A Renewed Mind - Pt 2

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2 ESV).

Renewal is the essential means of transformation; specifically, it is “the renewal of your mind.” “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” If you long to break loose from conformity to the world; if you long to be transformed and new from the inside out; if you long to be free from mere duty-driven Christianity and do what you love to do because what you love to do is what you ought to do; if you long to offer up your body as a living sacrifice so that your whole life becomes a spiritual act of worship and displays the worth of Christ above the worth of the world; then we ought to focus on the giving of ourselves to pursuing the renewal of your mind. Of this, the Scripture is very clear. There are many who think that the only problem with the human mind is that it doesn’t have access to all the knowledge it needs. So education becomes the great instrument of redemption, both personally and socially. That common wisdom believes if people just got more education they would not use their minds to invent elaborate scams, and sophisticated terrorist plots, and complex schemes for embezzling, and fast-talking, mentally nimble radio rudeness. That simply has not been proven to be correct historically. The Bible has a far more profound analysis of the problem. Paul explains this a bit more in his letter to the Ephesians, “Be renewed in the spirit of your minds” (Ephesians 4:23). “The spirit of your mind” means at least this: the human mind is not a sophisticated computer managing data, which it then faithfully presents to the heart for appropriate emotional responses. The mind has a “spirit.” In other words, our mind has what we call a “mindset.” It doesn’t just have a view, it has a viewpoint. It doesn’t just have the power to perceive and detect; it also has a posture, a demeanor, a bearing, an attitude, a bent. “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” This is the focus of the new creation. We become different because we think differently. We think like the Spirit of God. This happens as we are exposed more to the Spirit; and, that happens when we read the Scripture, or pray, or fellowship with other believers. We must place ourselves in the context of transformation. Place yourself in a place and position to be transformed. God will do the work of renewal.