By the Renewal of Your Mind

Romans 12:1-2 ESV

“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.”

So, Paul was writing this appeal to the church in Rome. Thus, he was urging, admonishing, calling, and exhorting them by the mercies of God to do something. And what are the mercies of God? This is speaking of our Lord’s compassion to us, his pity on us, and of his favor and grace to us which was shown to us by our Lord dying on that cross in order to save us and to forgive us, which is to deliver us out of our lives of sin and to give us new life in him to be lived for his praise and glory in obedience to him.

Because of what Jesus Christ did for us on that cross, on that basis, this appeal (exhortation, admonishment, urging) is being directed to the Christians in Rome, but not just to them, but to us who profess faith in Jesus Christ today, too. And the exhortation is that we present our bodies to God as living sacrifices (offerings) to our Lord, offered on his terms, not ours, as prescribed by God and not of our own doing. So, this is an offering which God will accept because it is being offered to him on his terms.

And we are to present our bodies to Christ, holy and acceptable to God. And what does it mean to be holy? It means to be set apart by and for God, to be separate (unlike, different) from the world because, in Christ Jesus, we are being conformed of God to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ. So, this means we are no longer to be like and to live like the world. We are no longer to have worldly mindsets and behaviors, but our minds are now to be set on our Lord to obey him in all things.

And how are we made acceptable to God, and well-pleasing to him? First and foremost it is only by his grace to us in dying on that cross so that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness, now in his power and strength. For we cannot be acceptable and pleasing to God of our own selves in our own flesh. But it is also via our faith response to what he did for us on that cross in us surrendering our lives to him, dying with him to sin, and now walking in obedience to his commands (New Covenant).

For Jesus Christ did not die on that cross just to forgive us our sins so we can go to heaven when we die. And his forgiveness of our sins involves him delivering us out of our bondage (slavery, addiction) to sin so that we can now walk in freedom from the power of sin over our lives, and so we can live holy lives, acceptable to God, by his grace and in his power. For when we believe in Jesus with God-given faith, our old self is crucified with Christ in order that we will no longer be enslaved to sin but to righteousness.

Now, when we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, and we give our lives to the Lord as living sacrifices to him, not of our own doing, but as prescribed by God, and that which is holy and acceptable to God, by God’s standards, according to his will, and in his power, this is our spiritual worship of God. So, although singing is certainly part of worship, we can sing praises to God and not be worshiping him at all. For if our lives are not surrendered to him, living holy lives acceptable to him, we aren’t truly worshiping our Lord.

Thus, we are no longer to be conformed to this world, to where we take on the character of this world and not that of our Lord. We are not to be those who are following the same pattern (model, mold) of the world and of the flesh of humans. We should not be those who look like, act like, speak like, and think like the world, and like the ungodly, in character. There should be a definite distinction between us and the ungodly who do not worship the one true God. For our minds should be set on God and not on the world.

For by genuine God-given faith in Jesus Christ we are to be those who are being transformed in heart and mind away from what is sinful and ungodly and toward what is holy and righteous and obedient to our Lord. We should no longer have the same mindset as we did before we believed in Christ, for our Lord is renewing our minds as we walk by faith in him, in his power. For this word “transformed” has to do with “metamorphosis” like a caterpillar being transformed (changed) into a butterfly. 

And this transformation of our hearts and minds will be evident in how we live and in our speech, actions, thinking, attitudes, and behaviors. There should be fruit in our lives which should be increasing which reveals that we have indeed had this transformation of heart and mind away from our lives of sin to now walking in obedience to our Lord in holy living. And this change brought about in our lives by God should give evidence of what is the will of God – that which is well-pleasing to him – his good and perfect will.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Songs in the Night  

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

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