Romans 12:2 (NLT) “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect”.
   
    Many Christians, especially those new to the faith, are appalled at the contradiction that exists between their expectations after becoming born again and their daily experiences. They have interpreted the new creation reality claims of 2Cor 5:17, literally, and rightly so. What then, they wonder, is the reason for the disparity between the new life they have received from God and the inconsistent experiences of defeat they face in daily life.
    This puzzling contradiction has led some in this category of Christians to give up. They fail to see how one can be born again and yet defeated. Therefore, they conclude, though, at times, not without a fight, that the new creation claims are a hoax. This wrong philosopy leads to resignation to a life of inconsistency and failure. Thank God that He has not left us without the revelation of the reason for such a phenomenon and how to remedy it. Let us now use Romans 12:2(NLT) as our main text for analysis.
    “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, …”. The first thing we need to remember as we read this command is that the book of Romans was written to Christians. This implies that it is possible for people who have accepted Jesus into their hearts to imitate the world (sinners ). Being in Christ does not automatically immunize a person from being capable of living like the world does. It is a misconception to think that when one becomes a Christian the stirrings of temptation within him or her cease (1Cor 10:13). On the contrary, the awareness of temptation heightens because the once dead human spirit has not only been made alive, but also joined to the HolySpirit (Eph 2:1,2) (6:17).
    Another important thing to note about the command above is that, though it is possible for a Christian to conform to this world, he or she does not have to, and therefore should not. God will never require of us something He has not made provision for us to be able to do. However, we need to carefully investigate what avenue He has created to enable us obey His word. From the  scripture under consideration, it is evident that the core values of the world defer from God’s. Otherwise God would not command us not to copy the behavior and customs of this world. Let’s look at the cause of the inconsistency between the expectation and experience of many Christians refered to  earlier.
    Every christian should realize and never forget that he or she is a tripartite being, which comprises: spirit, soul and body (1Th 5:23). These three elements of the human makeup are distinct from one another, yet  interrelated. The order in which they appear above, corresponds to the relative position of ascendancy God originally assigned to each of them—the spirit should have dominion over the soul which, in turn, should control the body.
    The spirit, which is the first of the three, is the aspect of the human makeup that has the capacity to commune with God directly. God is a Spirit and can only be effectively worshipped in spirit (Jn 4:24). The human spirit is the part of mankind that died when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit (Gen 2:16,17). It is also the part that is reborn when a person receives Jesus into his or her life. Therefore, the human spirit (if born again) is what 2Corinthians 5:17 refers to as a new creature in Christ Jesus. This experience is never progressive, but instantaneous. Hence, a man or woman can never be born again by a gradual process.
    Next to the human spirit is the soul. This part of man consists of the mind, emotion and will. It is the seat of the personality. The soul plays an intermediary role between the spirit and the body of man. It is also the channel by which the life, light and movements of the human spirit are expressed. This implies that God speaks to your spirit which, in turn, transmits the message to your soul.
    In as much as the human soul occupies an integral place in the human makeup, its God-given position is subordinate to the human spirit. God never intended the soul of man to assume superiority over his spirit. However, when man sinned and his spirit died as a result, the soul took over the reins and began to dictate man’s actions. There was dissonance in mankind’s constitution resulting in a steady departure from God’s order and decline into darkness and chaos. This is why the Bible says, “for all have sinned and FALL SHORT of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23), (emphasis mine).
    Problems arise for Christians if they equate their spirits with their souls and, therefore, fail to differentiate what happened to their spirits at new birth from  what should happen to their souls, as a result. When a person becomes born again, his or her spirit is made new instantaneously—old things have passed away, he or she is a new creature in Christ. That, however, is not the case of the soul. The soul, which comprises the mind, emotion and will, does not undergo an instantaneous transformation when one becomes born again. In other words, it does not instantly become a new creature—with old things passed away. This is responsible for the negative thoughts, feelings and choices some Christians make. There is a carry-over of the soulish attitudes and tendencies of the world into their new position in Christ.
    So, while the spirit is born anew and rejoices in doing God’s will, the soul retains most of its old habits. Therefore, the Christian finds that he struggles at times to do what is right in God’s sight and that if he lets his guard down, he suffers a painful defeat. It does not mean the person in question did not truly receive Jesus into his or her heart but that his soul still attempts to assert its self, thereby rebelling against the spirit. This conflict is the main emphasis of Romans Chapter 7. You would do well to read it carefully.
    The second part of our main Biblical text proffers the solution to this problem as follows: “…let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think….”(Rom 12:2b). This verse makes it clear that a Christian assumes a new personality progressively, to the degree to which he or she lets God transform him or her. The way that is done is by renewing the mind—changing the way you think. This is the process by which the soul is restored to its original position under the spirit. The Psalmist puts it this way:” The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake” (Ps 23:1-3).
    As we let the LORD make us lie down in the green pastures of His word and also drink from the still waters of His word, the result will be the restoration of our souls and the full and effective expression of the life of God in our spirits. Then our bodies which are the last of the tripartite makeup of mankind will have to obey our spirits through our souls. The joy of this experience  is indescribable, as the last part of our main text says, “… Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Rom 12:2NLT ). Shalom.