SERIES: The Book of Romans
Transformed, Not Conformed
Introduction: From last Thanksgiving until the end of June I taught you from the book of Romans, the magnum opus of the greatest theologian in the history of the Christian church. In those first eleven chapters we were confronted with the profoundest of theological themes, from sin to justification to sanctification to glorification. Today we return to the book of Romans, and the first word we find in chapter 12 is a clear indication of transition. It is the word “therefore.” It indicates that Paul is now moving from doctrine to duty, from creed to conduct, from belief to behavior, from theology to morality
This is not to say that duty or morality were never addressed in the first eleven chapters, nor that doctrine and theology will be absent from these last five chapters. But certainly there is a distinct difference in the flavor of these two parts of Romans, and the difference is observable immediately as the Apostle addresses his listeners and urges them to take some direct action based upon all he has taught them so far. What he calls for is total commitment or dedication of our lives to God.
Commitment is a much-bandied-about word in Christian circles, and it is used to describe a number of different things. It is used often of the act of conversion itself (we say, “I committed my life to Christ.”) It is sometimes used of devotion to special service (we say, “He committed his life to full-time service.”). It is also used simply to describe the depth or level of a person’s allegiance to Christ: “She is truly committed.”
When I use the term total commitment or dedication today, I am not speaking of conversion or really of any of these other common usages. Rather I am speaking simply of the daily practice of the Lordship of Jesus Christ in one’s life. How many genuine Christians are committed in that sense?
Most of you have probably heard about the pig and the hen that were out walking one day when they passed a church. The sermon topic on the sign board was, “How can we help the poor?” After a moment’s reflection the hen said, “I know what we can do. We can offer a ham and egg breakfast.” It took several moments before the suggestion sunk in, but when it did, the pig protested: “That breakfast would be only a contribution for you, but for me it would mean total commitment.”
That is the nature of the plea that is made in Romans 12:1,2, which is our Scripture text for today:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer 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.
I believe the two most important words in this passage are “be transformed.” That’s what Paul is after, and every other thought in this passage is subordinate to that. The offering of our bodies is the prerequisite to being transformed. The mercy of God is the motivation for being transformed. The exhortation about not being conformed to this world reveals the key roadblock to transformation. The renewal of the mind is how transformation is accomplished. And the ability to test and approve God’s moral will is the result of a transformed life.
By the way, the Greek word for “be transformed” is a word that has been brought into the English language without translation. It’s the word “metamorphosis.” A butterfly and a frog are two creatures which owe their existence to the process of metamorphosis, i.e., a striking and substantive change from the inside out. That is what God wants for each of His children—for us to be transformed from the spiritually defeated, dull and depressing existence so many endure into the victorious, vital, and enriching experience that is available to the believer in Jesus Christ. So, how can we experience this transformation? Well, I’m glad you asked.
A transformed life begins with a decisive, thorough, priestly act of dedicating our bodies to God.
“I urge you to offer your bodies as living sacrifices.” We need to be clear in our minds that this is not a call to salvation. Paul is not here urging people to become Christians. Rather he is speaking to those who are already Christians (the word “brothers” is always and only used of genuine believers), and he is urging them to take a further step in their spiritual lives beyond conversion. Some call this a second work of grace; others call it rededication. I don’t think the name that we attach to it is that important, but we do need to understand what it entails.
First, it is a decisive act. The tense of the verb, “to offer,” signifies point action rather than continuous action. Total commitment was never achieved through passive osmosis, or by means of an occasional half-hearted effort, or even through winning small spiritual skirmishes along the way. It begins with a decisive step which affects all other steps we take from here on out.
By the way, have you ever wondered why we don’t have a kneeling rail here at the front of the church? Many of you come from churches that have them and recall that they were frequently used. Well, the reason is not because the architect absentmindedly left them out. Rather it has to do with our theology of sanctification. We do not believe that the primary way to achieve holiness in one’s life is to make crisis trips to the altar, periodically rededicating one’s life to Christ. The evidence that this doesn’t work is too often found in the lives of those who practice it—their lives are frequently roller coaster rides alternating between “highs” of glorious fellowship and productivity and “lows” of spiritual depression and down-right backsliding.
