to do his
will. As Paul writes to the Thessalonians, "this is the will of God,
even your sanctification (holiness)" {1Th 4:3KJV-note}. That is, even
your willingness to be available to Him, this is his will. Once you get to
that place, then He is free and able to direct your steps (Pr 20:24) --
every one of which is a fulfillment of His will. It is evident that there
is a gradual growth of this awareness, as Paul sets it forth here. He says
you will discover, or prove, "what is the good and acceptable and
perfect will of God." That is, at first, you will learn that what God
sends is good (cp Jas 1:17-note,
Ps 84:11-note).
When you begin to see your daily happenings, your experiences, your
trials, your joys from this point of view, you begin to see that all these
things are designed for your good (cp Ro 8:28-note,
Ge 50:20, 1Pe 1:6-note,
1Pe 1:7-note).
You learn not to murmur or complain (Phil 2:14-note),
and, even though you still, perhaps, have difficulty in seeing how
everything is going to work out together for good, you still believe it.
And I think Pastor Stedman's
prayer is worth repeating
Our Father, we pray that we
will more than just intellectually grasp this truth, but that it may grip
our hearts and our souls, and release our paralyzed wills, and energize us
to begin to be available to You, not in words but in deeds. In Jesus'
name. Amen (Ed: And all God's people said "Amen"!)
THAT WHICH IS GOOD: to agathon:
As we live for Him, we are assured that
His will for our lives will be "good and acceptable and perfect" and that
our life will be pleasing to Him. For a child, what can be better than
knowing he or she is living in a way that pleases their parent. Such a
life brings comfort, confidence, assurance, etc. Therefore, how much more
so should we as children of our perfect, holy, heavenly Father seek to so
live, so that we might continually be in the "center of His will",
pleasing to Him!
Good (18)
(agathos
[word study] 19/102 uses in
Romans -- Ro 2:7, 10; 3:8; 5:7; 7:12, 13, 18, 19; 8:28; 9:11; 10:15; 12:2,
9, 21; 13:3, 4; 14:16; 15:2; 16:19) describes that which is "good"
in its character or constitution or beneficial in its effect. Much of the
difficulty we experience about submitting to the will of God would disappear
if once we could see clearly that the "character" of God's will is always agathos or good
and beneficial in
its effect! We struggle and struggle in vain to submit to a will that we
do not believe to be good, but when we see that it is good, we submit to it with
delight. We want it to be accomplished.
The will of God
isn’t a curiosity for us to study, it’s a command for us to obey. God isn’t
obligated to reveal His will unless we’re willing to do it, for as Jesus
declared...
If
any man is willing to do His will (note the condition), he shall know of the teaching (this is the promise),
whether it is of God, or whether I speak from Myself.
(John 7:17)
There is a wonderful promise
here for everyone earnestly seeking the truth. Those who are fundamentally
committed to doing God’s will will be guided by Him in the affirmation of
His truth. God’s truth is self-authenticating through the teaching ministry
of the Holy Spirit. An axiom which should permeate our study of God's word
in order to understand God's will is...
Obedience is the organ
of spiritual knowledge
of spiritual knowledge
Haldane writes that "The will of God is here distinguished as good; because, however much the mind may be opposed to it, and how much soever we may think that it curtails our pleasures, and mars our enjoyments, obedience to God conduces to our happiness. To follow His law is even in this world calculated to promote happiness. (Haldane)
AND ACCEPTABLE: kai euareston:
That which God wills and recognizes You cannot add anything to the will of
God and in any way improve it. You could take anything away from it and make
it better. It is totally acceptable.
Robert Haldane
well remarks, "That
which the Lord enjoins is acceptable to Him, and surely this is the
strongest motive to practice it. Nothing else is acceptable to Him,
however specious it may appear to human wisdom. All injunctions that
proceed merely from men in Divine things are unacceptable to God. He
approves of nothing but obedience to His own commandments.
(Haldane)
Acceptable
(pleasing
- NIV)
(2101)
(euarestos
[word study]
from
eu
= well +
arestos = pleasing, desirable,
proper, fit, agreeable from
aresko
= to please or be pleasing/acceptable
to)
means that which causes someone to be
pleased. It is something which is well approved, eminently satisfactory,
or extra-ordinarily pleasing.
Euarestos -
9x in 9v in the NAS - Ro 12:1, 2; 14:18; 2 Co. 5:9; Eph. 5:10;
Phil. 4:18; Col. 3:20; Titus 2:9; Heb. 13:21. NAS = acceptable(3), pleasing(2), well-pleasing(3), which is pleasing(1).
Gary Inrig in “A
Call to Excellence" writes that "The concept of pleasing God
is especially important for the Apostle Paul. Indeed, it was the goal
and controlling ambition of his life, for, as he writes to the church in
Corinth, “we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be
pleasing to Him.” (2Co 5:9-note). Only a believer indwelt by the Spirit can
please God, for “those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (see
Ro 8:8-note). A
further prerequisite is faith, for “without faith it is impossible to
please Him (God).” (see He 11:6-note).
The ambition to please God determines a person’s commitment of life
(Ro 12:1-note;
2Ti 2:4-note),
his daily walk (Col 1:10-note;1Th
4:1-note),
his spiritual priesthood (see He 13:15-note;
He 13:16-note),
and his relationships (Col 3:20-note).
The believer tests everything in life, “trying to learn what is
pleasing to the Lord” (Ep 5:10-note).
A man who lives to please people by making their approval of more importance
than God’s stands condemned (Gal 1:10), as does an individual
determined to please only himself, regardless of the impact on others
( Ro 15:1-note;
Ro 15:2-note;
Ro 15:3-note)
Pastor Charles Tindley
was a noted African American preacher in Philadelphia in the
early 1900's when he wrote a wonderful hymn entitled, "NOTHING BETWEEN",
which addresses those practices and attitudes which must be rejected if
Christians are to know the will of God, good, pleasing and perfect. "NOTHING
BETWEEN" reminds us in clear terms that we must all be sober minded (see
1Peter 1:13-note;
1Pe 5:8-note)
and constantly guard against those allurements and temptations that can so
easily squeeze us into the world's mold. As you read this old hymn ask God
to show you those things that so often come between you and the sweet will
of your Master:
Nothing between my soul and
the Savior,
Naught of this world’s delusive dream:
I have renounced all sinful pleasure—
Jesus is mine! There’s nothing between.
Naught of this world’s delusive dream:
I have renounced all sinful pleasure—
Jesus is mine! There’s nothing between.
Nothing between, like worldly pleasure!
Habits of life, tho' harmless they seem,
Must not my heart from Him ever sever—
He is my all! There’s nothing between
Habits of life, tho' harmless they seem,
Must not my heart from Him ever sever—
He is my all! There’s nothing between
Nothing between, like pride or station:
Self or friends shall not intervene;
Tho' it may cost me much tribulation,
I am resolved! There’s nothing between.
