Conformity

Rom 12:2    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.

Question:  Are you a conformist or a non-conformist? Someone has said that “the only thing a non-conformist hates worse than a conformist is another non-conformist.

Basically, we are conformists! That is our nature as humans.  We want to be like those around us.  We don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb (although some of us do anyway). We dress alike so it involves the type of clothes we wear. We follow what is popular, i.e. ties go from wide to narrow, etc. When growing up, we conformed to what our parents taught and did. Still, we follow much of those same traits because that is what we learned.

What does it mean to conform? Liquid conforms to the shape of the vessel it is poured into. If it is round, then the liquid becomes round. If it is square, then it becomes square. Water conforms easily and quickly to the container it is poured into. It doesn’t fuss about it. It doesn’t worry, fret, fight or anything else, but just quickly conforms.

                So let’s define the word “conform.”  To conform means to learn something that causes us to change and act or react in a certain way shaped and guided by different influences.  The Greek word for conform means “to fashion.”  Vincent in his word studies of the Koine Greek says:  “be not fashioned according to the fleeting fashion of this world.”

First of all we find that “conformity” causes changes in our lives.  There are two types of changes:  One is an outward change and the other is an inward change.  A quick look at Scripture reveals that the outward change is developed from an inward change.  “Out of the heart the mouth speaks”  Matthew 12:34 “For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.” HCSB

                For Example:  We can see changes in people as they develop, such as, when your children became teenagers, some of them began to change.  They become more independent, perhaps they talk back more, etc.  We see adults do the same things.  People who once were in love with Jesus Christ begin to slip away and we can see the coolness creep into their lives.  They begin by missing services and then stop altogether.  They once read their Bibles but no longer pick it up to see what God says.  Their habits begin to change and some of the old habits once shunned begin to reappear.

Paul gives us a Warning about conformity.  WHY?  Because it is going to be a problem we will struggle with as a Christian:  Do not conform to this world.  That means don’t “be fashioned after” the world.  Don’t become like the world. Don’t imitate the world. Don’t easily slip into the mold of this world. Don’t quickly conform to this world and its ways.

Note what 1Corinthians 7:31 (NLT) says:  “Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away.”

 Let’s look at some examples of Conformity to this world found in the Bible.

1.   Demas  2Timothy 4:10 KJV For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica;”  Something caused this beloved follower of Christ to turn away and forsake the ministry.  He had worked with Luke as in Colossians 4:14; also Marcus, Aristarchus, and Lucas and called a fellow laborer.  What happened to this brother we are not told, but it is also disheartening to hear of these things.
2.   Solomon conformed to this world, married into this world’s false religions through his wives…

Note: 

1Kings 11:1-12 NLT  Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites.  (2)  The LORD had clearly instructed the people of Israel, ‘You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.’ Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway.  (3)  He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the LORD.  (4)  In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the LORD his God, as his father, David, had been.  (5)  Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites.  (6)  In this way, Solomon did what was evil in the LORD’s sight; he refused to follow the LORD completely, as his father, David, had done.  (7)  On the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, he even built a pagan shrine for Chemosh, the detestable god of Moab, and another for Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites.  (8)  Solomon built such shrines for all his foreign wives to use for burning incense and sacrificing to their gods.  (9)  The LORD was very angry with Solomon, for his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.  (10)  He had warned Solomon specifically about worshiping other gods, but Solomon did not listen to the LORD’s command.  (11)  So now the LORD said to him, “Since you have not kept My covenant and have disobeyed My decrees, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants.  (12)  But for the sake of your father, David, I will not do this while you are still alive. I will take the kingdom away from your son.

Keil and Delitzcsh Commentary says:  The idolatry into which Solomon fell in his old age appears so strange in a king so wise and God-fearing as Solomon showed himself to be at the dedication of the temple, that many have been quite unable to reconcile the two, and have endeavored to show either that Solomon’s worship of idols was psychologically impossible, or that the knowledge of God and the piety attributed to him are unhistorical. But great wisdom and a refined knowledge of God are not a defense against the folly of idolatry, since this has its roots in the heart, and springs from sensual desires and the lust of the flesh.

