Romans 12:2

(6 min)

"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."

Press play to listen to the context🎙️🎧

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Author, audience + historical context 🤓

• Author: Paul
• Audience: Christians in Rome, including Gentiles (non-Jews) and Jews, although most were Gentiles. They met in house churches and were a religious minority.
  • They were surrounded by the worship of many different deities & by emperor worship (Nero was emperor at the time)
• When: Most likely at the end of Paul's third missionary journey ~AD 56

Book context 📖

One helpful way to understand the book of Romans is as it relates to the theme of righteousness: 

• Righteousness needed: because we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
• Righteousness provided: by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as a free gift
• Righteousness vindicated: God passed over former sins, but in Jesus’ death, he proved His righteousness by pouring out all of the punishment for sin on Himself.
• Righteousness practiced (ch 12-15): Paul writes about what it means to live out the life of faith as a disciple of Jesus

A response to God’s mercy ✍️

The first thing to notice about Romans 12:2 is what comes right before it - let’s look at Romans 12:1. 

It says “in view of God’s mercy, present your bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord.”

Romans 12:2 is about using our bodies and minds - our entire lives - in response to God’s mercy.

Living our lives as a sacrifice is not out of religious obligation - we don’t “have to” live sacrificially.

We get to out of gratitude and in response to the God who suffered death so that we could have life.

💡 Note: Old Testament sacrifices were dead. We get to be living sacrifices..because God provided the sacrifice through Jesus.

The pattern of this world 🌎

Have you noticed? This world has a pattern.

“Live for yourself. You do you. Whatever makes you happy. If it feels good, it is good.”

Money. Status. Sex. Possessions. Approval from others.

These aren’t bad things, but the world tells you they are ultimate things worth devoting your life to pursuing.

We chase these things, hoping they’ll deliver happiness and meaning and significance - that they’ll make us feel worthy and loved. But as Tim Keller put it, they’re “counterfeit gods.”

Be conformed vs. Be transformed 🌱

Do not be conformed...but be transformed..

You can see the word “form" in both of those words.

The nature of being human is that we are always being formed.

The question isn’t are you being formed? It’s who or what are you being formed by?

And are you being conformed? Or transformed?

Being conformed happens from the outside-in (the world)

Being transformed only happens from the inside-out (the Holy Spirit).

The renewing of your mind 🧠

Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind..

Romans 12:2 is an invitation to start being more formed by God than by the world.

The world pressures us to live sinfully and selfishly, but to live the good life God wants for us requires changing how we behave—by changing our thoughts.

2 Cor 10:5 tells us to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

In order to more be like Jesus, we need to think more like Jesus.

For reflection 🤔

Just like your stomach has a diet made up of what you eat and drink, imagine your mind has a diet. This week, pay attention to your mental diet.

• Are the tv shows, social media accounts, websites, and youtube videos you engage with aligned with God’s thoughts?
• Are they more aligned with the patterns of the world? Or with God’s will for your life?

What do you need to subtract to your mental diet?

What's something better you can replace it with?

Have a great week 🙏

Isaac and Kieran