As I mentioned last week the first eleven chapters of Romans addresses the doctrines of salvation and the redemption found in Christ for both Jew and Gentile; the whole world. In Theological circles this is known as Soteriology, the study of salvation in Christ.

But one of the things we learn about Paul's teaching is that he never gives us knowledge of such things concerning salvation, sanctification, regeneration, the work of the Holy Spirit and so on, simply to pass on knowledge of such spiritual truths.

Knowledge for the sake of knowledge, or knowledge not coupled with another vital ingredient, can accomplish just the opposite of what it is intended to do.

This is why Paul warns us in 1Co 8:1 ...... We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
2 The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.
3 But the man who loves God is known by God.

In other words, if your knowledge is not coupled with a love from God that motivates you to love God in humble obedience then your knowledge is lacking and is potentially useless and can even be counter productive.

This love for God is what we see in the beginning of chapter 12. Rom 12:1 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship."

If our knowledge of God and the things of God does not lead us to worship God with every aspect of our lives, where we become living sacrifices, then we tend to only have a superficial knowledge and not a knowledge which effects the heart.

And so what Paul has been teaching in the previous eleven chapters, in revealing knowledge, is meant to be put to use in a practical way in the way we live according to that knowledge and in appreciation of what that knowledge reveals about Jesus Christ and His love for us.

And so we continue to press on as we come to our text this morning. Rom 12:2 "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."

A lot of good stuff here. First, verse two is connected with verse one in the same thought. Paul has laid the groundwork for opening our eyes to the truth of God's salvation in chapters 1-11. In light of that truth he then says in chapter 12 and verse 1 ... "Therefore...", and then he goes on to explain what must follow in light of what came before.

You have salvation by faith in Christ. He has given you life by grace, not by works. Therefore, your life in Christ will produce the kind of fruit which can be tasted and seen in such a way that your entire being will lay itself on the altar of God's love as a living sacrifice to honor Him.

Therefore, the thought continues in verse two, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world..."

If we have life in Christ by faith, if we have been forgiven of the penalty of our sin, and if we are new creations in Christ, then it would make no sense to continue to live as though we were not alive, spiritually.

The pattern of this world, as Paul points out, is the very thing which Jesus Himself pointed out when He spoke of what conformity to this world really is. Joh 7:7 "The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil."

Conformity to the world is evil behavior which is nothing more complicated than a sinful, rebellious attitude of the heart toward our Creator, which manifests itself in a selfishness as it seeks to please self and turn away from God's truth and will found in Christ.

By the way, this is certainly not limited to what we would call heinous sinful behavior, like rape and murder and such things. It includes the less overt acts like not loving your neighbor, not loving God above all, not walking in obedience to God's will found in His word.

Paul tells the believer that Christ came to deliver us from that rebellious heart attitude towards our Lord and Savior in Gal 1:3 "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
5 to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

Paul expands on this in Eph 2:1 "As for you, you were {Past tense}dead in your transgressions and sins,
2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved."

Paul is saying in our text in Rom.12:2 that that's the way it was. But it's time to put away those things and move ahead with Christ to the degree that we show the world that He has given us life, eternal life.

Rom.12:2.... "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world..." This would reveal that it's possible for Christians to continue to dabble in this world and the sinful practices of this world.

Scripture abundantly teaches this as we see Paul himself confessing that he still struggles with the temptations of sin and in fact he calls himself the "chief of sinners".... Not because he was continually seeking to rebel against God, but because he realized that he did in fact still sin and struggle with the old man, or the flesh, as we see in Romans chapter seven.

But there's a big difference between being tempted and then sinning; feeling sorrow over that sin as we come to Christ for forgiveness and conforming to a pattern of this world which is indicative that there is something spiritually wrong.

Paul says if that's the case, where your life has moved from being a sinner saved by grace seeking to do the Lord's will, to a life which now patterns itself after the things of this world, then it's time to wake up and move from the desires of the old nature to the new life, the new creation we are in Christ.

But how do we do that on a practical level? Again, keep in mind, this is all in the context of having grateful hearts for so great a salvation and new life with Christ which we didn't deserve.

Theology and doctrine must be practical. It must be able to accomplish and overcome the very thing with which we struggle, or it is anemic and useless. This is why Paul spends so much time laying the groundwork with biblical doctrine or teaching from the word of God.

And this is where knowledge comes into the picture. A knowledge which doesn't work on it's own, but a knowledge, given by the All-knowing Creator, who effectually produces the results in connection with that knowledge by the power of the Holy Spirit.

It has to be that way otherwise knowledge itself could be put on a pedestal where it doesn't belong. This is the way the world works. They credit knowledge as the answer to all our problems. Science and Pseudo-Science. You got a problem, just get knowledge.

