Day 36: Be Transformed

Rom 12:1: Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—alive, holy, and pleasing to God—which is your reasonable service. 2 Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect. (NET)

Paul pleads “present your bodies as a living sacrifice.” The verb tense conveys an action which, when completed, has a lasting effect. In the context of Jewish culture and writings, a sacrifice cannot be taken back. Paul encouraged the saints in Rome to make a permanent adjustment...to metaphorically die to life as they previously knew it. As “saints,” don't you think they should have already been pursuing the good and perfect will of God…His plan? Shouldn't they have been experiencing the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in their walk? Unfortunately, their day-to-day lives didn't look very saintly. This incongruence was common in the New Testament churches, and is prolific in today's churches as well.

Some theologians, insisting that repentance is clearly reflected in every believer's life, will say that people living “in sin” are not actually saved. Others might say that true believers who later fall into a life of sin have lost their “salvation.” I believe both of these conclusions are based on an incomplete understanding of salvation. Remember, the umbrella “reconciliation” covers many different achievements including: redemption, expiation, substitution, justification, imputation, regeneration, and propitiation. NONE of these are synonymous with “salvation.” NONE are synonymous with “eternal life.” NONE of them are earned by works or by repentance. Each of them represents a separate peril which we need to be saved from. Saved by Grace.

The apostle John repeatedly stressed that eternal life is through belief and not contingent on our works (John 3:15, John 3:36, John 5:24, John 6:40, John 6:47). Meanwhile, Paul insisted that the saints in Philippi “continue working out” salvation. Is this a contradiction?

Phi 2:12: So then, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, continue working out your salvation with awe and reverence, 13 for the One bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort—for the sake of His good pleasure—is God. (NET)

Paul's encouragement is not a matter of earning any facet of reconciliation. It's simply removing the personal roadblocks and allowing the Holy Spirit to finish the work in you (Phi 1:6)…bearing fruits of righteousness. The “salvation” he is referring to isn't “eternal life.” It is “being saved” from the torment and missed opportunity of a non-authentic life.

"If you want small changes in your life, work on your attitude. But if you want big and primary changes, work on your paradigm." - Stephen Covey, 7-Habits of Highly Effective People

“Paradigm” might be a broader term than perspective. But, it gets the point across. Paul says that real transformation starts with “renewing of your mind,” adopting a perspective that properly measures your earthly investments in light of eternal opportunities.

How does each aspect of your perspective (as discussed in the Perspective section) influence your personal behavior? (eternal focus, God's-eye view, or many witnesses).

Does a new perspective necessarily change the way you live? Psychology suggests a large set of psychological benefits are had when our values and behaviors are aligned (part of “authenticity”). Some would say that perfect alignment is a rarely accomplished ideal (Kazimierz Dabrowski, Polish psychologist, called it level 5 development). On every front, it is clear that aligning behaviors to our values doesn't happen automatically. We should expect it to take some work. The Bible says that discipline will yield the fruit of peace and righteousness (Heb 12:11). Is your life characterized by peace (as we discussed in Gospel Feet)?

Faithful with Little