In the chapters leading up to this one, Paul discussed the default state of human beings, foreshadowed the new state and incredible destiny of those who trust in Christ, and gave perspective on how Jews and non-Jews (of which the church in Rome was composed) should view each other, enabling unity among them. Paul has spent a lot of time describing how we should think of God, ourselves and each other. Now he begins to discuss how we should live in response to those realities.
Instead of the punishment we all deserve for our selfish lives and rejection of God's will, God has had mercy on us in numerous ways, as Paul has described in previous chapters. Now, in response to these mercies, Paul urges his readers to present all of their mental and physical capabilities (the meaning of "bodies") as sacrifices to God. But unlike the previous animal sacrifices offered to God, which were offered once and died in the process, we are to be living sacrifices, allowing our service to be continual. Our entire being should be "holy" (meaning that it is "set apart and designated for the purposes of God") and "acceptable to God" (meaning in the Greek that it is in line with God's will and recognized by him as good). This kind of living is an ongoing act of worship. (v.1)
Many translations use the word "spiritual" for the Greek word "logikos", which describes the nature of this ongoing life of worship in verse 1. A better translation (as found in the King James version) might be "reasonable", as "logikos" pertains to reason and thoughtful consideration. In other words, a "logikos" lifestyle lived out for God is not thoughtless, empty ritual or dependent on fleeting emotional experiences to keep it energized. It's a life of commitment to God that is engaged with the entire heart and mind, emotions and intellect.
Paul continues this line of thinking, warning his readers not to conform their lifestyles to the natural patterns of living that most of the world follows. Lots of us nerds and geeks take pride in our differences from others in the hobbies we like or the way we dress. But before even those differences, we should embrace a way of thinking that doesn't conform to the natural defaults of popular culture, especially as it pertains to God and how we should live our lives in service to him.
Instead, we should be transformed. This transformation takes place as our minds are renewed. The Greek for "mind" here refers to our intellectual capacity and reasoning ability. And the Greek word for "renewing" here conveys the idea of renovation and a qualitative change. So our ability to reason and our knowledge of truth should be propelling forward in leaps making it easy for us to look back and see how we have changed. Lastly, the Greek word for "transformed" in verse 2 is in the present imperative tense, meaning repeated future action. We should be "transformed" like this repeatedly and regularly! The purpose of this renewal, Paul says, is so that "by testing you may discern what is the will of God".
Knowing God's will for our lives, both in the big picture and in any given moment, is like the elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. We pray and pray and wait for "signs". And though God is certainly known to work through prayer alone and might also mercifully give us the "signs" we want from time to time, this is not his primary design for us to learn his will.
I've had a number of people present James 1:5-8 to me as a proof text to support the idea that God grants wisdom or confirms truth for us through signs and internal feelings.
Here it is in the King James version:
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
You'll notice that, although these verses in James promise that God will give wisdom to the one who sincerely asks, there is no mention of when or how that wisdom will be given. There is no mention of an internal feeling, a sudden thought, or an unusual occurrence.
On the other hand, Paul tells us that we can discern truth from falsehood by engaging and renewing our intellect, and our ability to reason. Throwing ourselves into this kind of prayerful, scripture-based pursuit of God will result in finding the answers we need most. In this way we'll learn the truth of what is really good in life, what is acceptable to God and what "perfect" really means. (v.2)
Next- Unity AND Diversity among Christians
Coffee House Question- What ideas or resources come to mind as you brainstorm how we can "renew our minds"?
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