The biblical way of sanctification, I believe, is for the believer to commit his life once, knowledgeably, to the Lordship of Christ, and thereafter to reaffirm and practice the meaning of that dedication in more and more areas of life as the Holy Spirit brings those to our attention. Now obviously, kneeling is a very biblical posture of prayer, and there is nothing wrong with a believer coming to an altar and publicly acknowledging that God is dealing with him in a particular area; it may even aid in the matter of accountability. But more often than not I fear that the trip to the altar has more to do with emotions and who’s watching than with any really significant business with God. A decisive, once-for-all act of dedication on the part of the believer is what Romans 1:2 calls for.
Second, it is an all-encompassing act. Do you wonder why God asks that we present our bodies, rather than our souls, our spirits, our wills, or our hearts? I wonder if it’s not because we so readily make a false dichotomy between the material part of us and the immaterial part. We’re glad to give God our hearts as long as our eyes, hands, feet, and tongues are allowed to do what they please.
Occasionally someone will say to me, “I can’t be there on Sunday, but I’ll be with you in spirit.” Now I know that is meant as a kind gesture, and I appreciate the thought, but when you stop and think about it, it leaves a lot to be desired. It’s hard to preach to spirits, or even fellowship with them. You don’t get a lot of interaction or feedback. On the other hand, you can’t give your body without giving the rest of you. (That’s why sexual immorality is so devastating, according to I Cor. 6: “Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her?”). If we give God our bodies, we in effect give Him all that we are. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body.”
Third, it is a priestly act of dedication. The language of Romans 12:1 is the language of the temple. The verb “to offer” is the same word used of the priests’ work of offering sacrifices in the sanctuary. William Barclay writes,
True worship is the offering to God of one’s body and all that one does every day with it. Real worship is not the offering to God of a liturgy, however noble, and a ritual, however magnificent. Real worship is the offering of everyday life to Him …. Take your body; take all the tasks that you have to do every day; take the ordinary work of the shop, the factory, (the office, the home); and offer that all as an act of worship to God.[i]
But there’s a startling contrast between the priestly act called for here and that which is so common in the OT. The difference is that God is now calling for living sacrifices, not dead ones. If we were asked this morning, “How many are willing to die for Christ?”, I would imagine that most would raise their hands, especially since we view it as a rather hypothetical question. But if asked, “How many are willing to live for Christ?”, we immediately recognize that’s not hypothetical. We might avoid a direct answer by asking, “Exactly what do you mean? What’s involved? What will it cost?” Like the chicken, we’re all willing to make contributions, but total commitment is something else.
Friends, a transformed life begins with a decisive, thorough, priestly act of dedication of our bodies to God. There’s no other way I know to experience transformation, no short cuts. Without such a commitment it is probably not possible to experience genuine spiritual victory. So allow me to ask you a question: “Have you ever laid your body on the altar for God as a decisive act of worship?”
The great Nazarene preacher, Buddy Robinson was once holding evangelistic meetings when a lady who was notorious for her biting, gossipy tongue came to him in distress. “Uncle Buddy,” she cried, “I have sinned grievously against many people and I want to lay my tongue on the altar.” “Go ahead,” Robinson responded, as only he could. “It’s only 6 feet long, but lay it on!” We chuckle, but that lady had something of the right notion. God is asking for us to present our bodies as a sacrifice for His service.
But why should we? The answer is given in another phrase in verse 1: “in view of God’s mercy.”
A transformed life is motivated by the mercy of God.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices.” The words here are very instructive. Paul could have said, “I command you because of my apostolic authority,” or “I advise you because of the fear of the consequences if you don’t,” or “I suggest to you because of the rewards you’ll get.” But he says none of these things. Instead the words are, “I urge you in view of God’s mercy.”
