The Power of the Gospel to Change Us

[Kathy Cipriano Brophy]

Our life in the flesh died with Christ at Calvary. We are no longer indebted to the flesh and the old man. Once we accepted Jesus as the Christ, our Lord and Savior, believing and agreeing with God that Jesus died for our sins and was raised from the dead, we became new creations. This is a wonderful reality. It is really who we are. We are no longer flesh beings imprisoned by the desires of the flesh and mind, but we are really and truly newly created beings, living in the Kingdom of God. Renewing the mind to this reality is what God calls our spiritual service of worship.

Romans 12:1 reads: I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Take the time to really consider what God is saying here. Spiritual worship is living and walking in the New Covenant that Jesus Christ earned or instituted for us. Spiritual worship is not singing or experiencing a warm, nice emotional feeling. God defines what spiritual worship is for us here in Romans 12:1. Presenting our lives as a living sacrifice to God, being holy and acceptable- which is how we are MADE TO BE through Christ- is how God desires for us to serve and worship him. So, as we live in and accept that we are holy and acceptable through Christ's work (hence, it is ALL through Christ's accomplishments by grace to us), we are being a living sacrifice and this is the spiritual worship God is seeking. We read in verse 2 more on how God desires for us to serve and worship him.

Romans 12:2 reads 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.

Here we read that by making our minds new with the thoughts from God related to us (New Covenant realities) that we are transformed. We are transformed or changed or altered by God. This verb is in the passive voice which means that we are acted upon. You don't transform or change yourself by your great works or achievements. Scripturally, from these truths, we aren’t supposed to try really hard to be loving or to be good. But instead, we allow God through the power of his gospel (message) to transform or change us into the manifestation of that spiritual man. Compare this with 2 Corinthians 3:18:

And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. (NRSV)

The word transformed here in 2 Corinthians is the same verb from Romans 12:2 and it has the same implication being in the passive voice; That is, as we continue to look into the perfect law of liberty which is the New Covenant (see 2 Cor. 3:6, James 1:25), and we don't forget what manner of man we are (hence, we are believing who we are in Christ) we are changed by God through the power of the gospel. We are changed into the image of Christ which is our new man, the new creation. This is that “same image” that verse 18 is speaking about. Isn't this awesome? God has made it his business to take away all the glory or boasting from man for any work that man could do. We are acted upon by the truth, which is the power of the gospel, and we are changed. Our glorying is then truly in the Lord and the power of his might.

You may want to consider Romans 1:16 in light of this truth.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Here we read that the gospel of Christ is the power of God. What is this gospel of Christ? It is the glad tidings or good news (gospel) about what Christ has done. Well, what has he done? He paid for the sins of the whole world by being the Lamb of God, the guilt offering for sin. We are now justified through his work; this is salvation by grace. The Apostle Paul had the privilege of writing down much of the doctrine concerning these accomplishments of Jesus Christ. What we refer to today as the "Church Epistles" reveal these glad tidings. The New Covenant is taught to us through Paul's epistles.

This Good News is what transforms us. It is the power of God unto wholeness. Salvation in Romans 1:16 is wholeness. Does that stop with the new birth or do we continue to manifest more and more wholeness in our lives as we allow the power of the gospel to transform us? Yes! This is what Romans 12:2 and 2 Corinthians 3:18 are telling us. As we continue to look at who we are through our unification or identification with Christ and believe it, we are changed more and more into manifesting the new man.

We don't change ourselves. It is not a work of the flesh but a work done by or through the spirit via the power of the gospel. Doesn't that take a load off? It is not up to you to change yourself. That is not what renewing the mind means. It isn’t a synonym for “works of the flesh.” Instead, the work you do is to simply think the thoughts of who you are in Christ. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17 RSV) This is your part to do, and God does the rest. He changes you into the image of Christ in manifestation in your life. And where is the boasting? Can you boast in yourself because you did such a great job changing yourself? No, our boasting is in God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

God has covered us completely and utterly by the love he manifested in sending his only begotten Son into the world to save us from our sins. This is grace. Praise God! Thank God for Jesus Christ!

For more inspiring articles on your New Life in Christ go to The Grace of Christ Ministries web site at www.tgocm.org