Self or friends shall not intervene;
Tho' it may cost me much tribulation,
I am resolved! There’s nothing between.
Nothing between, e’en many hard trials,
Tho' the whole world against me convene;
Watching with prayer and much self denial—
Triumph at last, with nothing between!
Tho' the whole world against me convene;
Watching with prayer and much self denial—
Triumph at last, with nothing between!
Chorus:
Nothing between my soul and the Savior,
So that His blessed face may be seen.
Nothing preventing the least of His favor:
Keep the way clear! Let nothing between.
The price of spiritual power
is purity of heart.
(cp Proverbs 4:23-note)
Ray Stedman relates the following
convicting story of what it means to not be CONFORMED but to be
TRANSFORMED: Nothing between my soul and the Savior,
So that His blessed face may be seen.
Nothing preventing the least of His favor:
Keep the way clear! Let nothing between.
The price of spiritual power
is purity of heart.
(cp Proverbs 4:23-note)
"I heard this week of an incident in
the life of Jerome Hines, the Metropolitan Opera singer. Many of you know the
story of his life -- how, as a boy growing up in California, he became convinced
that he had a good voice. Someone urged him to train it, and so he did. He
became possessed of a desire to become a star in the Metropolitan Opera Company.
That was what he lived for. He built his life around that, gave up all other
activities, all other pursuits, all other pleasures, to give himself to the
necessary work of training to become an opera star. He learned the arts of
intonation, of musical projection. He learned several languages so he could sing
operatic roles. He gave himself to that tremendous desire within him to be a
star in the Metropolitan Opera. It finally came true. He became a star. And he
said it was empty, hollow. One day he heard a man singing. The voice was as good
as his, and the man could have done what he did. He heard Beverly Shea singing,
"I'd Rather Have Jesus." The words he sang were,
I'd rather have Jesus than silver
or gold,
I'd rather be His than have riches untold,
I'd rather have Jesus than houses or land,
I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hands
Than to be the king of a vast domain,
And be held in sin's dread sway.
I'd rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.
I'd rather be His than have riches untold,
I'd rather have Jesus than houses or land,
I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hands
Than to be the king of a vast domain,
And be held in sin's dread sway.
I'd rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.
That song got to Jerome Hines.
He began to think about it, and, out of that incident, he became a Christian.
But he didn't quit the opera. A lot of people thought he should have. They
thought the opera was "worldly"! No, opera is not worldly -- except to those who
think like worldlings and live like wordlings in the opera. Jerome Hines stayed
in opera, but everything was different. He was not longer singing for the
advancement of Jerome Hines, he was singing for the glory of God. He dedicated
his art, his work, his all to that purpose. That is right. God doesn't take us
out of the world; he wants us to live in it, but to change our thinking. Jerome
did. A few years ago Hines had an opportunity to sing the role that he had
always wanted to sing. He trained for it, with months and months of hard work,
and he was given the role. He was contracted to sing that role in the opera for
ten years. When he went to the opera to practice he found some people performing
a rather lewd dance. He asked, "What is this?" He was told, "This is the
choreography that introduces the opera." He said, "There's nothing in the opera
like this!" "No," they said, "we're changing it a bit, modernizing it, bringing
it up to date." Jerome Hines said, "I won't sing if you are going to have this
kind of a dance in it." He was told he had better go talk to Mr. Bing.
Jerome Hines went to Rudolph
Bing, the Metropolitan Opera general manager, and said to him, "Sir, if you have
that dance in the opera then I am not going to sing in it." Bing told him, "If
you don't sing, you will be ostracized and blacklisted in opera because you are
under contract to sing." Hines said, "Sir, I can't sing in that opera. I am not
going to let my name be used to entice people to come in to see filth like this.
You can break me, sir, and the union can break me. I've worked hard for months
to train for this role, but I will not sing in your opera if that dance is in
it." Bing said, "Jerome, you don't have to sing. If you really feel that way,
you don't have to sing; we'll get someone else. But we can't change the
contract." So Jerome Hines had to give up that role. It cost him, over the
period of ten years, something like a hundred thousand dollars. How many of you
are willing to give your body to God in such a way that you would be willing to
give up a hundred thousand dollars rather than do something with your body that
would be offensive to your Lord?" That is what Paul is talking
about by not being conformed to this world -- not going along with its pattern
of thinking, not being willing to go in for all that it goes in for in its
pursuit of pleasure and happiness. "That's tough," you say. You bet it's tough!
If you do that day after day it gets very hard, because you are under constant
pressure -- and it gets to you after a while. "Everybody is thinking this way,
everybody wants to do that, nobody understands you -- so why don't you give in?" There is only one
answer to that question. In order to stand up against that kind of pressure you
need what Paul talks about next: "but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind." There is no way that you can keep from being conformed to the world
unless you are being transformed by the renewing of your mind. Something has to
happen to your thinking. You can't go on thinking the way the world around you
thinks and still not give in and be conformed to what it does. What we need is a
change of thinking. That comes day by day by being renewed again and again and
again. You need a mind that will see through all these silly schemes of the
world. There is that kind of a mind. In the Scriptures it is called "the mind of
Christ," {1Co 2:16}.
The mind of Christ is the way of looking at life as Jesus does, seeing life as
he sees it. It is seeing what is really there and not what seems to be there,
seeing what really is important, not what looks to be important. You can't have
that mind unless you are having your mind renewed every day. The mind of
Christ, of course, looks at the world and does not say that the basis of life is
the advancement of self. When it looks at the
world it says that the basis for living, the reason for life, is to serve God
and to advance his will. Not your will, but his will be done; not the building
of your kingdom and your empire, but the advancement of his kingdom. This is the
basis for life. This is really what human beings are here for. And to maintain
that kind of thinking in the midst of the world takes a renewed mind."
(Stedman, Ray:
Living Day by Day)
AND PERFECT: kai teleion:
Perfect (5046)
(teleios
[word study] from telos
= goal) an adjective which describes some entity which is
finished, brought to its end, lacking nothing necessary for completeness.
Teleios includes the
ideas of having no defect whatsoever and of having reached the goal, purpose or
end which was originally intended. It is often translated "mature" or "complete".
Teleios -
19x in 17v - Matt 5:48; 19:21; Rom 12:2; 1 Cor 2:6; 13:10; 14:20; Eph
4:13; Phil 3:15; Col 1:28; 4:12; Heb 5:14; 9:11; Jas 1:4, 17, 25; 3:2; 1
John 4:18. NAS = complete(2), mature(4), more perfect(1), perfect(12).
The "will of God" is "perfect" in that it lacks nothing for
completeness
(except me to fulfill it)
and it achieves the desired end or goal that God had originally intended.
