"Conformed Or Transformed?"
Text: Romans 12:1-8
9-27-2026
Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. St. Paul makes an amazing distinction in our Epistle Lesson today. And that distinction is what makes us Christians different than the rest of the world. In verse 2 Paul says: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…" Part of our problem in grasping this contrast is that most of us think that conform and transform are synonyms, that is, two words that basically mean the same thing. But that's not true. Looking to the Greek can really help us. The word Paul uses for conform means "to adapt oneself to another pattern." The word for transform is actually the root for our word metamorphosis. It means "to change into a completely different form." So, in simple terms, to conform is to change the outward action or appearance. But to be transformed is to have a complete change take place on the inside.
Naturally, if a person is changed on the inside then their actions on the outside will change too. That's the way it's supposed to be for us Christians. But sadly, as we live in this sinful world it's not always true for us. That's why Paul makes such a big deal about it. Keep in mind, he's writing to Christians. Basically, he's saying we should be different than the rest of the sinful world. Instead of being pressed into their mold we should be reflecting the holiness of Jesus Christ now that He has changed our hearts and minds.
Unfortunately, that's easier said than done. It was a daily battle for Christians 2000 years ago and it's still a battle for us today. St. Paul knew it, that's why he wrote what he did. He knew that the influence of sin would constantly be pressing in on believers. He also knew that the temptation would be there to adapt our actions to the pattern of our world. And so, Paul admonishes us to not give in to that pressure. Instead, he says that you should be "transformed by the renewal of your mind." The Holy Spirit transformed your sinful heart and mind when you were Baptized. He transformed it into a holy temple for God. But that's not the end of the story. This transforming is an ongoing process for us as long as we live on earth. Sadly, though, many Christians have allowed the pressures of our world to conform their actions to the unholy, evil pattern of sinful man. As a result, the change on the inside is no longer reflected in the actions on the outside.
Okay, but what are some practical examples of this? Well, all you have to look at are the various things we're exposed to each day. Maybe you're blessed to never be around people who cuss and swear and take the Lord's name in vain. That’s great, but then you must not watch any TV or movies because they’re filled with it. If you let your guard down those words will be pressed into your memory and therefore your day-to-day language. Trust me, once those words are there, all it takes is a moment of weakness and they pop right out. You get angry in traffic or something breaks and the bad words start to flow. It may be totally out of character for you, but once those words are pressed into your memory they never leave.
The exposure to sexually explicit materials is also pressing in on us. The internet offers you all the pornography you could ever want in the privacy of your home. It’s also present in the shows we watch. Studies by the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that 77% of all prime-time programming and 95% of sitcoms have "sexual content." The content is becoming more and more graphic and those depicted as having sex on television are getting younger and younger. If you don't think these shows leave an impression on our minds, then you're fooling yourself. And then we wonder why sexual activity among teenagers is constantly increasing. And we wonder why having sex outside of marriage and cheating on your spouse is treated as no big deal. And we wonder why we have an epidemic of all kinds of sexual perversions growing in our society. There’s an undeniable connection to this overwhelming saturation of sexually explicit materials. It's pressing the sinful pattern of our world on us.
We could make the same case for violence, gossip, lying, stealing, anger, hatred, and on and on. But the fact remains: this is the pattern—or the mold so-to-speak—that the sinful world is constantly trying to squeeze us into. If we don't resist these temptations, they’ll eventually take us over. And if we let ourselves be conformed to the pattern of this world it will destroy us spiritually. That in itself is a disaster. But consider what it does to our Christian witness to the world around us. What does it say to an unbeliever when they see us act and talk no differently than they do? When we treat sin lightly in our lives it sends a clear message to the world. If they don't see a difference in us, why should they be interested in learning about our Savior? Is it any wonder that sometimes people look at the church and label us as a bunch of hypocrites? That's because we claim to be transformed while at the same time conforming to the ways of the sinful world.
So, what's the solution? Well, Paul gives us the answer. He says we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. It’s an ongoing process. It's a process you're hopefully engaged in right now. When we come together for worship, we are reminded of all the times we sinned and conformed our lives to the world. If we sincerely confess those sins and ask God to forgive us, He does so for the sake of Jesus. That forgiveness transforms our souls.
That's where some of the renewing takes place. But closely connected to repentance is the desire to live differently and not return to those sinful patterns. On our own, we can't do it. We fail and easily conform again to the world. We need the Holy Spirit working daily in our hearts and minds to renew us. That renewing of your mind takes place as you read God's Word and hear it preached. Have you ever really thought about the words that we sing in the offertory right after the sermon? We say, "Create in me a clean heart oh God, and renew a right spirit within me." We're asking God to transform our minds through His Word which was just spoken. As He does, the image of His holiness is impressed upon your heart and mind. Being exposed to God's Word causes the transforming process to continue. As it continues, it allows you to discern how God wants you to live in a way that pleases Him. Paul says that when your mind is transformed then "you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Will we stumble at times and give in to the temptation to act like the rest of the world? Most certainly. But the good news is that our renewed minds will be able to recognize our sins so that we can confess them and be strengthened against the next temptation. By the power of the Holy Spirit, each time we resist the world's pressure to conform it becomes easier to resist that temptation the next time.
As we live out our Christian lives in the transforming holiness of Jesus, we will surely be labeled as different and not “normal” in the eyes of the unbelieving world. Make no mistake, people will definitely let you know that you're weird for not conforming to their standards. But that doesn't mean we’re missing out on all the fun and happiness. In fact, the exact opposite is true. As I was thinking about this, a girl from my High School popped into my head. No, I never dated her, but she left a powerful impression in my mind. Her name is Rosanna Butler. And I remember how every single day she came to school wearing a modest dress. The rest of the girls were wearing mini-skirts and halter tops and bell-bottom jeans. Those were the latest fashion in the ‘70's. But not Rosanna. I never recall her wearing anything but a dress. She definitely stood out. I don't know if she did it because of a Christian conviction or not. I suspect that was the reason. But the thing that really impressed me was that she was always happy and smiling even though she was ridiculed and made fun of. Even though everyone around her was conforming to the ways of the world, she didn't. I truly respected her for that back then and I still do today. I wish I would have told her that. I’m going back for my 50th High School reunion next weekend. Who knows? Maybe she’ll be there and I can tell her?
But the point is that being different because you don't conform to the world's standard doesn't mean a life of unhappiness for us Christians. We can smile even when the world says we’re weird for not conforming to its standard. We can smile because we know that God is pleased and smiling on us as we live according to His will. We can smile because we know that the holy image of Jesus is being constantly renewed in our souls and that by faith, eternal life in heaven awaits us.
Soli Deo Gloria