“Be Not Conformed to this World”

When the apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Rome, the capital of the great Roman Empire and the hub of all that was fashionable and corrupt, he said to them: “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. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1–3).

What did Paul mean by this? They were to present their bodies as a live sacrifice to God. Their whole being was to be given to God in holiness so that it was acceptable to Him. They were not to be “conformed to this world” - that is, their way of life or behaviour was to be totally different from the way the world about them lived.

They were to be “transformed by the renewing of their mind”. The Bible had opened up an entirely new way of thinking, which changed their whole outlook on life. By having their minds enlightened by the will of God and now having a great desire to follow His way they would strive to be like Jesus and “follow his steps” (1 Peter 2:21).

This idea of living a life that is different from the ways of the world is summarised by Jesus himself in that wonderful prayer he uttered just before his death. He said: “I have given them [the disciples] thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:14–17). Jesus saw a great gulf between the ways God wanted His children to walk and the ways of the world. Like Paul he knew that it was only by reading and meditating on the word of God that his disciples would be changed. Thus he said, “I have given them thy word”, and again, “Sanctify them [or make them holy] through thy truth”.

It is the power of the word of God understood and believed that will strengthen our faith to overcome the ways of the world. “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4). The greatest example in this overcoming is the Lord himself who said just before he died: “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33) - and we are called to follow him. To befriend the world and its ways has a very serious consequence: “Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4).

What is this “world” that we must not be conformed to as disciples of Jesus Christ?

The answer is given clearly by John: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever” (1 John 2:15–17).

“The world”, in Bible terms, covers all those evil things that come from the lusts or desires of men’s hearts - “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life”. Just prior to the judgment of the flood in Noah’s day it was summarised in these words: “GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5).

So John put the matter very pointedly when, in effect, he said that if we love “the world” then we do not love God. It is little wonder that Paul urged the Roman believers: “Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind”. To do this he told them, “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God” (Romans 12:1–2).

How can the disciple of Christ today present his body “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God”? Just as in the days of the apostles, our time is divided into two fundamental areas. One portion we can call our ‘work time’ which is used to provide those necessary things for ourselves and our families to be fed and clothed. The other portion of our time we will call our ‘free time’. By this we mean that portion of time we spend following activities we choose for ourselves.

Our Daily Employment

The disciple of Christ should work to provide for himself and, if he has a family, for the members of that family. There was a difficulty that arose in Thessalonica where some believers thought that they did not need to work. Paul’s instructions are clear:

“When we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10–12). Paul obviously expected the brethren and sisters to be committed to their daily employment. Being members of the family of God did not entitle them to free meals or monetary support.

Paul reminds the believers of his own example in this, saying: “I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:33–35). Paul was a tent-maker by trade (Acts 18:3), and was prepared to work with his hands to provide not only for himself but also for others who may have been unable to obtain work. This is the spirit that each of us should follow. He said he did not covet other people’s gold or silver - he did not want their money.

Again Paul puts the matter very clearly: “If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel [or unbeliever]” (1 Timothy 5:8).

Having seen that we are to be responsible for providing those necessary daily needs of life, we are also told that we should do this with diligence, as if we are serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Again consider the instructions Paul gave to the believers in the first century.

“Be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men” (Ephesians 6:5–7; see also Colossians 3:22–25 and Titus 2:9–10). We must give of our best in our daily work as if we are serving Christ.

In the work place today there is often unrest that leads to strikes, but the servant of the Lord will not partake in such activities where men are demanding more privileges for themselves. We are called upon to do our work faithfully, trusting in God to overshadow our lives. The thoughtful disciple can live by these guidelines as he goes about his daily work, and lifts his mind to view his daily duties as service to Christ.

However there are times when one may be unable to obtain employment or through illness cannot work. What is the responsibility of brethren towards each other in this situation? Paul urges that the brother who is employed should be “working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth” (Ephesians 4:28). We need to be observant and endeavour to help those in such need - and those in genuine need must be able to ask for help.

Responsibilities to the Laws of the Land

Although the disciple lives as “a stranger and pilgrim” in his country (Hebrews 11:13–14), looking for the day when the Kingdom will be established, he does have a duty to abide by the laws of the land with a willing spirit. In fact, this is what the Bible teaches.

Paul gives Titus the following advice for the believers in Crete: “Put them in mind to be in subjection to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready unto every good work” (Titus 3:1 ASV).

Peter’s advice is: “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men” (1 Peter 2:13–15).

Not only are we to obey the laws of the land, but we should be thankful for the liberty we have to worship God freely, if we are blessed with this - we do realise that this is not so in all countries. Paul asked Timothy to encourage the believers at Ephesus with these words: “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (1 Timothy 2:1–2).

From these quotations, we see that our responsibility is to live honestly and dutifully under the laws of the land with a willing spirit, as serving God in heaven. For this reason we pay our taxes and abide by all the laws of the land, and this, of course, includes minor by-laws and traffic laws that have been imposed to regulate our life.

When Jesus was asked about paying certain taxes he replied: “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:17–21). Paul repeats this injunction in Romans 13:1–7, concluding with these words: “For this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour”.

Having stated our responsibilities to obey the laws of the land, we add that should these laws conflict with our duty to God, then the disciple must always see obedience to God of greater importance than obeying man’s laws. We find an example of this in the New Testament, when the rulers of the Jewish nation forbad the apostles to preach about Jesus and the gospel. Peter and John’s answer was: “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:18–20). On another occasion, when again Peter and the other apostles were before the court accused of preaching, they answered, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

Adapted from “The Exploring the Bible Course” by David Evans