How Then Shall We Live? (Pt. 5)

In this post, our final post in this series, we are continuing our discussion of spiritual transformation and growth. Specifically, we are going to look at the real keys to our role in transformation. In the last post, we mentioned a passage that talks about these keys.

Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—alive, holy, and pleasing to God—which is your reasonable service. Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2, NET)

This passage marks a shift in Paul’s teaching in Romans. up until this passage, he had been teaching more theology–what to believe. Now he shifts to the working out of that theology. (“If this is true, then this is how you should live.”) Notice that he starts with “therefore.” A well-worn axiom of Bible study says, “When you see a ‘therefore,’ ask ‘What’s the ‘therefore’ there for?” Essentially, Paul is saying, “Because of the great mercy of God that He has shown to us, we should live this way.” He starts off with two ideas in this passage: total devotion and transformation.

Total Devotion: A Living Sacrifice

The first thing Paul exhorts (or encourages) us to do is to present ourselves as a sacrifice. In the Old Testament, a sacrifice was seen as something totally devoted to God. In the same way, the sacrifice of Christ showed His total devotion to the Father’s will. There’s a difference, however, between the sacrificies of the Old Testament and the giving of ourselves wholly to God. The Old Testament sacrifices were killed before being placed on the altar. We, on the other hand, are are told to present ourselves as living sacrifices. In fact, Paul says our sacifice should be “alive, holy, and pleasing to God.”

Even though we aren’t killed, part of us is killed, namely the flesh. As we offer ourselves to God on a daily basis, we live out and enforces the truth of Rom. 6:5-11, particularly the death of the old man. Being a living sacrifice, then, is also living out the truth of Rom. 6:12-14, where presenting oneself to God as an instrument of righteousness leads to transformation and the truth that the we are not under law but under grace.

The real problem with living sacrifices, as is often quipped, is that they tend to try to get off the altar. Likewise our flesh will resist such devotion, and the world and devil will give us reasons not offer ourselves to God in that way. When I was first saved, my first summer after college, my mother would often say “Don’t get too religious on us.” This was before she was saved, and thank the Lord she is with Christ now. But, she didn’t understand the spiritual truth of Romans. This sort of offering must be done daily. It is not a once-for-all sacrifice like Christ’s was for us.

Remember also that sacrifices of old had to be spotless and without blemish. Unfortunately, that is not true of any human. It is only because of Christ that we are holy and righteous. But, Paul does tell us that we have been thoroughly washed and justified by the Spirit (1 Cor. 6:9-11). That is, as you’ll recall, one of the promises of the New Covenant–cleansing and forgiveness. We stand in God’s sight as righteous–not becasue of anything we have done or will do, but solely because of Christ’s work. Because we are cleansed, though, and are continually being cleansed as we walk with Christ, we can present ourselves as that sacrifice to God, being wholly devoted to Him.

Transformation: Renewing the Mind

The second thng Paul tell us to do has two parts–a negative and positive command. The negative command is “do not be conformed to this world.” In the Greek, the word is syschēmatizō, meaning “to conform to, to assimiliate into.” It’s translated as a passive verb (something done to me) rather than active (I do something) because that’s the sense of the Greek. We might paraphrase this as, “Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold.”

Conformity to the world is most often passive. We adopt thought patterns, beliefs, images, and attitudes from what we ingest–and often without even tinking about it. Unfortunately, the Sinful Heart (which we had before trusting Christ) has already throughly programmed us in the world’s ways. So, it doesn’t take much.

Renewing the mind, then, means replacing those old ways of thinking with God’s ways of thinkings. As we learn, meditate on, and put in the practice God’s Word, our mind is progressively renewed. Thinking in a biblical worldview becomes more natural to us. And as such, our behavior begins to change–not because “I should [or should not] do this,” because it’s natural to me now.

What’s the difference between “conformed” and “transformed”? Besides being mostly passive, conformed has an idea of adopting a system of thought and belief (the Greek word is where we get “system” and “systemitize”) without changing basic nature. The word translated transformed, however, is the Greek word metamorphoō, from which we get metamorphsis. To be transformed is to be changed into something new, something that did exist before. This is the idea Paul has when he writes, “If any man or woman be in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17).

Unfortunately, many Christians practice a form of spiritual growth that seeks to confrom them to Christ’s attitude and behavior rather than transforming them into His image. Changing our external behaviors isn’t enough. Seeking to sin less is a good thing, but it’s not enough. We must be transformed. And that happens as we change the way we are thinking. The Bible has another word for that.

Repentance.

Renewing the mind and being transformed equates to living in a state of repentance before God and others. We change how we think. We come into alignment with God’s word in our beliefs, images, and thoughts, then our attitudes and actions follow. As we do this, we are progressively transformed into the image of Christ. We are changed.

We are new creations in Christ.

We have the hope of being changed. The Holy Spirit was given to us for that very hope and to help us along the journey. No matter where you are or have been on your spirititual journey, there is hope for you to change. No matter what sins you struggle with, whether they be open sin or the deep hidden sin that few see, Christ offers, forgiveness, grace, healing, and change.