Paul exhorts Christians not to be conformed to the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We are united with Christ and God is conforming us to his image. We are conformed to the image of Jesus as we follow in his footsteps. We are united with him in his arrival, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and eventual return. His life is the mold that God uses to transform his people. One day, when we see the Lord, our transformation will cease, and we will be completely like him.

Being conformed to the world is our natural state. We have grown up in this world, and we are deeply shaped by it. Paul is not suggesting that we should avoid becoming conformed to the world. He is saying that we need to un-become conformed to the world. In other words, we need to be transformed into the image of Christ.

God of renewal and restoration, transform us into the image of your Son by the power of your Holy Spirit.

The church patterns our life together on the story of Jesus in hopes that together we will be conformed to his image. As we make the yearly journey through Christ’s story, his life becomes the pattern of our shared life. The story of God in Christ gives structure to our ongoing discipleship.

~ Ryan Carter, Guard the Good Deposit: The Great Tradition for the Whole Church. Wichita: TUMI Press, 2019. pp. 48-49.

Let God Arise! Seasonal Focus
Live as Ambassadors, John 13.12-20

Book Reading
Anizor and Voss, Representing Christ