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.
Romans 12:2 NASB
If ever there has been a time that our minds are under assault it seems as though now more than ever this is the case. Of course, it is hard to state this as fact since I personally only know the life I have lived, but I do know of history and have parents who lived through WWII. It seems it is logical and a true statement that the assault on the mind now is one like we have never seen. The infiltration of the media via the internet and social media platforms grows more and more everyday. And the intrusion into our lives is unprecedented. How many of us have been speaking to someone about something we are interested to purchase and then you and that person have ads appearing on the social media feeds on your smart devices the following day?
Considering these sorts of things, and in combination with the number of edicts that are rolling out nowadays creating more, not less, division in our societies I have had Romans 12:2 coming to mind for me frequently. It is easy to get sucked into a rabbit hole of a certain stream of content and leave from there not feeling informed but feeling depressed.
I suggest that we still need to work hard, in fact harder than ever, to interrogated truth claims and investigate if these claims hold up to the truth, real truth. Not “Fact Checker” truth. No, I am not about to start trying to push a particular ideology or view on you, but what I am encouraging you to do is investigate. I always tell my kids know what you believe, why you believe it, and be able to explain it. Part of the deeper teaching of that is to know it is grounded in the TRUTH. Often when we seek to undertake such a task, we must first ensure our heart, mind, and soul is up to the challenge. This may mean ensuring it is not conformed to the world.
Conformed – συσχηματίζομαι: to form or mold one’s behavior in accordance with a particular pattern or set of standards—‘to shape one’s behavior, to conform one’s life.’ μὴ συσχηματίζεσθε τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ ‘do not shape your behavior to the standards of this world’ Ro 12:2. In order to express the concept of ‘conforming one’s life’ it may be necessary in some languages to indicate the factor of change, for example, ‘to change one’s life so that it will be like.’
Transformed – μεταμορφόομαιa: to change the essential form or nature of something—‘to become, to change, to be changed into, to be transformed.’ ἀλλὰ μεταμορφοῦσθε τῇ ἀνακαινώσει τοῦ νοός ‘but be transformed by the renewing of your thinking’ Ro 12:2. In a number of languages the equivalent of μεταμορφόομαι in Ro 12:2 may be ‘become completely different’ or ‘become different from what you are.’
Logos Bible Software
Given these definitions it is not hard to see the difference. We are called to be different; to be salt and light. But as my Jesus asked, what good is salt if it has lost its saltiness and what can make it salty again (Mark 9:50). The answer is in the questioner. Jesus can redeem us and transform our minds. To change the essential form of something is not a small task, especially for sinful fallen humans. I often remind our kids that most things worth doing are not easy. Transforming is NOT easy. You know what is easy, to conform to a particular set of standards or patterns. It is more comfortable, simple, and less controversial. However, I ask, when you look at someone you admire, do their lives fit a pattern of just going with the flow, giving in to pressure and conforming, or do they exemplify rising above pain and suffering, pushing through hardships, standing for the truth, and persevering? Furthermore, I have had a really hard time finding where Jesus tells us to just go along with the masses and to discard the parts of his Word that we do not like.
Charles Spurgeon said it well, “This inhospitable country afforded him no shelter: it cast him out and crucified him. Such—if you are a follower of Jesus, and maintain a consistent, Christ-like walk and conversation—you must expect to be the lot of that part of your spiritual life which, in its outward development, comes under the observation of men. They will treat it as they treated the Saviour—they will despise it. Dream not that worldlings will admire you, or that the more holy and the more Christ-like you are, the more peaceably people will act towards you. They prized not the polished gem, how should they value the jewel in the rough? “If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?” If we were more like Christ, we should be more hated by his enemies.”[1]
So, I challenge us to turn away from the conformity of this world and be alive to the battle for TRUTH that is at hand. Interrogate those claims that are so often cast about as if they are fact. I know it comes at a cost here, but we often lose sight of the infinite reward and you never know what impact you may have on one person and that person could be the pebble you throw into a sea of glass and the ripples go on and on. As Spurgeon said, “Let us be true to our Master, and have no friendship with a blind and base world which scorns and rejects him. Far be it from us to seek a crown of honour where our Lord found a coronet of thorn.”[2]
[1] C. H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening: Daily Readings (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1896).
[2] C. H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening: Daily Readings (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1896).
Good Blog!
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