Be Transformed

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” -Romans 12:2

The reasonable service or spiritual worship begins with avoiding the temptation to conform to—be molded to—this world, which is the current regime or cultural system of society organized apart from the presence and influence of Christ. Instead, we are to be transformed (μεταμορφοῦσθε). The word is metamorphosis, the same word we use to describe the way a caterpillar changes into a butterfly.

Believers, followers of Christ, are to be transformed from what they were before they were part of the family of God into what is holy and acceptable to God, what is good and acceptable and perfectly aligned to his will. And we are to accomplish this by the renewal of our minds. The word renewal is the Greek word, ἀνακαινώσει, and means to cause something to become new and different, with the implication of becoming superior.

Further, our minds are renewed by testing our thoughts against the standard of the will of God and conforming to his will instead of the world’s will. His will is good and acceptable and perfect. The more we are able to apprehend the mind of Christ and approximate our own minds to it, the more we are transformed and the less we are conformed to this world.

What is implied but not specifically stated here is that we learn the mind of Christ and thus the will of God by submitting ourselves to the influence of Scripture (the revealed word of God) and the “tested” traditions of the church (the covenant community of God).

“but test everything; hold fast what is good.” -1 Thessalonians 5:21