The Transformative Nature

While thinking on the topic of Christianity, and what it means, I have been pondering the slipping of the emphasis on the transformative aspect of Christianity.

Romans 12:1-21 MKJV
(1) I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.
(2) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God.
(3) For I say, through the grace given to me, to every one who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think. But set your mind to be right-minded, even as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.
(4) For even as we have many members in one body, and all members do not have the same function,
(5) so we the many are one body in Christ, and each one members of one another.
(6) Then having gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, if prophecy, according to the proportion of faith;
(7) or ministry, in the ministry; or he who teaches, in the teaching;
(8) or he who exhorts, in the encouragement; or he who shares, in simplicity; or he who takes the lead, in diligence; or he who shows mercy, in cheerfulness.
(9) Let love be without hypocrisy, shrinking from evil, cleaving to good;
(10) in brotherly love to one another, loving fervently, having led one another in honor.
(11) As to diligence, not slothful, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
(12) rejoicing in hope, patient in affliction, steadfastly continuing in prayer,
(13) distributing to the needs of the saints, pursuing hospitality.
(14) Bless those who persecute you; bless, and do not curse.
(15) Rejoice with rejoicing ones, and weep with weeping ones;
(16) minding the same thing toward one another, not minding high things, but yielding to the lowly. Do not be wise within yourselves.
(17) Repay no one evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
(18) If it is possible, as far as is in you, being in peace with all men.
(19) not avenging yourselves, beloved, but giving place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord."
(20) Therefore if your enemy hungers, feed him. If he thirsts, give him drink. For in so doing you shall heap coals of fire on his head.
(21) Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

While I do not advocate in any way the legalistic approach and the dogmatic views that ruled much of the church for so long, I also think that we need to keep in mind that we are talking about a faith that should and must change a life. It is a thing that requires transformation to be fully realized.

Reading Romans 12:1 emphasizes this to me in a few ways. On our own, the actions listed in this passage are not always natural, they require a transformation of our mind and our will. These are not listed as a series of commands, rather as an example of ways in which the change brought about by our faith will be evident in our lives.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God.

As you may be able to guess from my earlier writings, I am looking at all of these listed actions and attributes and seeing one common theme. Love drives all of them. Without love, will you feed and cloth your enemy? What kind of love drives one to do that? It is not natural by any means. What kind of love makes a person willing to bless those that persecute them? The answer is vs. 9 and 10, it is a fervent love that is without hypocrisy. There is no free pass here - we are talking about a life altering love for our God that is the foundation of the Christian faith and if it is real, it will produce change in your life. In fact, it must produce change and that must not be overlooked. Here we teeter on the slippery slope of legalism if we look for an easy way out. It is far easier to legislate a list of rules and behaviors and then simply try to stick to those actions then it is to freely commit oneself to loving God wholly and completely and through that love seeking continuously to be transformed and renewed.

A relationship, well cared for, is no small endeavor and in our world, we seem to find it easier to look for the 10 step quick fix rather than acknowledge the journey that is our faith.