Rom.12:1-2: 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.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.
Introduction
God
is holy. Therefore anything that is ‘born’ of God must be Holy. Paul is telling
us in Romans 12:1, 2 that if we say we have received Christ as our personal
savior we need to live holy lives both within and without. Paul is telling us
that Christianity is not doing what everybody is doing, which does not make it
right. Christianity is about separating oneself from the world (James 1:27B).
Christianity is a way of life, where the old sinful life of idolatry, anger, insolence,
immorality, quarrelling, etc. is transformed by the word and spirit of God into
a clean useful instrument unto God’s use.
· Paul
is advising us that, we should not conform to the lifestyles or standards of
this world but we should renew our minds; our understanding about things that
we use to believe in when we were unbelievers and set ourselves as living sacrifice
for the Lord.
· As
believers, we are no longer conformed to this world because we no longer belong
to the spirit of this age. The Christian needs to guide his mind against the
filthy things of this world because the world, controlled by the Satan, is our
no. 1 enemy. (Read 1John 2:15-17). You should not be known as the notorious/
insolent young man or woman; the drunkard or thief in the area but a new life
of holiness and righteousness.
Who we are
· As
Christians, we are God’s representatives. The day you accepted Christ as your
personal saviour, made you an ambassador for Christ on earth. The mind is the
most important part of the human being as the CPU to the computer. Therefore
the mind has become a battlefield for satan and his agents to subject the
Christian to his control, since Genesis.
· In
Gen. 3:1-7, Satan worked on Eve’s mind and this caused her to disobey God’s
instructions. “Did God say that”? To probe the mind to doubt God’s instructions
(elaborate today in the case of drunkard, prostitute, drug addict, etc)
Comparable standards
(i) Fashion
·
As a Christian, you are God’s representative
on earth- which means that anything you do or say should portray Christ in you.
One of the things that portray who we are as Christians is what we wear.
Fashion has become so notorious, especially amongst women, that it is difficult
these days to tell who a Christian is, from fashion.
· Today’s
clothing is to reveal your nakedness instead of cover your body. E.g. otto
pfister, low waist jeans/skirt to show underwear?, spandex attires, etc. and
wearing what pertains to opposite sex (Deu.22:5)
· Haircut/
hair-do: named after animals- peacock.
(eg. hairs sacrificed to idols)
· Dancing-
immoral suggestive gestures (as in David attire falling)
· Make-ups
to attract but rather create caricature faces.
·
Appearances reveal who you are. That is why
the Christian youth should be particular about what he/she wears. Is your
dressing portraying the Christ in you or the world? If you can’t get a decent
wear, sew it from a decent tailor or seamstress. Our guiding principle to
dressing is found in 1Tim. 2:9-10; 1Pet. 3:3-4). (eg. Adam/Eve after sinning
and their nakedness).
· Clothes do not make a Christian, but Christians reveal their
identity through their clothes and appearance. The Bible does not prescribe a
standardized dress for Christian men and women to wear, but it calls us to
follow the simplicity and modesty of Jesus’
lifestyle, even in our clothes and appearance. If
your dressing is revealing, you are guilty of setting a stumbling block in
front of your brothers in Christ. Our outward appearance is a constant silent
witness of our Christian identity and therefore if you claim Christ as your
savior, then every part of your life should be based on that truth. Right down
to the socks we put on.
Christian, renew your mind and
don’t follow the standards of the world!.....see Part 2
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