Be Transformed

"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)

The verse opens with a negative (Not Conformed), but quickly turns back to another positive: "be transformed." As a Christian considers how to give his life in a sacrifice of worship to God (verse 1) and how that sacrifice cannot look like the world, this instruction to be transformed indicates how to accomplish both. When a Christian is transformed, his life becomes a sacrifice appropriate to be given to God. When he is transformed, he will not be conformed to the world.

Transformation is a change - a dramatic change, in fact. After a transformation, someone or something looks entirely different  than it did before. What is the "before" picture? Conformity to the world. This is especially evident in the lives of many people who are saved as adults. Prior to their salvation (and perhaps immediately afterward), they looked exactly like the world. There is a very logical reason for this: prior to their salvation, they were indeed part of the world. They looked like what was their nature.

In addition to a "before" picture, transformation also includes an "after" picture. What does a Christian look like after transformation? He looks like a life that is wholly given in an act of worshipful service to God (Reasonable Worship). He looks like someone whose nature has been changed, so that his life no longer reflects the world that surrounds him. In fact, his nature has been changed; he is now a new creation and no longer part of the world.

This transformation is possible because a believer is placed into a new family. As a member of the family of God, he begins to look like his Father. He starts to look like Jesus, who provides the best example of what a transformed Christian should look like. Romans 8:29 tells us that those "whom He [God] foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son." Christians are therefore to be conformed - but to Christ, not the world.

Placing Jesus as the example can help a Christian to make decisions. Such an example provides clarity in making choices and establishing patterns for life. Considering what Jesus looks and acts like assists in knowing what appropriate speech is like. It helps in discerning which influences would be detrimental. It helps in choices about music, dress, entertainment, activities, and so much more. A Christian who is transforming asks questions like "Would Jesus do this?" and "When I do this, do I reflect Jesus?"

Sadly, too many Christians do not have a good idea of what Jesus is like. Instead of looking to Christ's true character, their imaginations invent a character that is palatable to them and permissive of what they desire. Such evaluations are often prefaced by words like "I don't think Jesus would . . ." or "I can't believe that God would . . ." With such statements, a Christian complacently believes himself to be Christ-like when he may, in fact, be very far from reflecting Jesus.

How then does a Christian know what Jesus is really like so that he can conform to that image? The answers can be found only in the Bible. Romans 12:2 states that a Christian is transformed by the renewing of his mind. Prior to salvation, his mind was corrupted by the world of which he was a part. Now the Christian must learn to think in a new way. He must develop new patterns for thinking. He must establish new truths as the basis for his decisions and as the guidelines for life.

 

The Bible is filled with truth about what Jesus is really like and about what God wants His children to look like. As a Christian faithfully reads and studies God's Word, he will learn truth. As he submits and conforms to that truth, he will be transformed into a beautiful living sacrifice that reflects the nature of Christ.