Romans 12:2, the altar in Romans 12:1 is not left behind in the ancient world, it walks into Monday and once the whole self is placed before God, Paul names the pressure that has been shaping it, do not be conformed to this world. Consider a mold, not a sword, not a prison cell, not something dramatic enough to make a person panic, just a mold, silent, patient, waiting. Soft material is pressed into it, the material does not need to understand the mold, it only has to stay there long enough. That is one reason spiritual formation is dangerous, it often happens quietly. The Greek word translated conformed is syschematizesthe, it carries the idea of being fashioned according to a pattern or outward scheme and when many English translations say world, Paul’s phrase points to this age, the present order of life in rebellion against God.
That distinction matters, Paul is not saying creation is evil, he is not saying all culture, art, technology or public life is evil, he is not saying unbelievers are the enemy, he is warning that the present age has a pattern, a way of defining what is valuable, normal, desirable, shameful, successful and free. Rome had its pattern, a believer could walk through the city and see temples, statues, household gods, imperial images and public rituals. Honor mattered, status mattered, patronage mattered, household rank mattered, Caesar claimed loyalty that Christians could not give in the same way their neighbors did, a person learned very quickly where they stood and who they had to please.
Our age has its pattern, too, it trains people to confuse visibility with worth, it trains desire to demand without waiting, it trains anger to call itself courage, it trains anxiety to call itself responsibility, it trains consumption to call itself freedom, the world does not only tempt behavior, it trains perception. That is why Paul’s command is so urgent, if the age controls what feels normal, a person can call slavery freedom, lust, love, greed, wisdom, bitterness, discernment and compromise maturity. The present age usually wins by making sin look obvious, so Paul says, do not be pressed into that shape, but he does not leave the believer with only resistance, he gives the opposite command, but, be transformed.
That distinction matters, Paul is not saying creation is evil, he is not saying all culture, art, technology or public life is evil, he is not saying unbelievers are the enemy, he is warning that the present age has a pattern, a way of defining what is valuable, normal, desirable, shameful, successful and free. Rome had its pattern, a believer could walk through the city and see temples, statues, household gods, imperial images and public rituals. Honor mattered, status mattered, patronage mattered, household rank mattered, Caesar claimed loyalty that Christians could not give in the same way their neighbors did, a person learned very quickly where they stood and who they had to please.
Our age has its pattern, too, it trains people to confuse visibility with worth, it trains desire to demand without waiting, it trains anger to call itself courage, it trains anxiety to call itself responsibility, it trains consumption to call itself freedom, the world does not only tempt behavior, it trains perception. That is why Paul’s command is so urgent, if the age controls what feels normal, a person can call slavery freedom, lust, love, greed, wisdom, bitterness, discernment and compromise maturity. The present age usually wins by making sin look obvious, so Paul says, do not be pressed into that shape, but he does not leave the believer with only resistance, he gives the opposite command, but, be transformed.
