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The Renewed Mind and the Will of God

The Renewed Mind and the Will of God

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:1, 2 NIV84 emphasis mine).

What does it mean to have a renewed mind? Can you think of any ways in which a renewed mind thinks differently than an unrenewed mind?

Would a renewed mind see the wisdom of the world as foolishness and an unrenewed mind see God’s wisdom as foolish? (1 Corinthians 1:20–25).

Is it wise or foolish to pursue friendship, love, and trust by threatening to punish those who refuse to love and trust you? Is it wise or foolish to pursue justice with threats of punishment? Can people be won to love and trust by legislation, rulemaking, or imposed laws like the world makes?

Is it wise or foolish to turn the other cheek when someone strikes you? (Matthew 5:39). Which justice is the justice of godly wisdom: the justice that turns the other cheek seeking to win an enemy, turning them into a friend, or the justice of imposed law that seeks to make the wrongdoer pay the proper penalty for their offense and turns them into either fearful servants or rebels?

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death (Proverbs 14:12 NIV84).

Doesn’t the “rule of law” method, the methods of justice by legal means and rule-enforcement, of holding wrongdoers accountable with proper inflicted punishments, seem right? But in the end, all such methods lead to death, for lawmaking, imposed penalties, threats, and inflicted punishments do not remove fear, do not restore trust, do not eliminate rebellion and sin, and do not win people to loving friendship. The unrenewed mind thinks such law-keeping and enforcement is wise, but it is truly foolish. Jesus said,

Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?” Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:21–23 NIV84).

Does it sound like these people who Jesus calls “evildoer” are in open rebellion against God, or are they in active ministry? Would these people be irreligious or religious? And in whose name are they working so hard? In the name of Jesus!

Despite knowing to call Jesus their Lord, they have not had their minds renewed, their hearts have not been healed to be like Jesus. They have not come into unity or friendship with Him. Why? Because they don’t know or understand Him and His Father.

In John 15:15, Jesus says, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (NIV84).

These religious people relate to Jesus like a servant relates to their powerful master, with fear-based obedience to rule-keeping and task fulfillment. In other words, they believe God’s law functions like human law, imposed rules, and view sin as a legal problem, with God serving as the rule-enforcer; they obey God merely to avoid legal trouble with the one in charge. But they have never become friends of God—they don’t truly know Him. They don’t know why sin is wrong (because it severs God’s design law for life and, without remedy, results in ruin and death); they only know that God doesn’t like it. Thus, their minds are not renewed and the things of God are foolish to them. They continue to live in fear and are motivated by selfishness, to avoid trouble, rather than to love God and others.

 

Approving the Will of God

The apostle Paul said that when our minds are renewed, we “will be able to test and approve what God’s will is.”

But who are we to test and approve God’s will? Aren’t we to simply accept the will of God, not test or approve it? Aren’t we supposed to humbly surrender and submit to God’s will? If God said it, aren’t we to simply believe it—and that’s all there is to it? “Ours is not to question why; ours is just to do or die!” Right?

Wouldn’t all of this be the mindset of a servant and not a friend? Wouldn’t this be the attitude of those who do not know God?

If we are to be testing and approving God’s will, wouldn’t that mean that we are to be understanding friends of God—that we are to reason things out with Him (Isaiah 1:20), and, thereby, develop by practice the ability to discern the right from the wrong (Hebrews 5:14) so that we are fully persuaded in our own mind (Romans 14:5) that God is good, God is right, and God’s ways are the only ways of health and happiness?

What is it that God truly wants for us and from us? Does God want more than the obedience of a well-trained dog? Does God want more than the obedience of a servant? Does God want our understanding agreement, friendship, loyalty, love, and devotion? Can God get what He wants for us and from us by imposing rules and threatening to punish us for rule-breaking?

Is it threats of punishment that lead us to become the kind of people God wants, or is it the kindness of God that leads us to repentance, leads us to give up on trying to save self and surrender ourselves in trust to God for the renewing of our minds? (Romans 2:4).

So, does the renewed mind seek to understand God, while the unrenewed mind seeks to merely obey?

Does the renewed mind seek an enlightened and intelligent faith, while the unrenewed mind hides in “blind faith”?

Does the renewed mind seek to understand God’s methods and principles and intelligently live in harmony with them, while the unrenewed mind seeks to determine the right rules and the authorized way to keep the rules?

Does the renewed mind seek, like Moses, to see God’s face, while the unrenewed mind seeks to hide behind a mediator (Exodus 31:18–20)?

