 The
Proclaimer
True Conversion
When one is converted to the Lord the change is
substantial. It begins with a transformation that first occurs in the heart
as we determine to turn from wrong to right. But this metamorphosis quickly
manifests itself outwardly in our behavior. Often it is the reality of our
mortality that causes such a change. The prospect of leaving this world is
a fundamental motive of obedience which every child of God understands. The
desire to go and be with the Lord causes us to view our life here on earth
as temporary. Such is consistent with the teachings of Christ, as He said
of His disciples, “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world”
(John 17:14). This desire to be with the Lord prompts us to be as
the Lord. And so, “we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the
glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to
glory (2 Cor. 3:18).
It is this transformation that sets apart the
child of God from the world around him. Yet the bombardment of carnality
upon man in this physical existence is relentless. This carnal appeal never
dissipates, but is always present. Satan sees to that. Understanding this,
Jesus said, “I do not pray that You take them out of the world, but that You
keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15). Satan is constantly trying to
pull us back into the mire from which we were delivered; to change us back
into what we once were. For this cause Paul writes, “And be not 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” (Rom. 12:2).
Having told these disciples “to present” their
bodies as “living sacrifice,” and that such sacrifice was their “reasonable
service” (Rom. 12:1), Paul now expresses two imperatives which explain what
this reasonable service really requires. By not outwardly conforming to the
world but being inwardly transformed, there exists a consistency between the
inner man and the outer man. One simply cannot present his body a “living
sacrifice” and conform to this world. Those claiming fellowship with God
while walking in darkness are liars, and do not the truth (1 John 1:6). And
while many seem to think they can remain “unspotted from the world” amidst
the worldly, they cannot. It is impossible to run with the world and walk
with the Lord.
But unconformity with the world is not all
that’s essential, for one must be transformed by the renewing of your
mind.” Paul uses the present tense implying this transformation is a
continual action. It begins with our conversion to the Lord and is to
advance throughout life. It’s a process that is only completed in death.
Such renewal of the mind or inward man must occur on a daily basis, “while
we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not
seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are
not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:16-18).
Herein lies the key. We must keep our sight squarely fixed upon heaven
every day we’re on this earth. “Set your mind on the things above, not on
things on the earth” (Col. 3:2). With our mind set upon spiritual and
eternal things, conformity to this world is impossible. And although we
live in the world, we are not of the world, since our renewed mind no longer
thinks, understands or judges as it once did. The appeal of things carnal
no longer measures up, but wanes by comparison to that eternal weight of
glory.
-- Clark Dugger
The Proclaimer
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