Conforming

The Bible reveals that people can be conformed to many things and that each person WILL be conformed to something or someone, they will never be an exclusively free-agent, whether they think they are or not.

There is:

Conformity to the world.
Conformity to sin.
Conformity to the self-life, the flesh.
Conformity to demons.
Conformity to a religious leader.
Conformity to a group of religious leaders.
Conformity to a religious system, institution or movement.
Conformity to the OT ritual laws.
Conformity to certain principles.
Conformity to a certain way of thinking.
Conformity to a certain theology.
Conformity to a culture.
Conformity to tradition.
Conformity to fashion.
Conformity to an idol.
Conformity to the power of money or wealth.
Conformity to parents and family.
Conformity to one’s self-identity (apart from Christ).

And, finally…

…there is conformity to the Son of God – being recreated into His very image and likeness, and becoming like Him in every sphere of our being.

This begins when we conform to His words, His Truth and cleave to Him BY FAITH.

Note, that conformity to Christ is mutually exclusive to conformity to all the things on the list above. The true disciple always has to choose over being conformed to Jesus Christ or conformed to something or someone else.

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or suffer loss? Luke 9:23-25

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Rom. 8:29

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Rom. 12:1-2

But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Cor. 3:18

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 2 Cor. 4:6-7

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, who is the head, even Christ… Eph. 4:15

To which he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thess. 2:14

But whoever keeps his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: by this we know that we are in him. He that says he abides in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. 1 John 2:5-6

Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2