Only Two Choices!

Many times in life there are, what we call, "both/and" choices. However, in matters pertaining to the spiritual life there really is only an "either/or" before us. That is to say either we will be conformed to the image of Christ or we will be conformed to the pattern and image of the world. There is no middle ground. St. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, mentions both of these conformings. The first one is in Romans 8, where he writes, "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren", (vs.29) and the other is in Romans 12, where he writes, "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect", (vs.2). There are two molds in life, the mold that forms us into the image of God's Son, who is the Christ, or the mold that forms us into the image of the world, with its, "lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life" (1st John 2:16). The mold that is easiest to be conformed into is that of the world. To be conformed into pattern of the world takes NO EFFORT. All one has to do is wake up and live naturally. Conforming into the pattern and shape of the world requires no habits, no discipline, and no struggle. Conformity to Christ is hard and takes effort. It requires discipline and struggle. Our Lord says, "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few" (Matt. 7:13-14). Conformity to the world is the wide road; conformity to the image of God's Son, our Lord, is the narrow road. This is why Paul is constantly exhorting the Church, challenging the Church, and commanding the Church to put to death the deeds of the flesh, pray without ceasing, think about the things that are above and not below, not to be presumptuous in their standing before God, because these things do not come naturally to us. You typically order commands to someone who will not naturally do something. A parent commands their child, because if a child is left to their own devices they will not take proper care of themselves. Human beings will always choose what they think is good for them. Sadly, because of sin, in choosing what they think is good for them, they often choose the bad. Without Divine Grace in Christ and by the Spirit and the authority of the Church we too would always choose the bad for ourselves. As the Proverb says, "There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death" (14:12). If left to our own devices we would be conformed to the pattern of the world. Thanks be to God that His grace is offered to us and given to us through His Church in the power of the Spirit in the name of Christ that we might, more and more, put to death the deeds of the flesh and become more and more like our Lord, who is God's Son. Amen.