The World (1)
A Sermon on Romans 12:1-2
Originally preached Nov. 12, 1965
Scripture
1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove …
Sermon Description
When the church becomes like the world, the gospel message is eclipsed. Today it seems the church is often bending to the desires and the thoughts of the world. Who determines morality? What is right? Some church leaders argue that the message must change or else become irrelevant. In this sermon on Romans 12:1–2 titled “The World (1),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones argues that this very thinking is conforming to the world. The world, according to the Bible, thinks of, organizes itself, and lives life apart from God. Fallen humanity is corrupt in their very thinking. They do not know God. They do not understand the depth of the human problem and their proposed solutions lack the answer. Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that Christians are not to conform to the world. The understanding of morality comes from the word of God and nothing else. Christians are a distinct people who have a new mind and have become enlightened to the will of God. The great tragedy today is not that the devil is controlling the world but that Christians are looking to the world for answers. That theology is conforming to the ideas and expectations of sinful humanity. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains in this sermon that this admonition is as much needed today as it ever was: be not conformed to the world.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul exhorts Christians not to conform to the world in Romans 12:2.
- Conforming to the world means allowing your thinking and behavior to be determined by the ungodly world system under the control of Satan.
- There is a danger of going to extremes in interpreting this exhortation - either being too narrow or conforming too much to the world. The balanced biblical view is needed.
- We must not conform to the world in our thinking - in theology, evangelism, or morals.
- Much popular theology today conforms to the world by changing doctrine to suit modern secular thinking. This is wrong.
- An evangelism that changes the message or methods to suit worldly preferences is conforming to the world. The message and methods should be determined by God's truth, not worldly opinions.
- The "new morality" that determines right and wrong based on majority opinion is conforming to the world. God's revealed will should determine morals, not changing human opinions.
- The church must not change moral standards to suit declining worldly morals and lifestyles. This is conforming to the world. God's standards are unchanging.
- While being open to new knowledge, we cannot determine truth based on worldly thinking. We must rely on God's revelation alone.
- We are not advocating obscurantism or ignoring worldly changes. But we recognize the world is under Satan's control, so we cannot rely on its thinking. We rely on God's truth.
Sermon Q&A
What Does Romans 12:2 Teach About Not Being Conformed to This World?
What does the Bible mean by "the world" in Romans 12:2?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, "the world" in Romans 12:2 refers to "life as it is thought of, organized and lived apart from God." It is an outlook and organized view of life that exists without reckoning with God and without being governed by Him. It is not referring to the physical universe but rather to a way of thinking and living that is controlled by the devil as a result of the fall. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains, "You can define it as life and activity controlled by the devil as the result of the fall," citing 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 where Satan is called "the god of this world."
How is the term "world" related to the term "flesh" in biblical teaching?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that the term "flesh" is virtually synonymous with the term "world" in biblical usage, especially in the Pauline epistles. He references Romans 8, where Paul contrasts walking "after the flesh" with walking "after the Spirit." The world represents those who walk "after the flesh," while believers are called to walk "after the Spirit." As he states, "The term flesh, as used especially in the New Testament and especially in these Pauline epistles, is a word that is virtually synonymous with the word world."
What are common misunderstandings about what it means to be "worldly"?
Many Christians mistakenly confine worldliness to narrow limits, believing it only relates to: 1. Participating in certain "worldly pleasures" like going to theaters or pubs 2. Having certain possessions (like television sets) 3. Loving or possessing money
Dr. Lloyd-Jones warns that this is too limited a view: "All I'm saying at the moment is that things like that, of course, are included. But you mustn't confine worldliness to that." It's a much more comprehensive term that encompasses one's entire thinking and lifestyle, not just external behaviors.
How is modern theology often guilty of conforming to the world?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, modern theology often conforms to the world by making the "modern man" the standard for what should be believed and taught. He criticizes theologians who say "it is no use telling the modern man" certain biblical truths, explaining that this approach has "already put himself out of true Christian theology."
These theologians begin by analyzing what modern people will accept, then shape their theology accordingly—removing supernatural elements, miracles, and anything that might be difficult for contemporary audiences to accept. Dr. Lloyd-Jones states: "The moment you allow the world, the man without the Spirit, the man without Christ, the moment you set him up as a standard and ask the question, 'Now, what does he like? What does he want?' I say you've already violated this principle."
How does modern evangelism sometimes conform to the world?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that evangelism conforms to the world when it's guided by what "modern man" prefers rather than biblical principles. Examples include:
- Replacing preaching with films because "modern man no longer likes preaching"
- Making everything "bright and breezy" because the world doesn't like solemnity
- Focusing on entertainment elements because that's what draws crowds
He states: "If you are governed in your thinking and in your practice by what the world thinks and says and wants, and not by the truth itself as revealed, you are conforming to this world."
How does the "new morality" represent conformity to the world?
The "new morality" represents conformity to the world because it allows majority opinion to determine moral standards rather than God's revealed will. Dr. Lloyd-Jones cites examples like churches reconsidering whether premarital relationships are sinful "in view of the facts of present life" and lawmakers changing legislation based on popular opinion rather than moral absolutes.
He argues that this approach is fundamentally flawed because "Man is fallen. Man is perverted. Man is not capable of judging in a true way. He's unreliable." Therefore, "Popular opinion is not the determining factor."
The Book of Romans
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.