“Be renewed in the spirit of your minds.”—Ephesians 4:23 ESV
I’ve been reading “The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon’s Case for the Existence of the Soul” by brain surgeon Michael Egnor and author Denyse O’Leary. In its earlier pages, the authors point to groundbreaking studies by neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield that distinguish between the brain and the mind, two terms often used interchangeably, yet are quite different. Penfield “came to define the mind as the element in an individual ‘that feels, perceives, thinks, wills and especially reasons.’”1 The mind “has an existence independent of the brain, and . . . the mind uses the brain to interact with the world.”2 Then given Paul’s exhortation to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind,”3 what happens as our brains engage the world under the leadership of minds renewed through divine transformation?
We think and act differently. In Romans 6:13, Paul urges us, “Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.”4 What does this look like? With transformed minds, our feet carry us outward with the gospel, for “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”5 We emulate the Proverbs 31 woman’s selfless compassion, for “She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy.”6 We “apply [our] heart to instruction and [our] ear to words of knowledge.”7 Yet the most difficult body part to redirect is undoubtedly our tongue. James warns against the great damage wielded by this small and naturally untamed organ: “The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. . . It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”8 Yet while “no human being can tame the tongue,”9 Paul nevertheless calls us to harness it: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs.”10
So, how do we transition “every part” of ourselves from “an instrument of wickedness” to “an instrument of righteousness”? Wherefrom comes the power, moreover the desire? We find them nestled perfectly in the middle of Romans 6:13—the part between wickedness and righteousness—the section that reads, “offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life.”11 It is only by the life Christ in us that our minds change and our actions follow. We interact with the world differently. And dare we say “more fruitfully”? I think so.
Father, thank you for raising us from death to life, and dwelling in your church—all of us and each of us. May our minds be set on truth—”your word is truth”12—and our actions follow. In Christ we pray. Amen.
1 Wilder Penfield, The Mystery of the Mind: A Critical Study of Consciousness and the Human Brain (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1975), 12–13, quoted in Michael Egnor and Denyse O’Leary, The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon’s Case for the Existence of the Soul (Nashville: Worthy Books, 2025), 33.
2 Michael Egnor and Denyse O’Leary, The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon’s Case for the Existence of the Soul (Nashville: Worthy Books, 2025), 28.
3 Romans 12:2 ESV
4 Romans 6:13 NIV, emphasis added
5 Romans 10:15 ESV
6 Proverbs 31:20 NLT
7 Proverbs 23:12 ESV
8 James 3:6-8 ESV
9 James 3:8 ESV
10 Ephesians 4:29 NIV
11 Romans 6:13 NIV
12 John 17:17 ESV
Tag: Transformation
Categories
How Do You Wish To Live Today?
Occasionally on my weekly prison visits as a Kairos volunteer, an inmate will share what led to his incarceration. Often times, the decisions and actions that culminated in their arrest were based on what some call, “the law of the streets,” an unwritten code of personal respect and survival. Among its various forms is revenge—settling disputes or offenses through physical retaliation. I often think, Why let anyone else’s act of instigation dictate your future? Retaliation leads to life behind bars—no freedom, no family, no control, little hope. For the law of the streets is accountable to the law of the land.
In last week’s post, we began to look at our active role in transformation, noting the call to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”1 It is “the Spirit of truth”2 who redirects our thinking, certainly, and most often through the Word of God; our role, in turn, is to “set [our] minds on the things of the Spirit.”3 Paul notes the urgency: “For to set the mind on the flesh [our human inclination toward sin] is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.”4
To “set one’s mind” on something is to intentionally focus one’s thoughts on it and allow it to influence one’s decisions and direction. As we set our hearts and minds on the Spirit, He will never lead us down the path to sin and death. To that end, and in His power, we remain alert to falsehood and vigilant against it: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”5 And those who set their minds on the Spirit, He will always lead in the ways that are good and right, the things against which there is no law.6 This is the Christian walk; this is new life in Christ. This life and peace.
In the hostility of the flesh or the peace of the Spirit, how do you wish to live today? The choice is clear; let Him lead.
Father, your ways are good and your words are sure. Thank you for sending your Spirit to guide us through our journey here. Grace us to set our minds on Him and live in life and peace. In Christ we pray. Amen.
1 Romans 12:2 ESV
2 John 16:13 ESV
3 Romans 8:5 ESV
4 Romans 8:6-7 ESV, emphasis added
5 2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV
6 Galatians 5:23 ESV
Our grandchildren are pretty disciplined about their homework, so part of Peggy’s and my time with them last week was solving math problems as a team. At one point, Abigail said, “When Daddy helps us with our math, he teaches us to think about the problem differently.” I thought, “Now that’s engagement.” It occurred me that, as he helps them develop their math skills, he is also building up their minds with regards to reasoning, creativity, perseverance, and confidence.
“Think differently”—in our transformation series (which began on June 10), we’ve observed it is God who steadily transforms us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the master craftsman, and “we are his workmanship.”1 Yet we as recipients have an active role in our transformation, as well. So, let’s look, and let’s begin with our minds, for Paul writes, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”2 Then how do we as believers—born of and indwelled by the Spirit of God—align our thinking and the actions that follow? Over time, I’ve noticed three focal points emerge in my thought life, and I share them here in hopes they are helpful to you.
Focus on what is true. We are surrounded daily by misleading falsehood and discouraging deception, so I find Paul’s exhortations to be helpful. “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.”3 And taking the offensive, “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”4
Focus on what is eternal. “This world is fading away, along with everything that people crave.”5 We do well to “fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”6
Focus on where we’re going. “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”7 And “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, . . . press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”8
Yes, think differently. And be transformed.
Father, “All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.”9 “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”10 Thank you. In Christ I pray. Amen.
1 Ephesians 2:10 ESV
2 Romans 12:2 ESV
3 Philippians 4:8 NLT
4 2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV
5 1 John 2:17 NLT)
6 2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV
7 Colossians 3:2-3 ESV
8 Philippians 3:13-14 ESV
9 Psalm 119:160 NIV
10 Isaiah 26:3 NLT
Paul Nordman—Author 