TRANSFORMED BY THE MIND OF CHRIST

Do not conform

'And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.'
Romans 12:2

What does it mean to have a renewed mind? The above scripture points firstly to the truth that the mind of Christ is in total contrast and opposition to the ways of the world. There is no middle ground, if we are to get to the place of the renewed mind the first thing we have to be able to do is set boundaries in our lives against the ways of the world.

In a world where everyone appears to be striving to make their mark, to stand out and evidence their unique giftings or capacities, it is intriguing how much of that is marked through conformity. Paul’s cry to the believer is, we must learn to identify the way of the world and choose to boldly refuse to conform. We must be ready to be different and to be steadfast in our non conformity.

The responsibility we have is to stand up against worldly measures, to distance ourselves from the things that are outside of God, to flee temptation, to not accept everything the world says simply because it seems logical. The Kingdom of God is an upside down Kingdom that doesn’t follow logic.

Transformed by a renewed mind

Paul goes on to say that your life comes into true transformation when your mind is renewed. 1 Corinthians 2 teaches us that this new mind comes as part of the package of receiving the Spirit of God. The bible says, “who knows the mind of a thing, except the spirit of the thing,”  receiving the Spirit of God gives access to the mind of God, but accessing its fruit requires rejecting what you know, and searching for what you don’t know.

'Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. '
Philippians 2:5-8

When the bible talks about the mind that was in Christ it expresses it through the humility He had, that being equal to God, He humbled Himself and made Himself of no reputation. The is exemplified so powerfully in the story of the rich young ruler in Mark 10,

'Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. '
Mark 10:17-18

Here, the rich young ruler calls Jesus good, but Jesus, who is equal with God and has humbled Himself, looks at God and says “if God is good, I 'can’t be good”. You cannot seek the perspective of the mind of Christ if you value your mind above Him.

We have to learn to defer everything to the mind of God and leave nothing to our own wisdom, we cannot afford to be wise in our own eyes. but to trust in the Lord with all our hearts.