Romans 12:2

Romans 12:2

Romans 12:2 says, "And be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God."

Paul tells us to not be conformed to this world. The Apostle John told us to love not the world. Even William Wordsworth in one of his poems said, "The world is too much with us, great and small." When the Bible tells us to not love the world or to not be conformed to the world, of course it is not talking about the earth itself or the physical world; but it i’s talking about the age in which we live. The Greek word used in Romans 12:2 that is translated "world", is the word "aiwnos" which means age. There are certain characteristics about the age in which you live, that you must avoid in order to do the will of God. God does not tell you to change the age in which you live, but He does tell you to not conform to it. Anyone who walks with God and pleases God must learn to be a nonconformist in certain essential ways.

Some of the characteristics of this age must be recognized and avoided because of the negative and unspiritual aspects to them; the selfishness, the desires that have no limits, the materialism, the greed, the pride and dishonesty, and the lust. We are reminded to not be conformed to the world. Because humans are social creatures, there is a power and a pull that social influences have that can be overwhelming. Humans can learn to do things that they ought not to do from other humans, and humans can adopt undesirable behaviors through the influence of others around them. And sometimes we are influenced when we are not even aware of it. But Romans 12:2 tells believers to make sure that they are aware of the problem, and of the potentially bad influences in the world around them.

Young people are especially prone to being overly influenced by social pressures, and being overly influenced in a negative way by the world around them. One reason for this is because they have not yet understood that an important part of life is to learn when to resist and when to say no. Anyone who wants to serve God must learn to not be conformed to this world. We must have a set of standards and philosophies that are based upon God’s Word. When we hear or see things that influence us to go against God’s Word, we simply will not conform, because being acceptable to God is more important to us than being accepted by the people around us.

The problem that anyone can have, and especially young people of being overly influenced by the wrong crowd, is not a new problem. It is a problem that is as old as the human race. The Book of Proverbs was written 3,000 years ago, and much of it was written in the form of a father giving advice to his son. Many parents over the centuries have given similar advice to their children. If only more had followed it, they would have saved themselves and their parents from many sorrows. Proverbs 1:10-11 and 14-15 says, "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us... Cast in your lot among us; let us all have one purse. My son, walk not in the way with them; refrain your foot from their path." In the very first Psalm King David wrote, "Blessed is the man that walks not in the council of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful." The world can be like a mighty flowing river, and if you are not careful, you can quickly be over your head and be swept by the power of the current over the falls and down to your own destruction.

One of our objectives in life is to have correct behaviors, so that we can please God. One of the roadblocks and the stumbling stones to achieving that objective is the world around us, because if we are not careful, we will be influenced by the world around us into having the wrong behaviors. If you conform to this world, there are bad things that you ought not to do, but that you will do because of the influence of the world. It is one of the principles of human behavior.

Now the question is, “What should be done about it?” How does one handle the problem of the potential bad influence of the world? Some people think that to hide from the world or withdraw from the world is the answer. That is one of the reasons that people go into convents or monasteries. They think that they can build walls around them and keep the world out. But they are mistaken because Jesus said that what defiles a person is not what goes into them but what comes out of them. And the Bible also says that a Christian should learn to be in the world but not of the world.

Other people think that they must change the world when they see the injustices and the philosophies that are not consistent with the Bible. But Romans 12:2 does not tell us to change the world, it tells us to change ourselves. This verse of scripture assumes that the world will be corrupt, and that it will continue to be corrupt. The only hope for the world to get better is for more people to change themselves according to the scriptures.

Romans 12:2 says, "Be not conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Your behavior is important to God. God says, "Be you holy because I am holy." The Lord not only tells us to change our behavior, He tells us how to do it: "be transformed by the renewing of your mind." If you want to change your behavior, then you must first change what you think about. The mind is the key. If you think the right things, then you will do the right things. Every human action is preceded by a thought. If you entertain the wrong thoughts, then you will perform the wrong actions. On the other hand, if you entertain the correct thoughts, the odds increase that you will perform the correct actions. It all starts with the thought process.

More and more horrible crimes that are committed today are committed by younger and younger men. It is not uncommon for boys who are 13 and 14 years old to become murderers. Some of the murders are due to the fact that the boys have seen images of murder and violence from movies, TV, video games, and other entertainment sources. Some of them take the thoughts of murder that are planted in their minds, and they become murderers. What they think about ends up being exactly what they do.

Much of the sexual immorality of our day is due to the same issue. Sexual promiscuity is often portrayed by the entertainment industry as acceptable and desirable: instead of showing the real consequences of sexual immorality which are venereal diseases, aids, unwanted pregnancies, abortions, broken marriages and unfulfilled love; as well as deceit, deception, and a guilty conscience. When a man sees a woman, no matter how beautiful she may be, the thoughts that he should have about her are: this is a woman who was designed and created by God for His glory. Her love should only be known by her husband or future husband. If she is younger, she should be treated as a sister; and if she is older as a mother. The man who has such thoughts about women will never commit adultery: his thoughts will determine how he acts, and his thoughts will determine what he does.