God's
"perfect" will is all that we need to lead a life that is holy and
wholly satisfying and by which we become mature and complete in Christ (Col
1:28-note)
Haldane -
The will of God as exhibited in His
word is perfect. Nothing can be added to it, nothing can be taken from
it... (Haldane)
Study the following NT uses
of teleios in context to give you a deeper understanding of
this great Greek word: Teleios is an adjective so note especially
what it is modifying for added insights Mt 5:48-note,
Mt 19:21, 1Cor 2:6, 1Cor 13:10, 1Cor 14:20, Eph 4:13-note,
Php 3:15-note,
Col 1:28-note,
Col 4:12-note,
Heb 5:14 [mature]-note,
Heb 9:11-note,
Jas 1:4 [2x]-note,
James 1:17-note,
James 1:25-note,
James 3:2, 1Jn 4:18.
In the
Septuagint (LXX) teleios is
used to translate the following Hebrew words and/or phrase: "blameless"
(describing Noah in Ge 6:9), "wholly devoted" (Solomon's prayer for the
hearts of the people toward God 1Ki 8:61), "whole" (David's prayer for
Solomon was that he would serve God with a "whole heart" 1Chr 28:9).
A transformed mind produces a transformed will, by which we become "innervated"
and "energized" (enabled), with the Spirit’s help, to lay aside our own plans and to trust
and
accept God’s will, no matter what transpires. This is not easy nor is it the
natural response which means it has to be a supernatural, God driven
response and yet we are not puppets and thus must make the choices for
or against the will of God. There is really no middle ground.
Wuest translates this verse: And stop assuming an outward expression that does not come from within you and is not representative of what you are in your inner being, but is patterned after this age; but change your outward expression to one that comes from within and is representative of your inner being, by the renewing of your mind, resulting in your putting to the test what is the will of God, the good and well-pleasing, and complete will, and having found that it meets specification, placing your approval upon it (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Translation of the New Testament: Eerdmans)
Wuest translates this verse: And stop assuming an outward expression that does not come from within you and is not representative of what you are in your inner being, but is patterned after this age; but change your outward expression to one that comes from within and is representative of your inner being, by the renewing of your mind, resulting in your putting to the test what is the will of God, the good and well-pleasing, and complete will, and having found that it meets specification, placing your approval upon it (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Translation of the New Testament: Eerdmans)
In sum in Ro
12:2, Paul gives us first a negative command and then a positive one: negatively, stop being
continually conformed to this world's way of thinking and positively, be
continually transformed. Not conformed, transformed. Devote your life as a
Christian to being changed. Don't settle in at the level of transformation you
now have. O how many Christians throw away their birthright by coasting. Be
transformed is present tense, on-going, continual growth in non-conforming
yourself to the world. The focus is not on getting the outside of the cup
cleaned up, but on allowing God to clean the inside. (cp Mt 23:25,26)
Transformation and
non-conformity
on the outside must flow out of a new (saved) mind, every day of our
life as we continue in...
waiting eagerly (apekdechomai)
(present
tense
= speaks of the general bent of our life) for our adoption as sons,
the redemption of our body. (Ro 8:23-note)
Comment:
See
Rapture vs Second Coming)
(cp the motivating aspect of "looking for the blessed hope" in Titus
2:11-note
, Titus 2:12-note,
Titus 2:13-note,
1Jn 3:2-note,
1Jn 3:3-note
- what you are
looking for will determine what you are living for!
THE WILL OF GOD
Nothing More
Nothing Less
Nothing Else
Nothing Better
An Outline on the
topic of God's Will...Nothing More
Nothing Less
Nothing Else
Nothing Better
I. SANCTIFICATION IS GOD'S WILL FOR US
D. Continual Rejoicing, Ceaseless
Prayer and Constant Thanksgiving are God's will for us - 1Th 5:16, 17, 18 (notes)
II. SECURITY IS GOD'S WILL FOR US -
Jn 6:38, 39, 40
III. SERVICE IS GOD'S WILL FOR US - Ep 6:5, 6, 7, 8, 9 (note) 1Pe 5:2 (note)
IV. SUFFERING IS GOD'S WILL FOR US - 1Pe 3:17 (note), 1Pe 4:19 (note)
Some final sage advice from Ray Stedman regarding God's Will...III. SERVICE IS GOD'S WILL FOR US - Ep 6:5, 6, 7, 8, 9 (note) 1Pe 5:2 (note)
IV. SUFFERING IS GOD'S WILL FOR US - 1Pe 3:17 (note), 1Pe 4:19 (note)
When you are confused and don't
know where you are, you renew your mind by reading through a passage and
thinking it through and letting the Word speak to your heart. Then you go
back to your routine and determine that your life will be in line with the
Word of God. The rest of the book of Romans is designed to tell you how to
have your mind renewed so you won't be conformed to the spirit of the age.
This is where we learn that the methods of the Christian are not rivalry and
competition, but obedience to the Word of God and a heart that expects God
to operate. Then life becomes exciting. God wants your life at work and at
home to be exciting, with this constant battle around you, so that you might
understand how to live and overcome and conquer in the name of Jesus.
I don't know what you are going to be doing this week, but I know that
living a Christian life isn't something that is done only in church. It is
done wherever you are. It starts with a change in your thinking. You don't
let yourself think like other people around you think. That can only come as
you are exposed to the truth as it is in Jesus. Now, what are you
going to do with your life? Are you going to wrap it up in a napkin of affluence
and bury it in forty years of self-indulgence? Well, that would be the dullest
experience you could have. When you get before the throne of God, all you will
find out is that you have wasted all those years. Oh, you will be there, if you
know the Lord, but you will find you have wasted your life, and it will be worth
nothing before his throne. And you will have lived the dullest kind of
existence.
But if you are willing to bring your body to God and say, "Lord, here it is. I have trouble with it, and I'm sure you will too, but here it is. You wanted it. I give it to you for the rest of my life, to be your instrument for whatever you want." God says, "All right, I'll take it." If you then, on that basis, begin to recognize the systematic brainwashing of the world and refuse it, and constantly renew your thinking in the truth as it is found in Jesus and the Word of God, then I will tell you something: You are going to have an exciting life, beyond what you ever dreamed. It will never be dull. It will be awfully hard sometimes, but never dull, never boring. What are you going to do with your life?" (Stedman, Ray: Living Day by Day)
But if you are willing to bring your body to God and say, "Lord, here it is. I have trouble with it, and I'm sure you will too, but here it is. You wanted it. I give it to you for the rest of my life, to be your instrument for whatever you want." God says, "All right, I'll take it." If you then, on that basis, begin to recognize the systematic brainwashing of the world and refuse it, and constantly renew your thinking in the truth as it is found in Jesus and the Word of God, then I will tell you something: You are going to have an exciting life, beyond what you ever dreamed. It will never be dull. It will be awfully hard sometimes, but never dull, never boring. What are you going to do with your life?" (Stedman, Ray: Living Day by Day)
God wants our bodies and our minds; He
wants our total submission. Is there anything or anyone that you are
withholding from God? Is your marriage and family yielded to Him? Is your
vocation His? What about your finances or hobbies? God wants
to stretch you. He isn’t a part-time lover; He is the all-consuming lover!
