THE DEMANDS OF COMMITMENT—Part III 

          We started several week ago messages focused on the demands of commitment where we spent some time talking about the need to count the cost of becoming a Christian.  We talked about Luke 14:25-33 where Christ says that those who will be his disciples must be willing to disregard family, friends and even self when living a life committed to Christ and his mission. We then went to the Book of Romans to look at what Paul says to us about commitment.

ROMANS 12:1-2

We said that here in these verses Paul is urging or imploring believers to show total commitment to God.  In that total commitment he gives three things that believers must do.   Thus we said that if we are going to count the cost of discipleship we must understand these 3 demands of commitment.  Now the first demand of commitment was:

1.  The believer is to present his body as a living         sacrifice to God.

The believer is to offer his life as a freewill offering to God.  We said that a living sacrifice means a constant, continuous sacrifice, not just an occasional dedication of one's body.  A living sacrifice means that the body sacrifices its own desires and lives for God by serving God. Everything that we do is to be done only with glorifying God in our focus.   Finally we said that when can totally surrender ourselves to God then we will find ourselves considering anything that we lose for Christ, any of our desires that go unmet, or our goals that remain incomplete, we will consider them unimportant or valueless to us.  When we are living a life of total commitment, a life as a living sacrifice then nothing will have more value to us than knowing and following Christ, being changed into his image and one day being resurrected with him and by him to live and fellowship with God forever. 

      Then we said the second demand of commitment is:

2.  The believer is not to be conformed to this world.

The word "conformed" comes from the root word schema which means fashion, so the believer is not to shape or fashion his life after the world’s ways or methods of functioning.  Here we looked at 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 and said that as we seek to nor conform to this world as believers we should not be intimately involved in relationships with unbelievers.  We should not be so bound to unbelievers that there is a mutual sharing of possessions.  We should not make the infidel, the one who has rejected Christ, our close friend or confidant.  Finally we are not to worship with those who do not follow after Christ.  Since we are not to conform to this world, we are not to follow the world’s practices and unholy methods.

          So today in part 3 of the message titled The Demands of Commitment we want to talk about the third thing that Paul urges us to do. 

ROMANS 12:2

          The third demand of commitment is

3.  The believer must be transformed.

          If we are going to truly be Disciples of Christ then we must submit to and commit ourselves to being transformed.  The Greek word translated here as transformed is “metamorphousthe” which means changed, converted, transformed or metamorphosed.  Hidden within this Greek word is the word morphe which means the real being of a man; the very nature and essence, the inseparable part, the unchanging shape of a man.  Thus in being transformed believers must undergo a radical change within our inner being. We must be transformed and changed inwardly. Our real self, our very nature, essence, personality, inner being, our inner man, must be changed.

       Now Paul tells us two key things about this transformation.  He tells us how it is to occur and why it is important.  As to how it is to occur, the Bible declares that we are to be transformed “by the renewing of our minds”.  The Greek word translated renew is “anakainōsis ” which means to be renewed; to be made new, readjusted, changed, turned around, regenerated.  Sometimes as believers we refuse to change the way that we think because we don’t see anything wrong with our way of thinking and believing.  We fail to remember or comprehend that man’s mind, like man’s body and spirit, has been affected by sin.  In our unregenerated state man’s mind is worldly.  It is selfish, self-centered, and self-seeking, that is, it is centered on this world, centered on the flesh and centered on the things of this life.  Man’s mind has been corrupted.

2 Corinthians 4:4

          When we were in our sinful state our minds were blinded by the enemy so that we could not see and understand the glorious nature of God and the glorious nature in which we were created.  If we understood the glorious nature in which we were created we might then recognized that we had fallen from that glorious nature and then we might truly understand our need for a savior and thus turn to the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ and be saved.

Romans 1:21

          Even when we start to sense that there is something missing in our lives and we try to look to God, our enemy tries to steer us to worship and consider anything other than the true and living God.  He wants to keep our mind, our inner person void and empty of the knowledge and presence of God for as long as possible and he hopes forever.  So the unregenerated mind is vain which means futile in its understanding of God.  The unregenerated mind is empty of the presence of God and void of understanding of the true nature and glory of God.

