By The Renewing Of Your Mind

[newnature]

Romans 12:2, Paul’s word for transformed is metamorphousthe, it means to be transformed, to be changed in form. In Romans 12:2, Paul is not describing cosmetic improvement, he is describing inward transformation that becomes visible in life. The same Greek verb appears in the gospel accounts of the transfiguration, where Jesus is transfigured before Peter, James and John, it also appears in 2 Corinthians 3:18, where Paul says believers are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, those passages have their own contexts, so they should not be treated as though they all say the exact same thing. But, the shared word helps you hear the force of Romans 12:2, Paul is not talking about religious paint on the outside, he is talking about real change and the sentence cuts deeper than many people expect.

The opposite of conformity is not individuality, a person can reject one crowd and still be ruled by another, they can stop copying their family and start copying their friends, they can leave the mold of respectability and enter the mold of rebellion. Paul does not say, do not be conformed, but be original, he says, be transformed, that means the goal is not a more expressive version of the old self, the goal is a life remade by God and that keeps the command from becoming self-salvation. Believers respond, obey, resist, surrender and walk by the Spirit, but the power of transformation belongs to God, Philippians 2:13.

Some change is sudden, scripture gives you moments where God breaks chains in an instant, but Romans 12:2 should not be twisted into a promise that every old pattern vanishes immediately. Some deliverance is dramatic. Some obedience is daily. Some transformation is seen after a long season of choosing the Spirit over the old reflex one more time. Mercy brought the believer to the altar, the altar exposed the mold, the mold made surface change look too small, but Paul points to the place where real transformation takes root, by the renewing of your mind. The mind in Romans 12:2 cannot be reduced to the stream of sentences passing through the head.

 

[ScottA]

Romans 12:2, Paul’s word for transformed is metamorphousthe, it means to be transformed, to be changed in form. In Romans 12:2, Paul is not describing cosmetic improvement, he is describing inward transformation that becomes visible in life. The same Greek verb appears in the gospel accounts of the transfiguration, where Jesus is transfigured before Peter, James and John, it also appears in 2 Corinthians 3:18, where Paul says believers are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, those passages have their own contexts, so they should not be treated as though they all say the exact same thing. But, the shared word helps you hear the force of Romans 12:2, Paul is not talking about religious paint on the outside, he is talking about real change and the sentence cuts deeper than many people expect.

The opposite of conformity is not individuality, a person can reject one crowd and still be ruled by another, they can stop copying their family and start copying their friends, they can leave the mold of respectability and enter the mold of rebellion. Paul does not say, do not be conformed, but be original, he says, be transformed, that means the goal is not a more expressive version of the old self, the goal is a life remade by God and that keeps the command from becoming self-salvation. Believers respond, obey, resist, surrender and walk by the Spirit, but the power of transformation belongs to God, Philippians 2:13.

Some change is sudden, scripture gives you moments where God breaks chains in an instant, but Romans 12:2 should not be twisted into a promise that every old pattern vanishes immediately. Some deliverance is dramatic. Some obedience is daily. Some transformation is seen after a long season of choosing the Spirit over the old reflex one more time. Mercy brought the believer to the altar, the altar exposed the mold, the mold made surface change look too small, but Paul points to the place where real transformation takes root, by the renewing of your mind. The mind in Romans 12:2 cannot be reduced to the stream of sentences passing through the head.

In its infancy, the renewing of your mind transformation, Paul alludes to on a scriptural or intellectual level, referring also to his own "rightly dividing the word of truth." The end of all of this comes when we can see that "when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." In other words, when we are "like" Christ, having His perspective--we are fully renewed. Changed, or transformed.

Again, in its infancy, the renewing of your mind...is quite simply a change of perspective away from thinking as men and as the world thinks, to looking at everything and thinking about everything as God looks at everything. Simple enough, but we see just the opposite (even here) every day, where everything has to be defined the way the world would define everything--even the scriptures! What is written is the beginning, and how we perceive it from our place in this world, is that infancy, where we are suppose to begin to see the words--as it is written--as spirit, rather than literature of men, by men, and to be defined by men in worldly terms.

Alternatively--we don't--and we just keep being and seeing everything as if we are forever to be just people of the world. In which case, if God has graced us with salvation in spite of ourselves, we are in for a fearful and rude awakening, to find out that these perspectives of men and the world are worthless, but should have taught us something we never learned.

"The words are spirit." That is where the renewing of our mind is suppose to begin.

 

[pwg_jonathan]

That point about metamorphousthe lands. Romans 12:2 isn't asking us to try harder at looking different; it describes inward change that becomes visible as truth reshapes how we think. I've found renewal often happens in ordinary moments, not only dramatic ones. Grateful you opened this.

 

[newnature]

In its infancy, the renewing of your mind transformation, Paul alludes to on a scriptural or intellectual level, referring also to his own "rightly dividing the word of truth." The end of all of this comes when we can see that "when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." In other words, when we are "like" Christ, having His perspective--we are fully renewed. Changed, or transformed.

Again, in its infancy, the renewing of your mind...is quite simply a change of perspective away from thinking as men and as the world thinks, to looking at everything and thinking about everything as God looks at everything. Simple enough, but we see just the opposite (even here) every day, where everything has to be defined the way the world would define everything--even the scriptures! What is written is the beginning, and how we perceive it from our place in this world, is that infancy, where we are suppose to begin to see the words--as it is written--as spirit, rather than literature of men, by men, and to be defined by men in worldly terms.

Alternatively--we don't--and we just keep being and seeing everything as if we are forever to be just people of the world. In which case, if God has graced us with salvation in spite of ourselves, we are in for a fearful and rude awakening, to find out that these perspectives of men and the world are worthless, but should have taught us something we never learned.

"The words are spirit." That is where the renewing of our mind is suppose to begin.

Ephesians 6:16, the shoes of peace represent both readiness and an unshakable base, Psalm 89:14 and there is a paradox in the name, this is armor for war, but it is called the gospel of peace. That tension is the point, the peace is not the absence of conflict, it is peace with God settled through the cross, Romans 5:1, that becomes the foundation you stand on while conflict rages around you.

 

[newnature]

That point about metamorphousthe lands. Romans 12:2 isn't asking us to try harder at looking different; it describes inward change that becomes visible as truth reshapes how we think. I've found renewal often happens in ordinary moments, not only dramatic ones. Grateful you opened this.

Romans 12:2 is describing the mind being made new at the level of recognition. The mind begins to recognize temptation as slavery even when it promises freedom, it begins to recognize humility as strength even when pride calls it weakness, it begins to recognize obedience as worship even when the flesh calls it loss.