Will you present yourself to Him anew and afresh? If you will, your life
will never be the same.
><>><>><>
J R Miller (1907) - The impression
of a holy and separate life
If we are Christians, we are not of this
world—we belong to the kingdom of heaven. It is very easy for us, being in
the world, to become of it—to let our lives grow like the world. But this is
not the way to make ourselves a living sacrifice to God. "It
is not conformity that we need," says Bushnell; "it is not being able to
beat the world in its own way; but it is to stand apart and above it, and to
produce the impression of a holy and separate life. This alone is safety and
success."
Instead, then, of conforming to the world, taking the world's color—our duty is to seek to be transformed into the heavenly life. The word "transformed" means to be transfigured, that is, to become bright and shining in our life. The secret of it is given in the words, "the renewing of your minds." The candle is to be lighted within our hearts and minds—that its beams may shine out through our life, making it glow! (Counsel and Help)
Instead, then, of conforming to the world, taking the world's color—our duty is to seek to be transformed into the heavenly life. The word "transformed" means to be transfigured, that is, to become bright and shining in our life. The secret of it is given in the words, "the renewing of your minds." The candle is to be lighted within our hearts and minds—that its beams may shine out through our life, making it glow! (Counsel and Help)
><>><>><>
John
Newton "Be not conformed to this world."
Romans 12:2
Conformity to the world is the bane
of many professors in this day. They have found a way, as they think, to
serve both God and Mammon. They may attain to a scheme of orthodox
notions—but they will remain destitute of the life, power, and comfort
of piety—so long as they cleave to those things which are incompatible
with it.
We must not conform to the spirit of the world. As believers, we are strangers and pilgrims upon earth. Heaven is our country, and the Lord is our King. We are to be known and noticed as His subjects; and therefore it is His desire, that we do not adopt the sinful customs of the land in which we sojourn.
We must not conform to the maxims of the world. The world in various instances calls evil good, and good evil. But we are to judge of things by the unerring Word of God—uninfluenced by the determination of the great, or the many.
We must not conform to the world in their amusements and diversions. "What fellowship has light with darkness, or what concord has Christ with Belial?" What does a believer have to do into those places and companies, where everything tends to promote a spirit of dissipation; where the fear of God has no place; where things are purposely disposed to inflame or indulge corrupt and sinful appetites and passions, and to banish all serious thoughts of God and ourselves?
If it is our duty to redeem time, to walk with God, to do all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to follow the example which He set us when he was upon earth. It must of course be our duty to avoid a conformity with the world in those vain and sensual amusements, which stand in as direct contradiction to a spiritual frame
of mind. So far as a Christian is infected by a conformity to the spirit, maxims, and sinful customs of the world, true piety will be hindered.
May the Lord enable you and I to lay this subject to heart, and that we be preserved from that growing evil—a sinful conformity to the world! (John Newton's Letters)
We must not conform to the spirit of the world. As believers, we are strangers and pilgrims upon earth. Heaven is our country, and the Lord is our King. We are to be known and noticed as His subjects; and therefore it is His desire, that we do not adopt the sinful customs of the land in which we sojourn.
We must not conform to the maxims of the world. The world in various instances calls evil good, and good evil. But we are to judge of things by the unerring Word of God—uninfluenced by the determination of the great, or the many.
We must not conform to the world in their amusements and diversions. "What fellowship has light with darkness, or what concord has Christ with Belial?" What does a believer have to do into those places and companies, where everything tends to promote a spirit of dissipation; where the fear of God has no place; where things are purposely disposed to inflame or indulge corrupt and sinful appetites and passions, and to banish all serious thoughts of God and ourselves?
If it is our duty to redeem time, to walk with God, to do all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to follow the example which He set us when he was upon earth. It must of course be our duty to avoid a conformity with the world in those vain and sensual amusements, which stand in as direct contradiction to a spiritual frame
of mind. So far as a Christian is infected by a conformity to the spirit, maxims, and sinful customs of the world, true piety will be hindered.
May the Lord enable you and I to lay this subject to heart, and that we be preserved from that growing evil—a sinful conformity to the world! (John Newton's Letters)
><>><>><>
Thomas
Watson
To be godly and earthly, is a
contradiction. Those who are eaten up with the world will be
rejected, as ungodly, at the bar of judgment. We read that the
earth swallowed up Korah alive, Nu 16:32. This judgment is on
many—the earth swallows up their time, thoughts and discourse. They are
buried twice; their hearts are buried in the earth before their bodies.
How sad it is that the soul, that princely thing, which is made for
communion with God and angels, should be put to the mill to grind, and
made a slave to the earth! How like the prodigal the soul has become,
choosing rather to converse with swine and feed upon husks—than to
aspire after communion
with the blessed Deity! Thus does Satan befool men, and keep them from heaven by making them seek a heaven here on earth.
God himself sounds a retreat to us to call us off the world. "Love not the world" 1John 2:15. "Be not conformed to this world" Romans 12:2. Do not hunt after its honors and profits.
with the blessed Deity! Thus does Satan befool men, and keep them from heaven by making them seek a heaven here on earth.
God himself sounds a retreat to us to call us off the world. "Love not the world" 1John 2:15. "Be not conformed to this world" Romans 12:2. Do not hunt after its honors and profits.
><>><>><>
Octavius Winslow - A worldly Christianity? "Do not be
conformed to this world." Romans 12:2
THE world, and the love of it, and
conformity to it, may please and assist the life of sense, but it is
opposed to, and will retard, the life of faith. Not more opposed in
their natures are the flesh and the Spirit, darkness and light, sin and
holiness, than are a vigorous life of faith and a sinful love of the
world. Professor of the gospel! guard against the world; it is your
great bane: watch against conformity to it in your dress, in your mode
of living, in the education of your children, in the principles,
motives, and policy that govern you. Grieve not, then, the Holy Spirit
of God by any known inconsistency of conduct, any sinful conformity to
the world, any inordinate pursuit of its wealth, its honors, its
pleasures, its friendships, and its great things. Pray against the sin
of covetousness, that canker-worm that feeds at the root of so many
souls; pray against the love of dress, that sin that diverts the mind of
so many professors from the simplicity of Christ, and takes the eye off
from the true adornment; pray against a thirst for light and trifling
reading, that strange and sinful inconsistency of so many, the certain
tendency of which is to starve the life of God in the soul, to engender
a distaste for spiritual aliment, for the word of God, for holy
meditation, and for Divine communion and fellowship—yes, pray against
the spirit of worldly, sinful conformity in everything, that the Holy
Spirit do not be grieved, and that Christ do not be dishonored and
crucified afresh in and through you. It is to be feared that much of the
professed Christianity of the day is of a compromising character. The
spirit that marks so many is, "What will you give me, and I will deliver
him unto you?" There is a betraying of Christ before the world—a
bartering of Christianity for its good opinion, its places of honor, and
influence, and emolument. The world, the flesh, and Satan are ever on
the alert to frame a bargain with a Christian professor for his
religion. "What will you give me in return?" is the eager inquiry of
many. Oh, awful state! oh, fearful deception! oh, fatal delusion!
