When studying soteriology, the doctrine of salvation, there are three aspects to salvation:
1. Saved from the past guilt of sin,
2. Saved from the present power of sin,
3. Saved from the future presence of sin.
In the Americanization of the gospel, greater emphasis is placed on #1 and #3 and less on #2. Yet #1 and #3 are provided by God. Jesus made this clear when He said: “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” (John 6:29)
Number 2 is our task. In past blogs, we have seen this as soul-salvation, the process of applying “the implanted Word” (Jas 1:10), “the Word of God” that is “sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb 4:12). This process involves changing our minds about ourselves and, in turn, changing our behavior in the light of God’s Word. (cf. Rom 6:1-23) Not just mouthing a verse we have memorized:
“Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Cor 5:17)
When our first child was born, I did not know I wasn’t supposed to go into the delivery room of that hospital. When no one was looking, I went in to pray over her. In soteriology, concentrating on salvations #1 and #3 and omitting #2 would be like leaving my child on the delivery table until I stand at her grave. This might seem excessively crude, but it is far more serious than crude. It is the foremost task of the Church: teaching believers so “that we may present every man complete in Christ.” Teaching how to put on the new man (cf. Eph 4:22; Col 3:8-17; 2 Pe 1:14). Notice that in Romans 6:23, Paul wrote regarding soul-salvation: “the wages of sin is death.” Compare the entire context.
The title of this blog is “Conform, Reform, Transform” to bring home what it means to be “complete in Christ.” In Rom 12:2, Paul wrote:
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
The term translated “conformed” is suschematizo – (sun, together with schema, pattern) Present Passive Imperative. To become like the world. The passive voice suggests that conforming to this world (aion, the characteristics of an age) requires no effort on our part. Society does a good job of producing the products of the culture in which we live. On the other hand, reformed does not define the process of soul-salvation because it is like putting new, clean clothes over dirty, soiled underwear.
Transformation (metamorphoo) refers to a complete change of our mind and behavior. We cannot change culture. As young people say today, “It is what it is.” We cannot mask old habits and attitudes with a smile. Transformation requires rethinking everything. Changing our minds and behavior requires time, effort, and study.