Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good… This word is used to denote the Lord's transfiguration, when His body was seen invested with the glory in which He is to appear at His second coming. You will then see Him thus transfigured, and the result will be your own transfiguration (Philippians 3:21). For He is to "change your vile bodies," etc. But there is a transfiguration in the life that now is (2 Corinthians 3:18) also into the image of the Lord; and therefore it is a transformation into glory, but not into the glory that was seen on the Mount, but what was seen in the manger, in the wilderness, in Gethsemane, and on the Cross. Note: — I. THE MANNER OF IT. Christ was transformed by becoming man; you are to be transformed by becoming new men in Him. The renewing of your mind is your being brought to have the same mind which Christ had. "I come to do Thy will, O God," is the language of the Son in the very act of taking the new nature; the renewing of your mind is your making that language your own. Note the closeness of the analogy. 1. The agency is the same — the Holy Ghost. It is He alone who can make the Son partaker of your human nature, without making Him to be as fallen man; it is He alone who can make you partakers of the Son's Divine nature, without making you to be as God. 2. These two operations fit into one another: the one effecting that supernatural birth by which the Son becomes a servant, the other that supernatural birth by which the servants become sons. The one transformation is the cause of the other: not only as being that without which the other could not have been, but also as being the means of the other. It is through your believing and appropriating His transformation, that you are yourselves transformed. For the transformation in either case is a union. His being transformed is His being united by a new creation with you; your being transformed is your being united by a new creation to Him. 3. To the Son Himself His being born of the Spirit brought a new mind. It was a new thing for Him to have the mind of a servant, and to say, "I come to do Thy will, O God." And it is a new mind in you when, as sons, you say the same. Naturally, self-will is the ruling principle of your mind. Insubordination to God is that "fashion of the world" to which you are not to be conformed. 4. The transformation effected in the case of Christ, when He humbled Himself to do the will of God, was voluntary on His part; otherwise His humiliation and obedience unto death could have had no efficacy. Equally voluntary must be the change on your part: "Be ye." You must say, with renewed minds, entering into His mind, "I come to do Thy will, O my God." It is true, that in order to your thus acting, you must be acted upon by the Holy Spirit. But you are not acted upon as inert matter may be acted upon. 5. Note two practical applications. (1) If the transformation in you is thus like the transformation in Him — see to it that it be very complete. It was so in the case of Christ; it must be in yours. He emptied Himself. Do you also empty yourselves. He laid aside His natural position of equality with God. Do you also lay aside your usurped position of seeking to be equal with God. (2) That you may be thus transformed into the image of your Lord — appropriate as available for you your Lord's transformation into your image. Behold Him transformed for you; and be you, after a corresponding manner, transformed in Him. He becomes a servant, continuing still to be the Son; you become sons in Him, feeling yourselves now, for the first time really, to be servants. He, being the Son, comes to do the will of God as a servant; you, being servants, come to do the will of God as sons. II. THE END OF THIS TRANSFORMATION. "That you may prove," etc. The will of God needs to be proved. It can be known only by trial. Essentially, the will of God is and must be the expression of His nature. But the nature of God far transcends the comprehension of finite minds; and therefore His will may well be expected to be incomprehensible too. But in that formal aspect of it as the assertion of the authority of God, let His will be put to the test of actual trial, and then will its real character as the expression of His nature come out; for while neither God Himself nor His will can be grasped in the speculative understanding, both He and it can be grasped in the obedient and loving heart. But apart from any inquiry into the reason of it, the fact is pregnant with important consequences. For one thing, it partly explains the economy of probation, and tends to show how trial must be both summary and decisive summary, that it may be ascertained once for all whether the authority of God is to be acknowledged or disowned; and decisive, for if His will is acknowledged, the way is opened for proving it as the expression of His nature to be "good and acceptable," etc.; whereas, if disowned, all opportunity of knowing its real character is hopelessly lost. 1. The probation of man turns upon the willingness of man to put the will of God to the proof. The will of God, as it was announced in paradise, was not such as to command either approbation or consent on the part of our first parents. The command not to eat of the fruit did not obviously commend itself as "good," etc. Doubtless, if