Colossians 1:21

          Before we come to Christ, we are alienated in our minds or inner person from God.  We were enemies of God in our inner person and this was evidenced by our wicked works.  By keeping us blinded to where man started out with God, and working to keep us void of understanding about God, the enemy kept us separated from God and caused us to remain enemies with God.

Philippians 3:18-19

          To keep us from centering in on God the enemy kept us focused on earthly things.  He kept us focused on our flesh.  In Col. 2:18 Paul speaks of a group of people that he calls fleshly minded and in Eph. 4:17 he described mankind before salvation as walking in the vanity of there minds and living a life of uncleanness, greediness and lasciviousness; all things that focus on satisfying the flesh.  Finally Rom. 8:7 reminds us that we can be carnal or fleshly minded and this state of carnal mindedness puts us at odds with God.

Titus 1:15

          When we were a part of that defiled and unbelieving group Paul says that both our mind and our conscience were defiled.  The conscience of man follows the norm of society.  As a sinful behavior becomes more and more acceptable in society then our conscience is less and less bothered by that particular sinful behavior.

          Now whether we like it or not this is what the Bible says our inner person, our mind or the essence of who we are, this is what we were like before we got saved.  This same mind follows us into salvation.

I Corinthians 3:1-4

          Paul says that he could not respond to them like they were spiritually minded believers but rather like they were carnal or fleshly minded believers. There actions, beliefs and understanding were still tangled up in the world’s way of operating.  Even in their thinking they were approaching their new lifestyle in a worldly fashion.  They were allowing the enemy to bring about division, separatism with in the body by refusing to understand that they all belonged to Christ.  They were Christians but they were carnal minded Christians.  When we get saved we bring our same carnal, empty, vain, fleshly, defiled minds right into salvation with us.  From the day we are born, our soul has been impacted and bombarded with the world’s way operating, behaving and even thinking.  In salvation, though God gives us a new godlike nature to dwell in us, we drag along that same old defiled soul.  It is this soul, this mind, the earthly way of thinking, and behaving that disciple’s of Christ must be committed to changing.  The third demand of commitment is that we commit ourselves to a transformation in behavior, thought, and mindset.

When we get saved we know that John 3:3-8 says that we get born again.  In other words our spirit man is re-energized and brought back to life.  We know that according to Eph. 4:24 and Col. 3:10 we take on a new godlike nature that is now at war with our old nature. 

I Corinthians 2:16

          This verse says that we have the mind of Christ.  What does that mean?  It means that we have been endowed with the ability to consider things in the same fashion as Christ would.  Our minds are renewed as we surrender our thought processes, behavior, attitudes, etc our minds to the mind, will, behavior, attitudes of Christ. In other words as we chose to operate in the mind of Christ and not in our own minds, then our minds are being renewed. 

When the Bible says that “we have the mind of Christ” it is saying that when a person receives Jesus Christ into his life, he receives the mind and the image of Christ as well. Christ places His mind into the believer's mind; that is, Christ changes the believer's mind to a God focus. Whereas the believer's mind and image used to be centered upon the world, they are now centered upon spiritual matters. The believer's mind and image are renewed, changed, turned around, and regenerated to focus upon God.   This is why 2Cor. 5:17 says we are new creatures in Christ.  However we must surrender to the new mind, the new nature that is within us so that we will be transformed into the image of Christ and thereby manifest the new creature that we are.

We must through the surrendering and renewing of our mind to the Spirit of God commit ourselves to the transformation process.  We must be committed to walking day by day allowing the Spirit of God to renew our minds more and more.  We must be committed to allowing the Spirit of God to focus our mind more and more on God and His will. 

Matthew 22:37

As we surrender our mind and will to the mind of Christ, the Spirit of God will teach us how to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul and mind.  It is one thing to have the mind of Christ but the Spirit of God will teach us how to apply the mind of Christ.  He will teach us how to love God with the same fervor and energy as Christ had.

