INTRODUCTION
However, Christianity is all about mind control, about the cultivation
of godly mental habits, about the renewal of the mind. After all,
as we've often heard said, it's the thoughts and ideas in our
head that rule us, that determine our actions—and for us, that
regulate our growth as Christians. And it is the bad habits of
the mind and the resultant worldly, carnal notions and false ideologies
which impede our spiritual progress, and which need to be overcome.
How well are we really serving God with our minds? Via the thoughts
and actions of our minds, are we overcoming more successfully,
and strengthening our faith, our hope, our vision—or in our minds
are we being overcome by the world? So let's examine the subject
of mind control, and consider the nature of the thinking that
indeed serves God and that which is resistant to His will.
THE RESISTANT MIND OF ISRAEL
The bad example of Israel emphasises for us that signs and great
wonders do not of themselves build obedience and faith.
The miracles of God notwithstanding, the Israelites in the wilderness,
especially when under duress, saw things in the perspective of
Egypt. The reactions of their minds were totally irrational, their
perspective blurred, their thinking processes contaminated by
their experience of Egypt. The memory of their terrible bondage,
from which they had only so recently been delivered, seems to
have been quickly pushed to the background of their thinking.
They yearned after the things of Egypt (Ex 16:3; Nu 11:5,18).
At times, they even considered their previous bondage preferable
to their struggle in the wilderness (Ex 14:12; Nu 11:18,20). At
one stage, they were ready to return to Egypt (Nu 14:3-4). Egypt
was never truly exorcised from their minds. They were always mindful
of it. The influence of Egypt still dominated their thinking—even
in the face of the mighty hand of God!
Ancient Israel is also a type of those unwilling to believe, of
those unresponsive to God, although they are witness to His works.
They too are depicted as having a mind that has been blinded—but
not by God:
In similar manner, the spiritual blindness of which the Bible
speaks is predominantly the blindness of those who refuse to see
when they are witnessed to by God. It is a hardening of the heart
in resistance to Him. Paul, depicting his ministry as a "setting
forth [of] the truth plainly"—that is, as a witness to all—puts
it like this:
Let us then contrast the unconverted mind that characterised the
thinking of Israel of old and which characterises the world around
us with the converted mind which the Israel of God is to be building.
GIRDING THE MIND
With the example of ancient Israel still in mind, let's note an
apostolic injunction for us today:
The apostle Paul, in the first few verses of 2Corinthians 10,
uses military metaphors, the language of war, to describe the
Christian's battle to overcome. Overcoming sin is a war, and the
weapons of war are required to fight it successfully:
MIND RENEWAL AND RETRAINING
Understanding as he did the nature of the battle taking place
in the mind, Paul also realised the need for constant self-assessment.
In fact, let us analyse his evaluation of himself, one that has
some perceiving him as regularly succumbing, against his better
judgment, to the sinful pulls of the flesh. Yet this is his diagnosis—the
result of a lifetime of experience, of struggle—of the law of
sin that seeks to enslave the mind. The true nature of sin and
its excesses are revealed in the light of the law of God through
our struggle against sin (Ro 7:13).
Are we, slowly, sometimes painfully slowly, becoming more and
more competent in serving the law of God with our minds, or do
we find ourselves far too often still overwhelmed by the flesh?
We understand the need to overcome evil with good, do we not?
Do we similarly comprehend the process of striving to completely
put off the old mind and replacing it with the new mind, the creation
of God? Or are we perhaps still attempting to repair the same
old rotting foundations of our mind, trying to put new wine into
same old wineskins? However, the carnal mind cannot be reformed;
it must be regenerated, or renewed.
Christianity has everything to do with a new mind. So what
does it mean for us to have our minds renewed? Let's allow Paul
to again explain.
Let us note the dynamics of this process in the examples which
the apostle Paul then illustrates in application of this principle
of putting off the old and putting on the new:
As we understand, repentance is a change of mind, of thinking
and action, a perceptible change. Our minds must always be so
renewed. As the apostle Paul, testifying of his ministry before
King Agrippa, expressed it, repentance is proven, validated, both
for ourselves and in the eyes of others, by our deeds (Acts 26:20),
the fruits "worthy of (or "in keeping with") repentance,
as John the Baptist put it (Mt 3:8). An unrenewable mind is an
unrepentant one, such as was evidenced in Judas, or in Esau.
