Through the Word of God, I was becoming increasingly assured that transformation did indeed come as a result of ‘renewing the mind’. Nevertheless, searching to find the exact meaning of this term, I found only repeated explanations that amounted to nothing more than mere self-effort. (Conduct your own search and see what you find.) According to these commentators it was, once again, entirely up to me. It was up to me to think godly thoughts, discover God’s ways by reading His Word, and then change my worldly thoughts and attitudes to agree with His. Once more, I could honestly say I had already done that. My problem wasn’t that I didn’t agree with God’s ways and thoughts. I heartily agreed with them. No, there had to be more to renewing the mind than this. Surely, if total transformation would come from mind renewal, it had to involve more power than just circling right back around to me and my efforts yet again!
These types of definitions regarding the meaning of ‘renewing the mind’ had to be faulty, for such an approach had brought no genuine change or transformation in my life.
However, I had begun to see a difference and was experiencing new liberty by turning my focus from my works and onto His…by getting my attention off the works of the flesh that my old man left behind and onto the supernatural work of God in making me righteous in my spirit, my new man. This manner of ‘renewing the mind’ was different from most explanations that I’d found, but it was bringing results. I was finding freedom and was increasingly hopeful that my new, inner self would find its way to the outside. Paul put it like this:
that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit … and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Ephesians 4:22,24
The word ‘lay aside’ has a meaning similar to what we would use to describe taking off a coat. In fact, it is used in the story of the witnesses of the stoning of Stephen taking off their robes and laying them at the feet of Saul. (Acts 7:58) The word ‘put on’ has the same connotation. It literally means ‘to sink into clothing or clothe oneself’. In a sense, this is comparing our putting off the old self and putting on the new much like how we take a coat off or put a coat on. Both references sounded exactly like what I wanted to see happen in my life. I wanted what was on the inside to be put on the outside. Like so many other things I heard and read though, it seemed easier said than done. It left me with that nagging question…HOW?
Thankfully, as he did in Romans 12:2, Paul not only tells us what to do but also reveals how to do it. I was thrilled to discover that the answer he provided gave further evidence to what I’d hoped was true but had hesitated to believe since it seemed far too easy. So, what was Paul’s instruction as to how to put off the old and put on the new? The answer is found sandwiched right between the two commands…
…. be renewed in the spirit of your mind… Ephesians 4:23
There it was again…yet another confirmation to the power of my mind and its role in bringing about the change I longed for. As God has renewed my spirit, I must now renew my mind to the truth of my inner man. Renewing our minds is not just something we do to realize God’s ways are right. In my case, I had already done that. No, renewing my mind was a matter of realizing that what God had done in me and declared to be true about me was indeed true! I was righteous, because He said I was. I was holy, because He said I was. God had done the work to renew my spirit; now my work was simply to renew my mind to the fact that He’d done it. As I continued to set my mind on my new man and its nature of righteousness and holiness I began actually seeing transformation. I was finally finding myself being turned…inside out!
Don’t miss the P.S. (“post” script) here
…and My Story continues here (Don’t miss this one!)
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