It is acceptable to God: a reasonable service, which we are able and ready to give a reason for, and which we understand. (John 7:17). 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. 1 Peter 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. "That's tough," you say. (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. In times of persecution, and before the general institution of houses of entertainment, the importance of this precept would be at once felt. let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith--rather, "of our faith." 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! 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 are to stop allowing ourselves to be fashioned after the schemes of this passing evil age in which we live. . In his first letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul urged Gods people to pray for our leadership: First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiv 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. His character should not only be free from blemish, but even from suspicionas untarnished as the modesty of a woman, or the honor and bravery of a man. We get our bearings from God in his word. NIV Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. In contrast, our mind can be the place where we seek to enjoy the pleasures of purity and devise plans to serve, help, and heal. and you won't be conformed to the world. This reminds me of the forces in the world that exert their influence on us and attempt to shape us. 3. 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". Such then is the great general duty of the redeemed--SELF-CONSECRATION, in our whole spirit and soul and body to Him who hath called us into the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ. For example, are you having trouble loving someone totally unlovable!? (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. Recompense--"Recompensing," Provide--"Providing" things honest--"honorable" in the sight of all men--The idea (which is from Proverbs 3:4 ) is the care which Christians should take so to demean themselves as to command the respect of all men. ILLUSTRATIONS Romans 12:2 Context. All such matters are still to be determined in the proper fashion, by the exercise of our own best judgment and common-sense. Ask yourself, What would God think in a moment like this?. 1Pet 4:2 (1Pe 4:1) so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. (Romans: Verse by Verse), William Barclay - The word he uses for being transformed from the world is metamorphousthai. Romans 12:2 (TYN) And first, the all-comprehensive duty. This takes conviction, courage, and courtesy. Radiate with the glow of the Holy Spirit and let him fill you with excitement as you serve him. Disobedience dulls the conscience, darkens the soul, deadens our spiritual energies--therefore keep the commandments of Christ with implicit obedience. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. If you really feel that way, you don't have to sing; we'll get someone else. 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. He asked, "What is this?" Romans 12:2 (KJV) 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"). All rights reserved. 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 Christianitya 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 Goda 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. 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. 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? Ask earnestly for the discovery of every secret sin--of anything that is not in perfect harmony with the will of God. He is my all! of mind. It was that you might be taught to live a life of faith in the providence of God. Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants--what is good, pleasing, and perfect. The mind of Christ is the way of looking at life as Jesus does, seeing life as he sees it. Lamentations But as the context shows that the injunction is to leave vengeance to God, "wrath" here seems to mean, not the offense, which we are tempted to avenge, but the avenging wrath of God (see 2Chronicles 24:18 ), which we are enjoined to await, or give room 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. Lisez votre ebook - Pack mensuel Passion - 12 romans + 1 titre gratuit (Fvrier 2023) - sur votre liseuse o que vous soyez - - Furet du Nord RELATED TO THE And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 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. Here is where many people go wrong. them which persecute you, &c.--This is taken from the Sermon on the Mount ( Matthew 5:44 ), which, from the allusions made to it, seems to have been the storehouse of Christian morality among the churches. INSIGHT:Familiar and frequently quoted, Romans 12:1-2 highlights the drastic and dramatic change that occurs when a person gives him or herself completely to God. Wuest: 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. Charles A Tindley. You wont stumble in the dark But she also believes it doesn't have to be that way. 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. Paul was a first-century innovator who traveled throughout Asia Minor telling people how they could be transformed by faith in Jesus Christ. To surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. 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." Paul is actually calling us to think Christianly. To make a deliberate break from the decadent mind-set of a decaying society and reorient ourselves toward God. There is to some extent a Christian ethic and even a somewhat Christian way of life and piety. 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. He is served, not only by working for him, but by sitting still quietly, when he calls us to suffer. 