How to Keep From Conforming to the World

By Pastor William R. Cunningham
for Sunday January 27, 2008

INTRODUCTION

If you could cheat on your spouse and know that you would not be caught, would you do it?  This was one of the questions that I heard in a commercial for a new television show.  I don’t remember the name of the show however.  A co-worker of mine had told me about this show previously.  Evidently they connect you to a lie detector while they ask you these questions.  It is just another silly television show.  However, what caught my attention is the context of the question.  It assumes that the only reason that we would have not cheated on our spouses is because we think we may be caught.

My wife and I were discussing this type of thing recently.  For example, consider a natural disaster that causes mass destruction of property.  Why do some people begin to loot and others do not?  It is the person and not necessarily the laws.  I was watching a documentary of the San Francisco Fires in 1906, which followed an earthquake.  Law enforcement agents were brought in to keep the people from looting and they were given orders to shoot looters on site.  The interesting thing is that some of those law enforcement agents began to loot and some were caught on film.

It is not laws that keep people from doing one thing or another for the most part.  It is what’s inside of the person that determines what he or she will or will not do.  If a person is honest then he will tend to do things honestly.  If a person is dishonest then he will tend to do things dishonestly regardless of the laws.  This is why people fight for what is right.  It is simply in them to do that.  For example, the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. could have been much better and perhaps much longer if he hadn’t gone on his civil rights campaign.  He knew it was risky, but he continued on the path.  It was in him.  It was who he was on the inside that caused him to do the things that he did.

Jesus made a statement to that affect.

Matthew 12:34 (NKJV) -- {34} Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Luke 6:45 (NKJV) -- {45} A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

So how a person is will determine what he or she will do.

Proverbs 23:6-7 (NKJV) -- {6} Do not eat the bread of a miser, Nor desire his delicacies; {7} For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you.

Therefore, it appears that the real issue to effect change on the earth is not necessarily laws and such.  There must be a change of the inner person.  There has to be a change of the heart.  How do we do this?  How can we change who we are on the inside? 

First of all there has to be a desire to want to change.  A person is not going to change from dishonest to honest if there is no desire to do so.  What could make a person want to change?  Many things may do it.  For example, we may desire to change our eating habits because of health concerns.  With regards to Christianity, a person desires to change because he has seen his plight and realizes that he can do nothing about it.  We desire to get on the narrow way because we realize that the other path will lead us to destruction.  Even there, Jesus said that we have to be looking for it.

Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV) -- {13} “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. {14} Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

This brings another thought to mind.  How do we make the change once we have decided to?  For example, a person who comes face to face with his plight with regard to his relationship with God may repent of his sins and move towards a relationship with God.  He puts his faith in Jesus Christ for salvation and relinquishes the notion that he can save himself.  This causes the regeneration, which is an act of the Holy Spirit.  However, after this, he still has to live the righteous lifestyle and that is when it becomes challenging.
How do we make that change?  How can we go from unrighteous living to righteous living?  That is what I would like to talk about in this lesson.  The main thing that we have to do in the quest for righteousness is to keep from conforming to the world system, because it is abundant in temptations that take us away from righteous living.

Lesson

Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV) -- {1} I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. {2} And do not be 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.

The motivation of what follows is the mercies (compassion) of God.  Because of God’s mercy, we should present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God.  This means to give our lives over to God.  The sacrifices in the Old Testament were offered to God for the atonement of sins.  Those sacrifices were dead, but we can offer a living sacrifice to God.  We can give ourselves to God.
That type of sacrifice is indeed holy (set apart) and therefore acceptable (or pleasing) to God.  Basically we could say that we consecrate ourselves to God as a reasonable response to the mercy that he has on us.  We should consider the alternative.  What if God did not have mercy on us?  We would all be doomed and headed for destruction with no hope.  We would all be dead men walking so to speak.  However, we have hope through faith in Jesus Christ because of the mercies of God.  God saved us so the least we could do is to submit ourselves to him.

Again we are left with the question of “how?”  How do we submit ourselves to God for the righteous lifestyle?  Paul goes on to say not to be conformed to the world.  The word “conform” there comes from a Greek word that is only used two places in the New Testament; here and in 1 Peter 1:14, which I will quote here for reference.

1 Peter 1:14 (NKJV) -- {14} as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;

The Greek word “suschematizo” means to fashion one’s self according to or to conform one’s self to another’s pattern.  It means to shape one’s behavior according to something else.  So Paul says not to fashion ourselves to another’s pattern, which in this case is the world.  What is meant by “world?”

