By Matt Haste

What do we believe?

We believe the Holy Spirit is the active agent in our sanctification and seeks to produce His fruit in us as our minds are renewed and we are conformed to the image of Christ.

Why do we believe this?

Romans 12:1-2 – I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 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.

Why does it matter?

Christianity is more than a set of doctrines to believe. It is a life to be lived for the glory of God. The Christian life is a process of being transformed from our old way of doing things to our new life patterned after Jesus. This process of transformation is called “sanctification” and today we will look at how it happens.

Romans 12:2 is an interesting command. “Be transformed.” In this verse, we are specifically told to do something but the action is given in the form of a passive verb. This means that we are not so much told to do something as we are told to receive something. Someone else is going to do the doing. Why is this significant?

The “someone else” implied in Romans 12:2 is the Holy Spirit. He is the active agent in our sanctification. He does the work of making us more like Jesus. So, spiritual growth is always a result of the work of God. However, Romans 12:2 is still a command. We are called to “be transformed” by presenting ourselves to God as a “living sacrifice” so that He can do the work of renewing our minds and transforming us to the image of His Son.

What do you think this looks like in your daily life?