Thoughtful Christianity, Part 3: Transformed Minds and Common Sense

Your Mind Matters: The Place of the Mind in the Christian Life, by John Stott
progress: completed

(Note: Sorry for the stupid breaks, etc. Blogger is being very annoying and changing all my formatting, and I am not the HTML-genius type. Grrr.)

The Place of the Mind in the Pursuit of Holiness

How is our mind related to our actions? How does it contribute or distract from our pursuit of the holiness to which we were called? Stott answers that it is a neglected but essential component. For, how can we know the will of God without using our minds to discern it from His word? Further, the battle for discipline begins in our minds:

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but 

be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 

Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—

his good, pleasing and perfect will. - Romans 12:2

It is the many Scripture verses such as this one that lead Stott to conclude that "self-control is primarily mind-control." (58) The battle for our character is usually won in the mind, as it is renewed by the grace of God. (57) Conversely, the opposite is also true:

Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile 
to retain the knowledge of God, 

so God gave them over to a depraved mind, 

so that they do what ought not to be done. - Romans 1:28

Those who live according to the flesh 

have their minds set on what the flesh desires; 

but those who live in accordance with the Spirit 

have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. - Romans 8:5

A renewed mind set on what the Spirit desires will live according to the Spirit. A depraved mind set on what the flesh desires will live according to the flesh. As believers who still struggle with the flesh, this is the battle we fight, the tension we live within. And we are doomed unless we allow our minds to be engaged and transformed by the Holy Spirit.

Finally, Stott reminds us that "we are to consider not only what we should be but what by God's grace we already are. We are constantly to recall what God has done for us." (59) We are to preach these things to ourselves "until their truth grips our minds and molds our character." (60)

Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, 

set your hope on the grace to be brought to you 

when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. - 1 Peter 1:13

Guidance: General Will versus Particular Will 

I really liked what Stott had to say here. I've struggled sometimes with the way others speak so assuredly that "the Lord told" them that they needed to do such and such. It sounds much more spiritual than my usual, "I thought about it, prayed about it and finally decided to do such and such, and in retrospect, it seemed like God was definitely leading me on that path." Even when I do have an inkling that God is speaking an idea into my mind, I am hesitant to declare it, because I am unsure of what is me and what is Him, and I am aware that I may be subconsciously using spiritual language to defend a human idea.

During a Bible study on 1 Samuel, I came across two different types of situations that David encountered in his adventures with King Saul. At times, God gave him a specific command: go here, do this. Other times, David was seemingly left to his own to make a decision on act it. In both situations, God blessed him. In one situation, God was direct. In the other, God allowed him to make his own decisions about what to do. The following two quotes from Bill T. Arnold, author of the NIV Application Commentary on 1 & 2 Samuel, have given me comfort as I struggle to discern God's will for my life without direct, specific words from God:

“David is doing what seems logical, walking through the doors open to him. God honors what he does.” (363) 

“Rarely do the saints of the Old Testament have direct confirmation of their actions, though they hold resolutely to the belief that God is involved. Such examples remind us to submit our entire decision-making process to God and trust him to enlighten our God-given reason and logic and to guide us in our important decisions in life.” (364) 

John Stott affirms this idea. He does so by differentiating between God's general will for all of our lives (be holy, be righteous, love one another) and his specific will for our individual lives (Whom should I marry? What career should I choose?). The Bible is our source to know and discern God's general will - "for all people...at all times" (61), but not so for God's particular will, which

is not to be sought in Scripture, for Scripture does not contradict itself, and it is of the essence of God's particular will that it may be different for different members of his family. Certainly we shall find in Scripture some general principles to guide us in our particular choices. And I do not deny that some of God's people down the ages have claimed to received very detailed guidance from Scripture. Yet I must repeat that this is not God's usual way. (62-63)

He uses the example of choosing a life partner. While we can draw out principles from the Bible of what sort of person we ought to marry, we will not find a name or an address of The One! Instead, he argues, we are to  use common sense, "trusting that God will guide you through your own mental processes." (64) I can verify that this is the manner in which I firmly believe God led me to pursue theological studies, to study abroad in Glasgow, to attend seminary even thought I had to go into debt to do it, and to marry the man I did (to name just a few).

In the course of my decision-making, I trusted him to close the doors that weren't in his will, as he knew that I sought to do his will. I considered the advice of those wiser and more experienced than I. In this way, I took ownership of the inherent difficulties of any choice, even while I enjoyed the blessings that he poured out on me in the following of them. Perhaps we are being a bit lazy if we just expect him to spell out every step of our lives, without having to engage our God-given brains:

Although God promises to guide us, we must not expect him to do so in the way in which we guide horses and mules. He will not use a bit and bridle with us. For we are not horses or mules; we are human beings. We have understanding, which horses and mules have not. It is, then, through the use of our own understanding, enlightened by Scripture and prayer and the counsel of friends, that God will lead us into a knowledge of his particular will for us. (64-65)

It is just one more way that God lends us what CS Lewis called "the dignity of causality."

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Did I mention this tiny little book was filled to the brim with profound insight? I guess I'll have to cut this short once again, so I can keep this post (relatively) short and get it posted today! More to come...
~Becky

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