VISION AND MEDITATION
Instead, the faithful and enduring saints were motivated by a
different vision of the mind:
Again, God provides us with help in this struggle to keep the
mind focussed amid the pressures around us. Jesus Christ promised
His followers a peace of mind of which the world knew nothing:
If the peace of God is to be our guardian, these are the kind
of thoughts our minds must harbour. This is the type of thinking
which will engender godly action and good works, according to
the degree of time and effort we expend directing our minds to
godly meditation, which will aid us in retraining and renewing
the mind. Again, let us gird up, discipline, the loins of our
minds! We are responsible and accountable for what we think. Let's
not delude ourselves otherwise!
In his epistle to the Colossians, as he prepares to again address
the theme of putting off the old and putting on the new in order
to renew the mind, Paul begins with the following exhortation:
It is this process of mind renewal—the discarding of the old and
the inputting of the good, pure, perfect things of God—that will
help us toward becoming the new creation of God; the old is to
be forgotten, the new is to be our overriding pursuit. Paul tells
us that such is the nature of the spiritually-mature mind as it
runs the Christian race:
In the context of mind renewal (v 2), Paul goes on to discuss
another aspect of this maturity of thinking:
The mature, converted mind is also a single-minded one,
in love and service to each other in the Church and in its dedication
to God. The mind of Christ is to be our standard for this:
ESTABLISHING THE GODLY MIND
What's been on your mind most often this week? The things of the
world or the things of God? The carnal, the material, or the spiritual?
For most of us, given the daily pressures of life, of earning
a living, family problems, health issues, trials and tribulations,
and so on, the concerns of the world will no doubt have been,
and will continue to be preponderant. And of course not all the
things of the world are disallowed from our thinking.
The failure of ancient Israel to fulfill God's intent for them
teaches us many sobering lessons about the human mind, if indeed
we are willing to take them to heart. One of these is that people
can witness the mighty hand of God but still resist Him.
Dt 29:2-4 (NIV) Moses summoned all the Israelites and said
to them: "Your eyes have seen all that the LORD did in Egypt
to Pharaoh, to all his officials and to all his land. 3 With
your own eyes you saw those great trials, those miraculous signs
and great wonders. 4 But [although you have seen all this] to
this day the LORD has not given you a mind that understands
or eyes that see [that is, see to understand, to take stock
and consider what they] or ears that hear."
Now are we to understand from this that God was in some way responsible
for ancient Israel's resistant mind? Some people would have us
believe just that and, if this is indeed true, what are the implications
of this in terms of accountability for the witness of the Gospel?
Ps 106:7 (NIV) When our fathers were in Egypt, they gave
no thought to [NRSV: "did not consider"—in other words,
their reasoning processes were flawed] your miracles; they did
not remember your many kindnesses [so often displayed through
these very miracles], and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.
This, too, was the tone of Ezra's prayer with the Jews. In fact,
ancient Israel, witness to God's mighty works, became even more
reprobate:
Ps 78:11,32 (NRSV) They forgot what he had done, and the
miracles that he had shown them.
32 (NIV) In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite
of his wonders, they did not believe (See also Ps 95:9).
Neh 9:17 "They refused to obey, and they were not
mindful of [did not take to mind, refused to draw the correct,
appropriate conclusions from what they had seen and heard] Your
wonders that You did among them. But they hardened their necks,
and in their rebellion they appointed a leader to return to their
bondage [a bondage of the mind as much as of the body]…"
Yet God's very purpose for His miraculous acts was to engender
belief, as Christ pointed out to the disbelieving Jews:
Jn 10:37-38 (NRSV) "If I am not doing the works of
my Father, then do not believe me. 38 But if I do them, even
though you do not believe me [on a personal level], believe the
works [for these are irrefutable], so that you may know and understand
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father."
However, whether or not the miracles and wonders of God produce
this intended belief in an individual is very much a matter of
the mind.
2Co 3:13-16 (NIV) We are not like Moses, who would put
a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it
while the radiance was fading away. 14 But their minds were made
dull [or "blinded", or "hardened"], for to
this day the same veil [that is, a symbolic veil whose effect
is the same as a physical veil] remains when the old covenant
is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it
taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers
their hearts [however, a veil that they are content to leave in
place!]. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord [which ancient
Israel did not want to do], the veil is taken away [it's as simple
as that: Paul here tells us that spiritual blindness is self-imposed].
