“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.” (Romans 12:2)
God wants us to change our minds.
If you are a “not-yet Christian,” God wants you to change your mind about how you can receive everlasting life through Jesus. (John 1:12-13, 3:16)
If you are a Christian, God wants you to know the change in mind that brought you into everlasting life was only the first change in mind He desires for you. (Hebrews 5:11-14)
I have repeatedly asserted that “agape” love is the fundamental law of God’s Kingdom, and it is, but the fundamental battleground for God’s kingdom on earth is the mind. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
What we think, consciously and subconsciously, continually dictates how we feel: love, peace, joy, hope, and a sense of purpose, on the one hand, or fear, anxiety, anger, isolation, depression, and aimlessness. Which set of emotions dominates our nation and world today? Which set reflects your own life and the lives of those around you?
Even more important, what we think and how we feel then combine to dictate what we choose in every circumstance based upon what we consider important, possible, desirable, frightening, and good or evil.
We have all learned, often the hard way, that we are never fully in control of our circumstances. Our only control is our ability to make choices based upon the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Do we want those choices grounded in truth or lies? (Psalm 51:6; Proverbs 23:23)
Satan, the consummate enemy of God and humankind, is “the father of lies,” and “the deceiver of the whole world.” (John 8:44; Revelation 12:9) This deceived and broken world has been teaching us life lessons and developing our worldview since birth.
To counteract this, God sent His Son Jesus: the Truth, the Word made flesh, and the light of the world. (John 1:1-14, 8:12, 14:6) God also gave us His Holy Spirit of truth, who can lead us into all truth. (John 16:13-14) And through the Holy Spirit, God gave us the Bible, the Spirit-breathed scriptures that teach us what we need to know and do. (2 Timothy 3:3-16-17; Psalms 1, 119)
The gospel invitation to the lost is, “Repent and believe!” (Mark 1:14-15, 6:12; Luke 24:45-47; Acts 2:38-39, 17:30-31) The Greek word used for “repent” is “metanoia”, which means “change your mind”. The truth sets you free. (John 8:32)
And because the mind remains the fundamental battleground after you become a Christian, Paul tells the Christians in Rome to keep renewing their minds and transforming their lives by learning and obeying all that Jesus teaches and commands. (Matthew 7:24-27, 28:19-20; James 1:22-25; Acts 2:42) This is how we show our love for the Lord and how He manifests Himself to us. (John 14:21-23) More truth sets us more free.
The Greek word used in Romans 12:2 for “transformed” is “metamorphoo.” It indicates major change, and so, today, we use the word, “metamorphosis,” to describe how caterpillars become butterflies and tadpoles become frogs. 2 Corinthians 3:18 describes our process of metamorphosis, one glorious step at a time, into the image of Christ.
The Greek word used for “renewal” of our mind is “anakainosis.” It also indicates major change – making something superior to what it was before. Transformation then comes about by what Paul calls “testing” (or “proving”): the Greek word “dokimazo,” which means to learn by examination and actual use.
Because the Spirit who inspired the Bible now lives in us, we have access to the mind of Christ and can, through our application of what we learn, understand things of God our natural minds could never comprehend. (1 Corinthians 2:9-16) God reframes our worldview and understanding of reality so “the eyes of our hearts” are enlightened, we know His perfect will, and we know the hope to which He has called us. (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 1:18-21)
My friends, our nation and the world are going dark. God calls us to be the light, which means we must be in the world but not of the world. (Matthew 5:14; Isaiah 60:1-3; John 17:15-18)
To be that light, we must have a biblical worldview. We must be convinced that all scripture is God-breathed, that every scripture is to be understood in the context of all other scripture, and that we have no right to delete or disregard the portions we do not like, do not understand, or have never experienced (2 Timothy 3:16; Matthew 13:53-58; Revelation 22:18-19).
And since the traditions and doctrines of man, including denominational institutions, are not scripture, we have no right to treat them as though they are (Matthew 15:1-9; Mark 7:1-13; Colossians 2:8).
We need to change our minds, and we need to do it now.
God bless you, and God bless our community.