The dedication Paul is seeking is, first of all, a voluntary act of the human will. You don’t urge people to do things they can’t help doing. You would never say, “I urge you to breathe” or “I urge you to blink.” But a person has a choice as to whether to offer his body to God or not. He doesn’thave to do it, as is well witnessed by the vast number of Christians today who obviously haven’t.
Secondly, our dedication is not just a voluntary act; it is also a rational act based upon knowledge of God’s past, present, and future grace and mercy. Most of you recall the KJV rendering of this verse: “which is your reasonable service.” Actually I think that’s a superior rendering to many of the modern versions which speak of “spiritual service,” for the Greek word here is “logikins,” from which we get our word “logical.” This word means “rational” as opposed to “unreasonable.”
I think what the Apostle is saying is something like this: “If you weigh all that a merciful God has done in the light of who you were as a sinful hopeless enemy of His righteousness, the only reasonable response is to lay your life on the altar for Him.” The heathen sacrifice because they think it will earn them mercy. We sacrifice because we have already obtained mercy. Dedication must be rational, not just emotional in nature, if it is to amount to anything significant.
On December 8, 1934, John and Betty Stam calmly and bravely laid down their lives for Christ as they were martyred by the Chinese communists. Nine years earlier Betty had dedicated her life to Christ with these words:
Lord, I give up my own purposes and plans, all my own desires, hopes and ambitions, and I accept Thy will for my life. I give myself, my life, my all, utterly to Thee, to be Thine forever. I hand over to Thy keeping all my friendships. All the people whom I love are to take second place in my heart. Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit. Work out Thy whole will in my life, at any cost, now and forever. To me to live is Christ. Amen!
That is total commitment! But we say to ourselves, “That’s something for great saints and martyrs and unique servants of God.” I think not. Rom. 12:1-2 indicates this is what God wants from each of us who calls himself a Christian.
So why don’t we see more of such total commitment? Why is it so obvious that many Christians haven’t offered their bodies as living sacrifices (or if they have at some point in the past, they are no longer living in accord with that commitment.)? Someone has said that the trouble with living sacrifices is that they keep climbing down off the altar. Our passage indicates one of the major reasons why transformation in a believer’s life is not more common:
A transformed life is prevented when we conform to the world around us.
Our text goes on to say, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world.” Here we are confronted with the factor that is undoubtedly responsible for more failure, defeat, discouragement, depression, and lack of joy and productivity in our spiritual lives than any other single factor—namely our tendency to be conformed to the world. Oh, we don’t try to be, at least consciously, and Paul recognizes that, for the verb “conform” in the original is in the passive voice, meaning “do not be conformed,” acknowledging that we are being acted upon. The world does this automatically to us if we do not resist! To not do anything is to become conformed.
The transformed life is one which stays in the secular world without being molded by it. One of my favorite singers of all times was Jerome Hines of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. As a boy growing up in California, Hines became possessed with a desire to become a great opera star, and that is what he lived for. He gave up all other activities, all other pursuits, and all other pleasures to give himself to the necessary work of training to achieve his dream. He finally made it, but the dream turned out to be hollow and meaningless.
Then one day he went to a meeting in New York City. There he heard a man sing. The voice was not as good as his, but the impact was profound. George Beverly Shea sang,
I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold.
I’d rather be His than have riches untold.
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands.
I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hands.
Than to be the king of a vast domain,
Or be held in sin’s dread sway.
I’d rather have Jesus than anything.
This world affords today.
Shortly after that meeting Jerome Hines gave his heart to Jesus. He stayed in the opera, but everything was different. He was no longer singing for the advancement of Jerome Hines; he was singing for the glory of God. He dedicated his art, his work, everything to that purpose.
A few years later Hines had an opportunity to sing the role he had always wanted to sing. He had trained for it through months and months of hard work. His contract stated that he was to sing that role in the opera for ten years. When he went to the first rehearsal, he found some people performing a rather lewd dance. He asked, “What is this?” He was told, “This is the choreography that introduces the opera.” He said, “There’s nothing in the opera Like this!” “No,” they said, “we’re changing it a bit, modernizing it, bringing it up to date.” Jerome Hines said, “I won’t sing if you have this kind of dance in it.” He was told he had better go talk to Mr. Bing.