The Greek word for world (aion) actually means continued duration; a space of time, or an age.  The word has been translated into ages, course, beginning of time, eternal, eternity, and several others.  It appears that in this context Paul means the age, which is characterized by a period of time.  We live in a time period now (an age) where things that were once taboo is no longer taboo, for example.  There was a time when certain words or phrases were not used on television and radio, but now they are freely used.  I wonder what the difference is between now and then.  We are in a new age.

The word “transform” comes from the Greek word metamorphoomai, which means to change; transform the essential nature of something or to change appearance.  The English word metamorphosis comes from this word.

Paul goes on to say that this transformation is done by renewing the mind.  The word “mind” comes from the Greek word nous, which means the psychological facility of understanding, reasoning and deciding (see Romans 7:25; 1 Corinthians 14:14); way of thinking or attitude (See Colossians 2:18).  In this context it appears that the mind refers to a way of thinking, i.e., the psychological facility of understanding.  I think of it as the black box in our heads.  Things go in and are processed and understanding with actions comes out the other end.  The algorithm in that black box is what constitutes the mind.  We simply need to change for the better the way that we think.

How do we renew our minds though?  We know that we can be transformed by the renewal of our minds, but how do we do that?  Paul gives us a clue in the following passage of scripture.

Ephesians 4:17-24 (NKJV) -- {17} This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, {18} having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; {19} who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. {20} But you have not so learned Christ, {21} if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: {22} that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, {23} and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, {24} and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Notice in verse 18 that Paul implies that those who walk in the futility of their minds have their understanding darkened because they are alienated from the life of God.  They are therefore ignorant and their heart is blind.  It appears that the being with God is an important step in renewing the mind.  We have to join with God in spirit if we expect to renew our minds.

Summary

We are to be new creations in Christ Jesus.  This means that we have to turn from our old ways to new ways.  We have to be changed for the better by renewing the way we think.  We renew the way we think by embracing God in spirit and allow him to work in us.  This is because we still remain helpless to live righteously on our own.

The Paths

There are two paths that I mentioned above, which I will revisit now.

Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV) "{13} “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. {14} Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

What path are you on?  The path of God leads to life.  I remember a long time ago that I read an article called, “The World-a Reflection of the Church.”  Actually it is now “The Church-the Reflection of the World.”  The church has grown steadily towards the way of the world and it is producing worldly people who don’t seek God, but things.  Many people (professed Christians) have taken the broad way—the way of the world.  There are only a few that remain true to God’s way and these are ridiculed by the majority, i.e., those who are on the wide road.

However, there is always a remnant.  We at Pursuing the Truth Ministries come into contact with many people who are searching for the truth.  They want the narrow way.  They want a true relationship with the Lord.

What path are you on?  Consider the following.

Matthew 6:19-24 (NKJV) "{19} “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; {20} but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. {21} For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. {22} “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. {23} But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! {24} “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

What is your treasure?  Do you pursue things or do you pursue God and his Kingdom.

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) "{33} But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

Our number one priority is God not the world.  So many professed Christians are seeking the things that the world has to offer at the expense of a relationship with the Lord.  We are taught to seek the new home, luxury car, money, jewelry, etc., but not the Lord.  There is something wrong indeed.

We see here again that what is in you is what is going to come out even if you try to cover it with religion.  Just because someone goes to church and sings on the choir does not mean that he or she is pursuing a righteous life.

Life Application

Would you steal something if you knew you wouldn’t get caught?  Would you be one of the looters looting businesses after a disaster struck?  What you do is dependant on who you are on the inside.  Christians pursue the Kingdom of God and in that kingdom there is no stealing.  Those in the Kingdom of God look out for one another because they love one another.  Those in the Kingdom Of God pursue God more and more because he is the key to life.

We can change from what we once were to a new person in Christ.  We can indeed turn around from a gangster to a Christian for example.  The key is to pursue God.  It is not about your church or ability to not sin.  It is all about your relationship with the Lord and how that influences your life.  Allow the Holy Spirit to permeate you and your life (your activities and aspirations).  I know people from my youth that have mellowed out so to speak.  I know one guy who was a neighborhood tough-guy who went on to get saved and spread the gospel to others.  What changed those people?  Their way of thinking changed because they were that much closer to God.
So stay close to God.  That is how we effect change in our lives.  Don’t rely on your own understanding, but rather be aware of God in your lives and allow him to guide you.  Yield to God when you learn the way.  Don’t allow yourself to be pulled to sin by your old way of thinking.  Constantly fight it even if you don’t think you can win.  Fight it because what is in your heart is most important and it isn’t by your strength that you will be victorious.  Trust God and live righteously.