Practice and doctrine are inseparably connected. They cannot be divorced from each other. This is indicated in what the apostle writes in verse 1 of Romans 12: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." The meaning is that we have understood these mercies of God of which the apostle has been speaking in the preceding chapters of Romans, and by faith we have received them. The implication is that if this is not the case- if he cannot address us as possessors of the mercies of God- he cannot even begin his practical admonition.
The mercies of God are a prerequisite for a Christian life from a twofold point of view. First, they are the ground, or possibility, for a true Christian life. Second, they are at the same time the ground of the obligation to walk in these mercies of God. If we are not in principle delivered from sin, if we are not children of God, it is impossible to hear and do the Word of God, as we have it in Romans 12-16. Some people always call for a practical sermon, but a practical sermon is not less difficult than a doctrinal sermon. While a doctrinal sermon brings to us the mercies of God, a practical sermon comes to us with the admonition, "Do!" In what follows in Romans, we must not expect something easy, but we must prepare ourselves for something to which we may have many objections. Many times when we are inclined to respond to the Word, doing it is impossible. Therefore, the apostle here addresses the church by the mercies of God. It is only by the mercies of God that we do, and can do, what the Word admonishes us to do.
The Meaning
In order to be understood clearly, the apostle first puts this admonition in a negative form, and then in a positive form. The negative form of the admonition is, "Be not conformed to this world." The word world in the original literally means "age." It has come to mean the world from the viewpoint of the development of the world in time. The world has had different ages or times or periods, the world fills itself with different ideas and things. For example, we speak of our present age as the machine age. The text admonishes us not to be conformed to the world as this world develops in the particular age in which the church lives.
We must not copy the world in our walk and conversation. This is a literal translation of the original Greek. One beautiful word in the original declares that the world of our own day has forms. The world has certain schemes. The world lives from the spiritual, ethical principle of sin. The deepest principle from which the world lives is enmity against God. It never lives from any other principle. There is nothing else in the world. Even when the world speaks piously, telling us, for example, that democracy is rooted in religion, the world actually hates God. There is no difference between a pious wickedness and downright wickedness. From this principle of enmity against God, the world creates forms. It creates a certain scheme of life. In its outward walk the world is characterized by this deepest principle of sin. Living from the principle of enmity against God, the world practices a form of life consisting of sinful works, sinful speech, sinful amusements, sinful pleasures, and sinful treasures. This is true of the world in every relation. The form of the home becomes carnal. You can see it before your very eyes. Why is the relation between man and wife being corrupted? It is corrupted in divorce. It is corrupted in the murder of the seed of children that is called birth control. You see it in the pleasures of the world: the dance, the movies, the theaters. You can see the world's sinful form of life in its attitude against all authority. You see it in the relation of employer and employee. Negatively, the admonition is this: let not your life be characterized by copying the form of this world. Do not copy his world. Be not conformed to this world.
Does anyone object that an admonition of this kind is not necessary? The fact is that no admonition is more urgent than this one. There is no admonition more timely. This is because there is oh so much world in the Christian. And there is oh such a small beginning of the new life. We must take this seriously. The Christian is almost all world and only a little Christian. It is easy to brag about a life to the glory of God and a life of sanctification as if we were almost in heaven, but in truth there is much world, much flesh, to the Christian. Our body is all world. And our soul, so intimately connected with our body, is also all world, apart from the new principle of the life of Christ instilled into the soul by the Holy Spirit. Besides, the Christian is surrounded by the forms of the world. When we open our eyes, we see nothing but the world. We see nothing of the kingdom of God. If we go the way of least resistance, therefore, and don't fight, we will do what the apostle says we must not do. We will always copy the world. We will copy the world in our dress, in our face, in our speech, in our pleasures, in everything.
We may compare life in the world to people drifting on a strong current in a rowboat. They are drifting just above the falls. On this current are three kinds of people. There are people who help the current along. They row with the current, laughing, singing, and having a good time. There are also people who row desperately upstream. And there are people who let the oars rest and drift downstream. The Word of God says to them, "Don't drift downstream! Row against them the stream!" This is the text. Are you going downstream? Don't copy the world! Don't be conformed in your life and walk to the forms of the world! If you do conform your life to this world's forms, you go to destruction.
