Not Conformed!—Renewed and Transformed!

A compilation

After teaching the great doctrine regarding the gospel of God’s righteousness that is ours through faith in Christ in Romans chapters 1–11, Paul begins to exhort us to godly living. How are we to live in light of the saving power of the gospel? That is what Romans 12–16 aims to teach. The practical section of Romans begins with a great “therefore.” Seeing all that God did on our behalf, therefore live like this. The first of Paul’s great exhortations is to be renewed in our minds:

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”¹

The phrase “the mercies of God” refers to all of what has preceded in chapters 1–11. The exhortation that Paul presents is that since we have been the gracious recipients of God’s great mercies, we are to be “living sacrifices” to God. How do we do this? We are living sacrifices to God by not conforming to this world, but by being transformed by the renewal of our minds.

A living sacrifice to God is one who does not conform, but is transformed. We are not to be conformed to this world. Paul is using the word world here to refer to the spirit of the age. In other words, world refers to the popular worldview that rejects God and His revelation. … As believers, we are no longer conformed to this world because we no longer belong to the spirit of this age. We have been translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son.² Therefore, rather than continuing to conform to this world, we are to be transformed by having our minds renewed.

It is interesting to note that Paul says that we must be transformed by the renewing of our “minds.” The mind is the key to the Christian life. … Our thinking must be changed (transformed) from old, ungodly ways of thinking into new, godly ways of thinking. What we know in our minds to be true forms a conviction in our hearts of that truth, and that conviction in our hearts translates into action. Therefore, we must first renew our minds.

The only way to replace the error of the world’s way of thinking is to replace it with God’s truth, and the only infallible source of God’s truth is His revealed Word, the Bible. … There are no shortcuts. There is no magical formula for renewing our minds. We must fill our minds with God’s Word. As Jesus prayed to the Father, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”³—From gotquestions.org⁴

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It’s certainly true that the Creator designed each of us with a variety of traits and characteristics. This includes likes, dislikes, habits, opinions. Yet our Maker wasn’t content to simply “leave us be” once we were created. He happily transforms, changes, and renews us—giving us the chance to become better, happier, and more like Him.

Romans 12:2 tells us, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing, and perfect will.” God’s transformation process is available to us on a continual basis. I believe God is always willing to bring us through a renewal of mind, especially when we are open to it.

I am aware that this transformation process is something that will continue to happen throughout my life. I need to submit to Jesus and allow Him to do “His perfect work.” And as it says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; the old has gone, the new is here!”—Steve Hearts

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In Romans 12:2, Paul focuses on one essential means of transformation—“the renewal of your mind.” “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” Oh, how crucial this is!

• If you long to break loose from conformity to the world,
• If you long to be transformed and new from the inside out,
• If you long to be free from mere duty-driven Christianity and do what you love to do because what you love to do is what you ought to do,
• If you long to offer up your body as a living sacrifice so that your whole life becomes a spiritual act of worship and displays the worth of Christ above the worth of the world, then give yourself with all your might to pursuing this—the renewal of your mind. Because the Bible says, this is the key to transformation. ...

 The Spirit renews the mind. It is first and decisively his work. We are radically dependent on him. Our efforts follow his initiatives and enablings. … This is how the mind is renewed—by steadfastly gazing at the glories of Christ for what they really are. …

What then do we do in obedience to Romans 12:2, “Be transformed in the renewal of your mind”? We join the Holy Spirit in his precious and all-important work. We pursue Christ-exalting truth and we pray for truth-embracing humility.

Listen to rich expositions of the “gospel of the glory of Christ.” Read your Bible from cover to cover, always in search of the revelation of the glory of Christ. Read and ponder the Bible-saturated, Christ-exalting writings of great, spiritual men and women. And form the habit of meditating on the perfections of Christ. And in it all pray, pray, pray that the Holy Spirit will renew your mind, that you may desire and approve the will of God, so that all of life will become worship to the glory of Christ.—John Piper⁵

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As you pray for the Holy Spirit to make you aware of thoughts that come into your mind that don’t line up with God’s Word, you’ll begin to realize when those thoughts come and you can renew your mind with the Word.—Joyce Meyer

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The Bible tells us to “be transformed by the renewing of the mind.”⁶ It is through those “exceedingly great and precious promises” that we “may be partakers of the divine nature.”⁷

As you make a consistent effort to focus on positive thoughts from God’s Word, it will become a habit; you will learn to—as the Bible puts it—“bring your thoughts into captivity.”⁸

To connect with Him, find a place where there are no distractions. “When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”⁹

There is no place where the mind can be as fully renewed as in the secret place of prayer, alone with God. When we come aside from the temporal things that distract and harass us, and there in the presence of God we put our mind on the things of God, the transforming power of God then begins to work in us, and we are changed, renewed.—Virginia Brandt Berg

Published on Anchor August 2021. Read by Jon Marc.
Music by John Listen.

Posted in: audio, change, compilation, discipleship, holy spirit, relationship with the lord

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