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Romans 12:2 – Transformed, Not Conformed

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Truth to Learn

Don’t be like everyone around you and don’t let others tell you what you should be. Instead, let God transform you to into the image of His Son.

Behind the Words

“Do not be conformed” is from me suschematidzesthe. Me is the conditional negation particle and suschematidzesthe is a compound made up of sun, meaning “together” and a form of schēmatidzo, from which we get our English word schematic. It refers to the pattern or outward appearance of something. So Paul is telling us not to allow ourselves to look, and act, like the world around us.

The word translated “world” is not kosmos (world system) as one might expect. Rather, it is from the Greek word aion, which refers to” the age or time” in which we live.

“Transformed” is from metamorphoō, from which we get our English word metamorphosis, meaning not simply a change in outward appearance, but “to completely change form.” This is the same word that is used in both Matthew 17:2 and Mark 9:2 when referring to Jesus’ transfiguration before Peter, James, and John.

“Prove” is translated from the Greek word dokimadzō, which means “to test something with the intent of finding its value.” It is the notion of proving gold by subjecting it to extreme heat, thus removing the dross and leaving the pure, valuable gold only. Our translation says “that you may prove.” The problem with this is that dokimadzō is expressed as an infinitive (to prove), and the word translated “you” is not in the form of a subject, rather it is in the form of an indirect object. Therefore, we should translate this as “to prove in you.”

Meaning Explained

At the end of the previous verse Paul told us that we should offer ourselves as living sacrifices because it is only logical and reasonable that we should serve God in this way. Now he continues on. Not only should we offer ourselves as God’s slaves, once and for all, but we should allow God to reshape our thinking instead of letting the age in which we live do so.

We should not take on the same appearance, habits, and attitudes as all the people around us. Instead of being this kind of a conformist, we need to “be transformed.” This transformation is one of the mind, from being worldly minded, focusing on the thing of this world, to being heavenly minded, focusing on what God is doing to and through us. And our ultimate objective is that of giving glory to God Himself. The reason that we are to be transformed instead of conformed is so that God can “prove in us what His will is.”

As we are transformed by God in our minds, we become more like His son. That is, we become more Christ-like in our attitudes and actions, which is, in fact, what God’s will is for our lives.

Application

What Paul has told us in these two verses is that we need to surrender our physical lives to God for His use. We are to do so by not letting the things of this age influence our thoughts and actions. Instead, we are to let His Spirit transform us to be more like He wants us to be, like Jesus Christ our Lord.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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Romans 9:5 – God Over All

of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

Truth to Learn

Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, Creator of heaven and earth.

Behind the Words

The word translated “fathers” is pater, which is a primary word meaning “father” but it is often used as a reference to any ancestor. It is the word from which we get our English word patriarch (father-ruler).

“Eternally” is from the expression eis tous aiōnas, which literally means “unto the ages.” The Greek word aiōn refers to an indefinitely long period of time (an age). Hence, eis tous aiōnas is a reference to eternity.

Meaning Explained

In this verse Paul continues listing the special privileges that the Jews had in Jehovah God:

“Of whom are the fathers” – This is a reference to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who each had a special relationship with God. Paul will refer to these three as well as others in this chapter as examples of those whom God chose for special blessing.

“From whom, according to the flesh, Christ came” – This is the greatest privilege and promise that was given to the Israelites: that the promised Messiah, the Christ, would (and did) descend directly from the same lineage as theirs. Before Jesus came to earth to take on human form, He was promised as the Savior of the Jews. They believed that he would rescue them from all foreign rulers. To no other people did God promise the Savior of the world to be of their lineage. The Jews took great pride in this and believed that it meant He would come only for the Jews.

In the Greek the expression “according to the flesh” comes after “Christ came.” So it should read “from whom Christ came, according to the flesh.” Paul’s point is that Christ is a descendant of the fathers (Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob) but only in regard to his flesh. This is a clear statement against the Catholic theology stating that Mary is the mother of God. Paul says that she is the mother of Jesus only with regard to the flesh.

“Who is over all, the eternally blessed God.” – He then clearly states that Christ is over all things. That is, His position is above all creatures of all creation. But Paul does not stop there. He now declares that Jesus Christ is God. It would be nearly as appropriate to translate this as “who is God over all.” The apostle is making a statement of the deity of Jesus Christ (He is God), but he is not simply saying that He is a god but the God who is above all things.

The words translated “eternally blessed” appear after the word for God (theos) in the Greek text. It was commonplace for Jewish writers to include this doxology immediately after mentioning the title of God when used in reference to Jehovah God.

Application

This verse shows that the Jewish people had bragging rights as to the lineage of the Messiah. But He is not just a Jewish man. He is Almighty God, Jehovah, the Creator of heaven and earth!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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