they had kept it, they would have found by experience — (1) That it was in itself "good" as the seal of God's covenant of life, and as the preparation for the unfolding of His higher providence. (2) Acceptable. Suited to their case and circumstances, deserving of their acceptance, sure to become more and more well-pleasing as they entered more and more into its spirit. (3) Perfect. That thus only could God's perfection be vindicated — the perfection of His sovereign right to rule; that thus only could the perfection of the creature be wrought out in an onward and upward path of loyalty and love. All this our first parents would have learned concerning the will of God, if only they had consented to prove it; but this they would not do; they passed judgment upon it unproved; they refused to give it a fair trial; they chose rather to make the opposite experiment, and they have left this experiment as their sad legacy to their descendants, so many of whom are now occupied in proving, trying, how they may be best conformed to the world so as to make the most of it; proving, in short, what is the will of this world and this world's prince. 2. The probation of Christ proceeds upon the very same principle. He is tried as the first Adam was tried, and upon she same issue, namely, His willingness to prove the will of God; and in His case also the will of God may be so presented to His human soul as to appear neither reasonable nor desirable. In such a light, accordingly, Satan tries to put it before Him. The pain, shame, weariness, and blood awaiting Him, the tempter ingeniously contrasts with the shorter road to glory which he would have Him to take. The Second Adam will not, like the first, accept Satan's representation; He will prove it for Himself; and so He "learns obedience by the things which He suffers." But He proved it, and in the proving of it He found it to be "good and acceptable and perfect." He tasted the delight of obedience, as He learned it. 3. It is into this image of Jesus, thus "proving that will of God," that you are now to be "transformed," etc. You are to prove God's will — (1) In what must be the first act of your obedience — namely, your believing on Him whom He has sent. What this will of God is as an expression of His nature you cannot know until you prove it. You must "taste and see" how good the Lord is, etc. You would fain have all made quite clear to you before you surrender yourselves to the gospel call. Nay, you stand aloof, and start objections and difficulties. You do not see how this aspect of the gospel call can be incompatible with that. Nay, try this dipping in the Jordan. It may seem to you an unlikely mode of cure; but at any rate try it. In the embrace of Christ, not while you are standing out in the attitude of rebellion, all difficulties vanish. (2) Then ever after, following on the path of your new obedience, you are to be proving "what is that good," etc. At every step it will be a trial to you. It may be very hard sometimes to believe that the will of God concerning you is "good, and acceptable," etc. But give it a full and fair trial; and you will soon find that in the very "keeping of God's commandments there is great reward." Conclusion: Mark — 1. How opposite are the two habits, namely, being "conformed to this world," and being "transformed," etc. There are here two types, of one or other of which you must take the fashion. To be conformed to the world is to take things as they are and make the best of them. The opposite habit is to try things as they should be. 2. How complete the transformation must be if, instead of being conformed to this world, you are to "prove," etc. You must make full proof of God's will. But that you cannot do if you yield a forced submission. A son yielding obedience to his father's will reluctantly, never can be acquainted with its true character and blessedness; but let him throw himself heart and soul into the doing of it, then will he prove it of what sort it is. To have the mind to do so implies a great change, a new creation, a new heart. 3. Now, so long as the fashion of this world lasts, so long as that second transformation which awaits you is postponed, this proving of the will of God must throughout be more or less an effort. But take courage, O child of God! "The fashion of this world passeth away." You "look for new heavens and a new earth." The fashion of that new world and the will of God will not be opposed to one another. The proving of the will of God, then, with your whole nature changed into the image of the heavenly, what a joyous exercise of liberty and love will it be! 4. In the meantime, a signal encouragement as motive. The more you prove the fashion of this world, the less you feel it to be "good," etc. It looks fair at the first, but who that has ever lived long but re-echoes the wise man's complaint — "All is vanity"? The will of God looks worse at the beginning; but on, on, child of God, and you will find a growing light, encouragement, and joy. "The path of the just is as the shining light, etc.; and in the trial of them you find that "wisdom's ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." (R. S. Candlish, D.D.) Parallel Verses KJV: And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. |
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