mind

Put on and put off

Paul talked about being transformed into the image of Christ in the context of the New Covenant that Jesus established before he was crucified (Matthew 26:26-29, 2 Corinthians 3:5). The Greek word metamorphoo (met-am-or-foˊ-o) is “spoken figuratively of our being transformed in mind and heart” (G3339) in 2 Corinthians 3:18 where it says, “And we with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” Paul used the example of Christ’s humility to encourage the Philippians to willingly engage in the process of transformation that Christians are called to. Paul told the Philippian believers to “have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:5-7).

Paul explained in his letter to the Colossians that being alive in Christ involves putting off the body of the flesh (Colossians 2:11). What Paul meant by this was that believers should not be controlled by their desires. Paul said in his letter to the Ephesians that this kind of lifestyle belongs to a believer’s former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires (Ephesians 4:22). Paul told the Colossians:

But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. (Colossians 3:8-10)

Paul said that a believer must put off their old self and put on the new self, indicating that an intentional effort is required. Regeneration or spiritual rebirth has two different aspects. The new birth or what Jesus referred to as being born again (John 3:3) “stresses the communication of spiritual life in contrast to antecedent spiritual death …it is the act by which God brings him from death to life. In the act itself (rather than the preparation for it), the recipient is passive, just as a child has nothing to do with his own birth.” Regeneration stresses the inception of a new state of things in contrast with the old. This ongoing process, known as the renewal of the mind or anakainosis (an-ak-ah’ee-no-sis), “by contrast, is the gradual conforming of the person to the new spiritual world in which he now lives, the restoration of the divine image. In this process the person is not passive but is a fellow worker with God” (G3824).

The renewal of the mind or the act of putting off the old self and putting on the new self is also referred to as the walk of repentance because it involves an ongoing, continuous cycle of repenting from sin. The renewing of our minds is a result of us continually adjusting our thinking to align with God’s word. Paul indicated in his letter to Titus that renewing believers’ minds is a work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told his followers, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment because the ruler of this world is judged. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come” (John 16:7-15). Jesus told his disciples the Holy Spirit would convict the world concerning sin because they do not believe in him. The Greek word that is translated convict, elegcho (el-engˊ-kho) means “to prove one in the wrong and thus to shame him” (G1651).

Paul indicated in his letter to the Colossians that the old self is associated with practices, performing something repeatedly or “habitually” (G4238). Putting on the new self involves believers replacing these sinful habits with godly behavior. Paul instructed the Colossians:

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. (Colossians 3:12-15)

The behaviors that Paul identified are referred to as the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. Paul said if we live by the Spirit, we should keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25). In other words, our walk of repentance should not be hindered by an unwillingness on our part to repent of the sins that the Holy Spirit makes us aware of.

Paul made it clear in his letter to the Ephesians that renewal, or more specifically change, takes place in the mind. Paul said in Ephesians 5:23 that we are to be renewed in the spirit of our minds. The spirit is “the principle of life residing in man. The breath breathed by God into man and again returning to God, the spiritual entity in man (Matthew 27:50; Luke 8:55; 23:46; John 19:30; Acts 7:59; 1 Corinthians 15:45; Revelation 13:15)” (G4151). The mind is described in the Bible “as the seat of emotions and affections, mode of thinking and feeling, disposition, moral inclination, equivalent to the heart (Romans 1:28; 12:2; 1 Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 4:17, 23; Colossians 2:18; 1 Timothy 6:5; 2 Timothy 3:8; Titus 1:15)” (G3563). To be renewed in the spirit of your mind, you have to change the way you think. Believers must intentionally stop thinking about certain things and in certain ways and intentionally start thinking about life the way that God does. Paul said, “you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth” (Colossians 3:8), and then, “put on…kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (Colossians 3:12).

Paul indicated the way to put off and put on is by letting the word of Christ dwell in us (Colossians 3:16). “The expression ‘the word [logos, (3056)] of Christ’ refers to the revelation that Jesus Christ brought into the world” (note on Colossians 3:16). Logos means “the Divine Expression” (G3056). It says in Hebrews 1:3 that Jesus is the exact imprint of God’s nature, “and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” The Greek word that is translated word in this verse is rhema (hrayˊ-mah). Jesus used the word rhema when he responded to the devil’s temptation to command the stones to become loaves of bread. Jesus stated, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4), indicating that when we put on or take in God’s word, we are receiving the spiritual nourishment that enables us to live forever (G2198).

