Hello all. I got back from China last week. It was such an awesome trip, and it made me think a lot about who I am, where I’m going, and what I’m doing. Much of this information is too personal to be up here, so I wrote an e-mail out to some folks. If you want this e-mail, I would say that your desire would reflect the depth of our relationship, so just give me an e-mail saying so and I’ll forward my e-mail to you, too.

Anyway I had an e-mail exchange the other day that brought up a very interesting topic. It was so interesting, in fact, that I thought I would talk about it here. The issue! Christians aren’t supposed to conform to the patterns of this world. That’s one team. Then Paul says that he seeks to become all things to all people. Well well, Sir Paul of Tarsus, isn’t that conforming? Let’s do some good old Bible-opening.

These are the two apparently contrasting passages.

“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.”
Romans 12:2

“To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.”
1 Corinthians 9:22

So obviously we aren’t supposed to conform. And obviously we are supposed to conform, because Paul talks positively about it. Therefore, it makes the most sense that sometimes it is good to conform, and sometimes it is bad. Then where is the line? Let’s look at the Romans 12 context.

“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.”
Romans 12:1-2

Paul says to present ourselves as living sacrifices. So the reason why we don’t conform is to be holy and acceptable living sacrifices. Or another way to put it, the reason why we don’t conform is to properly worship. When we conform, we love other things more than God. We conform for the sake of the world. Now let’s look at the 1 Corinthians 9 context. Paul is talking about his efforts to preach the gospel.

“For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”
1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Paul strives to conform in so many ways, and his reason is v23. He does it all “for the sake of the gospel.”  So the reason why we would conform would be to promote the gospel.

The first type of conforming is for the sake of the world, and the second type of conforming is for the sake of the gospel. Therefore, it’s not about how one conforms or to what extent one conforms but about the motives behind the conforming. It’s about the heart.

Take starting a rock band. What is the motive behind it? Is it the same motive as those in people around you? To get sex, drugs, and alcohol? To get fame and honor? That’s conforming for the world’s sake. Or is it to penetrate the rock culture with the gospel? Is it becoming the rocker to the rocker, so that you may save some? That’s conforming for the gospel’s sake. That’s proper spiritual worship.

So it all comes down to what your heart wants. If your heart wants to worship God, you will naturally conform in order to promote God. If your heart wants to worship the things of this world, you will naturally conform in order to promote the things of this world. Conforming is almost inevitable (However, in the circumstance of an apathetic person lacking worship for both God and the things of this world, perhaps there will be little or no conforming) and therefore not the issue. The issue is the heart. And ultimately, worshiping God is the right motive of the heart, because it has the greatest reward. “I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” There are blessings involved, meaning there is joy in this path that cannot be found in any other path. Thus this is the path worth taking.

– Larry