Instead, be transformed! This is the opposite of copying the world. To be transformed is to be independent of forms. This is the meaning of the word in the original. To be transformed means that we must be changed, but in the changing we are independent of any forms. We row upstream. This is the admonition. This is practical.
The Possibility
How is it possible to row upstream against the current that is in the world? How is it possible in view of the fact that all that is in the world is inclined to copy the forms of this world? The apostle says that we have a motor. We have a motor power so that we can go against the stream. This motor power is the renewing of the mind. If this is not so, it is hopeless. But I beseech you by the mercies of God revealed in Christ Jesus- the mercies of transformation, forgiveness of sins, justification, and sanctification- be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
The mind in Scripture, and especially in the epistle to the Romans, is what we may call the highest faculty of man's spiritual existence. The highest, the noblest part of man's soul is the mind that makes it possible for man to know God and to determine his own relation to God, consciously and willingly. In this respect, it is man's mind that distinguishes him from other creatures. It is the mind that distinguishes him from the animal. The animal has many characteristics, but it has no mind.
The mind of man is by nature corrupt. It is darkened. Man has not lost his mind. It is not that he has no knowledge of God. But man's mind is darkened in a spiritual, moral sense, so that he cannot see God as one who is to be desired above all. This is who God is: the one to be desired above all. God is good, benevolent, merciful, and the fountain of all goodness, but the natural mind is so darkened that man looks upon God as the cause of all his evil. This is literally expressed by a certain society in Russia that calls itself the "Society of the Godless." They teach that God is the source of all the evil that befalls man. Therefore, they persecute the Christians. But this is only the expression of the darkened mind.
The apostle speaks of the renewing of the mind. This refers to God's calling of us. It refers to our regeneration, to the irresistible calling of God. The result is that we seek Him. The mind of the Christian has been renewed, but the renewing of his mind is but a renewing in principle. There is still the old man in the Christian. He has a renewed mind in principle, but he also has much of the world in him. To the Christian with a renewed mind, the apostle says, "Turn around! Let your new mind determine what should be your walk! Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind."
Does someone respond, "How can I do this?" First let me ask what you said to the exhortation. Did you say, "Yes, but . . ."? There is no "but." It may be that you said, "Yes, but then I must practically go out of the world." My answer is, go out of the world then. Perhaps, you said, "Then I will lose my name, my position." My answer is, lose your name, then. Or you said, "They will laugh at me." I answer, let them laugh. Did you say, "Then will I provoke the wrath of the world to the extent that I may have to die?" My answer is, die then. There is no other biblical answer. "Whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it" [Matt. 16:25]. But for God's sake, for the sake of His mercy, don't copy the world!
Did you say, "I have in my heart the desire to do that, but how can I? How can I obey this admonition?" There are only two ways by which you can do it. You can do it by using your Bible. If you want to row upstream, you can do so only by clinging to your Bible, studying your Bible! Then you will not be conformed to this world. The other means is prayer. You must be instant in prayer. Are we? Is it not true, as we are sliding back, that we have not been a praying people? Oh, we are a religious people. But I speak of a consciousness of wanting to do this Word of God that brings us to our knees in prayer.
The Result
The result will be that we "prove what is that good, and acceptable. and perfect, will of God." God's will here is God's will concerning you and me. His will is good in that it is salutary. Sin is never good for us. Only the will of God is good for us. The will of God is also acceptable. It is well pleasing; that is, it is pleasing to Him that we do His will. It is also perfect, leading to perfection. It has a good end.
But if we do not go upstream, we do not prove that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. Proving the will of God is tasting or experiencing that the will of God is good. When we do the will of God, we experience that we lack nothing. To prove, to taste, to experience, what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God is a blessedness that if we know it once, even in part, we will not exchange it for all the world.
Therefore, I beseech you, by the mercies of God that have been bestowed on you, be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.
Herman Hoeksema
Righteous By Faith Alone, pp. 576-582
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