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." Romans 12:2 (SBLG) It is to be feared that much of the professed Christianity of the day is of a compromising character. But this is against the context, whose object is to show that, as all the gifts of believers are according to their respective capacity for them, they are not to be puffed up on account of them, but to use them purely for their proper ends. God wants our minds. 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. Those who are eaten up with the world will be rejected, as ungodly, at the bar of judgment. That's loving, kind, and true. Start for FREE. 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! The death of the one "Lamb of God, taking away the sin of the world," has swept all dead victims from off the altar of God, to make room for the redeemed themselves as "living sacrifices" to Him who made "Him to be sin for us"; while every outgoing of their grateful hearts in praise, and every act prompted by the love of Christ, is itself a sacrifice to God of a sweet-smelling savor ( Hebrews 13:15 Hebrews 13:16 ). As a result, we tend to be very much ourselves in our minds. He is able to function because he takes his environment with him. The world system is driven by money; it feeds on materialism. 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. The price of spiritual power is a purity of heart. (Stedman, Ray: Living Day by Day). The opposite of being conformed to this world is being transformed by the renewing of your mind. Octavius Winslow - A worldly Christianity? "I will meditate on them. 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. But the World is the world still. 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. Knowing Gods will for the future Comes when we follow today What Hes revealed in the Scriptures As His commands to obey. 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.". Read it and get caught up in a God-swirl of spiritual understanding and revelation. 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." Never have Gods people needed this more than we do today. 6:5; 2Ti 3:8; Titus 1:15; Rev. There is only one answer to that question. 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. Numbers Romans 12:2. Must not my heart from Him ever sever When they send in a manuscript to a publisher, theyll often hear back in a letter with these words: Thank you. Romans 12:2 (DBY) One must also think through as to the significance. Bing said, "Jerome, you don't have to sing. 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. There's nothing hid from You; 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. 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. The world in various instances calls evil good, and good evil. Jonah Practically this means we must be careful what we read and watch (see discussion of to this world below). with the blessed Deity! This is truly the way to worship him. Romans 12:2 (JUB) Let this hope burst forth within you, releasing a continual joy. Dont give up in a time of trouble,[. live peaceably--or, "be at peace." Jas 4:4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? David C. McCasland (Our Daily Bread), Less of self and more of Jesus, Don't be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God's will iswhat is good and pleasing and mature. B. Phillipss paraphrase of Pauls message to the Christians in Rome: Dont let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould 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 towards the goal of true maturity (Rom. AND GOD SAID: Let us FORM man in our image. Of the two, however, it is more easy to sympathize with another's sorrows than his joys, because in the one case he needs us; in the other not. God's continual charge in both the Old and New Testaments to not conform to the ways of this lost and hell bent world Ex 23:2 You shall not follow a multitude in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice; Deut 18:9 When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations. 12And so, dear brothers and sisters,[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. 3God has given me grace to speak a warning about pride. Our renewed spirit is totally different and agrees with the ways of Heaven, but our flesh is not yet renewed, therefore it has embedded within it old habits that run according to the elementary principles of the world. In order for our old flesh to fall into line with our new spirit, and the Holy Spirit within us, our minds must be transformed by renewal. This is really what human beings are here for. 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. Torn out of context, one verse does not say all that God has said on that matter. is too intimate with his king's enemies. This will empower you to discern God's will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes. 2 Peter "I don't want to be conformed to this world. (Ro 8:23-note). Denney - nous in the Apostles usage is both intellectual and moralthe practical reason, or moral consciousness. The beginning of all transformation is the revolutionized conviction of a mind that has accepted the truths of the Gospel. Some will flatter, some will slight; And what the Net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation. Paul assures us that this is not the great risk so many fear. Probably it consisted mainly in opening up the evangelical bearings of Old Testament Scripture; and it was in this department apparently that Apollos showed his power and eloquence ( Acts 18:24 ). 2 For the "law" of the Spirit of life flowing through the anointing of Jesus has . Let nothing between. 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." SOCIETY SAYS: We will REFORM man by culture. Anyone speaking with divine authority--whether with reference to the past, the present, or the future--was termed a prophet ( Exodus 7:1 ). Believers are not of the world any more than Christ is of the world. 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