Ridderbos emphasizes the obedience of baptism as God s action of washing, Paul: An Outline,

Transcription

1 Paul s Exhortation to Transformation (Rom 12.2) WestminsterReformedChurch.org Pastor Ostella January 21, 2018 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. 2 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. Introduction Today in Romans 12.2, Paul completes his introduction to the many duties of chapters As I said last time, these duties come at us like pellets from a gun. The first two verses of chapter 12 are like pulling the triggers on a double-barreled shotgun. Paul takes aim and then fires away. His two firing pins are two exhortations: in 12.1 to worship and in 12.2, our text this morning, to transformation. Paul called the church to a life of holiness in verse 1 with an accent on worship by saying, present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. The presentation of the body is to be your temple service and ministry as a priest. In other words, you are to view all of the things you do in the body and with your body as actions of a priest in the worship of God. This is a very potent call to a sanctified life, in its totality, with no secular place or compartment anywhere your feet take you in the world. So, we wonder if Paul could house the many duties to come in any similar principle of equal weight. Well, he could and he does in 12.2, where we have another comprehensive duty, the duty to be transformed. There are some challenging, even strange aspects to this exhortation. We will tackle them by considering the nature and purpose of Paul s exhortation to transformation. I. The nature of this exhortation In the first half of the verse, notice how the apostle moves from the negative to the positive: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. Let s start with the negative. A. Negatively, what to avoid Here we have what the exhortation is telling you to avoid doing: you are to avoid conformity to this age; that is, to the present time of the fallen human family lost in the wilderness of sin outside the Garden of Eden. Those who are lost in this present evil age have patterns of thought and behavior that are not to be emulated by believers in the Lordship of Christ. This is an alert not to walk in the ways of the ungodly like the Psalmist gives in Psalm 1.1 saying, do not walk in the counsel of the wicked, do not stand in the way of sinners, and do not sit in the seat of scoffers. Romans 8.7 is important for understanding the conduct of wicked, scoffing sinners. They have a mindset of entrenched insubordination and hostility: For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. You have been set free from this mindset that characterizes the spirit of this age at its core, but you may let remnants of autonomy rule and infect how you live. Then you conform in various degrees to the counsel, ways, and judgments of this the fallen world. The thought is very broad and general; specifics will follow in the rest of the book, but for now we should note how autonomous thinking and an autonomous disposition are at the center of the life that we are to avoid. B. Positively, what to do Now we turn to what Paul exhorts you to do in the contrast stated here (12.2b): but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. There is something peculiar here because we cannot transform ourselves. Being transformed is a work of God by the Spirit. The idea is just as odd when we fill it out by emphasizing that the transformation is by the renewal of your mind. Does this mean that if you renew your mind, then God s transforming work can take place? Surely, that is

2 !2 not intended here. Let me mention two problems. 1) First, this suggests, as some commentators express it, that you allow God the Holy Spirit to transform you. For example, Longnecker says, [this transformation] is a complete inner change of thought, will, and desires that Christians are to allow God by means of the ministry of his Holy Spirit to bring about in their lives, resulting in a recognizable external change of actions and conduct. He creates the strong impression that the transforming work of God can be thwarted, stopped, or blocked. It is as if we could fail so miserably in obedience that no transformation occurs. This puts too much on your shoulders and is contrary to the new obedience that you have by the power of grace that set you free from the bondage of sin, and that keeps you on the path of that freedom from here to glory (Rom 6.22: you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life). This interpretation is contrary to the sovereignty of the Spirit s leading in spiritual renewal (Rom 8.14). 2) Second, the renewal of your mind is also something that you cannot do. You can no more renew your mind than you can transform yourself. Both are works of God by the Spirit. To see this, consider how Paul puts renewal by the Spirit with our very salvation by God s mercy in Titus 3.5: he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. The renewal that results in salvation and newness of a cleansed life, 1 is the work of the Spirit. Accordingly, Titus goes on to say that God gives the Spirit through Christ to us richly to make us heirs with hope and thus with an expectant perspective on the eternal future: whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Looking to the future with this hope is one way we experience the future, now. Likewise, earlier in Romans, Paul made it clear that in the core of perceiving and knowing things, what the Christian sees is radically different from what the non-christian sees with the eyes of the heart. This is a contrast of mindsets and thus of worldviews. Those living in the flesh view everything according to their sinful natures in bondage to sin. They do not see the world as it truly is because the way they see is through enslaved eyes; they see through the glasses of unrighteous truth-suppression. However, thankfully, Christians have a new orientation of thinking: (8.5b): those who live according to the Spirit [those who confess Christ as risen Lord, Rom 10.8, and are indwelt by the Spirit, Rom 8.9] set their minds on the things of the Spirit. You have this mindset by God s efficacious call to the obedience of faith (Rom 1.5-7; 8.30). A new world has been opened to you. The eyes of your hearts have been enlightened. The real world can be experienced through ears that now hear and eyes that now see. There has been a marvelous change from living in the darkness and fog where truth was pushed aside by substitutions and exchanges. So, there has already been a renewal of your mind; it is a fact, not a duty; it is a reality not something you do. Transformation has thus already begun and is ongoing. The exhortation to be transformed by the renewing of your mind places your duty right in the middle of this work that God is doing. Paul brings divine sovereignty and human responsibility together in close proximity. God is working and you have work to do. 2 How then can we get our arms around the duty here? Perhaps, the best way is to say that because you have this renewed mindset in the radical break that has occurred with sin, then use it, walk in it for the change and progress that God promises to give. You have a new mindset; your eyes are open to a vast new world, to the world in truth, to God s creation, to spiritual things, to the things of the Spirit. You now see the path enlightened by law. Therefore lawfulfillment is a sure thing (Rom 8.4), even though it has its challenges. Although it may be hard to see at times, having this mindset is a guarantee of growth in law-keeping. 1 Ridderbos emphasizes the obedience of baptism as God s action of washing, Paul: An Outline, Paul has more about the sovereignty of God in spiritual renewal in passages like Phil and Rom

