Where Is Your Mind?

November 21st, 2024
by Dr. D. Lance Waldie

Romans 8:5-8 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7 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 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

There are only two kinds of people: those who set their minds to obey Christ, and those who set their minds to please themselves. Paul speaks of both groups in Romans 8:5-8. What they share in common is that they both “set their minds”—a phrase that means “to think; to reflect.” What distinguishes the two groups, however, is what they think about and reflect upon. What Paul may mean in vv. 5-8 is that professed believers who allow their flesh to overcome what their minds know as evil, these may not have Holy Spirit at all and thus may not be genuine in their faith. Yet those who allow the Holy Spirit to determine the direction of their lives live with the daily assurance that they are genuine in their faith.
Death is the result of those who set their minds on the flesh and its desires. Paul has already made this clear (cf. Rom. 5:12-21). For all are born into Adam’s original sin, a cancer that leads to death. Those who continue on this path will obviously choose the sins that their sin nature dictates, and as a result, they will die eternally. But those who set their minds on God’s Spirit, that is, those who read and dwell upon God’s words in Scripture and seek to obey God, have “life” and “peace” (v. 6). Their lives are not just headed toward heaven (opposite those headed for death), their lives are also filled with the peace that the Holy Spirit promises to those who know, love, and obey Him. Of course “peace” is one of the spiritual fruits for those who possess the Spirit: “For the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…” (Gal. 5:22, italics mine).

Verse 7 explains why those who set their minds on their fleshly desires will die eternally. In short, they hate God! They may never admit such with words, but their bent is toward that which pleases themselves. Paul says that their minds are “hostile” (Gr. echthra) to God, meaning “enmity” or “hatred.” It signifies both an inner disposition and an outward exhibition. The outward exhibition is not necessarily a verbal hatred for God but behavior that proves such, for their conduct indicates the disdain they have for spiritual worship of God. Their hostility toward Him reflects their ego and rejection of Christ as King. By asserting their own self-rule, they show that they are a law unto themselves, totally separated from the mind of the Spirit. Rebellion against God is their first nature. The true believer, however, certainly battles his flesh and mind (7:14-25), but his fallen nature is overpowered by the Spirit’s regeneration of his mind.

Verse 8 summarizes the problem for those who fail to receive Christ: they are unable to please God. Now that is not a freewill but a will that can do only one thing: sin unto death. These do not war with what the Spirit desires, they only choose that which they desire. Why? Simply because they do not possess the Spirit of God by coming to Christ for salvation by faith alone.

Food for Thought

One of the reasons why professed Christians act contrary to the Spirit and sin habitually is because there are preachers who convince them that God is “madly in love with them.” Those who buy into this tend to sin freely, believing they are forgiven. But those who truly love Christ refuse to habitually sin because they are led by the Spirit of God. God has certainly proven His love toward all people through the crucifixion of Christ, but He is not madly in love with those who reject Him. Surely condemning them to hell, either for rejecting Christ or for taking Him lightly as just some other way, is an odd way to treat those with whom God is madly in love.