This narrow way

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2.

World is also, and probably more accurately, translated “age” as in the beliefs and values of any current time. Paul is warning the church in Rome to not be conformed to the spirit of the age, but the warning is as much for us today as it was in Rome. The spirit of this age has infected every facet of our culture and our society. Starting with the number one method used to conform us to the spirit of the age, the education system.

This week Project Veritas released video taken at the EdCamp teacher conference in Long Island, New York. The entire video is 6 minutes and worth watching, but just a couple of screenshots.

She wants to be insidious, just not use the word insidious. Another teacher says that the earlier the kids can be brainwashed, the better it is for the middle school and high school indoctrinators to finish the job.

But it isn’t just education. Media, movies, television, and advertising are no better when it comes to conforming us to the spirit of the age. Nearly every movie and television show has at least one homosexual, and now transgender, character, something that used to be shocking. Not any more, now it’s just…meh, OK, no big deal. I was a regular viewer of Law and Order SVU until a few seasons ago when nearly every episode started having some kind of LGBTQRSTUV theme to it. Remember the first time you saw Caitlyn Jenner on television? Now men pretending to be women and women pretending to be men are so common the reaction is a yawn. Ads for dating services routinely show same sex couples. All these things are aimed at desensitizing us and conforming us to the spirit of the age.  

Another tool used to conform us to this age has been the elimination of any kind of personal responsibility. You’re oppressed, you’re a victim, it’s not your fault. It’s systemic racism or the patriarchy that’s responsible for your situation. Not you. It’s the man keeping you down, don’t you know. Come on and join our subgroup and demographic and we’ll march on something or other. Or it’s a disease, which the good folks at Pfizer just happen to have a pill for. Just take one every day for the rest of your life and you’re all set.

But Paul tells us not to be conformed but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. What does renewed mind look like?

“…and that you be renewed in the spirit of the mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” Ephesians 4:23, 24.

The renewed mind is the mind that is “taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5. The renewed mind is the mind set on the Spirit.

“For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:6.

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8,9.

There’s only one way to get this renewed mind. The Word of God.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV).