Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.
Summary: The construction of Paul’s sentence provides us with some interesting insights into our relationship with God.
This verse provides an amazing glimpse into Paul’s understanding of the spiritual realm.
“Once you were alienated from God …”
The story of Adam and Eve’s disobedience comes to mind (Genesis 3). God didn’t set rules arbitrarily. His rules were not there to make sure we knew who was “boss.” When God lays down the law, it is for our benefit. He is telling us, “Don’t touch the hot stove!” because he doesn’t want us to get burned.
Alas, we touched the “hot stove.” The “burn” was an eternity in the spiritual lake of fire (Revelation 20:14-15). God’s entire creation had just gone up in flames!
Before we knew Jesus, another result of the “burn” was that we became enemies of God. The battlefield we fight with God on is “in your minds.”
What does that mean?
There is a connection between our “evil behavior” and our status as enemies of God. Paul explains that being separated from God leads to evil behavior. Evil behavior, in turn, results in us being enemies of God.
Perhaps another way of looking at this is to use the Bible’s metaphor of sheep. Isaiah writes:
“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way …” (Isaiah 53:6)
Like Paul’s statement, Isaiah presents our sin in two parts. The first part is that we have “gone astray.” This represents separation from God. The second part describes what happens when we go astray. We each turn “to our own way.” This is where we get into real trouble. Doing things “our own way” makes us enemies of God.
Perhaps you are wondering how that makes us God’s enemy.
Jesus summarizes the entire Bible with one simple command: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). When we place our will first, we put ourselves above God. That is what makes us his enemy.
There is a very close connection between our “evil behavior” and being God’s enemy. Are we enemies because of our evil behavior, or does our behavior make us an enemy of God? I doubt that one can exist without the other. Yet, there is one major difference. Our behavior is what we do in the physical realm. Where we decide what we do happens in our minds.
Paul’s point is a good one. The spiritual battleground is in our minds. Our behavior is simply the visible expression of how the battle is going.
Application: We must submit our minds, as well as everything else, to Jesus.
Food for Thought: How do we submit our minds to Jesus?
Pray and commune with God throughout the day !
WKU
Amen! 🙃
Amen to what “anonymous “ said, although I am pretty sure I do know who anonymous is Lol (WKU).
This is where the spiritual disciplines come into play and are so important. Prayer, scripture, worship, service, fellowship, etc. But it is important they are a legitimate part of our daily lives and not just a checklist in the morning and then we are done. The goal is Christlike transformation of our minds.
Romans 12: 1 – 2: Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform 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.
2 Corinthians 3: 18: And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate a the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Thank you, Rich!
Extremely well said!
Paul gives us two tasks in the quote you provide:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. ”
The first is recognizing the “pattern(s) of this world” and letting go of them.
The second is allowing God’s Spirit and Word to transform our minds.
One prepares for the renewal, the other makes it happen.
There have already been some fantastic responses this morning.
I can only add this to the mix:
2 Corinthians 10:5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
I know in this passage Paul is speaking against false teachers, but I believe taking captive our thoughts to obey Christ is a good practice in every measure of life. I have found this is like a muscle in the mind that must be exercised to be strong. Sometimes it is rejecting an intrusive thought and sometimes it is facing the hard truth of what you believe about something.
And sometimes … it is saying ‘no’ to an extra helping of dinner! 🙂
Thank you, Chris!
Well said!
How do we submit our minds to Jesus?
Live in the Spirit!
Galatians 5:13-14, You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
1 Corinthians 6:12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.
2 Corinthians 10:5, Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Galatians 5:25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit.
Thank you, Ron!
Great point!
“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” — John 14:26