“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2
Nothing is more important in life than God. That ought to be more common sense a thing than saying that we all need air to live. Or we need food. Or the Atlanta Falcons will always find creative ways to lose. I mean, seriously, it ought to be patently obvious.
To know God is to know His self-disclosure, which is His holy and life-giving Word. This is why it’s fair to say that nothing is more important in life than knowing and living by the principles of Scripture since they are God’s letter to us. To know God but not obey Him is a contradiction in terms. That’s like saying you’re married but you don’t know your spouse.
In the next couple of lessons we’re going to take this to heart. We’re gonna apply the Word of God to some of the major areas of life over against the principles of humanism. It’s gonna be a throw-down. It’s gonna be a “smoker” between the wisdom of God and the spirit of the age. A smoker, by the way, is what we in boxing call a sparring session that’s looked at as an actual match. It’s full-on. It’s an unofficial fight. We do this in boxing because we want to see how a fighter handles heavy pressure.
Of course, this isn’t the real thing. This isn’t the Showdown that’s surely coming. The epic battle of the centuries is the moment you and I expire and then (Hebrews 9:27) are brought before the Judgment Seat of the holy God. That’s the real deal. That’s the big fight. Except it’s not an actual fight. We either stand before Him in faith – having already agreed with His word/law and repented of our sin and rebellion – thereby receiving love and mercy, or we go to receive our just desserts.
In that context, this is a helpful exercise. Let’s look at our ideas and beliefs soberly. Let’s assess them just as the Scripture says. Do we think, even as saved sons of God, that we can ignore this commandment? Oh, and it surely is a commandment. We’re told, by the mercies of God, because of His work and love for us on the cross, to give ourselves wholly over to Him – body and soul. The Christian life is one of Godward living and this requires, alas, Godly thinking.
To this fact let us say, rather plainly, that there are no neutral areas to our lives. God’s creatures have no closets where He can’t see them. We aren’t Christians on Sunday mornings and then sort of free to “do our thing” the rest of the week. Is He Lord of all? He is. Then all is His. Let’s get down to it then.
He’s Lord of money.
He’s Lord of sex.
He’s Lord of vocation and business.
He’s Lord of all authorities.
Think on this with the same intensity of focus that you’d give to your favorite sports team when they’re in a tense game. Or when you’re listening to your favorite band. Indeed, if we were to search our hearts in light of Scripture, bowing low before Him, like some people search the markets for the next big stock, He will raise us up. It’s the whole treasure and heart thing, you know (Matthew 6:21). And it’s a dreadfully common error to compartmentalize our lives. Why is our faith flailing and anemic? Because we underestimate the Almighty One of Israel!
Here’s the thing to know: there’s no area of our lives over which the Lord doesn’t have sovereignty. When we learn to ask ourselves what the Scripture says about a subject, and that’s our default setting…and we ponder this as a reflex, like a champion boxer countering a lazy left with a fast cross to the chin, then we’re living out this text. Such is the goal of the Christian lover – that is, the lover of Christ. The goal is to live out the text. To do this we must understand the text. Sure, this requires a little training but it’s more than worth it.
So, listen, I promise you that if you start looking at your life as a living sacrifice, you’re going to be amazed at who God truly is. To achieve this, just as the text explains, we must be disciplined thinkers, rightly applying the principles of Scripture to the particulars of life. And, no, this won’t make you some kind of arid and joyless bellyacher and killjoy. How could a heart that comes to know the glory of Jesus Christ, who is the embodiment of the greatest love of all, be anything other than suffused with joy and peace in Him? Good doctrine is truth and truth is love. There’s no tension between love and truth, nor between emotion and doctrine because Christ is the source of all of that.
To get us started on this, like I said, over the next couple of studies we’ll look at the big subjects of modern life and compare and contrast. These are the things we’re commanded to do in this verse and we want to do it just as a happy bride wants to know how to please the husband she adores. What is good and acceptable and perfect to our Lord? What does He say about money, law, sex, work, and politics? What does the world say? And, in the end, are we conformed to the world or to His word?
Let’s get in the ring and go a few rounds with the ideas of the world. Let’s see who’s still standing when this is over.
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