Perhaps we should stop for just a moment at this point because we have a wonderful set of stairs in this particu lar verse. First there is a continuous action unfolding itself in the continu ous proving of the believer as he con forms in these things to the image of Christ. He proves in the renewing of his mind with the mind of Christ — step one: what is the good; step two: what is the acceptable, and third step: what is the perfect will of God. Then we see that not only the body and the mind, but in verse 3 we read that the very imaginations of a man’s mind and heart are to be given over-to Christ. As the Apostle Paul states in Romans 12:3, “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of him self more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Sometimes, you know, when a man is spoken of in some supreme way he accepts it as if it were true. That man should think soberly! The Scripture warns us again and again that man must not be high- minded but that he must have full control as the Word tells us in verse 3. And we find another area in which we are to be brought under control as far as the Holy Spirit is concerned. We see in verses 4-8 of this 12th chapter of Romans that as we have many mem bers in one body that have not the same functioning, so it is with us as mem bers of the body of Christ; some are given the gift of teaching while others that of leadership or ruling which they must do with diligence, showing mercy with cheerfulness. Also we are cau tioned that those who have the privi lege are to do it with simplicity. What ever gifts might be listed as of the Holy Ghost are to be brought under the leadership and ministry of the Holy Spirit. What you have received is not your own, it has been bought with a price and has been given to you to be used of the Holy Spirit. Finally we are admonished that our 20
read, where God’s Word tells us that we are to make a spiritual presentation of our bodies unto the Lord. At one time during the early years of my ministry, I heard a great Bible teacher make a significant statement: “You know, the Lord already has your soul; He already has your spirit the moment you believe in Christ. The great problem, as far as the believer is concerned, is the body in which he happens to be living with its passions, which the Bible presents to us again and again is this problem. Then, there is a second area of spir itual dedication to Christ and this, of course, is found in verse 2, “And be not confromed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Now the second area in which the New Testament believer is to be dedicated to Jesus Christ, is not only in the realm of the human body with its attendant problems, brought into subjection unto Jesus Christ. But the mind of the believer in his spiritual conformation to Christ is also to be transfigured unto the likeness of Christ because he is sanctified by the Holy Spirit and in this dedication to the Sav iour is, or ought to be, everything God would have it to be. Then we catch a glimpse of this little expression “renewing” — it means that the affections of the heart, the think ing of the mind, the fulness of the soul, and the drives of the body are all to be brought into subjection to the ministry of the Holy Spirit until Jesus Christ is Lord of our life. Our mind is to be renewed as we are conformed to His image and as we grow in grace. To pursue the thought further we see that in the matter of using a camera we come to discover that the “view finder” merges two separate vi sions, of an object into one. So it is that the Holy Spirit brings our mind, body and spirit into focus in Christ, thus we see conformation.
Made with FlippingBook HTML5