Romans 12 indicates that after our body has been presented to the Lord for His Body, we need to be transformed in our soul by the renewing of the mind so that we may prove the will of God, which is to have a body for Christ produced out of the organic union. In verse 2 Paul says, “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, that you may prove by testing what the will of God is, that which is good and well-pleasing and perfect.” The mind, the main part of the soul, represents our soul. Therefore, in verse 2 transformation refers to the transformation of the soul for the Body life. The body needs to be presented, and the soul needs to be transformed. To practice the Body life, we first must have our body offered to God. Then we need to have our soul transformed by the renewing of the mind.
Transformation does not merely denote a change; it means that a substance is changed both in nature and in form. This kind of change is a metabolic change. It is not merely an outward change; it is a change in inward constitution as well as in external form. This kind of change takes place by the process of metabolism. In metabolism an organic element comes into our being and produces a chemical change in our organic life. This chemical reaction changes the constitution of our being from one form into another. This is transformation.
To be transformed is to have Christ added into our being to replace what we are so that Christ may increase and our natural life may decrease. As the process of transformation takes place within us, the old element of our natural being is carried away and the new element-the resurrected Christ as the life-giving Spirit-is added into us to replace the natural element. We need to be deeply impressed with the fact that this transformation is a metabolic process, a metabolic change, that involves our whole being-life, nature, essence, element, form, and appearance. Transformation is not outward correction or adjustment; transformation is an inward, metabolic change of our being. Therefore, we may define transformation as a divine, spiritual metabolism wherein a new element is added to the old to discharge the old and to produce something new.
According to Romans 12:2, we are transformed by the renewing of the mind. It is quite possible for us to be regenerated in the spirit but still be old in the mind. If our mind remains old, we are not being transformed in the soul, and there is no change in our thinking. However, if our mind is renewed, our soul will be transformed.
The mind in Romans 12 is different from the mind in Romans 7 and 8. In Romans 7 the mind is alone, acting independently. In Romans 8 the mind is dependent, being set on the spirit. The mind, however, should not only be dependent-set on the spirit-but also renewed. For this reason, 12:2 tells us that we need a renewed mind.
The mind is renewed not only by outward teachings but by the element of Christ being added to it. As the Lord Jesus spreads Himself from our spirit into our mind, our mind is renewed. Then by the renewing of the mind our soul is metabolically changed. After we are renewed in the mind, we shall automatically be renewed in the emotion and in the will, for the mind adjusts the emotion and the will is influenced by the mind. Furthermore, if our mind is saturated and occupied by the Lord, He will certainly take over our emotion and possess our will. This is the reason Paul tells us that the transformation of the soul is by the renewing of the mind.
In 12:2 Paul charges us not to be conformed to this age but to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. The age is the present, practical world life, which is in opposition to and is a substitute for the Body life. The entire world is a satanic system, and an age is part of this world system. We cannot touch the world unless we touch the present age of the world. To be conformed to this age means to adopt the modern fashions outwardly; to be transformed is to have an organic element wrought into our being to produce a metabolic change inwardly. Because the present age opposes the church, we must not be conformed to this age. If we want to live in the Body of Christ, we should not follow this age nor be conformed to it.
We need the renewal of our mind and the transformation of our soul so that we “may prove by testing what the will of God is, that which is good and well-pleasing and perfect.” Here the will of God does not refer to the matter of our personal human situation such as marriage, employment, and housing. According to Romans 12, the will of God is to have the Body life. As we are transformed by the renewing of the mind, we prove, discern, the will of God to have the Body.
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