God say's, if you've got a problem with life get My knowledge and come to Me for the power to walk in that knowledge. Problems in life are things we all face. Sinful behavior, which is at the root of many of these problems, can be solved. But it must be done God's way, not the way of the world.

Joh 8:31 "To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.
32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." Here Jesus addresses the mind and the spirit which affects our growth.

And so what does Paul say in Rom 12:2 "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."

This word transform in the Greek is interesting. It's metamorphousthe. It's where we get our English word metamorphosis. For you biology buffs you'll remember that metamorphosis is where one type of animal is transformed into another type of animal. A worm or larvae, for example, passes through the various stages to become a new animal, like a butterfly.

Remember, we are told that we are new creatures in Christ. We were once like that larvae, the old sinful man if you will. In Christ we are like that butterfly with an entirely new life. But to grow in that new life Paul says we must transformed by the renewing of our mind.

I've heard it said, and I'm sure many of you have as well, that Christians are mindless people who simply exercise a blind faith. Unfortunately, the world has gotten some of that right as Christians disengage their minds to the truth of God's word to accept the attitude that we must live on feelings rather than on reason.

The word of God isn't against feelings, but feelings can be very deceptive when it comes to making decisions which affect your life to God's glory.

In a recent news letter of the "Christian Research Institute" Hank Hanegraaff say's, "Feel--don't think." If you heard those words with no context you might think you were in some kind of sensitivity training seminar.... Or perhaps a therapy group where the whole idea is to "get in touch with your feelings." Well, the problem is that many people are so "into their feelings" that they're "out of" their minds!"

He goes on to say, "If Christians -- succumbing to the "me-oriented" self-indulgence and consumerism of our age -- are so busy feeling that they're incapable of critical thinking, haven't we virtually surrendered the flag?"

We see this in the church at large all the time. 'I've got a problem I'm dealing with and my life seems to be upside down and my emotions are on a roller coaster. I need a spiritual shot in the arm.'

And so many Christians in that situation will seek out some experience to give them a spiritual boost. And though some of those experiences may include spiritual truth, often times it's usually centered on the experience; what will make me feel good for the moment.

Some special high powered speaker who shows up in town to give his testimony of how God has moved in his life. Maybe it's a healing service where we seek out an answer to a physical problem and we want to experience the healing touch of God. Maybe it's a Christian concert that we've gotta go to get back that feeling of love and vitality that we somehow miss throughout the week.

Don't misunderstand me I'm not opposed to testimony's, God's healing touch or Christian concerts or any other legitimate experience which can encourage us in Christ, but what happens so often is that those experiences become the mainstay for so many Christians.

I remember when I first came to Lord in Gainesville, Fl. how I used to look forward to the times of fellowship with other believers where we would encourage each other and worship God and experience the touch of Jesus Christ.

But, I can also remember thinking, two or three days after such a meeting, why do I feel so empty so quick? And I would be down for awhile as the world and the craziness of life crept back in.....until the next meeting when I would be catapulted back into the heavenly's.

Like a sugar fix which boosts you quickly but let's you down just as fast, Christians can get in the habit of dining exclusively on spiritual junk food. Delightful to the eyes, tasty and satisfying, but often times without enough substance to sustain for long periods of time.

Again, please don't misunderstand me. I enjoy these things as much as the next person. And I find them able to contribute to my Christian experience, and in themselves, they don't have to be detrimental.

But, what Paul teaches us is that the food which endures, the substance which allows us to walk through those down times, those weakened states where we are tempted to conform to the world, must be found in the word of God.

1Pe.2:1-2..... "Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to your salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord."

Other times we find ourselves seeking a knowledge which is not in conformity with God's word and in fact is more in keeping with the knowledge and wisdom of the world. Sometimes we think that we need something more than God's word to help us grow in our faith. The world comes along and says, 'try this angle.' 'This angle of knowledge works for many other people give it a try.' And again it may have momentary success, but it will not stand the test of time as only God's word will for His people.

Timothy had to deal with this as well. In fact Paul wrote to Timothy and told him in 1Ti 6:20 "Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge,
21 which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith. Grace be with you."

There are consequences in dabbling with the knowledge of the world to try and accomplish the spiritual workings of the Spirit which can only truly take place according to the knowledge of God's word. Sanctification is not something which can be accomplished through fleshly worldly means. This is what Paul addresses in Gal 3:3 "Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?"

Our minds must be engaged and meditating on the knowledge of God which encourages and builds up so that when the flaming missiles of the evil one comes against us we may stand firm on the promises and the power of our God.

The renewing of our minds is not some spiritual exercise which only fills our heads with knowledge. Remember, "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up..." If we're studying God's word with the express purpose of filling our heads with knowledge, and yet not walking in the power of the Spirit in that knowledge, then we've deceived ourselves into thinking we're something we're not.