Reader! are you a professing Christian? Then guard against the least
compromise of your principles, the least betrayal of Jesus, the first
step in an inconsistency of walk; above all, pray and watch against a
worldly Christianity—a Christianity that wears a fair exterior, so far
as it is composed of attendance upon sanctuary services and sacraments
and religious institutions, but which excludes from it the cross of the
meek and lowly Lamb of God—a Christianity which loves the world and the
things of the world, "makes a fair show in the flesh," speaks well of
Christ, and yet betrays Him with a kiss. Let not this be the model of
your religion. The world is the sworn enemy of your Savior; let it not
be your friend. No; come out of it, and be you separate. (MORNING
THOUGHTS)
><>><>><>
Octavius Winslow...A canker into the very core of your
spirituality! (Octavius Winslow "Evening Thoughts")
"Do not conform any longer to the
pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
Romans 12:2
Heavenly-mindedness can only be maintained by the strictest vigilance. It is a delicate and fragile flower, susceptible of every variation of the spiritual atmosphere. Guard against that which checks its growth.
Many are not aware how much . . . . great joviality, light conversation, foolish jesting, novel reading, carnal music, unfit the heart for communion with God, and lessen the tone of its spirituality.
Close communion with mere nominal religious professors is particularly to be avoided. Much more injury to spiritual-mindedness accrues from intimate friendship with such, than from those who assert no pretensions to a religious character; as with the one we are apt to be less on our guard than the other.
Avoid the world's amusements; they will eat as a canker into the very core of your spirituality!
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world" is a prohibition which should never be absent from the eye of a traveler to the heavenly city.
Are not heaven's attractions many and powerful?
Heavenly-mindedness can only be maintained by the strictest vigilance. It is a delicate and fragile flower, susceptible of every variation of the spiritual atmosphere. Guard against that which checks its growth.
Many are not aware how much . . . . great joviality, light conversation, foolish jesting, novel reading, carnal music, unfit the heart for communion with God, and lessen the tone of its spirituality.
Close communion with mere nominal religious professors is particularly to be avoided. Much more injury to spiritual-mindedness accrues from intimate friendship with such, than from those who assert no pretensions to a religious character; as with the one we are apt to be less on our guard than the other.
Avoid the world's amusements; they will eat as a canker into the very core of your spirituality!
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world" is a prohibition which should never be absent from the eye of a traveler to the heavenly city.
Are not heaven's attractions many and powerful?
How rich is heaven! Why, then, should
not our thoughts be there? Oh! shall not our hearts be more where our
most precious treasure is, where our holiest and dearest hopes center,
and where we ourselves shall shortly be?
Andrew Murray in his classic
work "Abide
in Christ" calls every believer a "true
altar life" and to...
Be assured that there is still much
of your Lord's will that you do not yet understand. Make Paul's
prayer for the Colossians yours for yourself and all believers, "that
you might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and
spiritual understanding" (Col 1:9-note);
and that of wrestling Epaphras, "that you may stand perfect and complete
in all the will of God." (Col 4:12-note)
Remember that this is one of the great elements of spiritual growth--a
deeper insight into the will of God concerning you. Imagine not that
entire consecration is the end--it is only the beginning--of the truly
holy life. See how Paul, after having (Ro 12:1-note)
taught believers to lay themselves upon the altar, whole and holy
burnt-offerings to their God, at once proceeds (Ro 12:2) to tell them
what the true--altar-life
is: being ever more and more "renewed in their mind to prove what is
the good and perfect and acceptable will of God." The progressive
renewal of the Holy Spirit leads to growing like-mindedness to Christ;
then comes a delicate power of spiritual perception--a holy instinct--by
which the soul "quick of understanding (marg. quick of scent) in the
fear of the Lord," knows to recognise the meaning and the application of
the Lord's commands to daily life in a way that remains hidden to the
ordinary Christian. Keep them dwelling richly within you, hide them
within your heart, and you shall taste the blessedness of the man whose
"delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate
dayand night." (Ps 1:2-note)
Love will assimilate into your inmost being the commands as food from
heaven. They will no longer come to you as a law standing outside and
against you, but as the living power which has transformed your will
into perfect harmony with all your Lord requires.
And keep them in the obedience of
your life. It has been your solemn vow--has it not?--no longer to
tolerate even a single sin: "I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I
will keep Thy righteous judgments." Labour earnestly in prayer to stand
perfect and complete in all the will of God. Ask earnestly for the
discovery of every secret sin--of anything that is not in perfect
harmony with the will of God. Walk up to the light you have faithfully
and tenderly, yielding yourself in an unreserved surrender to obey all
that the Lord has spoken. When Israel took that vow (Ex 19:8, 24:7), it
was only to break it all too soon. The New Covenant gives the grace to
make the vow and to keep it too (Jer 31:31, 32, 33, 34, cp Ezek 36:27).
Be careful of disobedience even in little things.
Disobedience dulls the conscience,
darkens the soul, deadens our spiritual energies--therefore keep the
commandments of Christ with implicit obedience.
Be a soldier that asks for nothing
but the orders of the commander.
And if even for a moment the
commandments appear grievous, just remember whose they are. They are the
commandments of Him who loves you (1Jn 5:3). They are all love, they
come from His love, they lead to His love.
Each new surrender to keep the
commandments, each new sacrifice in keeping them, leads to deeper union
with the will, the spirit, and the love of the Saviour.
The double recompense of reward shall
be yours--a fuller entrance into the mystery of His love--a fuller
conformity to His own blessed life (Ed: And His "good and
acceptable and perfect will"!). And you shall learn to prize these words
as among your choicest treasures: "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall
abide in my love, EVEN AS I have kept my Father's commandments and abide
in His love." (Jn 15:10KJV) (Andrew Murray. Abide in Christ)
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J C Philpot - God's Perfect Will - "That good, and
acceptable, and perfect will of God." Romans 12:2
God's will is "perfect." In it, there
is no spot, no stain, no weakness, no error, no instability. It is and
indeed must necessarily be as perfect as God Himself—for it emanates
from Him who is all perfection, and is a discovery of His mind and
character. But when God's perfect will sets itself against our
flesh—thwarts our dearest hopes—overturns our fondest schemes—we cannot
see that it is a perfect will, but rather, are much disposed to fret,
murmur, and rebel against it.
God's perfect will may snatch a child from your bosom—strike down a dear husband—tear from your arms a beloved wife—strip you of all your worldly goods—put your feet into a path of suffering—lay you upon a bed of pain and languishing—cast you into hot furnaces or overwhelming floods—make your life almost a burden to yourself!
