Romans 8 ~ The Truth We’ve Missed That’s Prevented Transformation
As I continued my search for the key to walking according to the spirit and not according to the flesh, I came upon what appeared to be the answer.
According to Romans 8:5, at least I could say that my mind was not set on fleshly things. Or so I thought.
For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. Romans 8:5
This scripture characterizes us as ‘according to the flesh’ or ‘according to the spirit’ based simply on what our mind is set on. This discovery brought greater understanding to what had been a somewhat confusing concept. It also gave me new hope.
I found this clarification comforting because I felt I could control my thoughts much easier than I had been able to control my conduct. Seemingly, the nature of my actions was simply a reflection of the nature of my thoughts. This being the case, I embarked on a thorough investigation into the nature of those thoughts. My inability to produce good fruit seemed to force the conclusion that my mind was, indeed, set on the flesh. Nevertheless, initially I thought there must be more to it since I could honestly say that my mind was not set on fleshly things. Or so I thought.
I was spending time thinking about what I was spending time thinking about. I could truthfully say I was not meditating on fleshly desires. In fact, I was not only meditating on, but had actually been memorizing full chapters of the Bible. It seemed as though I was preoccupied with my attempt to please God, although I was very aware it was proving unsuccessful. My consuming desire was to be holy as He was holy, although I knew I was far from it. My primary focus was that the righteousness declared (II Corinthians 5:21) would also be righteousness displayed, but I was totally conscious that it was not. I was constantly examining myself and evaluating my behavior. Unfortunately, I was guilty of failure, weakness, and inconsistency. At times I was overwhelmed with condemnation, guilt, and shame. Then…it hit me. Suddenly I realized where my mind had truly been set…what my thoughts really were. It was true, my mind wasn’t set on the things my flesh wanted to do…my mind was set on the things my flesh had already done! Either way though….my mind was definitely set on the flesh!
All those teachings I’d heard and commentaries I’d read (including that Romans 8:5 NIV translation) had led me to believe that a mind set on the flesh was a mind set on what the flesh desires. However, the Bible never said that. It merely said, “those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh”. Truly, my mind had been set there. I had not been thinking on the desires of the flesh, but on the deeds of the flesh. My mind hadn’t been set on its wants; my mind had been set on its works. Any way you cut it though, on the flesh my mind had been set. Without a doubt it needed to change, for Romans goes on to declare,
the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so. Romans 8:7
What a sobering truth. With this mindset, I would be totally incapacitated and completely powerless in my attempt to obey God. This was not a state I wanted to be in. I was desperately searching for the power to obey, but according to God’s Word, my mindset was actually stripping me of power.
I had found something I could do….something I must do. Up to this point, I might not have been able to succeed at changing my behavior, but one thing I could do was change my mindset. No longer would I spend my time thinking on, mulling over, and condemning myself for the failures of my flesh. I could now see that this was creating the very weakness I was trying to escape. I would have to adopt a new way of thinking. My mind had been set on the deeds of my flesh for long enough. It was doing me no good to continue to obsess over the failures of the past. I determined to embrace a completely new mindset. From this point on, my mind would be set, but now it would be set…. to forget!
Don’t miss the powerful P.S. (“post” script) here
…and My Story continues here
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