Lesson ▪ 1998 Tags: Christian service; Sanctification; Romans 12:2
Excerpted from Serving God: A Plan for SuccessRelated Resources: Progressive Sanctification
Biblical Text
Romans 12.2
2 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.
Exegesis
- Service to God requires a commitment to
holiness. Holiness involves separation in two senses: from the world and to
God.
- First, we are to separate from the world. Paul
instructed us not to be conformed (suschematizo,
to conform one’s self to another’s pattern, fashion one’s self according to) to
the world around us. We should not “fit the mold” of the world. In a sense, the
Christian faith is inherently antagonistic to human culture. This is not to say
that Christianity requires a wholesale rejection of culture, rather that true
Christian discipleship cannot avoid conflict with social norms. When confronted
with a choice between being faithful to God and being accepted by the world, we
should always choose the former.
- Second, we are to separate to God and his will.
Separation is not just a negative response. Paul said that we should be
transformed (metamorphoo, to change
into another form, transform, transfigure) through the renewal of our minds.
The present tense of the command implies that the transformation will be an
ongoing process. As our minds undergo the renewal process, we will be fit to
prove (dokimazo, to test, scrutinize,
approve, recognize as genuine after examination) the will of God for our lives.
Application
- We must not think that we can live in the world
without spiritual conflict. Following Christ will necessarily cause us to go
against the current of culture from time to time. At the same time, we should
avoid ostracizing ourselves from our culture on every front. When we do so, we
lose our influence because the world sees us as irrelevant.
- Spiritual growth involves change. This is a
difficult reality for us to accept. We would like to think that we are all God
wants us to be. But this is not the case. Whether we are aware of it or not,
there are areas of our lives that God intends to change. He will do so by
changing our thought processes so we can discern what his will is.
- John Witmer makes the following observations
concerning this text: “As a Christian is transformed in his mind and is made
more like Christ, he comes to approve and desire God’s will, not his own will
for his life. Then he discovers that God’s will is what is good for him, and
that it pleases God, and is complete in every way. It is all he needs. But only
by being renewed spiritually can a believer ascertain, do, and enjoy the will
of God “(488).
Discussion
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