Following Paul’s
instruction to intentionally glorify God through our conduct as part of our spiritual worship (Romans 12:1), he now
addresses another aspect of life that requires continuous attention. Romans 12:2,
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.
The need for Paul’s
strong instruction is even more valid today than when he wrote it in the first
century. That’s because we are daily bombarded with the world’s way of
thinking, and it does not include God. With the integration of technology into
almost all aspects of life, the default source of information, values, and ways
of thinking, is influenced loudly by the many voices of the media and the
internet.
Included in
presenting our bodies as living sacrifices, is the intentional and ongoing
adjustment of how we think. That is, how we reason through the issues and
beliefs of life. Obviously, these are
processed in our minds. Therefore, we need to guard our minds against
the many worldly and deceptive thoughts which could influence us away from
God’s truths. With this in Paul’s thinking, he wrote to the Colossian church, see to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and
empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits
of the world, and not according to Christ (Colossians 2:8).
Paul realised
the connection between our mind and our behaviour. And just as God honouring
behaviour is necessary for spiritual worship, so is God-centered thinking and
beliefs. Again, this is a progressive part of Christian living which the Holy
Spirit uses God’s Word for. This explains why Jesus prayed for his disciples, sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth (John 17:17). The Holy Spirit inspired Word of
God is the primary tool that He has provided us with in this critical exercise.
The Bible filters spiritual misinformation out.
The spiritual
health of our mind is directly related to our agreement with, and obedience to
God’s Word. There is no other way provided by God. All
Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be
complete, equipped for every good work (2
Timothy 3:16-17). God’s Word represents a comprehensive toolbox for
understanding, personal spiritual growth, usefulness in serving God, and
helping others.
All these
benefits are never dumped upon us in one hit. No, the Lord patiently releases
them into our lives as we synchronize our thoughts, our heart affections, our
behaviour, and our speech with the truth of His Word and with the character of
Jesus Christ. The transformation is progressive and long-term. Along the way,
there’s bound to be failures on our part, as our fleshly desires are lured into
thinking as the world thinks. However, the Lord faithfully restores us back as
His Spirit convicts us, as loving believers exhort us, and as we experience the
foolishness of attempting to adopt worldly thinking. Sometimes the Lord
graciously disciplines us (Hebrews 12:5-10) as motivation to realign our lives
with His Word and will. He’s willing to do this when needed for our good, that we may share his holiness (Hebrews
12:10), which is a compassionate expression of His devoted love for us.
May we follow
Paul’s wise guidance by inviting the Lord to forge within our hearts a Christ-centered
determination, transforming our minds for His glory and our blessing.