How can you, under circumstances so trying and distressing as these, acknowledge and submit to God's perfect will—and let it reign and rule in your heart without a murmur of resistance to it? Look back and see how God's perfect will has, in previous instances, reigned supreme in all points, for your good. It has ordered or overruled all circumstances and all events, amid a complication of difficulties in providence and grace. Nothing has happened to your injury—but all things have worked together for your good. Whatever we have lost, it was better for us that it was taken away. Whatever property, or comfort, or friends, or health, or earthly happiness we have been deprived of, it was better for us to lose, than to retain them.
Was your dear child taken away? It might be to teach you resignation to God's sacred will. Has a dear partner been snatched from your embrace? It was that God might be your better Partner and undying Friend. Was any portion of your worldly substance taken away? It was that you might be taught to live a life of faith in the providence of God. Have your fondest schemes been marred—your youthful hopes blighted—and you pierced in the warmest affections of your heart? It was to remove an idol, to dethrone a rival to Christ, to crucify the object of earthly love—so that a purer, holier, and more enduring affection might be enshrined in its stead. To tenderly embrace God's perfect will is the grand object of all gospel discipline. The ultimatum of gospel obedience is to lie passive in His hand, and know no will but His. "That good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." (RICHES OF PHILPOT)
God's perfect will may snatch a child from your bosom—strike down a dear husband—tear from your arms a beloved wife—strip you of all your worldly goods—put your feet into a path of suffering—lay you upon a bed of pain and languishing—cast you into hot furnaces or overwhelming floods—make your life almost a burden to yourself!
How can you, under circumstances so trying and distressing as these, acknowledge and submit to God's perfect will—and let it reign and rule in your heart without a murmur of resistance to it? Look back and see how God's perfect will has, in previous instances, reigned supreme in all points, for your good. It has ordered or overruled all circumstances and all events, amid a complication of difficulties in providence and grace. Nothing has happened to your injury—but all things have worked together for your good. Whatever we have lost, it was better for us that it was taken away. Whatever property, or comfort, or friends, or health, or earthly happiness we have been deprived of, it was better for us to lose, than to retain them.
Was your dear child taken away? It might be to teach you resignation to God's sacred will. Has a dear partner been snatched from your embrace? It was that God might be your better Partner and undying Friend. Was any portion of your worldly substance taken away? It was that you might be taught to live a life of faith in the providence of God. Have your fondest schemes been marred—your youthful hopes blighted—and you pierced in the warmest affections of your heart? It was to remove an idol, to dethrone a rival to Christ, to crucify the object of earthly love—so that a purer, holier, and more enduring affection might be enshrined in its stead. To tenderly embrace God's perfect will is the grand object of all gospel discipline. The ultimatum of gospel obedience is to lie passive in His hand, and know no will but His. "That good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." (RICHES OF PHILPOT)
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J C Philpot
- March 23
How shall we find the will of God
acceptable? Only as we are renewed in the spirit of our mind, and are
transformed and conformed to the suffering image of the sorrowing Son of
God. How fearful, then, how dangerous, and yet how ensnaring is that
worldly conformity which sets us in deadly opposition to that good and
perfect will of God which was, and is "acceptable" to his dear Son, to
all the holy angels round the throne, to the spirits of just men made
perfect, to his spiritually-minded people on earth, and hateful to none
but devils and carnal, ungodly men. And how truly blessed to be brought
out of the power and prevailing influence of this worldly spirit, and to
be cast into the gospel mold, where, being renewed in the spirit of our
mind, we prove that the will of God is not only "good,"--pure goodness;
and "perfect,"--worthy of all his glorious perfections; but
"acceptable"--to our heart and affections, which therefore tenderly
embrace it, and thus, as it were, incorporate it into our will, making
the two wills one. To bring us to this point is the grand object of all
gospel discipline; and one may say that the ultimatum of gospel
obedience is, "to lie passive in his hand, and know no will but his."
Here then only can we fully enter into the beauty and blessedness of gospel truth; here only can we submit to the weight of a daily cross, glory in tribulation, patiently endure afflictions, feel the sweetness of the promises, walk in obedience to the precepts, and tread the path that leads to endless glory.
Here then only can we fully enter into the beauty and blessedness of gospel truth; here only can we submit to the weight of a daily cross, glory in tribulation, patiently endure afflictions, feel the sweetness of the promises, walk in obedience to the precepts, and tread the path that leads to endless glory.
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(In another devotional Philpot
writes) In proportion as we are conformed to the spirit of this world
our understanding becomes dull in the things of God, our affections cold
and torpid, and our consciences less tender and sensitive. There is an
eternal opposition between God and the world lying in wickedness. In
order, then, that our spiritual experience of the truth of God should
maintain its ground, it must not be dulled and deadened by conformity to
the world. It is like the saber that the soldier carries into battle; it
must not trail unsheathed upon the ground lest point and edge be dulled;
both must be kept keen and sharp, that execution may be done upon the
foe. So it is with our enlightened understanding, with our tender
conscience, and our heavenly affections. If we let them fall upon the
world, it is like a soldier trailing his saber upon the pavement; every
step he takes dulls both edge and point.
If we are conformed to this world, we lose the sweet understanding that we had before of the precious truth of God; we lose that tender sensitiveness of conscience, whereby sin, any sin, becomes a grief and a burden to the soul. A Christian should be what was said of an ancient knight, "without fear and without reproach." So the Christian's shield should be without a stain, his reputation without a blot. His character should not only be free from blemish, but even from suspicion, as untarnished as the modesty of a woman, or the honor and bravery of a man.
Now, we often get into this worldly conformity, and run the risk of dulling the sword and sullying the shield, by degrees. We give way in this and in that thing. We are hedged in, it is true, by the precepts of the gospel, the alarms of a tender conscience, and many powerful restraints, so many banks and dykes to keep out the sea of the world; but, as in Holland, if one breach be made in the dyke, the sea at once rushes in, so, if one gap be made in the conscience, then the sea of worldliness rushes through the breach, and but for God's grace would soon deluge the soul. But even apart from having any peculiar temptation to make a wide breach like this, our social ties, our daily occupation, the friends and relations whom we love in the flesh, all, through their power over our natural affections, draw us aside from time to time into this worldly conformity.
Here, then, is the point where we have to make our chief stand; for if we are conformed to the maxims, the principles, the customs, and the spirit of the world, we so far lose that spiritual position which is a believer's highest blessing and privilege. We descend from the mount of communion with the Lord, and fall into a cold, miserable spot, where the life of God, though not extinct, is reduced to its lowest ebb. (J. C. Philpot. Daily Words for Zion's Wayfarers - September 18)
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In our natural state (Ed:
flesh), we are all the
slaves of the world. What the world presents—we love. What the world
offers—we delight in.
