Page 108 - GRACE

Expressions of Grace

give offerings, they read the Bible; yet, their lives are
shaped by the world. In a text of Scripture earlier referred
to, 1 John 2:15-17, it warns,

“Do not love the world or the things in the world.
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is
not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust
of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And
the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he
who does the will of God abides forever.”

Conformity to the world is not good for a Christian. If
there would be conformity it should be to the person of
Christ; to His image, to His death, to His resurrection, and
to His glorious body (Philippians 3:9-11, 20-21).

ii. Change by self (Greek – Metaschematizo, which is ‘to
transform’ - to be changed or appear differently). This
type of transformation is dangerous because it does
not originate from God. It is self-motivated, self-
generated, and has the intention to deceive the
observers. It is change, but it is rooted in self-effort. In
fact, it is rooted in an effort to generate a public
perception that is different from the real thing, the
true nature of the man within. This form of change is
the root of hypocrisy, where you want the public to
believe a thing, even when the person knows that the
real thing is different from the public perception.

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