Think Like a Christian on Topics Not in the Bibleናሙና

Day 5: Be Transformed by the Renewing of Your Mind

Living for Christ is rarely easy. Not only do we face supernatural forces external to us, but we also constantly battle the flesh, a propensity toward sin and rebellion that arises from within. If opposition both external and internal were not bad enough, we also face opposition in our setting—the world. 

Paul warned the church in Rome about this very thing in his letter to them: “Do not be conformed to this age but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God,” (Romans 12:2).

The world, a system that seeks to squeeze you into its unbelieving mold, is merciless and plays for keeps. It applies pressure from every side, seeking to shape your behavior and your appetites into its own image. The promise of the gospel is that the triune God will not be satisfied until the redeemed Christian is transformed from the inside out into the image of Jesus Christ. 

But the Christian is not to be inactive. Though the Spirit sanctifies, believers have responsibilities as well. They are commanded to be transformed, which is odd because we cannot transform ourselves. We are commanded to have something happen to us. Grammatically, this is called a passive imperative. How do we obey a command to “be transformed?” There is more to it than simply sitting back and letting the Holy Spirit do his good work. Paul gives us a clue. The transformation he commands happens through mind renewal. Which raises the important question: How do we renew our minds? Fortunately, we have plenty of biblical teaching on the life of the mind. Scripture reading and meditation, prayer, and fellowship with other believers are the prescribed means to renew your mind.

One part we play in the renewing of our minds is to saturate them with the Word of God. Do you want to be able to “discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God,” in areas where the Bible does not specifically tell you what to do? (After all, it does not take much discernment to know that murder or adultery are wrong. Those activities are straightforwardly prohibited in the Bible.) Fill your mind with the teaching that we do have in Scripture. Meditate on the clear commands in the Bible so that you can wisely apply biblical principles and wisdom to areas that are not specifically addressed.