When we give ourselves to Christ we are reborn. This rebirth has ramifications that should not be overlooked. Among the effects of our new life in Christ is the dramatic renewal that occurs in our minds. What occurs to cause our mind's renewal is the application of the Holy Spirit into our selves, like the hot knife of God's Word as it is plunged into the soft butter of our lives.
The issue inherent to the renewal of our minds is the conflict that arises when we find that our minds are not renewed naturally or passively. This is the purpose of this discourse: to address how active the believer must be for the mind to be renewed. Ultimately, the Holy Spirit is what renews the mind, but believers do play an active part in renewing the mind.
In Philippians 2, Paul speaks of the pursuit of righteousness in terms of salvation. A part of this dialogue is the aim for having a mind in-line with the mind of Christ. The idea that our minds are to be aligned with the mind of Christ has implications of study, Bible study. This is the first step of renewing the mind. An essential distinction in the renewing of our minds is the assertion of what we are renewing our mind to.
A steady diet of Bible study, particularly the gospels and Paul's letters, gives the necessary information of which we are to strive towards. John, in the first chapter of his gospel, puts it very plainly that Christ is the Word and vice versa. Therefore, if we our minds are to be renewed in alignment with the mind of Christ, we must know the Word.
In Romans 12:2, Paul speaks directly to the renewing of our minds, so that we will be equipped and able to discern the holy and pleasing will of God. There is an activeness to this renewal; it is not a passive acquiring. We are to be aggressively engaged in the renewal of our mind. It is an intentional process of renewal.
We need to be active in assessing how are minds are aligned to the mind of Christ; where we are close and where we are missing the point entirely. Understanding the difference between our mind and the mind of Christ is an essential component to this process. The contrast between an earthly mind and a spiritual mind is the essential distinction.
In Colossians 3, Paul more directly calls believers to the task of setting their minds on the things of Christ. In this, Paul determines the two opposing forces that are battling for the supremacy of our mind: (1) the flesh and its earthly desires, and (2) the Spirit and its godly desires. Again, in Paul's letter to Timothy, Paul states that those who walk in their earthly lives and that set their mind's on fleshly desires are futile in their minds (1 Tim. 4:15).
In essence, if we are not actively setting our minds on the things of God then we are settling for the things of the flesh. There is no middle ground. Either we are for God or against Him, especially in our minds. Our minds are the instrument that guides our decisions, directs our actions, and develops our opinions. If our minds are continually on the flesh, we will be utterly unable to desire the things of God (Rom 8:7-8). We must set our minds on Christ and the things of Christ. Only when we commit to this will we be fully equipped to fulfill His will in our lives.
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