3 !3 So, the way that you fulfill the exhortation to be transformed by the renewal of your mind is first by not letting sin rule over you to conform to the reign of sin in this present evil age. That means be especially on alert regarding the outlook of insubordination to God and His will. And to the positive, this means to be what you are; to walk around in the freedom of newness of life; to walk in the light and in the Spirit by focusing on the new age that has dawned in Christ; by setting your minds on Him seated in the heavenlies. By beholding him you are transformed. The Spirit does His sovereign work of renewal in this context of your submission (not being squeezed into the mold of an autonomous, independent spirit, a don t need others and don t need the church spirit). Of course, you have your ups and downs and must live a repentant life. You see; you are in the light; so see; you have eyes for seeing, so see; you have ears for hearing, so hear! Fix your eyes on Jesus. If you combine 12.1 and 2, this means that central in the presentation of yourself, body and all to God is the prayer of submission. No one allows the Spirit s sovereign working. Instead, your duty is to submit to it, to follow in the footsteps of the Spirit. You cannot prevent His application of what Christ secured. The wheel of progress and growth will keep spinning. You have responsibility not to be shaped by deceitful patterns and lose your way. On the road of disobedience by willfulness, you will face consequences. Sometimes they may be quite severe, but they will never be punishment; the Father always has your good in mind. By submission and avoiding sinful patterns, you grow in the Lord and you thus obey this fundamental exhortation to be transformed by the renewal of the mind (by avoiding the patterns of this sinful age, and by focusing on the light of renewal that you have been given). The Spirit is leading you, but you must walk each step. Failures are present, yes, but they are incorporated into God s working that has renewed you and will continue to do so; you have this renewal and in it you are to now live! What about blocking the work of the Spirit? He calls us to duty; He is teaching us obedience (learning and obeying); when we are stubborn and fundamentally insubordinate, He decides how far to let us go; the sins are ours, how far we go is His sovereign decision. In summary, this exhortation means that you have responsibility in the transformation that is performed by the Holy Spirit. The renewal of your mind that He has given you means that you have the ability to see, hear, and understand the things of God. When you take them up in the the new posture of submission that you have been given, you are changed, transformed. So, in this way, do your duty in accord with the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. Paul is not finished with the exhortation, next he develops its purpose (or result). II. The purpose of the exhortation to transformation In the ESV, a single word is translated with five English words (those underlined): that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. You can easily see the idea of purpose in the word that. How the translators come up with the five words is not so easy to see. The word is approve or prove. Note why we should take it to mean approve. Prove speaks to the idea implied by the word as in Philippians (it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent). Discernment goes hand in hand with knowledge (love is to grow in knowledge and discernment). Thus, the approving in 1.10 is having the right assessment of that which is excellent in some superior way (NIV, what is best; ESV, the excellent). So, proving underlies the approving and to approve means to rightly see something and thus value its worth properly. Transformation by the renewing of your mind provides the motivation to fulfillment of the law (8.4). Obeying in this way results in motivation to obey! Hence, the movement is circular, but in an upward spiral. The Spirit sets us free from sin and death (Rom 8.2) and works

