RENEW YOUR MIND AND LIVE TRANSFORMED
“….Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind….” (Romans 12:2 KJV).
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The bible says, “…And BE NOT conformed to this world: BUT BE YE transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God…” (Romans 12:2 KJV). Here we can clearly decipher that there is a clear distinction between being conformed and being transformed.
It is pretty obvious that the believer or follower of Christ is not to copy life patterns from the world, but aim, instead, for an higher, transformed lifestyle which is in accordance to the will of God.
To be conformed to the world is to copy life patterns from men and women who do not know Christ or the Living God of creation and are considered heathens from a biblical perspective. “…Thus saith the LORD, Learn NOT the way of the heathen…” (Jeremiah 10:2 KJV). “…And ye shall know that I am the LORD: for ye have not walked in my statutes, neither executed my judgments, but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round about you…” (Ezekiel 11:12 KJV). “…I will do these things unto thee, because thou hast gone a whoring after the heathen, and because thou art polluted with their idols…” (Ezekiel 23:30).
The way to avoid copying the patterns of heathen lifestyles is to renew your mind. The mind houses all that’s in the heart, which includes evil thoughts. “… For out of the HEART come EVIL THOUGHTS—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander…” (Matthew 15:18-19 NIV). Therefore, the mind, before Christ, is basically an instrument of evil.
The bible says, “…as he [or she] thinketh in his [or her] heart, so is he [or she]…” (PROVERBS 23:7 KJV). What this verse tells you is that thoughts are in the heart thus “…thinketh IN his heart…” We’ve always understood that thoughts are associated with the mind. In addition, the thoughts are IN the heart. “…..out of the HEART come EVIL THOUGHTS—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander…” (Matthew 15:18-19 NIV). The thoughts, from your mind, are IN the heart.
The renewed mind, after salvation in Christ, is to become an instrument of righteousness influenced by the Holy Spirit and thus making you able to make choices based on what the will of God is in order to behave accordingly.
The renewed mind will reveal behavioral actions for the believer that proves God’s will and what God considers a good and acceptable lifestyle. The acceptable lifestyle is the perceptive part of Christianity. It is what makes you a true Witness for Christ like Christ was for God.
A heathen lifestyle will always, no matter how big or small, be in opposition to God’s will for your life. "…A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough…" (Galatians 5:9 NIV). A holy lifestyle is all that will be acceptable with God and no other. God does not endorse straddling the fence, where you are part-time heathen and part-time believer. "… You must purge the evil from among you…” (Deuteronomy 21:18-21 NIV). God is ONLY pleased when his people live holy and separate themselves from all forms or appearances of wickedness. “…Abstain from all APPEARANCE OF EVIL…” (1 Thessalonians 5:22 KJV).
When the word says be NOT conformed it is not an option. “…Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “…And do not touch what is unclean…” (2 Corinthians 6:13-17 NASB).It literally means NOT to copy, in any form or fashion, the heathen lifestyle.
This includes habits, fashion patterns, behaviors, actions, practices, or speech. Whatever the current, wicked and idolatrous culture and age; do not conform to it. “…ye shall be holy unto me: for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine. …” (Leviticus 20:26 KJV).
God wants his people to be influenced and governed by the biblical lifestyle and pattern their lives after the example of Jesus Christ. Many believers think they are NOT conformed to the heathen lifestyle and are in fact transformed from it, but either consciously or unconsciously they are indulging in many of its patterns and practices. “…thou hast gone a whoring after the heathen, and …art polluted with their idols…” (Ezekiel 23:30).
Most non-believers, especially from the 21st century, find so-called followers of Christ to be hypocritical and are turned off from Christianity. Some believers still cherish patterns of thinking and practices from the heathen lifestyle. “….These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me…” (Matthew 15:8 NLT).
Their mind is still devoted to some aspects of the heathen lifestyle and they either secretly or overtly follow carnal pleasures whether than aim at wholly cultivating the biblical lifestyle. “.. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:16-17 NLT). A little sinful thinking is still some sinful thinking and some sinful thinking is too much.
Therefore, the one solution to this problem is to transform the mind by renewing it in order to cultivate a spirit of holiness and holy living in the world. Believers are to influence the heathen lifestyle; not the other way around. “…LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE before men, that they may see your good works…” (Matthew 5:16 KJV), “…Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven…” (Matthew 5:16 KJV).
Renewing the mind will result in a change of heart, affections, emotion, lifestyle patterns, and other heathen practices. “…In this world we are like Jesus…” (1 John 4:17 NIV). In reality the believer is a new creation. “…Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV).
Without renewing the mind the believer would be useless to the Christian lifestyle and would most likely be full of hypocrisy. “….apart from Me, you can do nothing…” (John 15:5 NIV). “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness… ” (Matthew 23:27 KJV).
Being full of hypocrisy is the result of a continual conformity to the world and limited to external conduct and habits NOT impacted by transformation that comes ONLY from REnewing the mind. “…thou …art polluted with their idols…” (Ezekiel 23:30).
Whatever your mindset is you are proving to those witnessing your lifestyle who’s WILL you are choosing to follow. Only a wholly devotion to renewing the mind will prove you are God’s disciples. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).
A divided mind, still embracing the heathen patterns of thinking is, unfortunately, unsuitable for truly demonstrating the good, perfect, and acceptable will of God.“…A double minded man is unstable in all his ways…” (James 1:8 KJV).
The whole mind is renewed for the purpose of doing the will of God and it is the renewed mind that is suitable for truly demonstrating the good, perfect, and acceptable will of God. “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13 NIV).
The renewed mind that is enabled to do the will of God is proved through one’s conduct. The renewed mind that seeks God’s guidance in all matters of life will commit their actions to him. The renewed mind that wants to demonstrate God’s good, perfect, and acceptable will aims to promote God’s honor and glory in the world. "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” (John 15:8 NIV).
The effort that goes into renewing the mind is for the purposes of allowing God to remove the defects and stains of sin from the former heathen lifestyle. “Create in me a clean heart, O God…” (Psalms 51:10 KJV). The heart “…is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked…who can know it [except God?]” (Jeremiah 17:9 KJV).
This effort is pleasing to God, because it also influences holiness and separation from sin, which ultimately honors and glorifies God in the world. . "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so PROVE to be My disciples” (John 15:8 NIV). Therefore, “…BE YE transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may PROVE what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God…” (Romans 12:2 KJV).
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