…for he is like one who is inwardly calculating. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. (Prov. 23:7)
One aspect of becoming more like Christ includes knowing how to test our thinking. God demands His covenant people not only to think but to think correctly. Consequently, our thoughts lead to actions. Ed Welch reminds us, “With our minds, we are responsible before God, and we respond to Him, either for or against. Our minds are the initiators of all moral action (Rom. 12:2; Eph. 1:18; 4:18; Col. 1:21). This means that there are at least three different definitions of the word ‘mind.’ Philosophically, it refers to self-consciousness and purposeful behavior. Popularly, it refers to intellectual activities. Biblically, it is the initiator of all moral action.”[1] Therefore, we need to think Bible doctrine to learn, apply, and grow spiritually.
The Bible teaches that three things attempt to distract us from holy thinking: the world, the flesh, and the devil (Eph. 2:2, James 3:15). And the Westminster Larger Catechism question 28 teaches us how mind and senses are messed up due to the fall, “The punishments of sin in this world, are either inward, as blindness of mind, a reprobate sense, strong delusions, hardness of heart, horror of conscience, and vile affections: or outward, as the curse of God upon the creatures for our sake; and all other evils that befall us in our bodies, names, estates, relations, and employments; together with death itself (Eph. 4:18; Rom. 1:28; 2 Thess. 2:11; Rom. 2:5; Isa. 33:14; Gen. 4:13; Matt. 27: 4; Rom. 1:26; Gen. 3:17; Deut. 28:15-68; Rom. 6:21, 23).”[2] Sometimes we wander off God’s path because we think only in terms of self, and our arrogance distorts all truth. We make what the Bible teaches subjective instead of objective.
When we become occupied more with self and not God, we allow our desires and feelings about a sensitive subject to us to cloud our judgment. We are tempted to shift our attention from what God says and concentrate on what the world says or what our minds have imagined. If we indulge in our egotism, we lose all objectivity to biblical truth and doctrinal principles. Thus, we rationalize our conclusions that defy common sense. For example, we think that love and acceptance of others are more important than the biblical teaching that homosexuality is wrong. Another example is the world’s teaching that one’s transgenderism must be recognized despite what God’s Word and scientific-natural laws teach.
Logic must occupy a place in the Christian’s life. God is logical. His Word is logical. Therefore, knowledge of His Word is the environment of genuine thought. Biblical thinking requires an element of humbleness. It also involves an aspect of sacrificing self. If we have neither, our preoccupation with ourselves is the weakness that keeps us from having a whole relationship with God and enjoying life thoroughly. Why? Because we cannot have a genuine love for the truth. We become concerned with promoting ourselves and involved with how others perceive us. What matters most is how many “likes” we have on social media. What God’s Word teaches us is inconsequential and does not benefit us spiritually or practically.
However, when we test our thinking with God’s Word, His doctrine challenges our prejudices and preconceived notions. Our personal opinions become submissive to Him. And we practically live sacrificially by subjecting our life to Him. When we test our thoughts with God’s Word, the Holy Spirit empowers us to actively live out our faith rather than reacting to the world, the flesh, or the devil’s temptations (2 Cor. 12:9; 2 Pet. 3:1-4).
[1] Edward T. Welch, Blame it on the Brain (New Jersey: P&R Publishing, 1998), 36.
[2] https://thewestminsterstandard.org/westminster-larger-catechism/
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