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Two Minds

"Indeed, the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit, life and peace."1

This word for mind is phronéma, it means thought, purpose, aspirations (from phrḗn, "the midriff or diaphragm; the parts around the heart,") it connects how the individual processes opinion-making to how they act; properly, regulate from within, as inner-perspective (insight) which shows itself in corresponding, outward behavior. The mind like a spigot it "regulates" or masters the heart. If the mind is on the Spirit what flows is life and peace, God's righteousness requirements are met, but the mind on the carnal, is the flow of sin, fleshly desires.

Schizophrenia is defined as the breakdown in the relation between thought, emotion, and behavior,(from schizo "split" and phrene "mind")  There is a battle in the mind of a new Christian, a struggle between the two minds, the mind of the flesh and the mind of the Spirit. Paul writes there are two laws at work, the Law of the Spirit and the Law of sin and death. The mind on the Spirit brings life and peace, the mind on the flesh, brings death, in a spiritual sense, but also the Spirit brings life to our mortal bodies. "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways..."3 This word for double minded is from dís, "two" and psyxḗ, "soul." A person "split in half."4 This describes how Paul felt, "a wretched man." Of course, this person we are to exalt, as James goes on to write. To build up in edification of faith to being singled minded.
"And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it."2 
I need two things to master sin; a heart change and a renewed mind. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."5 Interesting it says stone, the ten commandments were written in stone, the Law was "the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones.6 It was a ministry of condemnation, producing obedience to the requirements of God's righteousness through fear, the fear of death. "The ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory..." the law which once had glory, now, has no glory at all, "For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory."7  Paul writes we are released from the Law to a better glory. With such hope, the Spirit, we are Bold to approach the throne of Grace.

"With all diligence, guard your heart, for alone it is the going forth of life."3 Guard means to observe, guard, keep. I am to guard my heart, for from it springs wells of life, or death. This word for going forth speaks to bringing, brought forth, goes forth, flowing forth, life or death flows from the heart. We are to guard the heart diligently, but how so? At the door of the heart is sin in the flesh, crouching seeking to destroy me. I need a heart change. "The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."4 Then, a renewed mind, a mind that regulates. 

Paul speaks of a helmet of salvation. Jesus is the author of salvation, He is the author and perfecter of faith.5 This perfecting, (from teli, "aim, end purpose") properly, of the operation of faith, not only finishing but working through the entire process to reach the final phase. This is the "working out" of our salvation, Jesus authored it, and now is perfecting it, and one day it will be perfected.6 "Being persuaded of same, that the one having begun in you a good work will complete it, until the day of Christ Jesus."7 

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."13 Through the Spirit we serve in a new living way, not of letter of the law but of Spirit. "since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,"14 This new living way is of the Spirit, writing God's laws on our hearts, not on tablets of stone, but of flesh. We are entombed with Him in His death to the flesh. The Law is Spiritual and by the Spirit the righteous requirements of the Law are met. Only by the Spirit, not by the fleshly adherence to ordinances, rules, and regulations, as the mind is at enmity with God, it must be renewed and controlled by the Spirit.

"Because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,"8 This word for hostility is echthra, from éxthra – properly, enemy (hatred, hostility). When Paul writes the Law is Spiritual but he is flesh, he speaks to the enmity of the fleshly mind against God. The Law which was suppose to bring life, brought death, sin took opportunity and abounded, this speaks to the hostility of the mind and the flesh against God. The mind is so hostile against God it will sear the conscious in disobedience. Thus, we have to be released from the Mosaic Law, it can never produce life, the law must be adhered to by the mind, and the mind on the flesh is hostile toward God. To serve God one must be renewed in Spirit of the mind, and this is an ongoing process of learning to walk in the Spirit, to abide in the vine...

Paul writes, "now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter."10 Itwas a marriage, now we are released and married to another, Why? the Law, it produced obedience through fear, fear has to do with punishment, obey or die. In the new covenant, righteousness is found by Grace through faith in Christ. Thus, Agape Love becomes the motivator for obedience not fear. "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love."11 The gates of hell have opened up against Grace because it is key to liberty and life. Grace does away with fear, boldly I can approach the throne of Grace, so the enemy wants to keep us from our Abba Father. 

The sword of God is both Spirit and Truth, "and able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart."9 We see two things here, first is discerning, Spirit and Truth is needed for discernment. As Paul writes a Spirit of renewal of the mind, metamorphosis, transformation, which is continuously being perfected through faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Eating the bread from heaven and drinking the living water. Second, we see it is how we guard our hearts, thoughts lead to the intentions of the heart, to guard my heart is to put on the helmet of salvation, be renewed in the spirit of my mind. It is preparing for battle, putting on the armor, on a daily basis. Above all, put on the shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval..."9

When we become a new creation, we are to put off the old man and put on the new man, "to be renewed and in the spirit of your mind."9 We see it is something we need to do, a process of renewal we go through, "working out" my salvation, what has occurred in my inner being. My spirit sits in the heavenlies with Christ Jesus, my un-redeemed body sits on earth. I do not subject my body to earthly ordinances, "why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!"9 I subject my mind to the Spirit. "We have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,"11

The carnal mind can not be obedient, "for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot."12 Legalism is an attempt to subject the mind to God's righteousness through regulations and rules, which produces self-control of the mind, but it is not one controlled by the Spirit but by the flesh. This is why legalism is so deceiving and so counterproductive to Christianity, it produces outwardly clean, internally unclean disciples. These people build walls of rules and regulations that promote their own self-righteousness, control the people, and ultimately break the commandments of God. Some have speculated that over one million or half the population of Israel died in the wilderness.15 Moses lifted up a serpent, symbolic of Jesus being lifted up. Even then faith brought righteousness.

The mind regulates the intentions, purpose of the heart, so the mind on the Spirit "out flows" the things of the Spirit; life, peace, gentleness, love, long-suffering,.. The mind on the carnal, out flows the fleshly desires. Obedience to God and His righteous requirements are achieved only through a mind on the Spirit, not regulations, rules, etc... The Spirit by the mind regulates, as inner-perspective shows itself in corresponding outward behavior. 



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