THE BLINDED AND THE SPIRITUAL MIND
It is vital for us today that we learn from the examples of Israel's
failings; here, specifically, that the human mind can be hardened,
blinded and unresponsive to the works of God, even in the most
favorable of circumstances, as the example of Christ's disciples
also illustrates. The experience of Christ walking on the water
(Mk 6:48-51) terrified and confounded them, but it shouldn't have:
Mk 6:52 (NIV) for they had not understood about the loaves
[although they saw the mighty miracle of the loaves and the fishes,
they failed to understand what it was supposed to teach them];
their hearts were hardened [or blinded].
They had failed to learn from the miracle of the feeding of the
five thousand (Mk 6:30-44), which had taken place shortly before
this. Their minds—their reasoning processes—were dulled.
2Co 4:3-4 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled
to those who are perishing [cf. 2Co 2:15-16], 4 whose minds
the god of this age has blinded [but Satan is, in a sense, empowered
because of those], who do not believe [who refuse to believe],
lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the
image of God, should shine on them.
Indeed, the curses ascribed to ancient Israel for their disobedience
to God are those flawed thinking processes and diseases of the
mind extant today in a society removed from God. These are the
consequences for the mind of the slavery of Hagar and her children
(Gal 4:24-26):
Dt 28:28,65 "The LORD will afflict [but it's a self-affliction!]
you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind."
And if there is one feature that seems to characterise this end-time
age more and more, it is this very confusion of mind, of unsound,
negative, illogical thinking, this plethora of conflicting ideas
and opinions, of divergent facts, figures and notions, all of
which prevent people from attaining true security of mind.
65 "Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting
place for the sole of your foot. There the LORD will give you
an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart."
This is the language of the captivity of the mind to sin. It is
this sense of futility of the mind, which so exemplifies our society,
that we are warned against:
Eph 4:17-19 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord,
that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk,
in the futility of their mind [mental folly, unrestrained,
empty, fruitless thinking, that leads them even further astray],
18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from
the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because
of the blindness of their heart [through sin]; 19 who, being past
feeling [the mind is deadened, rendered unresponsive to righteousness
by sin], have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness
with greediness.
By contrast, the spiritual mind is alive, active, restrained,
responsive, a mind that scrutinizes everything and judges soundly,
with the power of spiritual discernment available to it:
1Co 2:14-16 But the natural man [the futile mind] does
not receive [does not comprehend, and so embrace] the things of
the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him [and we would
hope that none of the true things of God are so to us!]; nor can
he know [understand and approve of] them, because they are spiritually
discerned [by a spiritually-enlightened mind]. 15 But he who
is spiritual judges [or "discerns"; Gk: anakrino—"examines
well, searches out, sifts"] all things [and is therefore
able to make judgments that are spiritually sound], yet he himself
is rightly judged by no one [that is, by no "unspiritual"
person; we should not fear contradiction if our judgments are
mature and correct]. 16 For "who has known the mind of the
LORD that he may instruct Him? [quoted from Isa 40:3, Paul here
substituting "Spirit" with "mind"]" But
we have the mind of Christ.
Do we have the mind of Christ? Do we actively discern, filter,
put all things to the test of the Spirit, or do we default to
the unbridled carnal mind, to self-will, to human thinking alone?
Are our judgments mature and spiritually sound—or do we make decisions
which, were they to be scrutinized spiritually, would be found
wanting?
The law of God is spoken of as written in the minds and
hearts of true worshippers:
Heb 8:10 "For this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will
put My laws in their mind [their understanding, their intellect]
and write them on their hearts [not on external tablets of stone];
and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."
How is it that the laws of God, and the Word of God, which should
discern the "thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb
4:12), are inscribed onto—into—the converted mind, and what is
our role in effecting this? For unless these are branded into
our minds we cannot hope to correctly worship God:
Heb 10:16 "This is the covenant that I will make
with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws
into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them."
Mt 22:37 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the
LORD your God with all your heart [with zeal and emotion], with
all your soul [our whole life], and with all your mind [our will,
our intellect].'"
