What Do You Think

What do you think? Or, rather, how do you think?

The Apostle Paul frequently wrote about "the renewing of the mind" (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:22-24). He exhorted the Philippians to "put on the mind of Christ" (Philippians 2:5-11). "Set your mind on" says the letter to the Colossians (Colossians 3:2).

For Paul, the renewing of the mind - the transformation in how/what we think - was the heart of the spiritual transformation process. Learning the ways of God is foundational to spiritual development.

The renewing of the mind has two dimensions: (1) unlearning the old way of thinking as we (2) learn the ways of God that Jesus taught.

In Romans 12:2, Paul wrote "stop being conformed to the pattern of this world" (personal translation). His thought: we have been trained to think by the values of the world in which we live. We naturally think from that perspective. It is how we think. It is what we think. Until we recognize and identify this way of thinking, we will unconsciously live out of it. It governs what we do.

This unlearning occurs as we "put on the mind of Christ," that is, as we learn the ways of God that Jesus taught. This learning a different way of thinking is the work of the Spirit in our lives (John 14:26). (See Acts 10 for a record of this Spirit-led shift of thinking in the life of Peter.)

These two ways of thinking are at odds with one another. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD" (Isaiah 55:8).

• We have been trained to think in terms of us-them. The ways of God embrace all as beloved children of God. All are embraced and included. 
• We have been trained to think in terms of merit, judging the other according to how they measure up to our thinking and expectations. As a result, we barter acceptance in exchange for conformity. We dole out condemnation and rejection to those who fail to conform. The ways of God teach us to relate out of grace and forgiveness, the way God relates to us. 
• We have been trained to use our power against others, for our own benefit. The ways of God call us to use our power to serve others, addressing their need and fostering their development. 
• We have been trained to use material possessions as a status symbol and as the basis of our sense of security. Consequently, we amass things and never have enough. We always want "more." The ways of God lead us to use our material possessions on behalf of others, particularly the poor and those who have little. 
• We have been trained to think from the perspective of scarcity - there's not enough for everyone. Consequently, we make sure we have "ours". The ways of God teach us to think from the perspective of abundance rooted in God's faithfulness, goodness, and provision. 

These two ways of thinking and living are diametrically opposed to one another.

Part of the challenge in this renewing of the mind is an internal resistance to changing the way we think. (See Matthew 16:21-22 for an example of this resistance in Peter's life.) We function as though what we think is "right." Our sense of identity is tied to being "right." Thus, we are resistant to looking at a different way of thinking. We automatically reject anything that challenges what and how we think. We look for that which confirms what we think. (This unconscious process is so common that social scientists have given it a name: confirmation bias.) We attack those who think differently, calling them "liberal" or "right wing." These labels are our way of dismissing the other as "wrong" while reassuring ourselves that we are "right."

This internal resistance affects the way we read the Bible. Our inclination (practice?) is to go to scripture looking for what we already believe and for validation of that belief. Think of how often we appeal to "the Bible says." A better question than "what does the Bible say?" is "does this thinking align with the character and nature of God, with the teachings and ministry of Jesus, with the mind of Christ?" Is it Christ-like? (See my blog: Asking a Better Question, April 1, 2019.)

This reality of an automatic internal resistance to changing the way we think raises the question: how teachable are we? How willing are we to allow the Spirit to challenge and change what we think?