in Romans 12:1-2 there is an implied fourth element of presenting ourselves to God as a living holy, and acceptable sacrifice, that that is offering Him our will. The Greek constructions here makes “that you may prove” a purpose/result phrase. When a believer’s mind is transformed, their thinking ability, moral reasoning, and spiritual understanding are able to properly assess everything, and to accept only what conforms to the will of God. A transformed mind produces a transformed will, by which we become eager and able, with the Spirit’s help, to lay aside our own plans and to trustingly accept God’s no matter what the cost. The divine transformation of our minds and wills must be constant, because we are still continuouisly tempted through our remaining humanness, our minds and wills must be continuously transformed through God’s Word and by God’s Spirit. The product of a transformed mind is a life that does the tings God has declared to be righteous, fitting, and complete. Understand God wants us to be transformed, and He has made all the provision necessary for that transformation to take place. … READ MORE

When a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, he enters into a cocoon and is transformed because of power that is not natural to him. That transformation changes the way that the caterpillar approaches the world. He eats differently, He travels differently, he is even called by a different name, therefore his very essence is changed. In Romans 12:2 we are told to stop allowing ourselves to be conformed to this world, but allow ourselves to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. The Word of God will become a natural means of transforming us out of darkness and into light. In this passage we are commanded to allow ourselves to be changed outwardly into conformity to our redeemed inner natures. Although we are to aspire to this outward change, it can be accomplished only by the Holy Spirit working in us. The Holy Spirit achieves this transformation by the renewing of the mind, and this outward transformation is affected by an inner change in the mind. Whether good or bad, when anything happens in our lives, our immediate, almost reflexive response should be controlled by this inner transformation of our minds. Only such a mind is able to make our … READ MORE

Romans 12:2 reminds us of the importance of the mind in living the Christian life. The phrase, “Do not be conformed to this world” indicates the battle for the mind that is taking place in the heart of each person. The verb here “conformed” is a passive imperative, the passive indicating that conformation is something we allow to be done to us, and the imperative indicating a command, not a suggestion. We must stop allowing ourselves to be fashioned after the present evil age which we live. The word “World” here is better rendered, “age,” referring to the world system now dominated by Satan, “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Because of Satan’s influence it is not uncommon for us to be tempted to float downstream in our thinking. We want to enjoy the world’s entertainment, the world’s fashions, the world’s vocabulary, the world’s music, and many of the world’s attitudes – even when those things clearly do not conform to the standards of God’s Word. That sort of living is unacceptable to God, and unworthy of those who are called followers of God. The way we overcome those temptations, is to have our minds renewed by the … READ MORE