Christ is telling us here that love for God is the voluntary,
considered act of a thinking mind, not something that just happens
by default, or through good feelings or intentions. It is a product
of the Holy Spirit and the conscious action of a sound, spiritual
mind:
2Ti 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear [of
cowardice], but of power and of love [which, as it is perfected,
drives out fear (1Jn 4:18)] and of a sound [or sober, well-balanced]
mind.
And sound-mindedness—self-discipline or self-control, the fruit
of common sense, as it so often is—is in scant supply nowadays.
Good old common sense that can help restrain unwholesome thinking
and behaviour just seems harder and harder to find in an age drifting
further and further from God. It should be present among the children
of God, however.
1Pe 1:13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind [NIV:
"prepare your minds for action"], be sober [we'll consider
this shortly], and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is
to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
This is a metaphor referring back to the custom of people, when
in a hurry or when starting on a journey, to quickly gather up
their loose robes with a girdle. The loose skirts of the flowing
robe had to be gathered into a belt for hard work or vigorous
activity. Similarly, the mind undergoing conversion still needs
to be constantly prepared, directed and redirected to the things
of God; the citadels of the mind that are still holding out against
God must be breached if we are to run the Christian race purposefully.
The language here recalls the condition in which the first Passover
had to be eaten:
Ex 12:11 (NIV) "This is how you are to eat it: with
your cloak tucked into your belt [NRSV: "your loins girded"],
your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it
in haste; it is the Lord's Passover."
This metaphor is illustrative of the need to constantly discipline
our minds if we are to deal properly with sin. And there needs
to be a sense of urgency to the process.
2Co 10:4-5 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal
[not human weapons or the weapons of the world] but mighty in
God [truth and righteousness are powerful tools!] for pulling
down [the word is used of tearing down walls and buildings] strongholds
[whatever obstacles still stand in opposition to the undiluted
truth of God], 5 casting down arguments and every high thing
[NIV: "pretension"; NRSV: "proud obstacle; Moffat:
"rampart"] that exalts itself against the knowledge
of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience
of Christ.
The reasonings, machinations and imaginations of the mind are
forts or citadels to be conquered. All the thoughts, plots and
designs of our minds are to be subjected to Christ. The goal is
not only outward submission, but inward obedience, in 'thought'
or 'mind', to the Son of God. What reasonings of our mind still
stand in opposition to Him? What human ideologies, philosophies,
prejudices still contaminate our thinking? Are our thoughts in
complete subjection to Jesus Christ? Do we have the pure "mind
of Christ", as Paul put it (1Co 2:16)?
The battle to overcome is a constant battle of the mind, of the
flesh against the Spirit, as powerfully and graphically described
by the apostle Paul:
Ro 8:5-8 For those who live according to the [influences,
dictates of the] flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh,
but those who live according to [the leadings of] the Spirit,
[set their minds on] the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally
minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not
subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those
who are in the flesh [whose minds are "in the flesh"]
cannot please God.
So if our mind habits, our thought processes, are carnal, they—and
we—are unacceptable to God. So how are we faring in this struggle
for our minds?
Ro 7:15-18 (NIV) I do not understand [the true nature
of] what I do [because sin dulls our spiritual perception]. For
what I want to do I do not [by nature], do but what I hate I [would
by nature] do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree
that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who
do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good
lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature [because the heart,
left to itself, is desperately evil (Jer 17:9)]. For I have the
desire to do what is good, but I [of and by myself alone] cannot
carry it out [to its completion].
Are we therefore to believe that Paul was unable to do any good
because sin always overpowered him—given that this is the same
Paul who in 1Co 4:4, after searching his conscience, declared
that he knew of nothing against himself!—or is this rather a description,
an analysis, of the dynamic power of the sinful mind if it is
not checked? Of ourselves, we are indeed powerless to defeat sin.
Ro 7:21-25 I find then a law, that evil is present with
me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law
of God according to the inward man [do we genuinely, in the spirit
of our mind, also delight in the law of God?]. 23 But I see another
law in my members, warring against [as in a campaign battle—again,
the language of war; and we must use the same battle tactics to
defeat the enemy] the law of my mind [which agrees that the law
is good], and bringing me [or seeking to bring me] into
captivity [as a prisoner of war, of this war] to the law of sin
which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am [when I stand
to be overcome by sin]! Who will deliver me from this body of
death?