To please the world; to get as large a portion as we can of its goods; to provide amply for ourselves and our children; to obtain and maintain a respectable station in it—this is the grand bent of man's carnal heart. (J C Philpot)
To please the world; to get as large a portion as we can of its goods; to provide amply for ourselves and our children; to obtain and maintain a respectable station in it—this is the grand bent of man's carnal heart. (J C Philpot)
Devotional
Illustrations
Romans 12:2
Romans 12:2
Turned Upside Down - In G. K.
Chesterton's biographical sketch of St. Francis of Assisi, he describes
a time when Francis felt deep discouragement and a sense of failure. He
emerged from that experience looking at the world
"as differently from other men as if
he had come out of that dark hole walking on his hands."
"If a man saw the world upside down," Chesterton continues, "with all the trees and towers hanging head downward as in a pool, one effect would be to emphasize the idea of dependence. . . . for the very word dependence only means hanging."
"If a man saw the world upside down," Chesterton continues, "with all the trees and towers hanging head downward as in a pool, one effect would be to emphasize the idea of dependence. . . . for the very word dependence only means hanging."
Standing upright, we see a world
rising on the foundations of our own achievements. Turned upside down,
we see everything suspended precariously, dependent on God rather than
being solid and secure.
As we yield to Christ and turn from our self-sufficiency to depend fully on Him, we gain a new perspective. The result is freedom, joy, and thankfulness for all the gifts of God.
As we yield to Christ and turn from our self-sufficiency to depend fully on Him, we gain a new perspective. The result is freedom, joy, and thankfulness for all the gifts of God.
Romans 12:2 calls it being
transformed "by the renewing of your mind"—becoming a new and
different person with a fresh newness in all we do and think.
Being turned upside down isn't a pleasant experience, but it can lead us to a liberating new view of life. — David C. McCasland (Our Daily Bread)
Being turned upside down isn't a pleasant experience, but it can lead us to a liberating new view of life. — David C. McCasland (Our Daily Bread)
Less of self and more of Jesus,
More and more each day like Thee;
Just to live in full surrender
For my Lord who ransomed me. —Wonder
You'll see life more clearly
when you focus on God.
More and more each day like Thee;
Just to live in full surrender
For my Lord who ransomed me. —Wonder
You'll see life more clearly
when you focus on God.
You won’t stumble in the dark
if you walk in the light of God’s Word.
if you walk in the light of God’s Word.
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Reverse Your Views - A friend
of mine likes to imitate the verbal mistakes of English minister William
Archibald Spooner, who was famous for his unintentional reversal of word
sounds. In Spooner's style, one fell swoop became "one swell foop" and a
pouring rain became "a roaring pain."
My friend pulled out some Bible memory cards one day and announced that he was going to "reverse his views" instead of "review his verses." His spoonerized statement may have been closer to the truth of what can happen when we read and meditate on God's Word.
I wonder if I have yet grasped the incredible process described in Romans 12:2,
My friend pulled out some Bible memory cards one day and announced that he was going to "reverse his views" instead of "review his verses." His spoonerized statement may have been closer to the truth of what can happen when we read and meditate on God's Word.
I wonder if I have yet grasped the incredible process described in Romans 12:2,
"Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
J. B. Phillips translates it,
"Don't let the world around you
squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remold your minds from
within."
This is nothing short of a mental
revolution--taking my normal human way of seeing life and giving me a
point of view I could not have without God.
Scripture memory is a powerful discipline that puts God's living Word into our minds and gives Him the opportunity to change our thinking and reverse our views. — David C. McCasland (Our Daily Bread)
Scripture memory is a powerful discipline that puts God's living Word into our minds and gives Him the opportunity to change our thinking and reverse our views. — David C. McCasland (Our Daily Bread)
Action Suggestions
Memorize one of the following Bible passages
and ask God to change your thinking.
(See related resource = Memorizing His Word)
Repentance: Psalm 32:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 -note
Love: 1Cor 13:4, 5, 6, 7, 8-note
Christlikeness: Php 2:1-11-note
The Bible is meant not merely to inform
but to transform.
Memorize one of the following Bible passages
and ask God to change your thinking.
(See related resource = Memorizing His Word)
Repentance: Psalm 32:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 -note
Love: 1Cor 13:4, 5, 6, 7, 8-note
Christlikeness: Php 2:1-11-note
The Bible is meant not merely to inform
but to transform.
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Against The Flow - Two
university students in Moorhead, Minnesota, painted a mural on the wall
outside their dormitory room. According to USA Today, it showed a school
of fish all swimming in the same direction except for a single fish
heading the opposite way.
The one fish was intended to be the age-old symbol for Christ. Printed on the picture were the words, "Go against the flow." University officials, arguing that the mural might offend non-Christians, ordered the students to paint over it.
In obedience to our Master, we must be willing to go against the flow of society. As we follow Jesus, our motives, values, and habits are bound to be different from those who are not Christians. That's the way it was in the first century when the pagans were puzzled and convicted by the lifestyle of Christians. Peter wrote, "They think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you" (1Pe 4:4-note).
When we are marching to the beat of a different drummer, of course we will be out of step with people around us. This takes conviction, courage, and courtesy. But by God's enabling grace we can be disturbingly different—and effectively different too. — Vernon C. Grounds (Our Daily Bread)
The one fish was intended to be the age-old symbol for Christ. Printed on the picture were the words, "Go against the flow." University officials, arguing that the mural might offend non-Christians, ordered the students to paint over it.
In obedience to our Master, we must be willing to go against the flow of society. As we follow Jesus, our motives, values, and habits are bound to be different from those who are not Christians. That's the way it was in the first century when the pagans were puzzled and convicted by the lifestyle of Christians. Peter wrote, "They think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you" (1Pe 4:4-note).
When we are marching to the beat of a different drummer, of course we will be out of step with people around us. This takes conviction, courage, and courtesy. But by God's enabling grace we can be disturbingly different—and effectively different too. — Vernon C. Grounds (Our Daily Bread)
Some will hate you, some will love
you;
Some will flatter, some will slight;
Cease from man and look above you,
Trust in God and do the right. —Macleod
When we walk with the Lord,
we'll be out of step with the world.
Some will flatter, some will slight;
Cease from man and look above you,
Trust in God and do the right. —Macleod
When we walk with the Lord,
we'll be out of step with the world.
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Don't Let It Get To You -
First, the bad news. Our society can have a terrible influence on us and
our children. The entertainment media, for example, offer various forms
of sinful behavior for our listening and viewing "pleasure." One music
TV channel, for instance, was characterized in World magazine by film
critic Michael Medved like this:
There is absolutely no excuse for MTV
to be present in the home. It is 100-percent negative.
And now for the good news. None of
society's negative influences have to bother you. They will affect you
and your family only if you let them. They can infiltrate the minds of
you and your children only if you refuse to use the discernment, power,
and instruction God has provided to everyone who is redeemed by faith in
His Son Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:20, 21, 22-note,
Eph 4:23, 24-note).
