“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (II Timothy 1:7).
Although humanistic intellectuals often scoff at the Christian intellect, the fact is that it is only the born-again Christian who is able really to understand spiritual truth, for “the god of this world hath blinded the minds [or ‘thoughts’] of them which believe not” (II Corinthians 4:4).
By the miracle of the new birth, however, received through faith in Christ, the believer is “transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). In fact, “we have the mind of Christ” (I Corinthians 2:16).
The potential of a renewed, Christ-honoring, Scripturally submissive mind is tremendous. In the first place, said the Lord Jesus, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God . . . with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37). Secondly, one must have implicit faith in the word of God: “Neither be ye of doubtful mind.” “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken” (Luke 12:29; 24:25). One should also “Put on . . . humbleness of mind” (Colossians 3:12), and seek to discipline his mind or, “gird up the loins of your mind, be sober” (I Peter 1:13). Along with this should be developed mature thinking—“in understanding be men” (I Corinthians 14:20).
That potential is implicit in the great truth that in Christ “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). We therefore should seek to bring “into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (II Corinthians 10:5).
Certainly we should not allow our minds to dwell on the “vain imaginations” of those “professing themselves to be wise” (Romans 1:21,22) in the “wisdom of this world” which will soon “come to naught” (I Corinthians 2:6). It is we, not they, to whom God has given a “sound mind!” HMM
