What is the renewing of the mind and how do we do it? You don’t. God does. It is a work that He starts by giving us the Holy Spirit and what we continue to work out through our reading and processing of the scriptures. Here is one of the passages that this phrase originates:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
- Romans 12:2
But it goes further back than just the new testament.
“Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed and get a new heart and a new spirit…”
- Ezekiel 18:31
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh, And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”
- Ezekiel 36:26-27
If you’re wondering why this verse looks familiar, it is because I already used it earlier and just as any verse it is just as useful now as it was then. Notice that it says “I will give you a new heart” and “I will put my Spirit.” It is a work started by God and it is our expectation to follow through and use his scriptures to learn how to act.
So what does it mean to have God’s Spirit in us? Well, luckily I have already given a description of what it can mean to receive the Holy Spirit and some of the things he does for us by sealing us until the day of redemption and by allowing us to live spirit-filled lives. Let’s focus on that last bit. How to live by the Spirit and not by the flesh.
First off, we have to discuss a topic that might be off-putting to some. This is the idea of not being in control or owning your own body. So as with pulling a band aid, let’s rip it right off!
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
“Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
- Galatians 4:6-7
If we have the Holy Spirit then we have been bought by Christ through his blood, and if we have been bought by Christ through his blood then we are temples of God and should act according to the will of God. Paul urges us to this calling in Ephesians 4:1 “…I urge you to life a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Which means that in Christ our body is not solely our own anymore. This is a hard truth to accept and often times creates in us a natural rebellion against God, feeling that we are slaves to God. It is not that you are slaves to God, though, but that you are free in Christ and “…free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2. Not only free, as seen in Galatians 4:6-7, but adopted!
Romans 8 lays out a great description of what it is like to live according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh and the natural opposition of the Spirit that our bodies feel. I recommend reading the entire chapter on your own, but in the meantime I will try to sum it up.
“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”
- Romans 8:5
Since we are born again, we are now a dwelling place of the Spirit. So we are to live according to the Spirit. We are no longer slaves to the flesh, but are sons of God.
“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you life in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’”
- Romans 8:15
Because we are not yet redeemed and still live in our flesh here in the world, then it is our natural human desire to sin. The Holy Spirit once again comes to our rescue:
“… the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”
- Romans 8:26
Even in our weakness and even when we have no words to pray because we are tired, beaten down, or just apathetic; if we call on God and his Holy Spirit, He will intercede for us.
Paul asks the question that I’ve often asked myself. If God has forgiven me and will continue to forgive me, why should I change my ways and try to avoid sin and temptation?
“… Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”
- Romans 6:1-2
Romans 6 is another good chapter to read, dealing more with the struggle between sin in the flesh and walking in the Spirit. The point he is making here is that since we are no longer in the flesh but in the Spirit, we should not use God’s grace as an excuse to continue in sin, even though all of our sins are covered. Another reason why I consider it a blessing to be sealed away for redemption (rather than have it immediately), is that yes, we go on sinning, but through Christ we have forgiveness and can show people through our weakness God’s strength. Instead of continuing in sin (even though we are forgiven) we should strive to renew our hearts and minds.