Bible Studies

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Romans, Chapter 12, v. 1-2: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your body as a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. "

In Romans 12, it says, "…be not conformed to the world." If you look at the word "conformed" in the Greek, it means to mold, or to form to an image. Imagine yourself as a piece of clay, able to be pressed into a mold; the Word is telling us not to allow ourselves to be molded to the world or its systems.

The word "transformed," on the other hand, means to be changed. In Greek, the word is "metamorpho," from which we get "metamorphosis." Think here of a caterpillar on the ground, eating what it can crawl to--until it undergoes a metamorphosis in its cocoon, and transforms into a butterfly capable of flying from flower to flower.

When something is molded, it is pressed or pressured into that mold. We want to take a look at that pressure, and see how it is different from being transformed--being totally changed and renewed in the Word of God.

The most important thing to remember is that when you are transformed, you have to start from somewhere--and we all basically start from the mold of the world. When you come into Christianity, no matter what age you're at, the world and its systems and the nature of the flesh are all still a part of you. Part of that process of transformation is that of ridding yourself of these things.

Ephesians 2, v. 1-7 says, "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in our sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

Ephesians is telling us that God picked us up in that state. We were dead in our own sins, driven by the lusts of the flesh and the lusts of our minds, driven by the world system. The transformation process takes us from that state to one of serving God, knowing God, knowing His Word and knowing his will, having a respect for these and walking in accordance with them. Along the way, you pick up truth--God's Word. And walking in that truth is what is important here.

In First Samuel Chapter 8, v. 19-21, it says "Nevertheless, the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. And Samuel heard all the words of the people and he rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord." Here in Samuel we see the people looking around and saying to themselves "We're odd. These other nations have kings over them, and all we have is a God that we can't see and a prophet who visits us and tells us things. We want a king." And God says to Samuel, "The people are not listening to you. They're refusing my voice and my will and my ways, and saying 'we want to fit in with everyone else. We want to be just like them, because we think they have it all.'" If you look at that in the context of 2005, we say that in our everyday life: we want to fit in with those around us. But if you look at history, you see that society is always changing. From one generation to the next, what is considered socially acceptable dress, behavior, speech, and belief can change entirely. What doesn't change is God's Word and God's will.

Peer pressure is what comes about when you look at the people and things around you and feel like you're lacking something or missing out on something, and subsequently strive to conform to others. For the unknowing, succumbing to this pressure is almost automatic. But for Christians who know the Word of God, there is a clear choice: to follow the herd, or to follow the Word. Giving in to the impulse to conform, even though on some level you know to be unworthy, is what separates you from the will of God. Clearly, there are many things in this world, many things which society deems acceptable and even virtuous, which are not in accordance with God's will. In any given instance, and in any area where you have the opportunity to make a choice, you are always faced with deciding whether to follow the will of the herd or the will of God. What style of clothing will you wear? What sort of language will you use? How will you conduct your business? How honest will you be in your dealings with others?

We have to remember that we live in a world which, for the most part, does not know or understand the divine logic of God, but which instead substitutes the flawed logic of humanity. As human beings, whose entire existence amounts to only an instant in the span of time, and whose entire habitat is only a tiny fragment an immense universe, our perspectives are limited and flawed. Consequently, the conclusions we draw from this limited knowledge are hopelessly flawed. Nonetheless, humankind works from this knowledge, and creates a world out of step with the Word of God.

Mankind behaves as though God--the creator of the entire universe, the creator of each of us--is somehow likely to evolve to match human wants. This is an absurd conclusion, an example of "the cart before the horse" at its most ridiculous. Nonetheless, it is the way human beings believe, and consequently behave. As a result, society steadily evolves away from God, increasingly seeing the truth of His Word as an absurdity, and seeing true Christians as somehow out of step with reality--when in fact it is the opposite that is the case.

If we succumb to these societal pressures, we allow ourselves to be lured away from truth and salvation towards a doomed existence based upon falsehood. We substitute involvement with the irrational, immoral, material world around us for a knowledge of, and commitment to, the only thing that is of true enduring value: God's word, and its eternal truth. We lower our standards for our selves, for our lives, for our society, and thus cheat ourselves. And change ourselves--becoming creatures ever further removed from God's vision for us.

Exodus 23, v. 1 states, "Thou shall not follow a multitude to do evil." More simply, this means that we are not to mindlessly follow the herd of human sheep as they launch themselves into delusion and sin, and consequently meaninglessness and damnation. We are to live among them, interact with them, but not be OF them: We are, each of us, to stand as shining examples of God's truth in a world which has largely turned its back on Him. We are here to openly, visibly adhere to higher standards, to serve as the people others go to in times of need--to be God's reliable servants and ambassadors to the rest of humanity.

The book of Timothy tells us that people will be pulled away from sound doctrine, and that even our religious institutions will transform God's word into "fables." This is enormously convenient for a society intent on following its own flawed logic and perceptions, a society which wants to rewrite God's word to fit human desires. It is also a fatal error. As Christians, we are to accept God's word not as parables or stories, but as truth, and to live our lives in accordance with our recognition of that truth. We should always be prepared to stand in sound doctrine.

First Corinthians, Chapter 1, v. 18-26 says: "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will thwart." Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

If we look at societies and cultures which have "missed the boat" when it comes to Christ, we can see what differentiates Christians from the mass of humanity. In Corinthians 1, the Greeks, with their reliance on philosophers and scientists--whose model society follows to this day--placed their faith and trust in the material world, in what could be directly experienced or scientifically proven. Likewise, the Jews, who have waited eternally for a sign and for a messiah, are reliant upon their human perceptions to tell them when God has come. Each of these groups is reliant upon what can be perceived directly, what can be proven, what can be seen and touched directly. In contrast, Christians are called upon to look beyond our limited human capacity for perception and comprehension, and instead to accept and believe. As Christians, we don’t need to see it—or even perceive it with any of our limited senses--in order to believe it.

We are to believe in the so-called "foolishness" of the Gospel. We are to believe in the seeming impossibility that the Son of God died and rose again. We are, through our believing, to acknowledge the human limitations of our perceptions and logic, to accept that God and His Word are greater than us, beyond the direct experience of our senses and the direct understanding of our minds. We are to understand that our human "logic" is incapable of grasping the immense, universe-sized truth of God. We are to follow with our hearts and souls, rather than our brains and senses.

As Christians, we must remember the book of Romans' teaching not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed through the renewing of our minds. Working from this foundation in belief and the transformation flowing from it, we are to base our decisions and our actions upon our belief and trust in Him. And we are to remember our mission to be examples, to let our beliefs radiate outwards from us in the purest possible form, and thus to inspire others. We are to be straightforward, and to steer clear of hypocrisy or compromising God's Word in any way. And by living in this manner, we will not only cease to follow the herd--we will provide illumination and inspiration for the herd to follow instead.

God Bless,
Sebastian Lucido

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