In other words, our problem is not so much the evil in society as it is our lack of discernment and self-control.
We should find great comfort in knowing that the Lord has given us the resources to live above society's level of degradation. We can be in the world but not of it (Jn 17:14, 15,16, 17). If we are living in the power of the Holy Spirit (Ro 8:13-note, Eph 5:18-note, Gal 5:16-note) under the guidance of the Word of God (Jn 17:17, Ps 119:105-note, society's bad influences can't get to us. — Dave Branon (Our Daily Bread)
In other words, our problem is not so much the evil in society as it is our lack of discernment and self-control.
We should find great comfort in knowing that the Lord has given us the resources to live above society's level of degradation. We can be in the world but not of it (Jn 17:14, 15,16, 17). If we are living in the power of the Holy Spirit (Ro 8:13-note, Eph 5:18-note, Gal 5:16-note) under the guidance of the Word of God (Jn 17:17, Ps 119:105-note, society's bad influences can't get to us. — Dave Branon (Our Daily Bread)
To live in the world but not of it
Is the path that we should take;
For to be in the world and live like it
Brings nothing but sad heartache. --JDB
Yield to the Spirit,
and you won't be conformed to the world.
Is the path that we should take;
For to be in the world and live like it
Brings nothing but sad heartache. --JDB
Yield to the Spirit,
and you won't be conformed to the world.
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Brain Games - A saying among
scientists who study the human brain is “Use it before you lose it.” We
have the power to help keep our brain fit and working well. Dr. Lawrence
Katz, a neurologist at Duke University, urges people to perform daily
mental exercises such as brushing your teeth with the non-dominant hand
or taking a new route to work to help stimulate the brain and keep it
healthy. The goal is to replace unthinking routine with fresh awareness
and new focus.
There’s a lesson here for us as followers of Jesus Christ. Even the most valuable spiritual disciplines of Bible reading (Ed: See also the discipline of Meditating on the Word and Primer on Biblical Meditation, cp the promised blessing in Ps 1:1-note, Ps 1:2-note, Ps 1:3-note) and prayer can become so habitual that our minds are not fully engaged.
To avoid slipping into a spiritual rut, why not add Scripture memory to your daily devotional time? It’s a mental effort designed to produce spiritual change. The psalmist wrote, “Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11-note). Paul said, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).
It’s more than a brain game to memorize and meditate on the powerful Word of God. — David C. McCasland (Our Daily Bread)
There’s a lesson here for us as followers of Jesus Christ. Even the most valuable spiritual disciplines of Bible reading (Ed: See also the discipline of Meditating on the Word and Primer on Biblical Meditation, cp the promised blessing in Ps 1:1-note, Ps 1:2-note, Ps 1:3-note) and prayer can become so habitual that our minds are not fully engaged.
To avoid slipping into a spiritual rut, why not add Scripture memory to your daily devotional time? It’s a mental effort designed to produce spiritual change. The psalmist wrote, “Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11-note). Paul said, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).
It’s more than a brain game to memorize and meditate on the powerful Word of God. — David C. McCasland (Our Daily Bread)
We must read Scripture every day
And meditate on what God said
To fight temptation from the world
And live a life that’s Spirit-led. —Sper
Let God’s Word fill your memory,
rule your heart, and guide your feet.
(cp Col 3:16-note)
And meditate on what God said
To fight temptation from the world
And live a life that’s Spirit-led. —Sper
Let God’s Word fill your memory,
rule your heart, and guide your feet.
(cp Col 3:16-note)
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Farmers in Zentsuji, Japan, are
preparing full-grown watermelons for shipment—only these are no ordinary
melons, they're square! They were placed in tempered-glass cubes while
they were still growing. Why would anyone want a square watermelon?
They're much easier to store in a refrigerator!
It's amusing to think of how a naturally round watermelon can become square because of the shape of the container in which it's grown. This reminds me of the forces in the world that exert their influence on us and attempt to shape us. That's why in Romans 12:2 we are told not to be "conformed to this world," but to be "transformed by the renewing of [our] mind." The idea is rather simple: We are to allow the transforming Word of God to work within us and produce outward results, instead of permitting external pressures to shape us.
If we meditate on God's Word daily, it will influence our thoughts and help us grow to be more like Jesus Christ (2Cor 3:18). Then we will act in a manner that pleases Him. Pressures of the world will continue to try to shape our character, but they will not succeed if God's Word is changing us from within. —Albert Lee (Our Daily Bread)
It's amusing to think of how a naturally round watermelon can become square because of the shape of the container in which it's grown. This reminds me of the forces in the world that exert their influence on us and attempt to shape us. That's why in Romans 12:2 we are told not to be "conformed to this world," but to be "transformed by the renewing of [our] mind." The idea is rather simple: We are to allow the transforming Word of God to work within us and produce outward results, instead of permitting external pressures to shape us.
If we meditate on God's Word daily, it will influence our thoughts and help us grow to be more like Jesus Christ (2Cor 3:18). Then we will act in a manner that pleases Him. Pressures of the world will continue to try to shape our character, but they will not succeed if God's Word is changing us from within. —Albert Lee (Our Daily Bread)
The Savior can satisfy fully
The heart that the world cannot fill;
His presence will sanctify wholly
The soul that is yielded and still. —Smith
If we are being transformed by the Word,
we won't be conformed to the world.
The heart that the world cannot fill;
His presence will sanctify wholly
The soul that is yielded and still. —Smith
If we are being transformed by the Word,
we won't be conformed to the world.
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Maintaining Character - News
reporting is a tough business that tends to make reporters hard and
unfeeling. That's what Barbara Bradley, a correspondent for National
Public Radio, tells aspiring journalists. But she also believes it
doesn't have to be that way. "I made a strategic decision when I first
fell in love with journalism," Bradley says, "that if I found myself
beginning to get tough I would leave the business. It's just a career,
and why mortgage your character for a career? Maintaining your character
counts for something and you can do it; it's just a decision you have to
make."
In every high-pressure situation, we can react like most people or we can choose to be different. J. B. Phillips translates Romans 12:2 this way:
In every high-pressure situation, we can react like most people or we can choose to be different. J. B. Phillips translates Romans 12:2 this way:
"Don't let the world around you
squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remold your minds from
within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you
is good, meets all His demands, and moves toward the goal of true
maturity" (The New Testament in Modern English).
When we feel pressure to conform,
character can stand firm on the bedrock of conviction, saying, "This is
God's way and it is best." Maintaining our character begins and
continues with a decision. Let's make it today.— David C. McCasland
O Lord, You see what's in my heart—
There's nothing hid from You;
So help me live the kind of life
That's loving, kind, and true. —D. De Haan
Beautiful character begins in the heart.
There's nothing hid from You;
So help me live the kind of life
That's loving, kind, and true. —D. De Haan
Beautiful character begins in the heart.
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