Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
We are three‑part beings comprising spirit, soul, and body. If we want to experience the abundant life God intends for us, our minds must be renewed to understand this truth: our spirit is born again and completely new, yet our souls need to be retrained and transformed so that our thoughts align with the Word of God.
We renew our minds with these truths:
i) We are a new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
ii) We have the nature of God in us. (2 Peter 1:3-4)
iii) We have self-control, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-24)
iv) We have identified ourselves with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. (Galatians 2:20)
v) We have crucified the fleshly desires and passions. (Galatians 5:24)
vi) We are no longer slaves to sin. (Romans 6:22)
vii) We can live in the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus; thus, we are free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2)
viii) We can walk in the Spirit and not succumb to the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16, Romans 8:1-2)
When we received Christ, our spirit man was made alive, and the Holy Spirit now lives in us. However, the soul, or the work of the flesh, might still hinder the Spirit from reigning in us because God respects our decisions, and the soul holds the power of decision-making. Therefore, even though the Holy Spirit will prompt us to do what is right, He will not force us. Nevertheless, once our minds are renewed, we can choose to respond differently from the past and take responsibility for reining in the flesh.
The Word of God also helps us discern what flows from our spirit—our inner man—and what arises from the soul—our thought life. When the mind is unrenewed, our thoughts can easily be shaped by the patterns of this world and drift into carnality. However, when we understand the works of the flesh, we will be able to recognise and subdue them, and intentionally choose to walk in the Spirit instead.
Our spirit is made new and carries the very nature of God, but our physical body does not change when we receive Christ. Because of this, the soul—our mind, will, and emotions—often struggles to submit to the Lordship of Christ. Without proper teaching, many believers do not even realise the bondages that once controlled their lives can be overcome. This is why we must continually renew our minds with the Word of God—learning who we are in Christ, what we have in Christ, and what we are empowered to do in Christ.
Reflection: Are you renewing your mind daily with the Word of God, or have you allowed worldly thinking to shape your decisions? Which old thought patterns or fleshly habits do you need to surrender to the Holy Spirit?
Sermon Series: As a Man Thinks in His Heart So is He
更新心思意念的大能
罗马书 12:1-2 所以弟兄们，我以神的慈悲劝你们，将身体献上，当作活祭，是圣洁的，是神所喜悦的；你们如此事奉乃是理所当然的。不要效法这个世界，只要心意更新而变化，叫你们察验何为神善良、纯全、可喜悦的旨意。
我们是由灵、魂、体三部分组成的人。若要经历神为我们预备的丰盛生命，我们的心思意念必须被更新，明白一个重要的真理：我们的灵已经因重生而成为全新的，但我们的魂——包括思想、意志和情感——仍需要不断被训练和更新，使我们的思想与神的话语保持一致。
我们需要用以下真理来更新自己的心思意念：
1. 我们是新造的人。（哥林多后书 5:17）
2. 我们里面有神的性情。（彼得后书 1:3-4）
3. 我们拥有圣灵所结的果子，因此能够操练节制。（加拉太书 5:22-24）
4. 我们已经与基督的死、埋葬和复活联合。（加拉太书 2:20）
5. 我们已经将肉体的私欲和情欲钉在十字架上。（加拉太书 5:24）
6. 我们不再是罪的奴仆。（罗马书 6:22）
7. 我们能够活在基督耶稣里赐生命圣灵的律中，因此脱离了罪和死的律。（罗马书 8:2）
8. 我们能够顺着圣灵而行，不再放纵肉体的情欲。（加拉太书 5:16；罗马书 8:1-2）
当我们接受基督时，我们的灵已经活过来，圣灵也住在我们里面。然而，我们的魂以及肉体的作为仍可能拦阻圣灵在生命中掌权。神尊重人的自由意志，而魂正是我们作决定的所在。因此，虽然圣灵会不断感动和引导我们行在正路上，却不会强迫我们顺服祂。
当我们的心思意念被神的话语更新时，我们就能够作出与过去不同的选择，并且承担责任去约束肉体、顺服圣灵。
神的话语也帮助我们分辨哪些是从灵里发出的感动，哪些是出于魂中的思想活动。当人的心思尚未被更新时，思想很容易被世界的价值观塑造，以致落入属肉体的生活方式。然而，当我们认识并明白肉体的作为时，就能察觉并制伏它们，有意识地选择顺从圣灵而行。
我们的灵已经成为新造的人，并拥有神的生命和性情；但当我们信主时，身体并不会立即改变。因此，魂——也就是我们的思想、意志和情感——常常会挣扎，不愿完全顺服基督的主权。若缺乏真理的教导，许多信徒甚至不知道那些曾经辖制自己的捆绑其实是可以得胜的。正因如此，我们必须持续不断地借着神的话语更新心思意念，学习我们在基督里是谁、在基督里拥有什么，以及在基督里能够成就什么。唯有如此，我们才能越来越活出神所赐的新生命，并经历祂所应许的丰盛人生。
默想：你是否每天借着神的话语来更新自己的心思意念？还是让世界的价值观不断影响你的思想和决定？有哪些旧有的思维模式或属肉体的习惯，是你今天需要交托给圣灵、让祂帮助你胜过的？
讲章系列：你的思想，塑造你的生命