Romans 12 - Don't Conform But Be Transformed!

Romans 12 - NIV

Enduring Word Commentary

A Living Sacrifice

12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 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.

Romans 12:1-2 is a life verse for me. In 1987, when I recommitted my life to Christ, these were the verses the Lord gave me as a guide for my life. 

When Paul starts with the word, "therefore", he is transitioning from something he has just taught to it's application for daily living. He is saying, "In light of everything I have just written, this is what it means for your life."  We have to pay attention to the "therefores" because we mustn't be just readers of God's Word but doers of it. (James 1:22-25)\

When we apply God's Word, we experience its power and grow deeper in our appreciation and confidence in the life God has called us to live. Reading the bible is not an "academic exercise", as we obey God's Word we experience Him and become more like Him.

 As Paul wrote to in Colosians 3:16, 

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to the Lord.

Paul starts by "urging" the Romans to offer their bodies back to God as a living sacrifice. Paul says, "In lieu of God's mercy". Offering our bodies to God is a response to God's grace and mercy which He gave us in Christ. Paul intentioinally uses the word "living sacrifice". The Jews in the church in Rome would immediately have thought of the animal sacrifices, which the Israelites offered per the Law. The innocent lambs were killed, and their blood was the atoning sacrifice for their sin. 

To the contrary Paul urges the Romans to offer their bodies as a "living sacrifice". 

"First century people, both Jews and pagans, knew first-hand what sacrifice was all about. To beg that they make themselves a living sacrifice was a striking image.  The sacrifice is living because it is brought alive to the altar. The sacrifice is living because it stays alive at the altar; it is ongoing."- Guzik

When we offer our bodies to God, it is pleasing to him. It is part of our "worship". The word worship means what we "give worth to". By offering God our bodies to God, it shows we worship him before all others. 

"In biblical language, the "body" represents your entire, tangible physical existence. It means that your faith is not just a mental or emotional feeling; it is expressed through your physical actions. How you treat others, how you spend your time and resources, and what you do with your hands are all part of offering your body." - Desiring God

Then Paul makes a very important statement, which is very relevant for today. He says we should not "conform to this world." The J.B. Phillips translation says we should not be "squeezed into the world's mold."

We know the world the devil is the ruler of the world.  The world's norms and values are not aligned with God's way of life. 

John 12:31: Jesus says, "Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out".John 14:30: Jesus again refers to him, saying, "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me".

2 Corinthians 4:4: The apostle Paul calls him "the god of this world" who has blinded the minds of unbelievers.

Ephesians 2:2: He is referred to as "the prince of the power of the air".

1 John 5:19: It states that "the whole world is under the control of the evil one"

"This warns us that the “world system” – the popular culture and manner of thinking that is in rebellion against God – will try to conform us to its ungodly pattern, and that process must be resisted." - Guzik

Instead of being passively "conformed to the world", Paul exhorts the Romans to be "transformed by the renewing of their minds." The word for "transfomed" in the Greek is "metamorphoo", which is where we get the English word "metamorphosis". The word is also used to describe Jesus at His transfiguration. Mark 9:2-3

The importance of this word is that when we give our whole lives to Christ, we are transformed from the inside out. We become a completely new person. Paul says, 

"If anyone is in Christ, they are new creation. The old is gone and the new is in." 2 Corinthians 5:17

The result of this inward and spiritual transformation is our our lives align with God's will. Instead of being in a state of rebellion, we willingly partner with God, and become the type of person who does the right things and the right times. We are living proof of what God's will looks like in action. Paul calls it, 

"His good, pleasing and perfect will." 

God's will for you is inherently good. God wants you to have a good life and to be able to do good things for others. His goodness and mercy are new every morning. 

When we are doing God's will it is pleasing to God, because it shows we are being obedient and trusting in Him. When we sense God's pleasure, it gives us pleasure. We taste and see how God good is. God's will is perfect. The sense of the word "perfect" in the Greek is "complete".  Or, it has become everything that it was intended for. 

There is nothing better than being in God's will. It leads to love, joy, and peace. When you are walking in God's good, perfect, and pleasing will, life is the way God intended it to be lived. When we rebel and disobey God's will life gets very difficult both for us and those around us. 

This is why John says 1 John 5:13, "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome." 

I hope you will find Romans 12:1-2 as transformational as I do. We don't offer our bodies and minds to get God's approval, but because we have it. It is a response to God's mercy and grace. 

Many Christians are more conformed to the world than transformed to look like Christ. This is why our witness to the world is not what it could be. If our lives look no different than those in the world, it doesn't make a very good case for Christianity. 

As you look at the trajectory of your life, do you see yourself being transformed by the renewing of your mind to look more like Christ? Or, are your attitudes and actions being conformed to the world?  

Heavenly Father, thank you for the new life you give us when we come to Christ. We are a new Creation, and You continue to mold and shape us to become more and more like you. Help us to continue to offer ourselves to you, as we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. Amen. 


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