The Renewed Mind – Part One
“Then He opened up their mind
to understand the Scriptures…”
Luke 24:45
“Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind”
To His disciples, who walk with Him, cling to Him, and seek Him, He unveils the dynamics of the scriptures. There is an inherent dullness and blindness that is the common lot of man. Unless He opens our minds, the scriptures remain closed, uninviting, and opaque.
“and the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to know [them], because they are discerned spiritually”
1 Corinthians 2:14 (LSV)
Our natural mind “is not able to know” the living things of Him. The language of the Spirit is Life, not verbiage (John 6:36 please read). It requires the Life of Him within to receive the power of His revelations.
“For with Thee is the fountain of life:
in Thy light shall we see light”
Psalm 36:9
The two-fold depth of this one scripture reveals the desire of His heart! Christ, Himself is the fountain of Life and it is in our believing INTO Him, (not upon Him), that we are infused with the fountain of His nature.
The Fountain
“The one believing into* Me, as the Scripture said,
Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water”
John 7:38 (LITV)
We have been misguided in our day by the presentation of a powerless gospel, as if by some mental assent to His Word I will know of this “living water”. Paul presents to us the truth of our hope: “Christ IN YOU”. The more I yield to His nature and movements within my heart, the more I will see of His unveiling. It is the Christ within from whom these waters flow; in myself, I have no access to this unspeakable gift apart from Him.
“He that believeth on* me, as the scripture hath said,
out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water”
John 7:38 (KJV)
The KJV and other translations use the word “on” or “in” but a casual study of the usage of this Greek word is strikingly clear in its definition: INTO (*see note below). While this difference may seem slight, it is the difference between religion and the living truth. It is our believing INTO Him that our minds are constantly renewed. It is in our believing INTO Him that an enlargement of heart and vitality of spirit grips us in the loving embrace of His Will and Ways. Life becomes an adventure with Him who is eternal, and we experience an ever-increasing sense of awe and repentance. The dullness is gone, and life holds excitement and intensity.
The Light
The second part of Psalm 36:9 states “in Thy Light shall I see Light”. If I do not live in the Light of Him, I am unable to see the brighter Light. My vision of Him is veiled if my walk and relationship are not current with Him. John had walked many years with Jesus and was quite old on the Isle of Patmos, yet he declared “I was in the Spirit”. He heard and saw new revelations of the living Christ. This is our heritage also if we continue walking in the Light.
“If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”
John 8:31-32
Those who continue to live by His Word are continually set free from the dregs of the carnal self. His Word is for us to eat, to assimilate, and through obedience to make our own. It is this living truth that makes us free. To rest in a knowledge of the scriptures, while ignoring His promptings to DO, distances us from the power of His salvation.
Our heavenly inheritance is bound up in the quality and truth of how we live our lives here. If I refuse correction, if I hold on to unforgiveness, if I neglect the promptings of His Spirit within my heart, I (like Esau) trade my birthright for the temporal.
The Renewed Mind
&
The Eternal Call to Relationship
“…then shall I know even as also I am known”
1 Corinthians 13:12
To Be Continued…
*Note: εἰς –
εἰς
“eis; prep. governing the acc. with the primary idea of motion into any place or thing…”
New Testament Greek Study
εἰς – eis – ice
“A primary preposition; to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time...”
Strongs Concordance
This word being a preposition indicates movement into a thing or place. When it is used of Christ it speaks of our movement into His nature and His life as referenced by the Parable of the Vine. In the Parable of the Sower, we see this same powerful truth of the seed being sown INTO the soil of our hearts indicating His coming into our being. The enormity of God’s Salvation is presented to us as a relationship of the highest and deepest order possible. It is to culminate in our being ONE in Him and in one another. May He open to us the wonder of the great Mystery that has been hidden from the ages: “Christ in you” and the corresponding truth of our being IN Him: “Therefore if any man be IN Christ, he is a new creature” 2 Cor. 5:17 (my personal notes on this Greek word)
Related Article: The True Life
Brian Troxel
In a recent book I read, the author said, “I don’t want to be in any more “Bible studies.” I want to be in “Bible-doings.”
❤️&🙏, c.a.
That is an excellent quote! I may use that somewhere in the future. Thank you!
Blessings
BT
I pray the Lord will open my spiritual eyes as my mind is renewed! Thank you for another great post. Stay blessed 🙏
Amen… the renewing of our minds is a life long adventure and how blest we are to have the ONE who can fully reveal to us the Father!
Blessings to you!
BT
Yes, and amen.
Too many people are only skimming upon their salvation without a greater attachment through the Holy Spirit.
Our commitment comes from revelation, not a feel good moment. So our obedience is our response to the calling of the Holy Spirit, and our desire to know him is for more of him and not only about him.
Personally I love the KJV, I have learned to seek out the depth of what I read. I believe it is so much more than only “on”, yet I appreciate you’re bringing it to the surface.
Great lesson Brian, God bless you
My default is the KJV but many of the readers I share with and meet with are much younger… plus there is one essential thing in the KJV that needs help from other translations. There are some verbs that are translated with an (ed in the KJV)) signifying a completed thing while in Greek it should be translated with an (ing) at the end. Which is a life-changing truth. Too many in our day speak of His work as completed rather than an ongoing life of transformation.
For example: “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18 (KJV)
“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.” ESV
There is a vast difference between “which are saved” and “who are being saved”. One speaks of a done work without the need to grow in Him while the other communicates an adventure of exploration and growth, the later is the correct translation.
Blessings to you and if you get a chance drop me an email to share more about your personal life and experience!
BT
Thank you Brian, I would like that. And yes, I believe in the differences that you explained, there is much light to shine. God bless