TRANSFORMATION THROUGH THE MIND (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, acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).

The key words; conform, transform, renew, mind, prove, discern, will, good, acceptable, and perfect.

Being transformed

This is change in form, condition, character or substance.

Conform?

This is to comply with rules, standards, or laws governing something. So, that we should not conform to this world means that we must not subjugate ourselves to the rules and standards of the same.

Renew

To renew is to make (something) new, fresh, or strong again. So, this is to encourage us to become new, fresh and strong again for God yet again.

Mind

The mind is the state to apply oneself or attend to something. Say to mind one's own business. Yet this is in the way that we should mind God's business.

The mind is also reason, sanity, or sound mental condition. Say if one loses his mind, then he does not apply to this. But we must not lose our mind in relation to God and everything that is for and to Him.

Prove

To prove is to demonstrate the truth or existence of (something) by evidence or argument.

In this, we are to demonstrate the truth. The truth is to resist sin in every way that is available to us. It is the ability to be led by the Spirit and not by the insatiable demands of the flesh.

The truth also according to scripture is Jesus (John 14:6).

Will

Will is the act or process of using or asserting one's choice; volition.  Say that my hands are obedient to my will. 

We are of God. We are because God is. Upon this, just like a hand is obedient to you, so should you be obedient to God.

Scripture states that we are gods (Psalms 82:6), (John 10:34). We are gods in the sense that we are of God. We are nothing if not in God (John 15:1-6). Upon this, we must be obedient to the will of God who is our only source of life and strength.

Discern

This is the ability to distinguish (someone or something) with difficulty by sight or with the other senses.

The ability to perceive or recognize (something).
 
It is rather a situation that would require divine intervention. For it is a scenario which comes in extra ordinary conditions.

It would require to involve inner reflection in the mind in conjunction and consultation with the Spirit which if not done, either a decision won't be made or will be made but wrongly.

In this kind of situation, the devil will readily present as the angel of light (2Corinthians 11:3, 14).

Good

This is to be desired or approved of.

It is having the qualities required for a particular role.

It is also possessing or displaying virtue. Being righteous.

That we are of and from God, what is good for God is what should be good for us. That can only come by closely inclining to the Spirit. And inclining to the Spirit means giving in your mind to the voice of the Spirit and not of the flesh.

Acceptable

This is to be able to be agreed on: or suitable to be allowed.

In this, we must align ourselves in a way that is acceptable to God. This is only possible and available in Jesus Christ. In Him (Christ), there is the opportunity to make things anew and acceptable to the Father (God) (John 14:6).

Perfect

Being perfect is having no mistakes or flaws

It is being completely correct or accurate

It can also be having all the qualities you want in that kind of person, situation, etc.

In this, we must incline so closely so that we are purely sure that what we do is indisputably the will of God. This is what gives us confidence upon which we can grow our faith in God. This is the way we stand free of the wiles of the devil (John 14:30).

The case of Renewing the mind

We are being urged by scripture to be transformed by the renewing of the mind.
 

Now, what from do we renew our mind?

For this implies the human mind must have been perverted somewhere in the course of life.

When Adam and Eve sinned, nothing got any better till the coming of Christ. For God saw every intent of the human mind was perverted and He would destroy the world and everything therein (Genesis 6:5). So, we renew our mind from perversion to the will of God.

Human action is decided and directed in the mind, except for reflex actions (1Peter 1:13).

Good or evil begins in the heart. In the heart are both: the good forces against the bad forces. And the battle between God and the devil is for the heart of man.

For the Bible states that; salvation begins in the heart (Romans 10:10), thus salvation is a matter of the heart. Equally so, evil begins in the heart (Mark 7:21). But the decision to be or not to be is done through the mind.

Victory over nature is determined in how you manage your mind. Salvation is for all who come to Christ in humility, but transformation is a matter of endurance (Matthew 24:13). For in Christ we are saved, but it is another matter to keep so to the end. In between, the process of transformation takes place.

Thus then, to commit sin is not to be denied the right of continued confession of being Christian. Yet to confess to be Christian is simply to have decided well and taken the right direction, but transformation is a process.

In light of the above therefore, much as being saved begins in the heart, transformation begins in the mind. To say it literally, if the heart is the engine, the mind is the driver. To commit sin is not to have been oblivious it is, but because one has allowed the mind to be misdirected by the sinful nature.

Scripture urges us to have the mind like the mind of our Lord Jesus (Philippians 2:5). For Jesus was upright in mind. The mind of Jesus is the kind we need if we are to be constructively transformed.

If the mind is not transformed and renewed, there can't be meaningful change in a person. For the evil feelings of the flesh are directed in the mind and are effected in the body.

For the mind follows either the flesh or the Spirit. A perverted mind will succumb to the demands of the flesh. For example, if you have a sexual urge, the mind will direct you to the opposite sex in disregard of your marital status.

Yet the mind should not command what actions you take. Thus for scripture to say that if you are led by the Spirit, then you will live, and it is then that you become a child of God (Romans 8:13-14), (2Corinthians 5:16), (Galatians 5:16-17).

The devil uses the flesh through the mind to destroy us. On the other hand, God uses the Spirit through the mind to direct us His way (Colossians 3:2), (Romans 8:5-7). Thus the mind can be made subject to either of the two; the demands of the sinful flesh or to the way of the Spirit of God. For if the mind is not transformed, it is impossible to overcome sin.

Thus, much as the devil works in the flesh through the mind to misdirect us (2Corinthians 11:3), so it is that God works in the Spirit through the mind to put us right. For it is impossible to understand the matters of God with an unsettled mind. We need God to open our minds to Him (Luke 24:45).

We ought therefore to desist from worldly patterns by not simply succumbing to the sinful nature of the flesh. For example, it does not mean that if you have a sexual urge, you should automatically succumb to it. For you ought to consider factors like: am I married so I have the space to do it or not? And if you are not married to him or her, then it is sin to lie with the same.

If you feel like being gay, it doesn’t mean being so. For the desires of the flesh are never profitable and empowering to the Spirit. We ought therefore to set ourselves for God in how we manage our earthly life which is only but for a time (Ephesians 4:23).

To prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God is a matter of both the mind and heart. Thus we can choose to use our minds well and in the service of God.

For it is not evil to have a mind, but how you choose to use it is what counts. But because in this scripture proving the perfect will of God is mentioned in line with having our minds transformed, it means the mind is an integral part of the discernment process.

NB An empty mind is the devil's workshop.