At this time of the year in the northern U.S. and southern Canada, the monarch catepillar is starting to eat voraciously in preparation for the next stage of its life. You can easily find them on the leaves of milk weed, perhaps its favorite source of food. Presently, it will retreat into the darkess of a chrysalis, with which it enshrouds itself. When it emerges as a brilliant butterfly, we say that a metamorphosis has taken place. The apostle Paul chooses this same word in an interesting verse in his letter to the Romans. He writes: Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2.) In this post we’ll look at the difference between these two terms and see exactly what has occurred.
What is conformation?
In this verse Paul contrasts the verb “conform” to the past participle “transformed.” Clearly there is a difference in these terms, at least that we are to be one and not to be the other. The word in Greek for “conformed” is syschēmatizesthe is described by Kenneth Wuest as “the act of an individual assuming an outward expression that does not come from within him, nor is it representative of his inner heart life.” Look at the partial picture of the seven cheerleaders in the photo.
Cheerleaders Sitting on Bench
They’ve all been told to “put their game face on” when in uniform, but while some of them are likely happy, some may not be at the moment the photo was snapped. One girl may have failed a chemistry exam that day, or another may have a very sick grandparent, or an unhappy relationship with a parent or a boyfriend. One may have the beginning of a drug or alcohol problem. But they all dress alike, that is they conform to the expectations of the squad, and they likely smile even though their heart may be breaking. The construction of the sentence in verse 2 indicates that the act of conforming is already occurring and it must stop. It must stop. If not, then we’re being polluted and subsumed by our culture and other ungodly activities and biases.
What is transformation?
The word “transformed” on the other hand (metamorphousthe) is what we get our word metamorphosis from. This is the same word used in Matthew 17:2 where it is translated as “transfigured.” It means literally to change (morph) into another form and the difference can be as striking as a caterpillar turning into a butterfly.
Who would guess that this same insect has different stages in its life that makes it appear so dissimilar? And yet, the changes are stark and irreversible . . . absolute.
Read what happens to a monarch caterpillar once its chrysalis has formed:
What a caterpillar is doing, in its self–imposed quarantine, is basically digesting itself. It is using enzymes to reduce its body to goo, turning itself into a soup of ex-caterpillar — a nearly formless sludge oozing around a couple of leftover essential organs (tracheal tubes, gut). Only after this near-total self-annihilation can the new growth begin.”
A composite of five different views of a monarch emerging from its chrysalis. It shows the emerging monarch from the first opening of the chrysalis to the final unfolding and drying of its wings. The butterfly starts its emergence upside down and has to grab the chrysalis tightly with its legs and right itself.
Photo credit: Thinkstock.
From this ooze emerges the antennae, eyes, wings and so on of the butterfly. All of this is dictated by genetics and occurs in a precise sequence.
The transformation of an ordinary man or woman into a spiritual creature is fortunately not nearly as gruesome as the change into a butterfly, but it is astonishing nonetheless. In this instance, it occurs not by genetics, but under the auspices of the Holy Spirit of God. And, just as a butterfly no longer behaves as a caterpillar, Christians should no longer behave like ordinary, untransformed people.
W.E. Vine says “the obligation being to undergo a complete change which, under the power of God, will find expression in character and conduct.” Martin Luther explains that Paul is
speaking of those people who already have begun to be Christians. Their life is not a static thing, but in movement from good to better, just as a sick man proceeds from sickness to health, as the Lord also indicates in the case of the half-dead man who was taken into the care of the Samaritan.”
The play in the words is between outward and inward.
I grew up on a farm and we’d whitewash the walls of the barn periodically. Whitewash is basically a cheap mixture of lime and chalk (from which it gets its color.) Whitewashing a dirty barn creates the superficial illusion of cleanliness, but it is in fact as filthy as ever, because there is no prep involved and the wood is often rough hewn boards with splinters. If you closely examine the interior walls of a whitewashed stable, you may note dead flies, pieces of cob webs, and dirt embedded in the coating. From a distance, it looks good, but . . .
Some people are experts when it comes to conformity. They hide their true personalities and dangerous obsessions beneath a uniform or while occupying a position that is intended to create trust. We’ve all heard more stories than we’d like to about monks, school teachers, youth leaders and others who preyed on their acolytes, pupils, or charges because conformity is many times not enough to quench the perverted impulses that arise froom the old nature. There is a saying in Texas that you can put earrings on a hog, but you can’t hide the fact that the hog is still ugly. Most of us are generally successful in terms of conformity. We can follow the rules that a landlord has when we rent an apartment or we can conform to the work ethic or culture at our place of employment, or we can act Christian while attending church functions. But that is not what God wants of us. Nor do we have the power to transform ourselves any more than we can reform ourselves. This transformation that Paul speaks of comes though the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Our responsibility is to yield to the Holy Spirit and not to grieve it (Ephesians 4:30. The word “grieve” will be the subject of another word study in the future.)
The word for “world” here (aioni) is described by Vine as “. . . not so much that of the actual length of a period, but that of a period marked by spiritual or moral characteristics.” Trench defines it as “All that floating mass of thoughts, opinion, maxims, speculations, hopes impulses, aims, aspirations at any time current in the world.” So, when Paul speaks of “world” in this instance he is not speaking of the planet Earth.
The word Paul uses as translated as “renewing” (anakainosei) refers to a process by which a Christian willingly adjusts to new the new realities of the spiritual dimension which is now an important part of his life. If you recall the previous word study on “natural man,” you’ll know that an unregenerate person has no true spiritual dimension in His life, because it has not been revealed to him as yet. So, conformity is all we can expect of him. However, once the Risen Christ reveals Himself to the natural man, then he should over time abandon any pretenses and prejudices in favor of where God’s Spirit leads him. Gradually his or her old nature will wither away as it is replaced by his new nature.
