“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.  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. (Romans 12:1–2, ESV)

In his book, Freedom for Ministry, Richard John Neuhaus reminds his readers of the importance of images or models for thinking – not just as an academic exercise, but as a part of our day-to-day struggle to find meaning and clarity: “Models are crucial to this struggle [to make sense of who we are and what we are doing] because, in a very down-to-earth manner, we all live from models. That is, none of us lives a life of raw facts. We live in a world of interpreted fact, and models are controlling concepts in that interpretation.” (p.38) 

In thinking about the “renewal of our minds” and models as “controlling concepts,” it is difficult (if not impbrain4ossible) to not think in terms of “worldviews,” an integral part of my education at Lincoln Christian College under Dr. James D. Strauss.  What is a worldview? It is a mental model of reality — a framework of ideas & attitudes about the world, ourselves, and life, providing a comprehensive system of beliefs. Thus, it is the dominant model for how one views the world in which we all live.  Everyone has a worldview (whether realized or not) and worldviews vary in significant ways.

In differentiating religious worldviews, Del Tackett, writing for Focus on the Family, demonstrates the variance as follows: “…a 2-year-old believes he’s the center of his world, a secular humanist believes that the material world is all that exists, and a Buddhist believes he can be liberated from suffering by self-purification. Someone with a biblical worldview believes his primary reason for existence is to love and serve God.” (http://www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/christian-worldview/whats-a-christian-worldview/whats-a-worldview-anyway)

So here is the question: To make sure that we are not conformed to this world in which we live, how does the Christian go about the task of being “transformed by the renewal of [our] mind”?

In the Old Testament we are provided the example of Ezra. We are told that Ezra was “a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the LORD, the God of Israel, had given” (Ezra 7:6, ESV).  What we are not told was just how Ezra came into the favor of King Artaxerxes. Because of their relationship, Ezra’s was granted permission to travel to Judea in order to enforce the law of God among the Jews of that area. His preparation for this service in God’s kingdom involved the renewal of his mind: “For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel” (7:10).  Three elements reveal the secret of his impact, beyond the obvious love he had for God’s Word and God’s people.  We are told that he had “devoted himself” to the “study” of God’s law, to its “observance,” and to “teaching” it. Study, obedience, and service!

In the New Testament there is the admonition that Paul gives to Timothy.  In the context of false teaching, where error is rampant, Paul exhorts young Timothy: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, ESV).  Paul sets before Timothy the goal of serving in such a way that he will gain God’s approval.  To accomplish this, Timothy is to handle correctly “the word of truth.”  Notice, also, that when he handles the word correctly he will have no need to be unashamed.  Once again, we see the need for study and obedience to the imperatives Paul has given, which results in service that is approved.

As a learned rabbi, Paul might have had the example of Ezra in mind, or possibly even Psalm 112:2: “Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them.”

Father, help us to have such a love for your Word that we find delight in our studies; help us to posture ourselves by obedience to know your will; and guide us as we seek to serve in ways that will gain your approval. Amen