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The word rendered “transform,” metaomans 12:1 deals with the physical, our bodies. Romans 12:2 deals with morphoo, means “to be changed from one thing into another.” This Greek word is the metaphysical, our minds. Jews focused all of their attention on transliterated to render the English word the ethical, public behaviour of a person, metamorphosis, which is commonly used which is good in many ways. However, to describe the transformation of a caterJesus was not satisfied with mere exter- pillar into a butterfly. Our world was created good, but it has nal, physical obedience. He called for since been corrupted His followers to have clean hearts first, then Our world was created by human sin. We look clean hands (Matthew good, but it has since forward to the day when Christ returns and refash15:17–20; Mark 7:14–15). been corrupted by ions the world to reflect That's because both sin human sin. God's character. Until and righteousness begin in the mind, meaning we have a choice then, we are to reject the pattern of thinkbetween two alternatives. We can either ing that comes from the corrupted world “be conformed to this world” or we can and instead live out changed lives that “be transformed by the renewing of [our] look different from those who are living in accordance with the fallen world system. mind” (Romans 12:2 NASB). The Greek word for “conform” is syschematizo and means “to be moulded Adapted from Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll's New according to a pattern.” It is a compound Testament Insights: Insights on Romans (Grand of the preposition with and the term from Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), 247–48. which we get our English word schematic.