Yet note what Paul was able to say after such intense self-judgment
and self-appraisal:
25 I thank God; through Jesus Christ our Lord [and the power
of the Spirit I am able to overcome]! So then, with the [spiritual]
mind [with the understanding, the conscience impacted and empowered
by the Spirit of God] I myself serve ["am a slave to"]
the law of God, but [if left to myself] with the flesh [I would
serve] the law of sin.
The law of God, in which he delighted (v. 22), he in fact served
with the Spirit-led mind. And this despite the appellation he
gave himself as "sold as a slave to [the control of] sin."
(Ro 7:14). Yet the struggle was ever ongoing, just as it is for
us.
Ro 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies
of God, that you present [the word denotes the bringing of the
body of an animal as a sacrifice; hence] your bodies [but
is it indeed the sacrifice of a physical body?] a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service ["worship
rendered by the reason", or mind; so the mind is the
sacrifice we offer to God!]. 2 And do not be 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.
What is involved in this process of renewal?
Eph 4:22-24 that you put off [as you would an item of
clothing; but of course the habits of the mind are not
as instantaneously replaced as these other habits, items of clothing!],
concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt
according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit
of your mind [the human spirit, the mind and our thinking habits],
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according
to God [by God, through the Holy Spirit], in true righteousness
and holiness.
The discarding of the old man—the old habits, the old ways of
thinking—and the putting on and wearing of the new are two halves
of one action of the mind. To attempt the first part without the
second is to try to reform the mind, but not to renew it. (What
happens to a vacuum, if one is left?) The mind is renewed when
the evil, and the unwholesome thinking behind it, is, through
the power of the Spirit of God, gradually discarded and just as
gradually replaced by the good, the correct thinking. Yet this
is a lifelong process, isn't it? And it's a constant record of
success and failures. Nonetheless, our minds and their thinking
do need to be retrained.
Eph 4:25 (NIV) Therefore each of you must put off falsehood
[or perhaps the tendency to be deceptive] and speak truthfully
to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
You are no longer a liar or a deceiver not only because you refrain
from lying, but also because you now speak and represent the truth
more perfectly.
Eph 4:26-27 (NIV) "In your anger do not [be exasperated
or provoked into] sin" : Do not let the sun go down while
you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.
Eph 4:28 (NIV) He who has been stealing must steal no longer,
but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that
he may have something to share with those in need.
You are a thief no longer as not only do you not steal but also
because you now work much harder and more honestly and profitably.
What is the likelihood of you returning to thievery if this is
now your new pattern of thinking and behavior?
Eph 4:29 (NIV) Do not let any unwholesome talk come out
of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up
according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Foul talk ceases and the habit of edification in how we speak
to others is carefully and purposefully cultivated.
Eph 4:30-5:2 (NIV) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of
God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander,
along with every form of malice. 32 [and as we are getting rid
of them, we commensurately replace them with the good fruits of
the love of God in practice…] Be kind and compassionate to
one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave
you. 5:1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children
2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself
up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Eph 5:15-17 (NIV) Be very careful, then, how you live—not
as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity,
because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but
[instead] understand [apply your mind to seek out and follow]
what the Lord's will is.
Eph 5:18-20 (NIV) Do not get drunk on wine [that's the
wrong kind of spirit!], which leads to debauchery. Instead [that
is, "in its stead"], be filled with the Spirit. 19
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing
and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks
to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
The ungodly actions and the evil thinking which has perpetrated
them are put away and replaced with the godly thinking that produces
the fruits of righteousness:
Col 3:8-10 But now you yourselves are to put off [again,
the symbolism of clothing] all these [filthy rags, if you like]:
anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man
with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is [continually]
renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created
him.
This process towards mind renewal, we are told, is something that
must occur regularly—daily:
2Co 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our
outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed
day by day.
Is the inward man being constantly renewed, with the old man gradually,
little by little, piece by piece, dying? Or is there no discernible
progress in our battle against sin?
Heb 12:17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit
this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change
of mind [in his father Isaac, but also in himself—he did not want
to repent], though he sought the blessing with tears.