 ROMANS 8:5-6

          When we allow the Spirit of God to renew our minds he will transform us in to those who think not on fleshly things but rather on spiritual things.  He will convert us into those who are focused on that which brings life and peace, not death and adversity.  He will teach us not to mind or put our stock in the things of the flesh; not to sow to our flesh, reminding us that Galatians 6:8 says “For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” When we allow the Spirit of God to operate the mind of Christ in us he will teach us how to keep our mind of spiritual things not carnal things.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

          When we allow the Spirit of God to operate the mind of Christ in us he will transform us into those who understand how to control their thoughts and imaginations.  He will teach us how to cast down imaginations and how to distinguish and capture every thought that attempts to exalt itself against that which we already know to be the expressed will of God.  He will teach us how to guard our minds against any attack of the enemy to sway us away from God and his will for us.

I Peter 4:1 

          When we allow the Spirit of God to operate the mind of Christ in us he will transform us into those who face and endure suffering with the same mind as Christ.  The Spirit of God will teach us how to humbly accept that which is God’s will for us as well as the suffering we must endure because we live in a wicked world with an evil enemy who attempts to influence and impact every area of our existence.

2 Corinthians 11:3

          When we are committed to be transformed we will not allow our minds to corrupted and lead us to following after that which carries us away from God and his great love.  We will not be swayed with every wind of doctrine or deceived by every Tom, Dick, or Jane that comes along promising great blessing as they lead you further and further from Christ.  When we are committed to transformation we will work with the Spirit of God to stay focused on God’s will and plan for our lives. We will let go of our old mind and we will seek not to fulfill the desires of our flesh and mind.

 EPHESIANS 4:17

          When we are committed to change we will not attempt to live like those whose minds are empty and void of the true nature and knowledge of God.  We will not seek to be and behave like those who are godless, but rather we will be of a mind to do whatever it takes to have them be like us, God fearing.  Paul said in I Cor. 9:22 “I am made all things to all mean, that I might by all means save some.” In other words he would go out of his way, deny his own privileges for the opportunity to save others.

Philippians 4:8

          When we are committed to being transformed we will not allow our minds to wander off anywhere and think on that which is unholy.   When we find something that is not honest, just, pure, lovely and good trying to camp out in our minds we will refuse to allow it to occupy even the smallest crevice in our mind.  Instead we will commit ourselves to think on only that which is virtuous and praise worthy.

Hebrews 8:10 

When we are committed to being transformed we will dedicate ourselves to living by the laws of God which God has put into his mind.  We will never grieve the Spirit of God by refusing to follow as he leads.  We will have our spiritual ears keenly tuned to the Spirit of God, earnestly awaiting his directions as we travel the road back to eternal life with God.  There would be nothing that he asked us to do or not to do that would be considered to costly.  For we would recognize that his instructions to us are for the sole purpose of transforming us into the image of Christ and thus glorifying God.

      Why does Paul say that the believer’s transformation is so important?  He says the believer must prove the will of God. The Greek word translated here as prove is “dokimazō” which means both to find and to follow.  So the believer must be transformed so that he can find and follow God's will. This is certainly understandable. If a person's mind is not renewed and focused upon God...

·  How can the person ever find or discover or know the will of God?

·  How can the person ever follow or obey or do the will of God?

The only way a person can ever find and follow God's will is to be committed to focusing on and keeping his mind on God and the things of God. 

Finally look at how the will of God is described. God's will is said to be...

·  good (agathon): beneficial, rich, bountiful, suitable, moral.

·  acceptable (euareston): pleasing, satisfactory, welcomed.

·  perfect (teleios): without error or mistake, flawless, complete, absolute, free from any need, short of nothing, completely fulfilled.

Note that God’s will is said to be all of these not one or the other.  When we prove, find and follow God’s will we will find it to be beneficial, pleasing and without error or mistake.

The third demand of commitment is that we be unswerving in our resolve to be transformed.  We can move neither to the left nor to the right.  Another cost of being a disciple is that we be changed.  We must therefore give up who and what we were, who and what we hoped to become, who and what we feel we should be, to become who and what God desires and has ordained us as Christians to be. 

The cost of discipleship and thus the demands of commitment, totally and completely sacrificing ourselves to the cause of God, walking away from the world and all that would attempt to tie us to its wicked systems and dedicating ourselves to being changed into whoever and whatever God desires for us to be, these are great and costly. But God almighty assures us that what we receive in return is well worth all that we give up.  For Jesus himself tells us in Luke 18:29-30, “Verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake,  who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.”