So what does it mean to actually conform to this world?   It means to learn the world’s ways and that is not too hard to do because it comes naturally for all of us. Notice these verses.

 (1 John 2:15 KJV) 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.  (16)  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.  (17) And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abides forever.

These 3 things are the root causes of all sin.  Lust of the flesh = sensual desires.  Lust of the eyes = covetousness/ materialism.  Pride of life = desire for power and authority to boast of our accomplishments.

It also means that we can easily become infected with the world’s assumptions about life.  Most of which are opposite of God’s truths.  When we talk about “the world” in Scriptural terms, it means the world’s system of doing and thinking.  It is a pattern that has been deeply set by Satan who is the prince of the power of this world.

The Apostle Paul warns his readers not to follow in their ways of life nor the fashions of this present world, which are both false and fleeting.  I Corinthians 7:31 (KJV) “And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passes away.”

                It means accepting the world’s standard for living and making decisions.  It means being manipulated slowly by the devil.

So how does conformity to this world affect our relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ?  It is crucial to know that if we conform to this world, we lose conformity to Christ.  Matthew 6:24 NLT “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

What happens is that when we conform to the world we break down the Holy Spirit’s work in our hearts and lives.  We slide backwards into our old nature’s ways of responding to outside stimuli and influences.  There is no standing still.  We are either moving forward in our walk with God or we are reversing our steps as we take a detour spiritually.

That causes us to cease growing in our faith toward God.  We cannot develop and grow toward God while we are being friendly to the enemy of God, the prince of the power of the air, the devil.   We become weakened our spiritual strength and begin the descent downward.

                 We can ask the question:  Has the church conformed to the philosophy of this world?   Is there a pull for the church to conform to this world and it’s style of working?

Take this as an example.  We have a National Cathedral in Washington DC. our nations church building.  The female pastor of it has turned it over to Muslims for their Friday prayers as a gesture of wanting to get along and show that they are not opposed to them.  One lady got up and disrupted them recently, shouting “Jesus Is Lord.”  They threw her out.  I don’t imagine that the Mosques will be opening up their doors for Christians to pray there… that is if any of the Christians would show up.

                Has the church lost much of its power because it has conformed to this world’s thinking instead of God’s thinking?  Could this be the biggest problem we have in our churches?   I believe that many in the church of Jesus Christ do not want to be much different than the society they live in, so the church slowly conforms to much of the world’s ways so we don’t look too odd.  The church then loses its innate power through the Holy Spirit’s working and the work of God suffers.

Note these verses:  1 Corinthians 2:12-14 NLT “And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.  (13)  When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.  (14)  But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.”

                 My Question is this:  When we read that the natural man does not understand the things of God, why is it that we follow the world’s methods of operating?  We have lost our way and the church has changed so much that it has rendered itself powerless in doing the work of God on this earth.  We would be shocked if we compared the early church to the church today.

How Do We Conform to God?  Listen to this thought:  When you sail your ship toward God, you will lose sight of the world’s shore.  Remember, You are in charge.  It is up to you to steer your ship.  No one can do it for you.  It is nice to sing songs like “Jesus Savior pilot me.”  But, you have to hand him the wheel!  He will not take it from you.  It must be a decision on your part.

Take a look at some examples of Conformity to God.

 Josiah, the 8 year old king who reigned 31 years (2 Kings 22) got hold of a scroll that contained the Book of the Law, tore his clothes, and made the people conform to what God wanted.

The disciples said they would obey God rather than man.  Acts 4:18 and 5:40-42

The Apostle Paul was walking down one road and was stopped in his tracks by God.  He then spent his life after that event conforming to Christ.

How can we become conformed to Christ? We must be transformed in our thinking by the renewing of our minds. Ephesians 4:23   (KJV)  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;” Your mind must be washed over and over with the water of the Word so that it can be cleansed from all of the dross and slag of this world so that we can see things crystal clear from God’s viewpoint.

                 Have you ever been driving after the rain has stopped and the mud keeps collecting on your windshield so that you can barely see the road and what’s ahead of you. If you haven’t run out of windshield washer fluid, you can hit that switch and the wiper will go back and forth and the mud and filth will wash off.  We are relieved because things seen through the windshield become clear. It is always a struggle to look through a dirty windshield.  So it is with our spiritual eyesight.