The good fruits evoked by the repentant minds of the Corinthians
are illustrative of this process of mind renewal. Let's also analyse
this a little:
Heb 6:4-6 For it is impossible for those who were once
enlightened, and have tasted [experienced and understood] the
heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5
and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age
to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them [their minds] again
[so there is no further renewal] to repentance [because their
dulled minds now reject it, and demonstrate their rejection],
since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put
Him to an open shame.
2Co 7:11 (NIV) See what this godly sorrow has produced
in you: what earnestness [to set matters right], what eagerness
to clear yourselves [of Paul's accusations by correcting their
behaviour], what indignation [at the shame this sin had brought
upon the Church; at the sinning individual (2:3), or at the false
apostles (11:13)], what alarm [lit: "fear"—of God's
wrath, or perhaps Paul's anger (cf. v 15; 1Co 4:21); fear of repeating
the sin, or possibly of failing to completely remove it], what
longing [for Paul's favour and his return, and/or for the removal
of the evil in their midst], what concern [for Paul and against
his opponents; for the removal of the sin], what readiness to
see justice done [upon the offender(s)]. At every point you have
proved yourselves to be innocent [or "clear"—because
of their change of thinking and action] in this matter.
A change of thinking, a renewal of the mind, had led to a demonstrable
change of action. It is not just a matter of desisting from unfruitful
thoughts and deeds but of a rebuilding of the habits of the mind.
A crippled mind will revert to the old habits and be forever "repenting"
of the same old problems.
Rev 2:5 (NRSV) "Remember then from what you have fallen
[call to mind the works and the fruits of your original conversion];
repent [change your mind and purpose], and do the works you did
at first [and which you are no longer doing]. If not, I will come
to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent."
Let us consider some other tools to help us to use our minds to
serve God more fully.
Unlike Israel of old, the mind of King David often thought of
and remembered God and His promises, meditated upon and considered
God's Word, His wondrous works, His ways and His precepts and
statutes. The Psalms abound with declarations by him of this fact
(Ps 63:6; 77:12; 119:15,23,27,48,78,97,148; 143:5), as they do
of the comfort this brought him and of the strengthening of his
hope which then ensued. He was commended by God as a man after
His own heart (1Sa 13:14; Acts 13:22), one who truly delighted
in Him and who would do His will. Are we using our minds to similarly
propel us into strengthening the vision and hope of our calling?
We have many fine biblical examples to refer to along the road
to this end:
Heb 11:13-16 These [the heroes and heroines of faith who
have preceded us] all died in faith, not having received the promises,
but having seen them afar off [there was a vision in their minds
of the promises of God to them] were assured of them, embraced
them [in their minds and hearts] and confessed that they were
strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such
things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.
Their minds were motivated by this image of the future promises.
15 And truly if they had called to mind [or if they had been
constantly mindful of, preoccupied with, had an affection for]
that country [the world, the society around them] from which they
had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.
These heroes of faith could have, like Lot's wife, like ancient
Israel, looked back longingly to the world from which they had
come and returned to it, because we ultimately succumb to what
dwells unfettered in our minds long enough; this is the nature
of temptation and sin:
Jas 1:14-15 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away
by his own desires [if these are not checked, purged and replaced]
and enticed [the mind then baits us, if you like]. 15 Then, when
desire has conceived [and, as lust, is no longer manageable],
it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings
forth death.
So it is that, if we are mindful long enough of the material things
of this world, we will end up pursuing them, contrary to our best
interests. If we really want an excuse to return to the world,
we will find it.
16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country.
Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has
prepared a city for them.
How strong in our minds—minds so often strained and in turmoil
through the pressures of this present evil age—is our vision of
the city and the country of God?
Jn 14:27 (NIV) "Peace I leave with you; my peace
[this is Christ's very own peace] I give you. I do not give to
you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and
do not be afraid."
—because contrary to the world's notions of tranquillity, this
peace brings true inner comfort and hope and provides us with
strength to act righteously in His service. Note the role of this
peace from God in guarding and protecting our minds from the evils
and stresses of society around us:
Php 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing ["stop being anxious";
cf. Christ's advice about an anxious mind (Lk 12:29)], but in
everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving [so we
put off anxiety and put on prayer with thanksgiving], let your
requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God [c.f. v
9; 2Th 3:16], which surpasses all understanding [it transcends
our mental capacity to grasp and to appreciate it], will guard
[lit: "garrison"; "protect, stand guard over"—again,
the use of military language] your hearts and minds [from anxious
fears] through Christ Jesus.
