‘You can do anything if you put your mind to it’. The mind is the most powerful faculty God has given us. Be it the paintings of Michael-Angelo, the music of Bach or the writings of Shakespeare, it all began as a single thought. But the mind is more than the birthplace of art; it is also the driving force behind our ability to know. Knowledge really is power; power to discover, to create, to change.
Unfortunately, some Christians have ignored the mind, falsely believing that the intellect and rational thought would diminish faith and spirituality. So they replaced thinking with feeling. Altar calls and feel-good experiences are poor substitutes for reading, study and meditation. Mindless Christianity produces a fragmented, ignorant world-view that’s open to heresy and superstition. There is a deplorable lack of knowledge, especially among young people, regarding the basic tenets of the faith. Few can offer a reasonable defence of what they think they believe. No wonder a high percentage lose their faith when confronted by other worldviews during university.
Starvation of the mind, caused by neglect, is one of the chief sources of exhaustion and weakness in a servant’s life. Your mind is the greatest gift God has given you and it ought to be devoted entirely to Him. — Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, (February 11)
‘Think about it’ isn’t just a catch phrase; it is a command directly from God. In Matthew 22:37 Jesus says, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your MIND’ (emphasis mine). ‘Mind’ is translated from the Greek word ‘dianoia’ which means ‘deep thought’. In this context Vines describes it as, ‘a thinking through, or over, a meditation, reflecting, the faculty of knowing, understanding’. God takes our minds very seriously.
The mind is more powerful than our faith to believe. We can’t believe anything we want. Our mind must be conditioned or renewed in order to believe it. If I was told to believe Hitler was a good man, I could not do it, even if I was threatened. I may desperately want to believe he was good in order to avoid harm, but I would be lying to say anything other than he was evil. So how do people, like Neo-Nazis, actually believe Hitler was good? By renewing their minds!
Romans 12:2 says, ‘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.’ Don’t down-play the important role of your mind. Scripture is clear; your mind has transforming power and discerning abilities, both essential to living and maintaining the Christian faith. The mind must be constantly renewed. Disengage your mind, start seeking experiences, and you will conform to a self-centred humanist version of Christianity. You might even end up denying the Christian faith altogether.
God wants you to use your mind to consider the cross: why it had to happen, the significance of blood, its divine justice. He wants you to examine Him: find out what qualifies Him to be God, what are His primary attributes, why He should be worshipped. He wants you to study His ways: why they can be trusted, how they reflect His glory and wisdom. Engaging your mind and intellect will help you understand, love and appreciate Jesus more. You will also gain faith and confidence, preparing you to make a ‘defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you’ (1 Peter 3:15).
Our ability to defend the hope that is within us is directly related to how much we know Jesus. For example, the only reason I can defend my father as a good man is because I know him. I cannot defend the character of people I don’t know. If we cannot defend our faith then it’s fair to say that maybe we don’t really know Whom we have believed in.
Loving God with all your heart and soul is not enough. Without the mind your love will become superficial and your faith will jump the guardrails of truth. God has given you a creative, logical, rational, intelligent mind. He insists you use it.
(All Bible quotes from ESV)