The Mind Controlled by The Spirit….
Thinking more about thinking…
In Romans 8, the apostle Paul makes his argument about our mind and our natural “sinful nature”. We don’t like to talk about sin in our modern world, even so, I have been observing much anger, hate, fear and despair even among professing steadfast believers. I would argue that the “sinful nature” is alive and well on the planet earth. It seems this nature is alive and well in our own minds and hearts...in my own mind and heart. When we read how the apostle Paul compares whether we will be controlled by the sinful nature or allow The Holy Spirit to be the One who directs our thinking, it appears that there is a real battle going on even in the mind of the modern person.
In recent years we modern folk have become so much more aware of how the mind works through the science of brain studies and yet, here is Paul, an ancient lawyer and teacher, observing most accurately the function and characteristics of how powerful our thought life is. Just take a moment to think about what you are thinking about right now. How have you been approaching the latest events in the world, in our country, in our communities or in your own homes? What has been the prevailing thought in your own mind toward people who disagree with you or who are behaving in ways that you find offensive? Judgement? Fear? Contempt?
I have been listening to friends and family lament and even expressing terror at the outcome of recent political events. They have been troubled by the way lawmakers have been handling or not handling certain situations. And I have been listening to others who are puzzled by the inability of good Christian folks to see the evil and contrary ways of certain other leaders and folks engaged in acts of dishonesty and violence. What are we thinking about? How are we approaching these situations?
I just read about a study done in 2013 about political preferences and math. It appears that people are so set in their political ideologies that they are unable to solve simple math problems that refute their own ways of thinking. According to this study “our political passions can even undermine our very basic reasoning skills. More specifically, the study finds that people who are otherwise very good at math may totally flunk a problem that they would otherwise probably be able to solve, simply because giving the right answer goes against their political beliefs”. (https://grist.org/politics/science-confirms-politics-wrecks-your-ability-to-do-math/).
This study took both conservative and liberal thinking folks and gave them statistics that showed that gun control was helpful (or not helpful) in reducing violence. Those that believed in gun control believed the statistics that aligned with their own political preferences and affirmed them as true and those who were against gun control could not solve the problem to be true. Even with the statistics in front of them. The study also took another group and offered the same (fake) statistics to reflect the effectiveness of a skin cream developed to treat a rash. The stats were the same for both studies, the situation was made up to test if people’s minds could be changed even when a mathematically proven statistic proved it to be so. While people solved the statistical outcomes correctly for the skin cream, they were unable to solve the same problem if it went contrary to their political bias. What does this tell us? Could it be that even if we mean well, our minds may be made up in such a way that even hearing and knowing the truth may not sway us. Sound familiar? One other interesting fact about this study was that the more competent a person was in their math skills, the more set they were in their political ideologies, and the less they were able to consider the true facts that might refute their way of thinking. It seems that the smarter we are, the less able we are to consider the truth that may help us change our mind. Perhaps this is one good reason to come to Jesus as a little child.
When Jesus came into the world, He said that He came to set the captives free. He came to change our minds, our hearts, and our whole lives. He came to set us free from the false beliefs that imprison our very souls. I wonder what each of us are being held captive to. What is the sin nature that controls your own mind, heart and soul? The Gospel (the Good News) says that Jesus died and rose from the dead to save us from our sin. Jesus died as a sacrifice to save us from the control of the sin nature- being set in our own thinking- and to be set free to live according to the Spirit. How would we know if our thinking is off? Perhaps one way is to look at the fruit of our own thought-life? Is there overwhelming fear? Is the desire to control and refusal to listen to others prevalent? Are anxiety and worry taking over your thoughts…your heart, your very soul? Is your hope in people, politics, situations, or events? If you answer, “yes” to any of these questions then I would invite you to gently and graciously allow the Holy Spirit to search your mind and thoughts and help redirect you to the Truth.
In his autobiography, Franklin Graham talks about what he feels truly matters. He said in response to being interviewed by reporters on politics, “I want to be able to take any reporter’s question and turn it around to focus on Christ. To me, that was what truly mattered. Political issues would come and go. It was the gospel, the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, that would endure. That’s what I wanted to talk about.” (Rebel with a Cause, Graham, 1995, pg.206)
We, of course need to care about the political structures and systems to be sure that there will be justice and care for others here on Earth as it is in Heaven, but before that we need to assess what we are personally believing and thinking because that will play out in what we say and do. It will play out in how much peace we experience. “Am I living according to the fearful sinful nature or am I inviting the Holy Spirit to control my heart, my mind, my soul, and my spirit?” one may ask. This can be a worthy assessment.
“Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires, but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is Life and Peace.” Romans 8:5-6
That is enough to think about for today. May the Lord bless you to take this journey toward Life and Peace.
Rebecca Sassenrath