Jerome Hines went to Rudolph Bing, general manager of the Metropolitan Opera, and said to him, “Sir, if you have that dance in the opera, I am not going to sing in it.” B ing told him, “If you don’t sing, you will be ostracized and blacklisted in opera. You are under contract to sing.” Hines said, “Sir, I can’t sing in that opera. I am not going to let my name be used to entice people to come in to see filth like this. You can break me, sir, and the union can break me. I’ve worked hard for months to train for this role, but I will not sing in your opera if that dance is in it.” Bing said, “Jerome, you don’t have to sing. If you really feel that way, you don’t have to sing; we’ll get someone else. But we can’t change the contract.” So Jerome Hines had to give up that role. It cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars. But he refused to be conformed to the world.[ii]
Friends, there are a thousand ways the world is trying to conform us. Let me speak to just one current example. When I was growing up, Sunday was considered the Lord’s Day, and even the world recognized that Sunday was different. Stores were generally closed, and little league sports were never scheduled on Sunday. Now Sunday is as big a day for children’s sports activities as Saturday. And in the past few years, games have moved from Sunday afternoon and evening to Sunday morning. I regularly hear about Christians parents who allow their children to play soccer, hockey, baseball—you name it—on Sunday morning, and even go with them.
I confess I have a hard time understanding that. If every parent in West County who calls himself a Christian simply refused to patronize Sunday morning games, there’s no way there would be enough kids to schedule the games. But even if the team went ahead and your kid was left out, would that not be better than the message we are sending our children to the effect that worship and Sunday School are activities you work into your schedule if there’s nothing more important to do. I’ll tell you this, in ten years many of those same parents will wonder why their kids have no time for spiritual things when they go off to college.
“Don’t be conformed,” urges Paul. “Don’t try to match your life to all the fashions of the world. Don’t be like a chameleon which takes its color from its surroundings.” The dedicated life is shown by the degree to which the believer stays in the secular world without being trapped by it. Well, if a transformed life is prevented when we conform to the world around us, we need to see fourthly that …
A transformed life is produced when our minds are renewed.
Our text goes on, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The verb “be transformed” is passive, just like the verb “be not conformed.” But now it is not the world which acts upon the believer to produce the results; rather it is the Holy Spirit. And the renewal which He produces in us does not occur instantaneously, but rather develops on a day-by-day basis, for the verb “to be transformed” is in the present tense, indicating continuous action. It means, “Be continually being transformed.” 2 Corinthians 4:16 says, “We do not lose heart, for though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”
Why do our minds need renewal? Well, first because of the state our minds were in before salvation. In Ephesians 4 Paul talks about how Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers. Beginning in verse 17 he says, “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.”
Here Paul blames the unbelieving pagan’s evil behavior on his state of mind. He lives the way he does because he thinks the way he does. Unfortunately, there is also a lingering effect on believers after salvation, particularly for those who became Christians as adults. The problem is that when we were born again, no one pushed the “clear” button. We became a new creature in Christ, but the old software was still stored on the hard disc. If we choose to access it, major problems result. But we are commanded to access only the software of the Spirit.
The analogy Paul uses is that of changing clothes. “You were taught,” he says in Eph. 4:22, “with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” So even after salvation, careful attention must be given as to what we feed our minds. Our beliefs, our thoughts, and our emotions all must be brought under the Lordship of Christ. I want to address each of these areas briefly. First, our beliefs:
Renewal of our beliefs is critical. That is why the Scriptures exhort us to saturate ourselves with the Word of God. “Sanctify them by the truth,” Jesus prayed to the Father, “Your Word is truth.” This is why sound doctrine is so critical for the believer, especially as we approach the end times. We need to know the truth about the attributes of God, the ministry and atonement of Jesus Christ, the person and work of the Holy Spirit, the nature and need of man, the plan of salvation, the purpose of the church, and the plan of God for the future.