The peace of God is to arbitrate, to umpire, to discipline the
mind to reach a godly decision when there is a conflict of motives
or impulses. It is like a sentinel that guards the corridors
of our minds, a garrison that helps us to discipline them.
Col 3:15 (NRSV) And let the peace of Christ rule [lit:
"act as an umpire"] in your hearts [to help preserve
a godly mind], to which indeed you were called in the one body.
And be thankful.
Isa 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind
is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.
But we have our part to play in this process of redirecting our
minds, for this inward peace is not preserved by feeding the thoughts
of the mind on the unwholesome, or on the negative, as Paul revisits
the theme in Philippians 4:
Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things [the things
of God, of creation, to be sure, but even the good things extant
in the world around us] are true, whatever things are noble [honorable,
worthy of respect, or veneration], whatever things are just [or
righteous], whatever things are pure [clean, chaste, untainted],
whatever things are lovely [pleasing, engaging, delightful], whatever
things are of good report [of good repute], if there is any virtue
[something morally and therefore mentally excellent] and if there
is anything praiseworthy; meditate on these things [habitually,
as the object of our attention and study; for they alone are suited
to the converted mind].
There's no room for negative, depressive thinking here!
Col 3:1-2 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those
things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right
hand of God. 2 Set your mind on ["Keep on thinking about"]
things above, not on things on the earth [that is, things we ought
not to be thinking about].
Since we have indeed been raised with Christ, we are to let the
thoughts, motives and aspirations of our minds rise to the same
level—fed by the spiritual tools God has provided: prayer, meditation,
study. This is the fuel for the mature spiritual mind:
2Pe 3:1-2 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle
(in both of which I stir up your pure [or sincere] minds [minds
receptive to the truth] by way of reminder), 2 that you may be
mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets,
and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior.
Peter uses similar language to 1Pe 1:13. It is imperative that
we remember and consider the prophetic and apostolic teachings
of the Scriptures, for these will help to stimulate our minds
into wholesome thinking. This will also protect us from error
and deception, as Peter goes on to point out (vv 3-18). How mindful
of them are we?
Php 3:13-15 (NRSV) Beloved, I do not consider that I have
made it my own; but this one thing I do [note his single-minded
purpose]: forgetting what lies behind [our history of failures,
for instance] and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I
press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of
God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us then who are mature
be of the same mind [let us keep thinking like this]; and if you
think differently about anything [if you're still not fully convinced
of this need to press forward with renewal; or if perhaps you
think you're already there!], this too God will reveal to you.
MATURE-MINDEDNESS
So let us then consider this mature spiritual mind in a little
more detail.
1Co 13:11 (NIV) When I was a child, I talked like a child,
I thought [or "I used to understand"] like a child,
I reasoned like a child [as a matter of course, by force of habit].
When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me [for good].
In this light, the Corinthians' preoccupation with tongues over
intelligent speech was childish, immature, the apostle Paul pointed
out to them:
1Co 14:20 Brothers and sisters, do not be children in
your thinking [or "in mind"]; rather, be infants in
evil [here, a child-like innocence is commendable], but in thinking
be adults.
Are we continuing to become adults in our minds, maturely thinking
about, intelligently reasoning through the spiritual food presented
to us? Unfortunately, this was not the case for the recipients
of the epistle to the Hebrews:
Heb 5:11-14 (NRSV) About this we have much to say that
is hard to explain, since you have become dull in understanding
[slow and sluggish in the mind]. 12 For though by this time you
ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the
basic elements of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid
food; 13 for everyone who lives on milk, being still an infant
[unwilling to tackle solid food], is unskilled in the word of
righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those
whose faculties [all the faculties of the mind; so we are
talking about developing correct mental habits to build spiritual
maturity, to allow us to appreciate solid spiritual food] have
been trained by practice [NIV: "constant use"—we set
our minds to do this] to distinguish good from evil.
What infantile notions about God, about His standards of righteousness,
still cling to our thinking? Are our minds spiritual enough to
be able to handle, to bite into, the solid food of the Word of
God—or do we continue to keep it at arm's length? Let's consider
once again the advice of the apostle Paul:
Eph 4:13-15 (NRSV) until all of us come to the unity of
the faith and of the [full] knowledge of [the mind of] the Son
of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.
