About Jesus - Steve (Stephen) Sweetman

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Needing A Metamorphosis

As a child I recall my mother's little promise box.  It contained Scriptural promises printed on cards, many of which were proverbs, which are words of wisdom and not promises.  Such stand-alone Bible verses cause us to miss their literary context that may place our faith on an unbiblical premise.  Read Romans 12:1 and 2 as I point out the importance of their literary context in our lives.    

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."  

Just prior to writing the above Paul expounded on God's historic sovereignty over Israel and the Gentile nations, culminating in His eschatological plans for all nations.  After acknowledging God's cosmic sovereignty Paul penned a doxology, listing some real mind-blowing character traits of God that are beyond comprehension.  Then, with the words "therefore, I urge you," Paul left God's lofty cosmic sovereignty.  He came down to earth.  He got personal in the rest of his letter, as if to say, the fate of the nations is in God's hands.  Our personal fate is in our hands. 

Paul got personal when he wrote that we, like God, are to live sacrificially.  We must not conform to our present cultural age but instead be transformed (metamorphoo in Greek) by the renewing or reprogramming of our mental processes.  As a caterpillar experiences a life-altering metamorphosis by becoming a butterfly, so we are to experience a life-altering metamorphosis by becoming a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Paul then devoted the rest of his letter (except for chapter 13:1 - 7) to the communal implications of how a transformed life influences our personal relationships in church. 

The original recipients of Paul's letter to the Romans were suffering under the oppressive regime of Caesar Nero.  Nero actually had Paul and other Christians executed for their association with Jesus.  If the faith and unity of those Christians were ever to survive, they would need a transformation away from the culture of Rome to the culture of heaven. 

I find the literary context of Romans 12:1 and 2 to be noteworthy.  After Paul expounded on God's majestic universal sovereignty, he came down to earth.  He got real personal.  He told us that our lives needed to be transformed by renewing or reformatting of our mental processes.  We needed daily downloads from heaven.  This would lead to positive communal implications within church, something you would miss if you didn't read the rest of his letter.  Yes, Paul left the fate of the nations with God.  He left our fate and the fate of the church with us, both of which are in desperate need of a metamorphosis. 

Romans 12:1 and 2 are more than two stand-alone Bible verses.  They are sandwiched between God's universal sovereignty and our earthly responsibility to live transformed lives among our brothers and sisters in Jesus, which is, as Paul wrote, God's good, pleasing and perfect will.

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