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Being a True Sweet Savor to God
Sermonette by Bill OnisickThe renewing of our minds is a daily sacrifice in which carnality is continuously put to death, replaced by God's Spirit, yielding an aroma desired by God.
The Thinking Mind
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Martin G. CollinsThe Greek word *metamorphoo* (G3339), from which we derive the term metamorphosis, signifies a profound transformation, akin to a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. This word appears four times in the New Testament, illustrating a deep inner change. In Romans 12:2, it describes our transformation through the renewing of our minds, urging us to resist conformity to the world's patterns. In II Corinthians 3:18, it portrays our gradual transformation into the glorious likeness of Jesus Christ. Additionally, it is used twice in the Gospels to depict the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain, where He revealed His radiant glory to Peter, James, and John, shifting from earthly humility to divine splendor. This transformation, as emphasized in Romans 12, is a responsibility placed upon us to allow this change to occur through the study of God's life-giving Word, ensuring we do not remain molded by the world but grow increasingly like Him.
Teaching Us To Think (Part Three): Proving God's Will
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGod is actively involved in transforming His people, and a key aspect of this process is captured in the Greek word *metamorphoo* (G3339), which means to be changed or transformed. This term reflects a profound inner change, akin to a metamorphosis, where the essence of a person is altered to align with God's purpose. In the context of God's work, *metamorphoo* signifies the transformation He seeks in His chosen ones, reshaping their minds and characters to mirror the image of Jesus Christ. Through rigorous testing and proving on the proving grounds of human life, He ensures that each individual undergoes a deep, internal change, moving away from worldly conformity toward His holy and righteous character. This transformation is not superficial but a fundamental reorientation, enabling His people to think and react as He does, ultimately preparing them to rule with Him in His Kingdom.
Why the Transfiguration?
'Ready Answer' by Richard T. RitenbaughThe word "transfigured" in Matthew 17:2 is the passive form of the Greek word *metamorphoo* (G3339), which means "changed in form" or "transformed." This same term appears in Romans 12:2, urging a transformation through the renewing of the mind. In the account of the transfiguration, *metamorphoo* describes the vision where Jesus changed into the form He will possess in God's Kingdom, revealing a glimpse of His future glory to the three disciples. This transformation was a pivotal moment, intended to elevate the disciples' understanding of Jesus' supreme authority and importance above all others.
Consider the Butterfly
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe Greek term metamorphoo (G3339) describes the essential transformation required for human success within God's ordered creation. It appears in Romans 12:2, where believers are urged not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of the mind so they may prove the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God, and again in II Corinthians 3:18, where those who behold the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord. The process begins with repentance and baptism, which initiate a change of mind and heart toward God's standards, followed by the receipt of the Holy Spirit as the earnest of inheritance. This Spirit functions like the anlagen within the caterpillar, carrying the divine pattern rather than human nature and enabling the formation of a new creature even while the old self remains visible. The old destructive tendencies, likened to the voracious worm that devours its environment, must be put to death so the new nature grows, producing other-centered conduct that aligns with God's righteousness. Without this inward metamorphosis, mankind remains on a path of self-destruction, as evidenced by the works of the flesh and the threat of mutual consumption. The completed change, involving both character and eventual substance at the resurrection, allows inheritance of the Kingdom, where the transformed are like Christ and promote life rather than consume it. Thus metamorphoo connects diligence in observing creation's wisdom with the personal sacrifice needed to receive and yield to the Spirit, ensuring one is fashioned according to God's design rather than remaining a worm destined for death.
The Feast Brings Hope
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John O. ReidThe term metamorphoo (G3339) appears in the discussion of II Corinthians 3:18, where believers with unveiled faces behold the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord. The word is defined as formed or being transformed, denoting a change of place or condition and to form. It derives from metamorphous or metamorphosis and describes the miracle of Jesus' transfiguration on the mount, in which His earthly form was changed into a spiritual one. This usage indicates what the bodies of the righteous will become through resurrection, establishing it as fact rather than mere suggestion. The transformation constitutes an invisible process that occurs or begins in Christians during the present age. All are therefore being transformed and formed into new individuals whom God can employ. The process is a genuine metamorphosis that continues amid the pressures and personal problems of this life. God the Father carries out this formation because He called each person for this purpose and performs the work perfectly.
Dying—Once in a Lifetime (Part One)
'Ready Answer' by Charles WhitakerThe Greek verb metamorphoo, designated 3339, ranks among the six additional terms in the Scriptures that denote change. Its initial appearance occurs in Matthew 17:2, rendered as was transfigured. None of these six words, including metamorphoo, receives any linkage to biological death in the biblical record. This absence of association supplies further evidence that change from mortality to immortality remains semantically and logically separate from death, thereby supporting the broader point that the transformation described for believers need not involve or follow from biological dying.
Hope!
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John O. ReidThe Greek term metamorphoo (G3339) denotes being formed or transformed through a change of place or condition. It describes Jesus' own change from an earthly form into a supernatural one, establishing the precise pattern for what the bodies of the righteous will become through resurrection. Far more than a suggestion, this transformation is presented as a settled fact. The same process also refers to an invisible work already underway in Christians during their present lifetime, in which God forms them to become like Him. This ongoing formation supplies comfort amid pressures and trials, because it prepares those being changed for the very likeness and character required to fulfill their future roles as firstfruits who will serve, teach, and reign with Christ.