Romans 12:2
Romans 12:2 tells believers not to be shaped by the pattern of this world, but to be changed from the inside by having their minds renewed. The result, Paul says, is that they can prove what God's will is: good, acceptable and perfect.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:2 · KJV
Romans 12:2 in context
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 what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
3For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
4For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
5So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Romans 12:1-5, King James Version. Read the whole chapter →
What Romans 12:2 means
The verse has two commands and one purpose. The first command is negative: be not conformed to this world. To be conformed is to be pressed into a mould, to take the shape of the age you live in. The second is positive: be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. The change Paul describes starts with how a person thinks.
The word 'transformed' translates the same Greek word used for Jesus being transfigured on the mountain (Matthew 17:2). It points to a change that shows outwardly because something has changed within. Paul uses it again in 2 Corinthians 3:18, where believers are changed into the image of the Lord.
The purpose is that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 'Prove' here means to test and discover by experience. A renewed mind is able to recognise God's will and approve of it.
Verse 2 goes with verse 1. Paul first urges believers to present their bodies a living sacrifice, then tells them how that life is lived: not copying the world, but being renewed in mind. Christians have long read the two verses as a summary of how faith turns into daily life.
Background and context
Romans opens with Paul's name, and Romans 16:22 says a man named Tertius wrote the letter down for him. It is usually dated to about AD 57, written to believers in Rome before Paul had visited them.
Chapters 1-11 explain the gospel: sin, faith, grace, and God's plan for Jews and Gentiles. Chapter 12 opens with 'therefore' and turns to how to live in light of all that. The rest of the chapter covers humility, spiritual gifts, sincere love and overcoming evil with good.
Key verses
I 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.
Romans 12:1 · KJV
Cross references
- Romans 12:1 The verse just before: present your bodies a living sacrifice.I 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.
- Ephesians 4:22-24 Put off the old man, be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man.That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
- 2 Corinthians 3:18 Believers are changed into the same image from glory to glory.But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
- 1 John 2:15-17 Love not the world; the world passes away, but whoever does the will of God abides for ever.Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
- Philippians 4:8 Paul's list of things worth thinking on.Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
How well do you know Romans 12:2?
6 questions, every answer checked against the King James text. Play it here, then try a full book quiz.
Want more? Play the full Romans Bible quiz.
Common questions
What does Romans 12:2 mean?
It means a believer should not simply copy the values of the surrounding world, but let God change their thinking. A renewed mind is then able to test and recognise God's good will.
Who wrote Romans 12:2?
The apostle Paul. He names himself in the first verse, and a helper named Tertius wrote the letter down (Romans 16:22).
What does 'renewing of your mind' mean?
It means having your thinking made new, so that what you value and how you judge things change. Ephesians 4:23 uses a similar phrase: be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
What does 'conformed to this world' mean?
To be conformed is to be shaped from the outside, taking on the pattern of the present age. Paul tells believers not to let the world set their shape.
How do Romans 12:1 and 12:2 fit together?
Verse 1 asks believers to give their whole lives to God as a living sacrifice. Verse 2 explains how that looks day to day: refusing the world's mould and being renewed in mind.
100 Roots in Scripture
Every verse in its own language, in its own place
The words conformed and transformed come from two different Greek roots, and 100 Roots in Scripture explains the original words behind verses like this one.
See the book →