In the previous episode, we discussed a common tendency we have when we are reading and studying the Bible:  mere accumulation of knowledge, rather than using the Scriptures to lead us into the very presence of the triune Godhead, which will then lead us to change how we think, act, and live.  Today I want to explore this further, by looking at how God designed the mind.  As in the previous episode, I want to share a few excerpts from an excellent article by Bill Johnson on this topic:

“God is not opposed to the mind.  He created it to be a beautiful complement to all that He made.  He is opposed to the unrenewed mind.  It is at war with God, incapable of obeying Him.”

Let’s pause here for a moment.  Johnson gets this concept that “[the unrenewed mind] is at war with God, incapable of obeying Him” from this verse:

Romans 8:6 NIV  The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.  [Application:  The mind “governed by the flesh” is the unrenewed mind.  Because it not “governed by the Spirit,” it is incapable of obeying God.  So, it is, in essence, at war with God.]

So, how do we renew our minds?  Johnson continues:

“The mind does not get renewed simply by reading Scripture… When I hear people teach on renewing the mind, I commonly hear them say that happens almost exclusively through reading the Word, meditating on the Word, and confessing the Word.  Those habits are absolutely essential, but they are not what renews the mind.  The Word was designed and given to bring us to a divine encounter [with Jesus].  The divine encounter is what renews our minds.

“Jesus said, ‘You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life’ (John 5:39-40).  Jesus was standing in front of a group of [very] learned religious men when He said this, but they refused to go from knowledge to encounter.  The Scriptures are to take us to the Person of Jesus Christ.

“When I filter everything that I read through my mind only, and remove what isn’t immediately logical, I extract much of what I really need.  Only what goes beyond my understanding is positioned to renew my mind.  By definition, if we understand something already, then we are not learning.

“The apostle Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, exalted experience above knowledge in his letter to the Ephesians: “That you … may be able… to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge’ (Ephesians 3:17-19).  The meaning in the original Greek is ‘to know by experience what is beyond comprehension.’  So, the intellect is dethroned as the arbiter of spiritual knowledge.”

I should pause at this point and add that Johnson is not advocating for downplaying the application of our intellect to the study of the Scriptures.  He continues:

“Nobody could convince me [that] they love Jesus unless they love the written Word of God.  The Bible is Jesus in print.  He is the Word of God.  And those who set aside the mind are setting aside the very thing God wants to renew.  If the mind isn’t important, it’s not worth renewing.”

So, here is the big idea:  

It takes more than merely reading the words of Scripture and accumulating knowledge to renew our minds.  God uses the words of Scripture, through the Holy Spirit, to lead us to a divine encounter with Jesus, who reveals the ways and nature of the Father to us.  It is important to engage every part of us, including our minds, in this encounter with Jesus.  Only then do we receive the divine insights necessary to renew our minds.  

The results of a renewed mind are renewed thoughts, words, and deeds.  Without a renewed mind, our accumulation of Scripture knowledge will cause us to be like the Pharisees, who Jesus described as “searching the Scriptures” but “unwilling to come to [Him] that [they] may have life.”  

Today, I encourage you to “Reflect on This.”