Word Studies - Part 9

Romans 12:2 – And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (NKJV)

Strongs # 3339 metamorphoo (met-am-or-fo´-o)

Lexicons/Bible Dictionary

Strong’s – to transform, literally “metamorphose”; change, transfigure, transform

Vine’s – to change into another form, to become different, undergo a complete change under the power of God, stresses an inward change as opposed to an outward change

Word Study (NT) – denotes a change of place or condition, to form, to transform, transfigure, change one’s form

Analytical Greek Lexicon – to change the external form, transfigure. to undergo a spiritual transformation, to be transfigured

Thayer – to change into another form, to transfigure, to transform, to change moral character for the better

NASB Greek – to transform

NIV Greek – to be transformed, to be changed in form, to be transfigured

NIDNTT – be transformed, changed in appearance, change of character


Translations

KJV – 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.

NASB95 – And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

ESV – 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.

NLT – Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

AMP – Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

NIV – Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.

MSG – Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

NRSV – Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Darby – And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of [your] mind, that ye may prove what [is] the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Young’s – and be not conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, for your proving what [is] the will of God — the good, and acceptable, and perfect.


Commentaries

Barnes’ – In this context the writer is clearly referring to the transformation of the whole person, therefore the reader is being urged to not cultivate a spirit of worldly things such as the fashions and pleasures of this world, but rather to cultivate a spirit devoted to God and the things of His kingdom and priority.

Clarke – To be transformed in Romans 12:2 means to become a new person by the power of God with new habits, a new form of worship, and a newness of spirit that results in a total change of who one appears to be both to the observer, as well as internally.

McGee – One must not construct one’s life based on the influence of those around one, even if those people are pillars of the Church and devout Christians. One must yield to the Holy Spirit working within as it is the Holy Spirit who transforms and renews one, making one into a new person. When one allows this to happen, one will be transformed into a new creature that is pleasing to God.

Expositor’s – At the same time that one is refusing to conform to the world one is also being transformed and renewed through the power of the Holy Spirit, and the example before one being transformed is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The believer is continually reaffirming the necessity of the salvation received from and through Christ. Dedication to the continual renewing of one’s mind results in discernment, which results in the ability to delight in God’s will.

Life Application – The believer is to be completely transformed from the inside out in a transformation that begins with the mind. This transformation requires the renewing of one’s mind, and cannot occur without it. As one meditates on and studies the Word of God, the mind begins to change as the pattern confirms to the pattern of God that all of humanity was originally created to have.

Barclay – The word transformed means the essential unchanging, and while one remains the same physical person, one is not the same person at sixty years of age that they were at twenty-six years of age. Paul is saying that the inward person is to change and become dominated by Jesus Christ, or by the Holy Spirit. When this dominance occurs one can offer real worship to the Lord.

Sproul – The transformation called for in this verse is beyond the forms or structures of this world, and is not a call to cease from interacting with others, it is a call to dedicate our lives to God, and to His glory. This transformation requires that we relearn things from God’s perspective as our minds are retrained to think the thoughts that would be pleasing to God, and that God would have us think.


Word Application

Transformation in Romans 12:2 is more than what exercise, plastic surgery, a diet, and a good therapist can bring about in one’s life. The transformation being discussed is a transformation that begins internally with the work of the Holy Spirit, and literally becomes a change from the inside out as one’s spirit is cultivated to desire that which is of God and His kingdom. The new person one becomes as a result of this transformation enjoys a new joy in one’s life, a new set of habits that grows one in one’s relationship with the Lord, and even a new form of worship. This transformation cannot be achieved by following the role models available, even those in churches as this transformation is available only through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. This transformation involves a renewing of one’s mind as the Holy Spirit teaches one to think in a new way, in the way that God would have one think.
This transformation in one’s habits, thinking, view point, values, and even worship often results in one feeling like one has become a whole new person. However this transformation is never complete, and as one yields to the work and influence of the Holy Spirit one will find that one is becoming increasingly similar to the example that Jesus set for all believers to follow. The only way to accelerate this transformation is to become increasingly submitted to the Lord’s work in one’s life.