Does the renewed mind humbly ask questions, even questioning what God has said He is going to do, while the unrenewed mind seeks to obey and never question what God has said?

Does the renewed mind live like Abraham, who questioned God about Sodom (Genesis 18:26–33), or like Moses, who questioned God about destroying the Israelites? (Exodus 32:31). Would it have been better had they taken the position: “Who am I to question God? If the Sovereign Lord has said it, I believe it—and that is all there is to it.” Do you think God would have been more pleased with Abraham and Moses if they merely submitted to His revealed will just like any unthinking servant would do?

God wants all of us to become His loving, faithful friends, just like Abraham and Moses were, to test His word, to examine His will and methods, and to be fully persuaded in our own mind so that we are won to unshakable, loving friendship with Him—so that we would rather die than let Him down. 

I urge you, fellow friends of God, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

 

 

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Bradley M., Hinsdale, NY, USA

 

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Your message of design law vs imperial law is so uplifting and makes so much sense- it is a game changer for me. The fact that Jesus’s death is not a big payment by an angry God is , quite frankly, a relief.

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Thank you and may God continue to bless you as you share with others the intricacies of how we are all “fearfully and wonderfully made”. I must share that you have opened a whole new world to me, and I have found tremendous healing through what you have shared in two of your books, “Could It Be This Simple?” and “The God Shaped Brain.” I praise God for what you shared, what I have learned, and how I have grown and healed! My prayer is that My Precious Jesus will be seen by others in the way I live, act, talk, etc. and they may be encouraged to know He is truly a GREAT God of LOVE, desiring that no one should perish! God Bless you in your continued endeavors to present Him as He really is!

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I’m a native Ghanan, but am currently in France for my master’s degree. Prior to this, during my final years at undergraduate studies in Ghana, I was introduced to your ministry and I’ve been immensely blessed by what you share, especially about the Design and Imposed Laws. God richly bless you for that.

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Michael A., Ghana

 

Testimony 70

I have been watching you for many years and have learned to love God with all my heart. I was raised by a loving Christian mother that had been lied to about who God really was, so our religious upbringing was hell fire and damnation. As soon as I was old enough and moved out, I not only left the church, I ran as fast as I could to get away from it. Sad to say, it wasn’t until the past couple of years that I learned and understand who my Father really is and how much He loves me. I understand God’s Design Laws (which make sense) and when I’m teaching my church Bible study class, I’m able to really put to use the things I’ve been learning and Holy Spirit is leading. Thank you for introducing me to my Father of true, pure love. Everyday with Him is new and exciting. One thing that breaks my heart is that I didn’t know Him sooner. God Bless you and your ministry!

Judy Phelps, Reno, NV, USA

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The Healing the Mind DVD set tarted me on a journey that has changed my relationship with our loving God more significantly than any other study, and brought me to your book and Bible study podcasts, which I now listen to daily, thanks to the availability of archived content on your site and on iTunes.

Anonymous

 

Testimony 34

I was introduced to Come and Reason Ministries by accident, via a passing comment made in a bible study class we were visiting. I checked this website out and my life was changed. The understanding of the truth of God’s character, and how we apply it, is so right. The tricky part is consistently applying which “lens” to look through. As I began to understand, I started sharing the basics of this understanding with a discussion group I was leading and, suddenly, a lot of things started to make sense that never used to. At the same time, I enjoyed an amazing opportunity. I was able to conduct a full bible study at WORK! What an amazing experience! It is such a joy to share the truth about God and to share how it all fits in the war between God and Satan. So many people benefit when we have a correct understanding about how God works and who He really is! Thank you for this transformational understanding. Keep up the good work! God Bless you!

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I’ve been very blessed by “The God Shaped Brain” and this ministry, through video and podcast, over the last few years. It’s truly opened up my eyes more to the truth about God and the importance of that truth in the present world. The message is so inviting, freeing and enlightening and MORE people need to know about it. I believe it is the last message that can truly, not only prepare a people for salvation and translation, but vindicate the character of God.

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I was brought up in a different faith and have been petrified my whole life of God. I believed that I would burn in hell for eternity. When I was 12 I started pursuing the things of this world, but for the next 45 years the Spirit was always calling me, as I knew there was a God through nature. I could see the vast sea of stars in the universe and knew there was something bigger out there. Five years ago, through a Revelation seminar, I was blessed to learn about God’s character and government.

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