*Text: Rom. 12: 2*
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
There are times when we need a new look at a familiar verse. The ESV translates the first part of Romans 12:2 this way: “Do not be conformed to this world.” Simple, clear, and concise. But what exactly does Paul mean? Other translations bring out various shades of meaning:
“Do not act like the sinful people of the world” (New Life).
“Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs]” (Amplified).
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world” (New Living Translation).
And then there is the famous rendering by J. B. Phillips:
“Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold.”
The general meaning is clear if we take all the different translations and paraphrases together. We are not like the people around us, and we shouldn't act like them. We must not try so hard to fit in that we no longer think and act like Christians. This verse reminds us the world is not morally neutral. It actively works against our Christian faith. Christians are constantly swimming upstream with the current of the world rushing against us. Don't be surprised, don't give in, and don't get swept away.
Perhaps our greatest danger is to look at this command (which is entirely negative) and draw wrong inferences from it. For instance, we might end up thinking Paul means to warn us only against the external marks of the world. We might think that the purpose of the verse is to give us rules to observe in the way we live outwardly. Secondly, we might think that what this verse is saying is that Christians should withdraw from the world around us and have nothing to do with it at all. This might lead us into a monastery or to some isolated place in the wilderness or into a cave in the desert where we will not be tempted by the bright lights of the big city. But that cannot be what Paul meant because he ministered in all the big cities of his day. Whatever not being conformed to the world means, it can't be a call to run and hide.
Therefore, if this verse is not giving rules about outward behavior, and if it is not calling us to retreat from the world, what exactly is Paul warning us against? Two words unlock this text – first is “World”. The word “world” as it is used here does not refer to what we call earth, as if Paul means to say, “Don't enjoy the creation God has made.” He's not talking about physical things, such as the beauty of a sunset, the intricate design of a single human cell, or the vastness of the universe. Paul does not mean to say, “Don't enjoy life.” He's not an ascetic who bids us to reject all the beauty and goodness we see around us.
So what “world” is Paul warning us against? In Rom. 12: 2, the Greek word interpreted as “world” is “aion” and is usually translated as “age.” In the New Testament, there are two main “ages”—this present age of sinful darkness (Ephesians 2:2, Galatians 1:4), from which we have been rescued by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the age to come when Jesus will reign on the earth (Revelation 11:15). The text literally reads, “Don't be conformed to this age.” Why? Because this “age” is coming to an end soon, and when it does, everything about this age will crumble to dust.
So our takeaway from this text for today is this – Though we are living in this present age, this present age will not last forever. We know that there is a better age to come when Christ will reign on the earth. To qualify for that age, we must live in this age by the values of that better age that we are expecting and these values are well outlined for us in the scriptures. We must live in this present age, but this present age must not live in us. God grant us grace to do so in Jesus name. Amen. Shalom.
1. Father, you are the God of ages, thank you for this age and all your acts to keep me safe and secure in it. But much more I thank you for the age to come and all that you have done to help me qualify for that age.
2. Father, please deliver me from every values that I have adopted in this age that will disqualify or make me unfit to live in the age to come in Jesus name.
3. Father, I free myself from any form of conformity to this present age that does not make for an healthy relationship with you in Jesus name.
4. Father regardless of the strength of the wave of this age and its tendency to want to sweep me along in its direction downstream, help me develop enough strength to counter this negative wave and to continue to swim upstream towards you in Jesus name.
5. Father, this present age will not last forever, the scriptures assures that it will eventually be destroyed, I will not be destroyed along with this present age in Jesus name.