But renewal of our beliefs is not sufficient. There must also be renewal of our thoughts. I have time to read only one short passage here: 2 Corinthians 10:3-5:
For though we Live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
The point of this passage is not that we will become great fighters for the Christian faith, debating atheists and destroying the arguments of humanists, though a few may. The strongholds envisioned here are primarily in our minds, and it is our own thoughts that must be taken captive to make them obedient to Christ.
The third step in the process is the renewal of our emotions. This is perhaps the hardest area to deal with, because we don’t directly choose our emotions; we just experience them. But I am suggesting to you today that we do indirectly choose them. When we believe falsehoods, evil and negative thoughts result, which in turn triggers unhealthy emotions. An example may help. Suppose you have developed the belief that your value as a person depends upon your performance. Then suppose circumstances occur in such a way that you fail at an important assignment. Your belief will lead to self-condemning thoughts, like, “How could I be so stupid? I’ll always be a failure.” Then those thoughts will trigger negative emotions like fear, depression, and anger.
The church has often put its entire emphasis upon reforming behavior, but God’s emphasis is on renewing the mind. People are constantly telling us that we ought to behave differently, but few are considering the emotional baggage, the thoughts that trigger those emotions, or the beliefs that have produced the thoughts. We need to begin at the beginning. Since for many of us the majority of our beliefs were formed before we became Christians, those false beliefs must be identified, ruthlessly rooted out, and replaced with biblical convictions. Once we believe the truth, that will help us take every thought captive in obedience to Christ, which will trigger healthy emotions, and will then result in right behavior. Finally, …
A transformed life results in our ability to test and approve God’s moral will.
“Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” The term “will of God” is used in several different ways in the Bible. Here I believe Paul is referring to the moral will of God as revealed in the Scriptures. Only the one who has committed his life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ is willing to test the will of God on a long-term basis; only that person will discover that the will of God is always good, pleasing and perfect. Never has God uttered a single command that was injurious, capricious, or even unnecessary. Never has God taken a pleasure from us whose benefits were genuine and eternal. Never has He exhorted us to do anything that wouldn’t contribute in some way to our happiness, well-being and ultimate joy. But how will we ever know that experientially if we have not presented our bodies to God and embarked upon the daily adventure of refusing to be conformed to the world and instead, experiencing the transformation of our minds?
Probably the single most common reason why more believers don’t commit themselves totally to Christ is fear of the consequences. What will God ask me to do? Will He send me to Africa? Will I have to become a martyr like John and Betty Stam? Will I lose an important contract, like Jerome Hines? Well, obviously I can’t answer those questions regarding any particular person. But I do know that God’s will is not really risky. It may be unknown in respect to its specifics, but it is not at all risky in respect to its ultimate results—it is good, pleasing and perfect.
Conclusion: Dr. Carl Armerding, long-time President of Wheaton College, once told of his experience the first time he read Romans 12:1-2 as a young believer. He went to his closest Christian friend and, pointing out the verses, asked him if he believed we ought to do this. His friend said, “Yes, I’m sure we ought to.” When asked if he had ever done it, he had to admit that he hadn’t. When Dr. Armerding asked how they could do it, his friend had no suggestions. So he immediately went to a chum who had been baptized the same night as he. The same questions brought forth identical answers. In despair he finally went to an old, godly man in his church who really believed Rom. 12:1-2. He suggested to young Carl, “Go home, and on your knees simply tell God you want to do what these verses say.” And Armerding did just that. A lifetime of incredible service followed.
In some ways this morning would be a most appropriate time for us to have an altar call. But we’re not going to. Instead I want to borrow the wisdom of that elder who said, “Go home and on your knees tell God you want to do what these verses say.” God isn’t looking for an emotional response from you. He is looking for a rational presentation of your body and all that you are and have as a living sacrifice to Him. After all He has done for us, is that too much to ask?
DATE: October 22, 1995
Tags:
Transformation
Dedication
Mercy
[i] William Barclay, The Letter to the Romans, 157, 156.
[ii] Ray C. Stedman shares this story in Expository Studies in Romans 9-16, From Guilt to Glory, Vol. II, d6-89.