14 We must no longer be children [to be led astray, as children
can be, spiritually abused], tossed to and fro and blown about
[a mind not adequately spiritually anchored] by every wind of
doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful
scheming. 15 But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up
in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.
We are to be children in evil, but not in truth!
Ro 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone
who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he
ought to think, but to think soberly [literally, "to think
so as to act soberly or wisely."; NIV/NRSV: "sober judgment";
cf. Tit 2:6; 1Ti 3:2], as God has dealt to each one a measure
of faith.
The call is for each of us to assess our growth and our role in
the body of Christ soberly and sensibly, and to reach the appropriate
conclusion. There is no place for false pride or self-conceit.
And we have had our experience of these, have we not? What the
NKJV version renders as "sober-minded" is elsewhere
translated as "prudent" (Tit 1:8), "self-controlled"
(Tit 2:6), and "temperate" (1Ti 3:2). Are we thinking
soberly, prudently? And what are some of the indicators of a lapse
of sober-mindedness?
Gal 6:3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something,
when he is nothing [because he is self-conceited], he deceives
himself [lit: "leads his own mind astray"].
What is our estimation of our spiritual standing? Is it a sober,
mature estimate, or are we deceiving ourselves?
1Co 10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands [firmly,
securely] take heed lest he fall.
Jas 1:26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and
does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's
religion is useless [because here is one faculty of the mind that
is not under control].
Again, how realistic, is our evaluation of ourselves? The apostle
Paul, as previously mentioned, could find nothing against himself
(1Co 4:4). How do we compare?
Php 2:5-7 Let this mind [of humility, of service, or sacrifice]
be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the
form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant,
and coming in the likeness of men.
How then are we to act with the same mind?
Php 2:1-4 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ,
if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any
affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having
the same love, being of one accord, of one mind [Gk: "thinking
the same thing"]. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish
ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem
others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only
for his own interests, but also for the interests of others (See
also Ro 15:5, 2Co 13:11, Php 1:27).
Likewise, in our service to God, are we single-minded or are we
double-minded?
Ro 12:16 Be of the same mind [lit: "thinking the
same thing"] toward one another. Do not set your mind on
high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in
your own opinion [a misuse of your minds].
1Co 1:10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing [an expression
taken from Greek political life which might be paraphrased, "Drop
party cries"], and that there be no divisions among you,
but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and
in the same judgment [or opinion, sentiment].
Ro 15:6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Double-mindedness is the condition produced when we lapse from
this singleness of mind. Scripture likens this condition to a drunken man or a tossing
ship. The mind reverts to the old ways of thinking:
Jas 1:6-8 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting,
for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed
by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive
anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable
in all his ways.
—because double-mindedness is a sin, to be repented of and put
away: a change of mind is required.
Jas 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
We are called upon to serve God with our minds, in intelligent
spiritual worship of our heavenly Father as well as through the
considered renewing of our flawed mental habits. Are the laws
of God being written upon our minds? To neglect to retrain them,
to fail to redirect our thinking processes from the futile mental
habits we have inherited, is to leave our minds fallow and prey
to the devil and the evil influences of this world. The Scriptures
tell us that an enlightened mind that is not constantly renewed
can retrogress and even end up defiled and unreachable by God
(Heb 6:4-6). The mind, along with the conscience can be corrupted:
Tit 1:15 To the pure all things [approved of by God] are
pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is
pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled (see Ro 1:28;
1Ti 6:5; 2Ti 3:8).
So how sincere are we about mind control? How can we be assured
of ultimate success in this venture? God tells us that He searches
and tests the mind and the heart (Jer 11:20; 17:10)—for our benefit!
Are we prepared to enlist God's help, as David so willingly did?
Ps 26:2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my mind
and my heart.
We have considered our due service to God with our minds. Let's
allow some of the final words of advice of King David, who so
delighted in God, to his son Solomon, to also be a final exhortation
for us:
Ps 139:23-4 (NRSV) Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my thoughts. 24 See if there is any wicked way
in me, and [by revealing our flawed thinking to us] lead me in
the way everlasting.
Pr 16:3 Commit your works to the LORD, and your thoughts
will be established.
1Chr 28:9 "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God
of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing
mind…"