In fact James addresses this very thing when he says in Jam 1:22 "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

God's Word and the doing of it by faith in the Spirit's power, as we humbly submit to God, is instrumental in our maturity in the Lord. Jesus praying to the Father on our behalf says in Joh 17:17 "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth."

The renewing of our minds is the active pursuing of God's word and will with the express purpose of being conformed into the image of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we may demonstrate with our lives that we are children of the Most High God.

Simply listening to the word and gaining knowledge falls short of that purpose. And so to pick up the slack of this spiritual short coming we may be tempted to fill it with other spiritual experiences which are not lasting but only fill a void for a short time.

This goes back to what I mentioned in the beginning when I said that there must be another ingredient added to knowledge. That ingredient is love. God's love, so that we in turn may love God and others to the extent that we give them God's truth in love.

Paul says in 1Co 13:2 "If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing."

I don't know if this has ever happened to you, but on more than one occasion I have encountered people who have a great deal of knowledge of the word of God, and yet some of these same people have tried to beat me and then bury me with that knowledge. Love never entered into the equation.

That's not to suggest that sometimes love itself will not take the knowledge of God's word to reveal some hard things for us. And we may not see that discipline as warm and loving at the time. But love will always seek our best and follow up with a willingness to help us through as we come alongside to take the time to help another brother or sister who is willing to be helped.

I've had to share some hard things with people over the years. But, when a person is willing to see God's truth and you're willing to place yourself in their shoes, knowing that none of us are above temptation and sinning ourselves, then we're able to humbly and lovingly come alongside to help that person see Christ and His will in any given situation.

Knowledge is a good thing as it is God's knowledge which is able to move us in the direction of seeking God's solution and His will for our lives. The word of God is not some cold and sterile piece of literature which is designed to collect dust on a coffee table.

If we're not willing to come to God and honestly seek His face as we seek His will in His word then our Christian walk will always be an uphill battle. As Christians we are called to battle, but we certainly don't want to engage the enemy in our own strength.

And if we're going through this life not taking the time to listen to God's voice in His written word then the only other guidance we are relying on is what we determine according to our understanding.

Yes, the Spirit of God can illumine our minds and encourage us, but to rely only on a moving of the Spirit apart from His revealed word can be very dangerous. This is why we're told to test the spirits.

The apostle John mentions this in 1Jo 4:1 "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."

What someone may be "getting" from God may in fact be their own imagination or may be an influence from another spirit other than God's Spirit. If you think that's not possible, then you need only look as far as our own backyard.

As a pastor I've been called to warn God's people about such false teachings. And when a ministry is capable of touching your life with false teaching then I'm obligated to let you know about it.

Now, my ministry is not dedicated to such warnings. There isn't enough time in the day for a pastor to dedicate himself to the exposing of every false teacher that comes on to the scene. That's why I praise God for such men as Bill Alnor whose ministry is to help the Christian community see the false teachings that are out there, or guys like Hank Hannegraff with Christian Research Institute who take a biblical look at false teachings and teachers.

One such false teacher is Benny Hinn who has "received" words from the Lord. On one occasion it had to do with the Trinity. Father, Son, Holy Spirit, where he declared that God told him that it was not a Trinity of persons but 9 persons. Each of the main three having three distinct characters.

He has since recanted such a position, but only after responsible Christians approached him with such heresy. In fact, Hank Hannegraff was one who approached him. But how did Hank correct this "word" from the Lord? By God's written word.

That's the final authority. And Paul is telling us that if we are to be transformed into the kind of Christian who will honor God with our lives we must be coming to the final authority which God has revealed in His word.

And when we humble ourselves before Him and seek His face in prayer as we ask for guidance, according to His word, guess what happens? ..."Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Rom.12:2b)

You want to know what God's will is for your life? You want to grow in Christ and be strengthened in your faith? Then the word of God must be an important part of your life. That's not the only thing which is important, but it's essential and must never be pushed to the side.

I spent some extra time on this today because this is what Paul is doing in setting the groundwork for the rest of his teaching in Romans as he takes the word of God and teaches many practical things for our growth and edification.

As we'll see next week in our text the word of God is never to be divorced from the body of Christ of which we are all members in Christ. And the individual members are never to be divorced from the Body. To do so would constitute something other than a body of which Christ is the Head and the One who forms His Body.

We have been called to represent our Lord in this world. To do so we must submit to the means by which God has designed for that to happen. The living word of God is an essential part of that process for our sanctification.

Let me close with two prayers of Paul's for me and you. Col 1:10 "And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God..."

Phi 1:9 "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,
11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God."