I just returned from a personal retreat where - amazingly (or not) - one of the things the Lord spoke to me about was... the mind of Christ. The points and themes of what you wrote about were things that went through my mind and into my journal as well. Almost as if Someone Else was trying to tell me something.
What I liked about this post is the "voice of the preacher" that comes through in the content. The voice calls us to active hearing of the Word and all it entails.
Good word! I’ve found that desires are often tied to underlying beliefs, and when our beliefs become transformed “by the renewing of our minds” our emotions and desires follow along. Of course, this takes the work of the Holy Spirit and often the guidance of trusted counselors.
This is a particular strength of authentic Methodism. The first generation knew that the good life is not marked by giving in to our feelings, but by denying them and walking in righteousness. We had (and still have on paper) a robust doctrine of sanctification, confessing without shame or reservation that the old man can and should die, and that the new birth is true in the innermost realities of our lives. In fact, this standard is not for special followers who go above and beyond, but it should be normative for anyone who claims to follow Jesus.
To believe that all of us are just slaves to wild minds and feelings is to admit defeat before the battle even starts. Do we believe God's grace is really more powerful than our sins, or are we just saying what sounds nice while believing that Satan actually gets the last word in our flesh? This is a worthy topic, and I appreciate your bringing it to the fore!
Thanks again for your encouragement to act on the grace of God. The verse you quoted needs to be read in its entirety to grasp its full encouragement.
Rom 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."
As you point out, this is not a passive process. It is only when we actively apply and test what God, by His grace, has shown us that we learn His will and what is truly good.
One of the most deadly lies I ever believed is, "That's impossible." But the most deadly, by far, is "Nobody will know."
It took crashing and burning for me to learn that because the gospel is true, I can walk in the light.
The temptation hasn't stopped and I remain weak, but his grace is sufficient for me. His grace is sufficient for every believer who continues in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel we heard.
When a married man sees an attractive woman who is not his wife, he ought to regard the idea of "desiring her" as a man looking down from a great height would regard an uninvited, sudden impulse to throw himself onto the rocks below. Like the thought of suddenly jerking the steering wheel while traveling 75 mph down the highway, such thoughts ought to cause immediate horror and revulsion. Until this is the case, the man is in some sense a slave to Sin—a successfully rebellious one, perhaps, and loyal to his "true master", but still in bondage. Resisting temptation is a necessary starting point, but by itself isn't sufficient to make us truly free. How do we expose to ourselves the true horror and destructiveness of sin? How do we go about cleaning the inside of the cup?
I'm of the opinion that many of our cherishes notions, ideas, and ways of thinking may in fact be agents of destruction disguised as bringers of light. Put simply, I simply believe Jesus when he says, "You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." Of course this includes his proviso, "If you continue in my word."
I just returned from a personal retreat where - amazingly (or not) - one of the things the Lord spoke to me about was... the mind of Christ. The points and themes of what you wrote about were things that went through my mind and into my journal as well. Almost as if Someone Else was trying to tell me something.
What I liked about this post is the "voice of the preacher" that comes through in the content. The voice calls us to active hearing of the Word and all it entails.
Good word! I’ve found that desires are often tied to underlying beliefs, and when our beliefs become transformed “by the renewing of our minds” our emotions and desires follow along. Of course, this takes the work of the Holy Spirit and often the guidance of trusted counselors.
This is a particular strength of authentic Methodism. The first generation knew that the good life is not marked by giving in to our feelings, but by denying them and walking in righteousness. We had (and still have on paper) a robust doctrine of sanctification, confessing without shame or reservation that the old man can and should die, and that the new birth is true in the innermost realities of our lives. In fact, this standard is not for special followers who go above and beyond, but it should be normative for anyone who claims to follow Jesus.
To believe that all of us are just slaves to wild minds and feelings is to admit defeat before the battle even starts. Do we believe God's grace is really more powerful than our sins, or are we just saying what sounds nice while believing that Satan actually gets the last word in our flesh? This is a worthy topic, and I appreciate your bringing it to the fore!
Thanks again for your encouragement to act on the grace of God. The verse you quoted needs to be read in its entirety to grasp its full encouragement.
Rom 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."
As you point out, this is not a passive process. It is only when we actively apply and test what God, by His grace, has shown us that we learn His will and what is truly good.
May God continue to bless you as you follow Him.
One of the most deadly lies I ever believed is, "That's impossible." But the most deadly, by far, is "Nobody will know."
It took crashing and burning for me to learn that because the gospel is true, I can walk in the light.
The temptation hasn't stopped and I remain weak, but his grace is sufficient for me. His grace is sufficient for every believer who continues in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel we heard.
When a married man sees an attractive woman who is not his wife, he ought to regard the idea of "desiring her" as a man looking down from a great height would regard an uninvited, sudden impulse to throw himself onto the rocks below. Like the thought of suddenly jerking the steering wheel while traveling 75 mph down the highway, such thoughts ought to cause immediate horror and revulsion. Until this is the case, the man is in some sense a slave to Sin—a successfully rebellious one, perhaps, and loyal to his "true master", but still in bondage. Resisting temptation is a necessary starting point, but by itself isn't sufficient to make us truly free. How do we expose to ourselves the true horror and destructiveness of sin? How do we go about cleaning the inside of the cup?
I'm of the opinion that many of our cherishes notions, ideas, and ways of thinking may in fact be agents of destruction disguised as bringers of light. Put simply, I simply believe Jesus when he says, "You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." Of course this includes his proviso, "If you continue in my word."