Purposes of the heart

The transition from living according to the Mosaic Law to accepting salvation as a free gift based on God’s grace was difficult for the Jews because they didn’t understand that the goal was for them to have a personal relationship with the Lord. When Jesus was asked the question, “Which is the great commandment in the Law?” (Matthew 22:36), he quoted Deuteronomy 6:5, which states, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Jesus changed the last word in this sentence, the Hebrew word meod (meh-odeˊ), which is translated might, into the Greek word dianoia (dee-anˊ-oy-ah), which means “deep thought” (G1271). Jesus associated the internal functions of the heart, the soul, and the mind with loving God. The Greek word that Jesus used for love, agapao (ag-ap-ahˊ-o) referred to love that was shown to superiors and included “the idea of duty, respect, veneration, meaning to love and serve with fidelity” (G25). A word that is derived from agapao is agape (ag-ahˊ-pay). Agape refers specifically to “the love of God” or “of Christ” (G26). The Apostle Paul used the word agape (love) in his rebuke of the Corinthians. Paul said, “Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness” (1 Corinthians 4:18-21). Paul’s comment about coming to the Corinthians with a rod or with love in a spirit of gentleness was directed at their misunderstanding of salvation by grace. Paul wanted the Corinthians to understand that his gentleness toward them was a manifestation of God’s love.

Jesus taught his disciples that their hearts would produce either good or bad behavior depending on its condition. Jesus said, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil” (Matthew 12:34-35). The problem that the Jesus often pointed out was that the Jews’ hearts had been corrupted by bad teaching from their religious leaders. In one of his confrontations with the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus pointed out that their teaching contradicted the commandments of God. Matthew 15:1-9 states:

Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

“‘This people honors me with their lips,
    but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
    teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

Jesus said that the Pharisees and the scribes had made void the word of God by their traditions (Matthew 15:6). What Jesus meant was that the scribes and Pharisees were making God’s word appear to be ineffective. People thought they were doing what God wanted them to, but their circumstances were not getting any better.

Paul told the Corinthians that the Lord “will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart” (1 Corinthians 4:5). The purposes of the heart have to do with the inner workings of each person’s mind and the resulting actions people take based on the decisions they have made. The Greek word boule (boo-layˊ) means “volition” (G1012). Volition is the faculty or power of using one’s will (Oxford online dictionary). Jesus indicated that the driving factor behind our volition or will is the thoughts that we have in our hearts and minds. Jesus explained to his disciples, “Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles the person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone” (Matthew 15:17-20).

When the baby Jesus was presented at the temple according to the custom of the Law, a man named Simeon blessed him and told his mother Mary, “This child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35). Luke’s gospel indicates that Jesus was able to perceive the thoughts of others. Luke 5:22 states, “When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, ‘Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say “Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, “Rise and walk?”’” Later Luke noted, “But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, ‘Come and stand here’” (Luke 6:8). On another occasion, Luke stated, “But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls’” (Luke 11:17). Paul’s statement that the Lord will disclose the purposes of the heart (1 Corinthians 4:5) seems to revolve around the fact that Jesus knows our thoughts and can determine the motives behind them. Paul talked about God’s judgment and the law in his letter to the Romans and explained that it is not those who know the word of God who are righteous, but the ones who put it into practice who will be absolved from the consequences of sin. Paul said:

For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. (Romans 2:12-16)

Paul mentioned conflicting thoughts that would accuse or excuse us on the day of God’s judgment. The Greek word logismos (log-is-mosˊ), which is translated conflicting thoughts, means “to count, reckon, take an inventory” (G3053). Logismos is a synonym of boule and is derived from the word logizomai (log-idˊ-zom-ahee), which is used in Romans 4:3 to refer to Abraham’s faith being counted (logizomai) as righteousness. Therefore, it can be concluded that conflicting thoughts are those thoughts that do not agree with the word of God or more specifically, the things that Jesus said about people being saved and going to heaven.

It says in Hebrews 4:12-13, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.” The Greek word that is translated intentions, ennoia (enˊ-noy-ah) simply means “what is in the mind” (G1771), the things we are thinking about. It says that the word of God is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. The word of God acts as a judge or standard by which the contents of our minds are determined to be either for or against God. After Jesus’ resurrection, he didn’t confront Peter about having denied knowing him three times (John 18:15-18, 25-27). Instead, Jesus asked Peter the question, “Do you love me” (John 21:15). John tells us:

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. (John 21:15-17)

Peter realized that Jesus knew the purposes of his heart. Saying that he loved Jesus didn’t count for anything unless it was an accurate reflection of Peter’s internal thought processes. During their conversation, Jesus changed his question to reflect Peter’s thoughts. The first time he was asked, do you love (agapao) me more than these? Peter responded, “You know that I love (phileo) you.” (John 21:15). Peter used a word for love that means to have affection for someone, while agapao “is wider, embracing especially the judgment and the deliberate assent of the will as a matter of principle, duty and propriety” (G5368). The third time Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love (phileo) me?” he used the same word Peter had used in his previous responses, indicating that his expectation of Peter had been modified. John recorded, “Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love (phileo) me?’ and he said to him, ‘Lord, you know (eido) everything; you know (ginosko) that I love (phileo) you” (John 21:17). Peter understood that there was nothing to be gained from lying to Jesus about his love for him. Peter acknowledged that Jesus had judged him correctly when he said you know (ginosko) that I love (phileo) you. In spite of, or maybe, because of Peter’s inferior love for him, Jesus told Peter to “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17); a command that would eventually result in Peter being executed in a similar manner to Jesus.