What's in your mind? The key to faith and Christian living

What's in your mind? The key to faith and Christian living.

The core of your faith and of Christian living is based upon what's in your mind. Are you operating in a mind that is renewed by the Word of God and based on the principles of spiritual wisdom and truth or are you still functioning with a darkened mind that is based upon worldly knowledge and vanity? That's quite a contrasting picture, not so. Well, let me confirm this with two contrasting scriptures in the epistle of Ephesians that says the same thing.

Eph 4:17-20  This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in THE VANITY OF THEIR MIND,  (18)  Having the understanding DARKENED, being alienated from the life of God through the IGNORANCE that is in them, because of the BLINDNESS of their heart:  (19)  Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.  (20)  But ye have not so learned Christ;

Paul writes, but you have not so learned Christ. What is it to learn Christ? Well, if the above statement is being without Christ in edification, then what is it to learn Christ? Paul already provided the answer to this question in chapter 1:

Eph 1:17-19  That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the KNOWLEDGE of him:  (18)  The eyes of your UNDERSTANDING being ENLIGHTENED; that ye MAY KNOW what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,  (19)  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

Fellowship and friendship are good. Praise and worship are important. Prayer and intercession are of great value. But there is something that far exceeds the scope of these activities. It is reading and studying the Word of God. To gain in knowledge of the rightly divided Word is the core of your life and strength. It increases faith, it feeds you with truth, it fills you with God's Spirit, it empowers you to walk worthy of the Lord, it's the armour to war against the enemy. Increasing in knowledge of spiritual truth is the most important, yet the most undervalued activity in most Christian's lives. Let's see what value the Bible places upon this.

The epistle of Romans is the foundation of our faith. Several times in chapters 6 to 8, Paul asks the reader if they know certain things:

• Rom 6:3  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
• Rom 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
• Rom 6:9  Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
• Romans 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
• Rom 6:16  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
• Rom 7:1  Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?
• Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
• Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 

Until you know these things, you are not educated or walking in the principles that stablish your faith and empower you to yield in obedience unto righteousness, delivering you from sin and fruitlessness, Rom 6:16-17. 

The need to divide, or cut, or handle, the Word is paramount to understanding its true context

The need to divide, or cut, or handle, the Word is paramount to understanding its true context

STATEMENT:

Your post about rightly dividing prophecy from mystery reminds me of a story about 6 blind men arguing about what an elephant was like. the poem, “The Blind Men and the Elephant” by John Saxe. In the poem, each blind man had grabbed a different part of the elephant and was vigorously defending his position. The man who had the leg declared the elephant was like a tree, the one who had the ear said he was like a fan, the one who had the trunk asserted he was like a snake, and so forth. So too, Christians can grab different verses in the New Testament and begin arguing—as if the Bible could contradict itself. That is not how to establish truth in the Christian world. The Bible is God-breathed and does not contradict itself. God’s people are to “rightly handle,” the Word and the words in it, and not wage useless word battles with them. The Bible can be wrongly believed and taught, and it can also be wrongly used as a weapon against other people.

ANSWER:

Thanks for your input. I have no doubt that many denominational churches today handle the Word incorrectly, twisting the Word to fit their church creed or traditions instead of truly studying the Word to find out what God’s will and purpose for the Body of Christ truly is. Thus, your analogy is true for people who take parts of God’s Word and change it fit their purpose and views, essentially creating it into something like what you describe with the elephant's anatomy.

How do we 'look to Jesus'?

BLOG COMMENT: Look to Jesus

It helps when we look to Jesus Christ daily to help us lay aside every weight (provision for the flesh) as well as the sin in walking in the light in fellowship with the Father & the Son. Especially in our thoughts, we need to lean on Him to stop the wicked thoughts and stop playing with desires in our minds to think on good things.

RESPONSE:

Thanks for your informed comment and its advice. I do want to react on a specific phrase in your comment which I believe is important to understand in the context of ‘looking to Jesus daily’.

Your comment says, “when we look to Jesus Christ daily…”

How do we ‘look to Jesus’? This phrase typically means that we follow or imitate Christ according to what He has taught us in scripture. In other words, we don’t look to Jesus by following traditions or ordinances, nor by being molded to a specific church creed or identity. No. We look to Jesus by looking into His Word. The only way we can grow in Him, learn of Him, and become like Him, is to study His Word and allow it to change our mind and our actions in accord to obedience to it.

DM#16: Things written aforetime were written for our learning

Doctrine of the Mysteries #16

Things written aforetime were written for our learning

Rom 15:4  For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. 