4 !4 in our learning and walking in order that the requirement of the law be fulfilled in us (Rom 8.4). In 12.2c the apostle explains how the Lord instills motivation. It is dynamic. When, in contrast to the independent spirit of the present evil age, you direct your mind to Christ and His accomplished work with a submissive spirit (to Him and His family of brothers and sisters, 12.1), then you will have the right assessment of God s will; you will see its excellence and superiority to autonomous standards. Then you will (as the NIV renders it) approve what God's will is, namely, that it is good, pleasing and perfect. You will approach the will of God with an ever deepening sense that it is good in itself and for your good. Thus, you will note that the will of God is pleasing, that it is honey in the honeycomb, tasty, delightful reviving the soul, and for your delight, satisfaction and fulfillment as human beings reclaimed from the fall, from bondage in sin, and from captivity to death. Perfect means that the will of God reflects God s own perfection in a complete way that touches every aspect of life (wherever your feet take your body) to provide you with that which is good and profitable and delightful for you there. Conclusions: about motivation, worldliness, and details yet to come 1) First, let me return to the idea of motivation You need motivation to give you a spring in your step. This exhortation is designed to do just that. It seems that this is affectional, perhaps emotional as to how you have the energy to keep the ball rolling and stay active without growing weary. In other words, by a submissive spirit toward God and His will, you avoid the central tenet in this present evil age, which is the assertion of independence and autonomy. Then, having your mind set on the Spirit, you focus on the things of the Spirit and on Christ. You focus on the central tenet of the age that has arrived in His coming, which is His accomplished work as the Son of God incarnate now seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Thus, you count yourself dead with Him and alive to God, you present your body and mind to Him. As you learn of Him, as you behold Him, you are given a growing taste for His will. He gives you an approving mind toward His will. This is not to judge it as if you are above God, not to determine His will as if God leads people today like he did Paul into Macedonia. This approval does not refer to learning that there are ten commandments, where they are, and what they mean. None of these things are the point here. The point is to approve in the sense of value, of seeing the value. The best way to pin this down may be to use our Lord s evaluative language of the kingdom of God as a treasure. To approve of the will of God is to treasure it by seeing and discerning that it is good, pleasing, and perfect. Recall that the Lord Jesus spoke of a man plowing in a field who stumbled on a treasure, hid it in the field, and in a somewhat edgy practice, went, sold all that he had, and bought the field. He gave all that he had to possess the land for the sake of the treasure. Our Lord s lesson is plain: when you value the kingdom as a treasure, you will give all you have and your very self away to possess it. Accordingly, in the process of walking in the light and focusing on Christ and His accomplished new age kingdom work, God instills a growing appreciation for the gospel and the law of Christ. Thus, His will is seen in its sparkling brilliance; it is seen as a treasure. The kingdom that has come is seen as a treasure. When you see the gospel in His miracles and thus have before your eyes enacted parables of restoration of your very body in resurrection glory, then you will determine to seize it as a prize. This is where the newness of life and light in the new age of the Spirit takes you who confess Christ as risen Lord. Thus, you will see the will of God in its satisfying goodness for all of your life in every detail. 2) Second: about the world and worldliness The bottom line of the negative demand here is that we are called to godliness not worldliness. And we must remember that worldliness is not a matter of living in this world and

5 !5 participating vigorously in the affairs of life. It refers to attachment. God-like-ness refers to detachment, to seeing life from the perspective of the age to come which is present now in part. This means to be in the world but not of it. It involves having things but not being owned by them. Paul strove not to be mastered by anything but to keep his body under subjection, the body in a living sacrifice to God. In this connection, "selling all you have and giving it to the poor" means selling all you have to possess the kingdom (Mat 10.21; Lk 18.22). You serve God in all earthly things transferring all into a relation to the kingdom of God to be guided by your King Jesus. You live in the present evil age into which the coming day of glory has dawned. So figuratively, only attach yourselves to this world with tent pegs! Live as pilgrims on the earth traveling to the city that has foundations whose builder and maker is God. Romans calls you to a presentation and a focus. Present yourself to God and focus on Christ. The Lord will give you a sense of how good His will for you must be; how valuable, profitable, pleasing and complete it is in its value for all that you do. 3) Third, about details yet to come (point by point we need this reminder) 3 When you have this approving spirit, you are positioned to hear what Paul is about to say in many exhortations of to doing the will of God. This takes the edge off your tendency to rebel; to turn away, to suppress the truth with an insubordinate spirit of independence and autonomy. You know that every detail is for your benefit and satisfaction in living with a sense of fulfillment. The will of God is where you find your true humanity, your true humanness, and your true dignity. The present evil age is loaded with patterns, thoughts, and claims that contradict being a true human being because those fallen from the image of God in attempted autonomy cut themselves off from what they in fact are, God s image-bearers. In Christ and in the will of God, you have restoration in His image and therefore the fullness of life; freedom to be human; to know the joy of a personal relationship with God in Christ with a new mind set on Christ everywhere your body takes you on the face of this earth. Let us fall down before the majesty of God on high and before Jesus Christ our ascended Lord; may the Holy Spirit enable us to present our bodies as living sacrifices in priestly service in all that we do; may the Holy Spirit enable us to be transformed by the renewal of our minds by focusing on the person and accomplished work of the risen Lord Jesus; may the Holy Spirit enable us to live the repentant holy life of a Christian with a spring in our steps because we treasure kingdom truth and righteousness; therefore, we seize it as a prize. To the glory of the triune God, now in His church and forevermore, amen. The details yet to come are many imperatives and in 12.2 Paul is saying that is you focus on the indicatives of the 3 new age that has come in Christ then you will grow in your approving spirit and in your determination to plunder Christ s kingdom in order to live gladly under His Lordship by the imperatives that guide life in all its details.