In This World to Transform It, Not Conform To It

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.  Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” – Romans 12:1-2 (NLT)

2 Corinthians 5:17 says that when we come to Christ, we are a new creation. Old things have passed away and all things become new.  Now, what we’re reading in Romans 12, Paul says, “Give your bodies to God because of what He has done for us.  Let them be a living and holy sacrifice. This is how we truly worship Him.”  What does it mean to be a living sacrifice?  Part of it is being ready to do whatever God asks of you. 

Let me put it this way:  Let’s say you owed a lot of money.  Millions of dollars, in fact.  And one day, I just come and pay off all of this debt and instead of me asking you to pay me back, I just ask you to help me out every once in a while (for free) and you agree.  When I call you and ask for some help, would you drop everything and come help me?  If I asked you to do something for me, would you do it?  You would, but why?  Because you owed me a debt that you’re not likely to be able to repay.

This is exactly what our relationship with Jesus is like.  We had an unbelievable debt and God because of His great love for us sent Jesus to pay that debt and all He’s asking is we do what He asks us to do and want He wants is a relationship with you and I.  The last part of Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”  Just like we read in 2 Corinthians 5:17, we are made a new creation and what Paul is saying in Romans 12:2 is that because of that transformation, we shouldn’t conform to what the world is doing.  There should be a difference in a Christian person and someone who doesn’t know Christ.  1 Peter 2:16 says, “For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.”  What this means is don’t use the freedom you have in Christ as an excuse to sin. Paul says in Galatians 5:1, “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.”  Let me put it this way:  If someone kidnapped you, enslaved you, and then you got rescued, would you after a few days be like, “You know what? I think I’m going back to my captor.”  We’ve been set free, but so many Christians keep trying to hang on to the things of the world that only bring us back into slavery to the things of this world.  Many Christians try to approve of the things of this world instead of taking a stand for Christ.  The Bible has to be the final authority in our lives.  We have to use the freedom we have in Christ for His purposes and for His will.  If we compromise the Word of God for the approval of people, we’ve messed up. 

The deeper our relationship with Jesus and the closer we get to Christ, the more the fruits of the Spirit become evident in our lives.  Are you willing to commit to Jesus your life, your time, your habits, and put Him first in your life?  That’s what He is looking for.  What’s He going to find?  Is He going to find you faithful and following Him?  Or ignoring Him and searching for the peace that only Christ offers?