Notice the great contradiction in this text. We may follow the world’s “patterns” – or behavior, standards, and customs. Or we can follow God’s will. And the way to do this is to be transformed by the renewing of our minds in Christ so that we can see how to live according to God’s will.
Our world is influenced by evil forces, led by Satan, the prince of darkness. The patterns, behavior, standards, and customs of this world promote selfishness, pride, abuse of power, and contempt for others. We see it every day in the media. And it can be hard to resist, especially when it seems normal.
God wants to protect us from destructive thoughts and patterns. Every person empowered by the Holy Spirit needs to seek God to be transformed.
The Apostle Paul writes, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This is a good summary of the Christian’s lifelong calling. It describes how to be like the Savior. We need to give up our old, bad thoughts and embrace new, holy thoughts. We can leave behind the desires of the world and understand the love of God. We can cast off self-promoting rituals and embrace the self-sacrificing love of Christ.
We need to resist and reject the customs and patterns of the sinful world. Our mind needs to understand what God’s true will is and live according to it.
