Do Not Be Conformed

Bible Study

Romans 12:1-2 ESV

Romans 12:1-2 Phillips

Ultimately God’s call for change is, has been, and will always be that as we rely on God we allow ourselves to be changed.

When we slow down and read Paul’s world to the church in Rome we can hear his plea to turn to God.

In Romans 12:1-2 he urges, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 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.”

When Paul wrote to the church in Rome he wanted them to remember that God wants the very best for them no matter what happens.

Rome at the time was ever so precarious because a 17 year old boy had just ascended to the throne. His name was Nero. In addition to his inexperience (or perhaps because of it) his mother Agrippina became the ruling force behind him. During the brief early years of his reign he played the role of politician and he chose three advisers he believed he could trust, they were the philosopher Seneca, the prefect Burris, and Agrippina (Nero’s Mother who he put to death later).

Nero first married Claudia Octavia (the daughter of the previous emperor Claudius), then divorced her when his mistress Poppaea Sabina became pregnant.  Poppaea Sabina had been married twice before. History tells us that Nero killed his second wife Poppaea Sabina. There were other wives, however sources do not agree on how many times Nero was married.

There was a great fire in Rome and Nero was blamed for starting the fire. In order to turn attention from himself, Nero blamed the Christians and began persecuting all who professed to be followers of Jesus of Nazareth.

Nero forced many of them to scatter to other parts of the world. They took the message of the Gospel with them.

In the end, Nero committed suicide when the citizens of Rome, his powerful political enemies, and the Senate rebelled against him because of his policies.

There is no doubt that Rome needed ‘change’.

The J.B. Phillips of Romans 12:1-2 gives us a fresh look of Paul’s words, “With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him. Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.”

The Christians in Rome desperately needed to be reminded God was FOR them and God was molding then on the inside even though their outside world was falling apart. Paul reminded them of God’s good plan of maturity through Christ.

God does give us a choice.

We choose God and we will be transformed.

If we choose the way of the world we will conform to the world.

God will not force us.

In Jesus, Deborah

acrazyjourney.com