One of the key roles of the Spirit in our lives is guiding how we think.
As Jesus prepared his disciples for life after his death, he said the Spirit would be their teacher as he had been their teacher: "But the Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you" (John 14:26). In our lives, the Spirit is our teacher, teaching us the ways of God that Jesus taught and lived - Spirit-guided thinking.
Paul spoke of God's wisdom which the Spirit gives: "These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit ... No one comprehends what is truly God's except the Spirit of God ... Now we have received the Spirit that is from God so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual" (1 Corinthians 2:10-13). Translation: the Spirit teaches us the ways of God, thereby teaching us to think from a spiritual, God-oriented perspective - Spirit-guided thinking.
I refer to this Spirit-guided thinking as thinking theologically.
As we grow in Christ, the Spirit teaches us to think theologically, that is, from a different perspective. The character of God and the ways of God that Jesus taught shape how we think. Our attitudes and actions, in turn, begin to reflect the ways of God.
Note that I speak of how we think, not what we think. The distinction is important. What to think is about beliefs and positions, particularly the "right" belief and position. How to think is about learning to use logic, reason, and study in the pursuit of truth. It is about learning to discern the Spirit's guidance in the pursuit of spiritual truth. When we are taught what to think, someone else (the church, tradition, teachers) determines what is truth. When we are taught how to think, the Spirit guides us to determine truth based upon the teachings of Jesus. When we are taught what to think, we live by rigid rules and codes of what is acceptable and what is not. When we are taught how to think, we live by principles that guide us.
Until we learn to think theologically, our thinking is shaped by what we have been taught. It reflects the understanding and values of the the culture in which we grew up (family, school, church, community). Until we learn to think theologically, our thinking is unconscious and un-examined. We assume what we think is right. We assume God agrees with us and use the Bible to support our beliefs. Our attitudes and actions are governed by what we already believe without any consideration of what Jesus taught or the ways of God.
Until we learn to think theologically, we think from the perspective of dominance and power and privilege, not from the perspective of powerlessness and oppression. We think from the perspective of the have's, not the have not's. Until we learn to think theologically, we have little awareness of or tolerance for perspectives that are different from our own.
I see this reality in the various reactions to current events. I see lots of anger and little compassion. I see lots of bitterness and hatred but little kindness. I see lots of being offended and little effort to be understanding. I see lots of us-them polarization and little embrace of all as beloved children of God. I see lots of people protecting a culture in which white people enjoy privileges and benefits (but others do not) but little concern for, much less advocacy for, the powerless and marginalized whom the prophets championed (see Isaiah 1:17) and whom Jesus embraced.
I wonder: what kind of attitudes and actions would Spirit-guided thinking produce? What position would we take if we learned how to think theologically? What would we do if our thinking was shaped by the teachings of Jesus and the ways of God?
After all, isn't that what it means to be a follower of Christ?
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