Romans 12 tells us to be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
There's just one little wrinkle. "Be transformed" is in the passive voice, meaning, I don't do that to myself, that would be reflexive. Passive voice means I receive the action, that is, it's done to me.
My mind is being renewed, but I'm not the one renewing my mind.
Ephesians 4, "be renewed in the spirit of your mind", same thing there, passive voice.
Colossians 3, "having put on the new man, which is renewed in the knowledge of his Creator", same thing there, renewed is passive voice.
We are not renewing our own minds.
I believe we have a part to play. As we choose to focus on God instead of our flesh, or the world, as we choose to eat His Word, to reckon the old man dead, we cooperate with what God is doing.
I don't want to be guilty of claiming something to be my doing when it's really God doing it.
Philippians tells us, work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God Who works within you both to will and to do what pleases Him.
So how should we understand our lives in Christ, when we are in process of being renewed, and it's God Who is working in us to both Want to do, and Be able to do what pleases Him, how should we understand our failings? When we don't obey?
Does that mean we cannot, because He hasn't "worked it in" yet? Does it mean that He has, and we just don't realize it?
1 Corinthians 10 tells us that every test has it's own way out, intended to get us to a certain place.
Could it be that one of God's ways of "working it in" to us is to give us a test that takes us a little further than we can go, and if we choose faith, we will go further?
I know this . . . He won't test us past what is possible for us to endure.
Hebrews 5:12-14 EMTV
12) For indeed, although you ought to be teachers by this time, again you have need for someone to teach you what are the elements of the beginning of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
13) For everyone who partakes only of milk is unacquainted with the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.
14) But solid food is for the mature, for those because of their practice have their senses trained for the distinguishing of both good and evil.
Much love!
There's just one little wrinkle. "Be transformed" is in the passive voice, meaning, I don't do that to myself, that would be reflexive. Passive voice means I receive the action, that is, it's done to me.
My mind is being renewed, but I'm not the one renewing my mind.
Ephesians 4, "be renewed in the spirit of your mind", same thing there, passive voice.
Colossians 3, "having put on the new man, which is renewed in the knowledge of his Creator", same thing there, renewed is passive voice.
We are not renewing our own minds.
I believe we have a part to play. As we choose to focus on God instead of our flesh, or the world, as we choose to eat His Word, to reckon the old man dead, we cooperate with what God is doing.
I don't want to be guilty of claiming something to be my doing when it's really God doing it.
Philippians tells us, work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God Who works within you both to will and to do what pleases Him.
So how should we understand our lives in Christ, when we are in process of being renewed, and it's God Who is working in us to both Want to do, and Be able to do what pleases Him, how should we understand our failings? When we don't obey?
Does that mean we cannot, because He hasn't "worked it in" yet? Does it mean that He has, and we just don't realize it?
1 Corinthians 10 tells us that every test has it's own way out, intended to get us to a certain place.
Could it be that one of God's ways of "working it in" to us is to give us a test that takes us a little further than we can go, and if we choose faith, we will go further?
I know this . . . He won't test us past what is possible for us to endure.
Hebrews 5:12-14 EMTV
12) For indeed, although you ought to be teachers by this time, again you have need for someone to teach you what are the elements of the beginning of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
13) For everyone who partakes only of milk is unacquainted with the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.
14) But solid food is for the mature, for those because of their practice have their senses trained for the distinguishing of both good and evil.
Much love!