Before I mention some insights about our key verse above, I’d like you to read the passage below, taking note of the name of the doctrine and the timing of its revelation,

Rom 16:25  Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,  (26)  But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

The content of Paul’s 13-epistles makes up the ‘MYSTERY’ doctrine for the grace believer today, 1Cor 4:1; Eph 3:3-4. According to Rom 16:25 above, the mystery doctrine was kept secret since the world began, BUT NOW has been made manifest for our consumption. This doctrine was not intended for other dispensations but was designed for the delivery of pure grace to us through Christ and was targeted exclusively for a spiritual body with a heavenly purpose.

DM#8: Dead to the law

Doctrine of the Mysteries #8

Dead to the law

We have determined that Romans chapter 6 is an incredibly important, mile-marker chapter. It sets a strong precedent for a believer who is committed to learning and living the mystery doctrine. After telling us that through faith in the gospel of grace, we have justification and access to the grace of God, Paul immediately gets into the details of what we should know, and how we should start to think. He places a responsibility upon us to learn a few things which are intended to renew our pattern of thought, things that will help us to understand our new position in Christ, and spiritual truths that will become cornerstones within the foundation he will lay throughout Romans.

Having informed us that we are dead to sin, Paul enlightens us of our relationship with the law. There are a few surprises in store for the uninformed reader.  

Rom 6:15-17  What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.  (16)  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?  (17)  But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

SPIRITUAL LESSONS

Paul uses that statement again, “God forbid!” He is cautioning you not to think carnally. We cannot reason spiritual truth in a carnal mind. We must consider what we are being taught from our new positional stance with God, through Jesus Christ.

What do we do between justification and glorification?

What do we do between justification and glorification?

Rom 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Paul tells us that if we truly believe in Jesus Christ by hearing and responding to the grace gospel, we are freely justified by the ‘decree’ of God, and we can have peace with God, and access to the grace that He provides, Rom 5:1-2.

Through faith in the gospel of grace, we are transferred from the administration of death, which is in Adam, into the administration of life, which is in Christ. When we belong to Christ’s administration, we are now identified with righteousness, peace, and life, as Paul continues to tell us,

Rom 5:17-19 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) (18) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. (19) For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

All this activity happens the moment God saves us. We do not feel anything new. We do not sense anything different. Nothing changes in our flesh or in our mind. What has changed has all happened in the spiritual realm. We have a new relationship to God. We are identified in Christ. We are sealed into the family of God. We know this and believe this because the written Word tells us.

So, what now? If I’m saved in my spirit, what happens to my life here on earth? What happens in my circumstances? What do I do from here on?

Knowledge that will stablish you in the faith

Knowledge that will stablish you in the faith

Rom 16:25  Now to him that is of power to stablish you

1. according to my gospel,
2. and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery [doctrine], which was kept secret since the world began,  26  But now is made manifest,
3. and by the scriptures of the prophets,

…according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

The above passage is one of my favourites in all of Paul’s writings. It is essentially a very short summary of the book of Romans, but more importantly, it provides a condensed list of instructions that provide a grace believer with stability in their faith and walk. Let me briefly analyse this passage.

The Four Cornerstones of Romans (Part 5: Gaining Knowledge)

Start this post series from the beginning, here.

The Four Cornerstones of Romans (Part 5: Gaining Knowledge)

Keep in mind that this post is a small part of a greater study. To understand this part in its proper context, one must evaluate it based on the full context of the whole study.

We are advancing through the understanding of the second cornerstone of the Romans foundation. This cornerstone deals with God’s grace, and this post follows the understanding that grace starts with justification. What is justification? It is the absolute salvation of a person by the grace of God through their faith in Jesus Christ. The following verse puts justification in a perfect summary,

Rom 4:5  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

The 9-Epistles of Israel in the Tribulation

The 9-Epistles of Israel in the Tribulation

These 9 epistles, from Hebrews to Revelation represents a spiritual curriculum for the maturing and endurance of believers in the Jewish Kingdom program, through the tribulation, and into the Millennial Kingdom.

• Hebrews to 2 Peter are focused predominantly on being reeducated in the New Covenant and being reintroduced to the risen Christ.
• 1 John to Revelation is focused on sonship and sets sights on life in the Millennial Kingdom under the reign of Christ and in their priestly positions as the true Israel.

Paul's Curriculum for Maturing in Spirit and having Christ formed within you

Paul's Curriculum for Maturing in Spirit and having Christ formed within you.

• Romans to Galatians is focused predominantly on believer growing up and learning of God while here on earth.
• Ephesians to Thessalonians is focused on sonship and sets sights on life in the heavenly position and for eternity.

 

The Journey: Part 2 - A Process of Edification

Start here at the Introduction: The Journey Begins

The Journey: Part 2 - A Process of Edification

There's a methodical process of edification that occurs in Paul's epistles, taking you from the wrath of God in the book of Romans, to the faithful Body of Christ in Thessalonians who are patiently waiting for the Lord Jesus Christ to come. From Romans to Thessalonians, the whole outlook of life and faith has changed.

Rom.1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

2 Thess.3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. 4 And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. 5 And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.