When we were born again, our spirits became perfect.
2 Corinthians 5:17 – we are new creations in Christ Jesus
Ephesians 2:10 – we are results of His craftsmanship, created to walk in His works
2 Peter 1:2-4 – God has given us everything that we will need to succeed in this life; it’s all deposited within our spirits
What about the body we live in and the soul we have?
Romans 12:1-2
Our bodies are to be presented a living sacrifice
Our minds are to be renewed
A living sacrifice
Our bodies are not decision makers in and of themselves but they are very influential
Our five senses are constantly taking in data around us
These senses are all wired to our brains.
They send electrical signals
Our brains often times respond to these stimuli with chemical responses, releasing chemicals such as adrenaline, dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin.
Over time we learn which stimuli and which behaviors release more of the pleasurable chemicals and we will seek to do more of that.
The sensory input from our bodies is also very influential with regards to our conscious thought.
In a man’s natural state, the body is the primary influence on our mind.
If we’re not born again, we are completely dead to the spiritual realm (Ephesians 2:1)
If we remain carnally minded after salvation, our body will continue to be the major influence of our minds.
To be living sacrifices, we cannot be led by what our natural senses or our body’s desires tell us.
The body will protest when it doesn’t get its own way. It sends signals expressing its displeasure to our brains.
We must deny our body the final say in our lives and instead submit to the truth of God’s Word.
For example, if we are sick and we want to receive our healing we cannot remain fixated on the feelings in our body. We must deny our body the authority to influence our minds and instead choose God’s Word.
Renewing of the mind
We cannot become a living sacrifice without doing this
Greek word for renew is anakainōsis (Strong’s: 342)
This also means to renovate.
Imagine renovating a dilapidated shack into a comfortable home
These houses get stripped down to the studs
The old material brought out of the house ends up in a dumpster
Once the old is completely broken down and removed, then the contractor has a clean slate and can build something great.
Military training
The new recruits are broken down during boot camp.
Once the old is broken down, the recruit is built in the image of the military
Paul tells the Christian to renovate his/her mind.
It’s not simply a matter of adding God’s truth to our existing thought processes and lives.
The old mindset has to be torn down first.
Paul used the word metamorphoō (Strong’s: 3339) from which we get the word metamorphosis to describe the outcome of renewing our mind
It is a complete transformation, the same as a caterpillar going into the cocoon and coming out as a butterfly.
It’s not a simple addition of the spiritual to the natural – it’s a complete replacement of the natural with the spiritual.
How do we go about renewing our minds?
Philippians 2:12-13
This transformation is working out our salvation. It’s getting what God has perfected in our spirits already out into our minds
Ask God to give us a desire to renew our minds
Determine to know and accept as the ultimate truth what God says about your life
This must be done according to the Holy Spirit
We can read the Bible with the carnal mind.
This will lead us to a very superficial understanding of the Word at best, or confusion at worst.
Looking up the scriptures without the Holy Spirit’s involvement will not bring forth abundant life
2 Corinthians 10:4-5
Stronghold
Greek word ochyrōma (Strong’s: 3794)
castle or fortress
“of the arguments and reasonings by which a disputant endeavours to fortify his opinion and defend it against his opponent”
Any way of thinking we have that is contrary to God
Habits we’ve developed over time
Religious traditions
Anything whose source is the carnal mind
We have to forcefully remove our old ways of thinking from our minds.
In war, fortified positions require a significant amount of force to remove and demolish.
When the house gets renovated, stripping the walls requires the sledge hammer
Presenting our bodies as a sacrifice comes into play here as well – we have to stop giving our natural senses the priority over the truth of God’s Word.
Philippians 4:8
What are we letting into our minds?
If you’re renovating the house, you’re going to put all the old, rotted material in the dumpster and get fresh, new wood, sheetrock, etc.
If you wouldn’t remodel a house with old rotted wood, why would we rebuild our minds with the same garbage we just took out?
Armor up! (Ephesians 6:12-18)
When we put on the full armor of God, we are putting Christ on.
He will protect us from the wiles of the devil and give us the means by which to fight the battle (the Word of God).
Our soul is the only part of our being that can reach our Spirit
To the unsaved man, his natural senses and his emotions are the controlling influences of thought and action
When we become saved, the Holy Spirit will speak through our spirit to our souls
As we renew our minds to God’s truth, we become more open to the Spirit speaking to us.
Our goal should be to hear the Spirit more loudly and definitively than our own natural senses
