In Romans, the twelfth chapter, Paul emphasized the importance of being transformed spiritually.

Romans 12:2 (ESV)
² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The word transformed in this passage is metamorphoō, meaning “to change into another form” (Vine).  We get the English word metamorphosis from this word.  Think about a caterpillar changing into a butterfly, and you get the idea suggested by this word.  That butterfly is not a caterpillar in disguise; it is a new creature, and that is what we become in Christ.  Paul said, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Another thing about this reference to being transformed is that it is in the passive voice, which means the action is something that is done to us.  In other words, we do not transform ourselves;  someone or something else transforms us.  Now, nothing takes over our free will.  The words of Paul clearly show that being transformed is something that we must allow to happen to us.  Still, there is a source outside of ourselves that does the actual transforming.  What is it?

The simple answer is God, which is certainly true.  However, God uses something to transform us, and that something is His Word.  One of the great values of the Word of God is that it has the power to refashion lives.  Let me give you some examples.

The saints at Thessalonica experienced a great transformation.  Paul reminded them of this truth when he wrote of where they were spiritually, compared to where they used to be.  Paul said, “For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thessalonians 1:9).  This says a lot about their transformation.  It is a well-established fact that immoral living was almost always associated with idolatry.  Many pagan practices involved some kind of fornication in honor of the false god that they were serving.  The brethren at Thessalonica turned away from that to serve the living God.

These saints changed their lives so dramatically that Paul was able to commend them for their “work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope” (1 Thessalonians 1:3). This change happened rather quickly.  Paul only had as little as three weeks with them before he was chased out of town (Acts 17:1-10).  The Christians at Thessalonica went from sinners, practicing ungodly deeds, to saints who sounded out the Word of God to the lost (1 Thessalonians 1:8), all because of the transforming power of God’s Word.

Perhaps an even more amazing transformation happened with those at Corinth.  When Paul first went there to preach the gospel, he was nervous because of the ungodly reputation of the city (1 Corinthians 2:3). However, Paul gathered together his inner strength and began preaching the Word to the people of Corinth with renewed vigor (Acts 18:5).  This resulted in the conversion of many people (Acts 18:8).Preview (opens in a new tab)

From what were these brethren converted?  Paul tells us in his letter to them.  He reveals that before they obeyed the gospel, the brethren at Corinth were involved in sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, stealing, drunkenness, and more (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).  What a transformation!  After they were washed by the blood of Christ and justified in the name of the Lord (ver. 11), they became new creatures, putting away those previous practices.  Sadly, they replaced those sins with others such as pride and divisiveness.  Nevertheless, we still learn from them that the Word of God has the power to incredibly change people.  Are you allowing the Word of God to transform your life day by day?  If we study our Bibles as we should, and if we will live by what we learn, it will refashion our minds and our lives.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.