Going Against the Grain

Living out the exhortation in Romans 12:2

Photo by Noah Silliman on Unsplash

In Romans, the Apostle Paul gives 11 chapters of pure, theological gold. From the doctrine of justification by faith alone to the doctrine of election, Paul touches on so many different facets of doctrine that make the first 11 chapters a masterpiece.

Then he gives an imperative to begin Romans 12. Essentially he is saying, “In light of what I just said, now do (or don’t do) X, Y, and Z.”And none greater than his exhortation at the beginning of Romans 12:2, which states, “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.”

Paul is encouraging us to go against the grain of the culture, to not follow the patterns of this world, to not fit in with society. Indeed, we must be outcasts as Christians. We are the anomalies; we are the sojourners; we are the weird ones.

His exhortation to not conform to this world doesn’t mean we are to be legalists. It means, among other things, that we should not behave, speak, and think like the world. Our lives should be markedly and obviously different from the rest of the culture. There ought to be a noticeable difference between a Christian and non-Christian.

This exhortation might be the hardest thing about living as Christians. Though indwelt by the Holy Spirit who sanctifies us, it’s far too easy to go with the flow of the world. It’s far too natural for us to abandon, even momentarily, the will of God for the will of the world.

This means we cannot adopt the world’s priorities or desires or infatuations. Can we enjoy things like movies and TV shows and things of that nature? Yes; there’s freedom in Christ. But we need to be intentional about what we watch, listen to, and consume. the more we consume things that the world offers, the easier it’ll be to behave like the world.

But to be a Christian is to go against the grain. We live each day called by God to make glorifying Him the top priority, not glorifying self or the culture. Above all else, we must please the Lord. It’s imperative for us to live counter-cultural lives, out of step with society. The world will label us as “odd”—let them. Society will say we’re bigoted—let them. People around us will say we’re prudes or don’t want to have fun—let them.

Our priority, our strategy, our goal is to please God in how we behave, speak, and think. Perhaps there’s something in your life that causes you to stumble, that influences you to behave, speak, and think like the world. If there is, let it go.

For example, I used to cuss like a sailor before the Lord saved me. Four-letter words were my vocabulary. However, when I became a Christian, I realized that I couldn’t speak like that, so I stopped listening to profane music and made the unpopular and difficult decision to disassociate with a few people for the time being. I had to do what was necessary for my new walk with the Lord.

Are you in a similar simulation? Do you have people around you who perhaps will cause you to stumble or do you find yourself consuming any media that warps your mind and causes you to behave like the world? Let it go. We all have something. We simply have to be intentional about not conforming to this world; we have to renew our minds.

RC Sproul once wrote,

A renewed mind results from diligently pursuing the knowledge of God.

We need to renew our minds daily because the world never ceases to inundate us with things that are opposed to God. It takes an active pursuit of God’s glory to wake up each day, renew our minds in His Word, and not be conformed to the world. We’re not going to be perfect—that’s why Jesus lived a perfect life and died for our sins.

But as Christians we should want to please our Father in all areas of life, and that means we need to stick out like a sore thumb. Don’t be ashamed for following Scripture when the world says not to.

Go against the grain. It might hurt at times, but it’s worth it.