Notice that the Bible says that it is the "renewing" of the mind. It is something that must occur over and over again. Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God." You may have a good meal today, but tomorrow you will need to eat another meal or two. Spirituality works the same way. No one on the earth has arrived to the point where they have fought enough battles so that there are no more to fight. You may have won a victory today, but there will be challenges again tomorrow. If you stop renewing your mind, you will begin to conform to the world around you, and you will cease to walk with God, and your life will not be transformed.

There are other passages in the Bible that remind us of the importance of what we think about. The true essence of your life is made up of the thoughts that you think. You are what you think about. Descartes said, "I think, therefore, I am." If you can control your thoughts, you can control your actions; and then you can live your life the way that it was meant to be lived. You may end up one day on a bed in a nursing home, but if you are able to think the thoughts that you ought to think; then you will be living life the way that it was meant to be lived, even in that situation. Your life is your mind and what you think about.

The gospel means "good news". Those who believe the good news should think about good things, in order that they might do good deeds. Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brothers, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Because there is a lot wrong in the world, if you are not careful, you might become a negative thinker; but it is not the will of God for you to do so. The Bible is a very positive book. There is also a lot that is right with the world. Every person has some good qualities. There are the beauties and the wonders of creation all about you, and the promises of God from the Bible are always available to read and to think about whenever you so choose.

Romans 12:3 says, "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith." In Romans 12:2 we were told to avoid conforming to the world, by the renewing of our minds. Now in Romans 12:3 we are especially warned about one particular thought. The mind is important, and there is one thought process that we especially need to avoid. It says, “Do not think more highly of yourself than you ought to think.” If there is anything that will bring down a believer, it is pride: thinking that you are something when you are nothing. Jesus said that the meek will inherit the earth. What is a believer, but a sinner saved by grace? If you ever lose the appreciation for the fact that you are only a sinner saved by grace through Christ, then you will be on your way down. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Pride goes before a fall.

As believers we are totally dependent upon the grace of God. It is only because of His grace that we are saved from our sins, and after being saved if we accomplish anything for His glory, that too will only happen because of His grace. If and when someone accomplishes something for God, we should always remember that they were able to accomplish it only because they were equipped and gifted by God to accomplish it. As Romans 12:3 says, "according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith."

Romans 12:4-5 says, "For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." When the Bible reminds us to not think too highly of ourselves, it then gives us one of the reasons that we can stay level-headed; and the reason is the doctrine of the body of the believers. Everyone who is a true believer in Jesus Christ is part of the body of Christ. We are called the body of Christ by way of allegory and image and symbolism. A body is made up of various members. Each member has its own purpose and functionality. The foot is different from the hand, but both are important to the proper functioning of the body. The body of Christ is made up of many members: each believer is a member. The gifts and abilities of each believer are determined by God and granted by God. Therefore, there is nothing to boast about or to be high-minded about. Jesus should get all the glory.

The doctrine of the body of Christ is one of the important doctrines of the New Testament. It has to do with the universal church of Jesus Christ. Everyone in the world who believes on Jesus for the forgiveness of sins is a member of the universal church. The unity of all believers was important to Jesus, because it was one of the things that He prayed about the night before He was arrested and crucified. The great prayer is found in John 17. Jesus said in John 17:20-21, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you have sent me."

If you are a Baptist who believes in Jesus, then a Methodist who believes in Jesus is just as much your brother in Christ as another Baptist. Your denomination or group should never be an instrument that causes divisions in the body of Christ because Romans 12:5 says concerning all believers, "We are one body in Christ."

Some of the gifts that are given to us are listed in Romans 12:6-7 that says, "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teaches, on teaching." The first gift that is mentioned is the gift of prophecy. Sometimes the word "prophecy" means to foretell events, but that is not the primary meaning of the word prophecy in the Bible. The primary meaning is to speak a message that comes from God. The emphasis is on the fact that the message is not a man’s message, but that it is God’s message. The prophets of the Old Testament were people who spoke with God. God gave them a message, and then they delivered the message to the people. A person who has the gift of prophecy is a person who has a special gift to understand what God wants them to say from the Word and about the Word, and then they say it without compromise.

There is a gift of prophecy, and only those who have the gift can do it. According to Romans 12:7, there is also a gift of ministering or serving. The gift of prophecy has to do with a person speaking. In contrast to that, the gift of serving is more practical. It is said of the angels that they are ministering spirits sent by God to assist the believers at different times. God will not only send angels to assist you; He will also send other believers because God gives to some believers the gift of ministering.

Romans 12:7 also says that God gives to some the gift of teaching. Not every believer can be a teacher of God’s Word: but only those who have been given the gift of teaching. Doi not try to do something for which you are not gifted.

In Romans Chapter 12 we are told to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God, which we can do because He is merciful. We are told to not be conformed to the world but to renew our minds, and we are told to not be high-minded about ourselves. We are taught the great teaching of the universal body of Christ that is made up of all the believers, and we are told to make sure that we exercise whatever gift God has given to us. If you want to know how you can better serve God in this world, then find out what your gifts are and look for opportunities to use them. A gift that is not used, will wither and shrink like an arm that is not exercised.

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