“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 12:2, KJV 1900)
As you read the last two blogs, you should have concluded that there is a marked difference between the world system and the Kingdom of God. God has called believers to a different system, one in which our attitudes and actions should seem quite weird as viewed by non-believers.
Someone once said that you should never try to negotiate a river in two canoes at the same time. That is to have one foot in each canoe. For if you try this, eventually you will find yourself getting drenched. We as believers have to get in one canoe, so to speak. That is to be firmly standing in God’s Kingdom principles. When we do this, we will be able to assess the situations and circumstances thrown at us and make the wisest decisions. This is what happens when we are transformed by the renewing of the mind.
Paul indicates that the transformation by the renewing of the mind is essential so we “may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” The word “prove” in the verse is translated in the ESV as “by testing . . .discern.” The verb, “prove” or “discern” is dokimazo, which means to test, examine, prove or scrutinize something to determine if it is genuine. Paul is telling us that when we do not conform to the world, but are being transformed, we will be able to carefully scrutinize everything to determine if it is God’s will for us.
Let’s face it, we encounter myriads of things in life that require decisions. It is vital for us as believers to choose the right direction, which is God’s way. This is where the renewal of the mind is so vital. Paul wrote to the Corinthians about this (1 Cor 2:10-16). In his letter to them he states that no one can understand the Scriptures apart from the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit in them. This gives the spiritual person the ability to scrutinize everything (1 Cor2:15). In other words, the spiritual person can carefully examine things and make the right choices.
This ability comes through this work of transformation. This is a lifelong process of spiritual growth. However, this was the problem with the church at Corinth. After informing them of how the spiritual person did this, Paul goes on to chastise the Corinthians. He calls them infants in Christ that are not ready for solid food. The reason was that their choices were according to the flesh (1 Cor 3:1-4). His point, was that they were not growing in the Word and thus, had not experienced the Spirit’s work of transformation. As a result, they were not discerning God’s will and choosing poorly. This resulted in struggles, divisions and sin among them.
Friends join the work of the Holy Spirit in your lives. Get into the word. Study it. Obey what it says by faith. Experience the metamorphosis in becoming more and more like Christ. Then you too will be able to discern what the will of God is and you will discover that it is “good, and acceptable, and perfect.”
Renewing the Heart 