We must unlearn the world so that we may learn Christ.  It is like oil and water.  They do not mix.  If you are learning the world’s ways, you are unlearning Christ.  If you are learning Christ’s ways, you are thus unlearning the world.  What we put into our mind is what can transform our opinions and thinking.

They say that our brains have grooves in them and that when we think about something, it makes a groove or perhaps I would call it a small wrinkle.  The more you think on a particular subject, the deeper that groove becomes.  I like to think of it as something we fall into when we are walking through our memory daydreaming.  The deepest grooves are the easiest to trip on and fall into.  So, if this all is correct, we should be aware of what we are concentrating on or thinking about the most.

We must learn discernment.

1. What is an accurate meaning for this word prove.  That you may prove – discern – what the will of the Lord is.  Romans 12:2  If our thinking is clouded by the world’s thinking, we will struggle with discerning what the will of the Lord is in our lives and in our church. We will have difficulty discerning and understanding what God wants in our lives!
2.   We must avoid having tendencies that are developed through conformity to this world which can cause us to veer off course easily.   What you concentrate on most is where your actions will come from as well as your reactions to things and that will determine your habits.
3. We must understand that our judgment is prone to be soiled by false assumptions.  If we allow one speck of the world’s values into our life, we will be corroding our judgment and our conformity to God will suffer because we will be releasing part of the old nature’s false ideologies back into our life.  Folks, God expects more from us.  Notice how Colossians puts it.

Colossians 3:1-10 NLT  Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.  (2)  Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.  (3)  For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.  (4)  And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all His glory.  (5)  So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.  (6)  Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.  (7)  You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world.  (8)  But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.  (9)  Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.  (10)  Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.

 We must prove the will of God by discerning what is good, acceptable, and perfect.

Good = righteousness  We must learn righteousness.  We must put on the new man and be fashioned after Christ.

Acceptable = to God or in God’s sight.  Not things acceptable to your friend or neighbor or this world where your judgment can be clouded by godlessness and sinful reasoning.  But acceptable to God.

You may say, I can’t do all things acceptable to God… that’s why we are to work at it.  That is the mission for us personally… to think, be, and act like Christ on this earth.  We must be working toward that goal.  No, you will never perfect like Christ Jesus, but we are to strive to be.  Matthew 5:48.  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Perfect = Right on track with God’s way of doing things.  Not man’s way of doing things.

                Oh that we would follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in what we do in our personal lives and in the church.  I fear we have drifted so far from the discernment of God’s righteousness that we wouldn’t know it if it hit us in the face.  We have corrupted His will for the church as well as much of our lives.  We have bought into the American way of life as God’s perfect will.  We have gone down a trail of following a corrupt world instead of following God’s good, acceptable and perfect will.

Is there a way back from this?  Of course.  With God, all things are possible, but to try to turn a corrupt set of standards around into God’s standards takes being on our knees before God and repenting of our lack of discernment and our desire to do things in our own acceptable way.

                 God’s Work in your life is found here: 

Romans 8:29 KJV  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Notice:  Pre-knowledge, not pre-ordained.  Remember, God changes us on the inside so that it will become a reality on the outside.  If we do not change on the outside, it is because we purposely changed our way.  We own that.

By the way, the difference between “foreknow and predestinate” is this:  One means fore-knowledge as to know something before and the other means pre-ordained or planned out.  His work is to fashion you to be conformed to His Son, the Lord Jesus and our work is to fight against conformity to the world.  That is our choice.

Remember this:  It is impossible for you to conform.  You are powerless.  You are helpless without the help of the Holy Spirit in your life.  You must make every effort to allow The Spirit to control you.  Conformity is a slow process and it involves a transformation from looking at things that are temporary and focus on what is permanent.  It involves the desires of the flesh verses the desires of the Holy Spirit in your life.

                We must ask ourselves:  How are we being Fashioned — according to Whom or What?

May God help you in your journey in this life to see things His way which bring His peace and His freedom.

Ken Lewis, ThM