![]() Few have learned to think “God-thoughts.” Christian thinking will be concrete, real world, inform emotions (not the other way around), and be unchanging-like God is! The “sound mind” of our passage is the Greek word sophronismos, which is a compound word including the word saos (safe- related to save) and phren (the mind, think, be mindful)-essentially an admonishing or calling to soundness of mind, or self-control (Vine’s), akin to sobriety. Very few of our generation are taught to think critically. You only have to meet a bitter old man whose idealism of youth has been crushed by cruel and unforgiving experience, and who believes he has outlived his own usefulness, in order to observe the natural conclusion of man-made worldview. A man’s worldview, unaided by divine revelation, is made up of the vestiges of moral training, which he retains from people he respects, that have survived his experiences along the road of life. Man naturally thinks with his feelings simply watch little children play in the absence of adult leadership for proof. ![]() Application of pure, biblical truth will aid any man in processing the exigencies of life and, most especially, every man who is indwelt by the Spirit of God as our verse states. It is my suspicion that when a man is saved, trusts Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice upon the cross as full payment for sin, and yields his life to the perfect One who has purchased him with His Own blood, he is given all the tools to develop soundness of mind. His soundness of mind flails about in a wholly unredeeming manner. From that day to this, mankind’s ability to process the savage brutality of nature and the selfish aggression of his fellow man has been damaged. Mankind was concluded in unbelief through the sin of the first father, Adam. Truth is truth and stands unshakeable whether it is acknowledged or not. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man…who exchanged the truth of God for a lie…and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind….” Romans 1:21ff states, “although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Sinfulness militates against real soundness of mind. We live in a brutal world which has been reduced to its cruel state, because of the sinfulness of mankind, from the early days after creation (Genesis 1–3). One of the phrases most associated with the making of a will is the phrase, “I, being of sound mind?….” How can you tell? Real soundness of mind is a marvelous blessing. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |