The Holy Spirit and the Mind (Romans 8:5-8)

The Christian life can be described as having great spiritual privileges and experiencing great spiritual encounters. One of those privileges is the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers. There is a sense in which this chapter from the Book of Romans is all about this privilege, although we also need to know many other Bible passages in order to get a good grasp of the big picture of the Christian life.

The focus 0f Paul in these verses is the Christian and the mind, or how each believer should think. On many occasions the Bible stresses our minds. For example, there is the well-known verse in Colossians 3:2, ‘Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.’ Another well-known reference is Philippians 2:5, which says, ‘Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.’ In the Old Testament, people in Israel were divided into two groups, the wise and the foolish, and neither description is concerned only with a person’s intellectual ability. So the Bible stresses how we use our minds.

Two ways of thinking

We can see from these verses that Paul says that basically there are only two types of thinking and every person thinks according to one of those two ways. There are those who think according to the flesh and there are those who think according to the Spirit. The apostle has been speaking about both groups throughout this letter.

Who are those who think according to the flesh? So far in this letter Paul has mentioned two types of people who fit into this group, and we might be surprised by who they are because initially the two types looked very far apart. The two types are legalism and license. The first marked the Jews who tried to live by God’s laws and the second marked the Gentiles who ignored God’s laws altogether. We could define the first as self-righteous and the second as satisfaction-seeking, and we see both types of people all around us today. There will be very different lifestyles, but one thing marks them all. They are the outcome of thinking according to the flesh.

In contrast, there are those who think according to the Spirit. Who are they? They are those who once were marked by legalism or by license, but who are now marked by faith in Jesus Christ. They chose to repent of their previous lifestyles and to become disciples of Jesus. Since they did so, they have a new way of thinking.

The importance of what we think about

Clearly, how we use our minds is therefore very important. Thinking about the things of the Spirit is a mark of Christian authenticity because it reveals there has been a change in our outlook. Those who do so no longer think about what they used to think about. After all, a restored way of thinking is one of the promises of the new covenant in which God says that he will rewrite his laws on the hearts and minds of his people.

Moreover, thinking in this new way contributes to Christian assurance – it is one of the evidences that confirm to a person that he is a new creature. Everything in life can be confusing and challenging and even catastrophic, but the test is not what is happening, but how one thinks about what is happening to him or her personally.

A third detail that we can say about the importance of thinking in this new way is that it is adequate for living the Christian life. It is very useful to have a theological degree, but many who accomplished one did so by thinking according to the flesh. Of course, it is also possible to have a good Bible knowledge arising from the flesh – the Jews in Paul’s day showed that this was possible. I mention those because it is possible to have right knowledge in a wrong way. But it is also possible to have the right knowledge in the right way.

The outcomes of each way of thinking

Paul makes a very stark contrast regarding what will happen to each group. Those who live according to the flesh, whether by legalism or by license, are marked by and for death. They are marked by spiritual death and their destiny is eternal death. It is very solemn to realise that this is the outcome of wrong thinking and ideas.

In contrast, those who think about the things of the Spirit experience life and peace, and those features are also present and future. What does Paul mean by life? Each believer has spiritual life and others can see it through the various graces that such show or the fruit of the Spirit that is produced in their lives. Just as someone with natural life will do certain things such as breathe, talk and eat, so a person with spiritual life will find his energy through union with Jesus, will speak to God and to other Christians, and will feed his soul on Jesus. We will return to thinking about some of those aspects later.

There will also be peace and this peace will be known in different ways. Paul wrote to the Philippians about what we can call protective peace or personal peace, and they would experience it if they prayed about and thought about appropriate matters. This is what he wrote: ‘do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.  What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me – practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you’ (Phil. 4:6-9).

Believers can also know corporate peace in the church. Those verses from Philippians don't only refer to an individual form of piety. Instead they also apply to corporate peace that can be experienced in church life. When a church is composed of people who think about the things of the Spirit, then there will be genuine fellowship and spiritual harmony. As Paul wrote later to the Romans (14:19), we are to ‘pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding’ (Rom. 14:19).

What are the things of the Spirit?

One answer to the question is that the Spirit wants us to think about Jesus. Remember what Jesus said in John 14:25-26: ‘These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.’ The Spirit’s task is to instruct us in the things of Christ.

Of course, the Holy Spirit is not limited to bringing us things about Jesus, for he also teaches us to think about God the Father and also about himself. And as with the things of Christ, there is a vast range to focus on. We can think about the Father's attributes and his promises. There are too many to mention here, but let us focus on one attribute and one promise as we sit here. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring an attribute of God to your mind or a promise of God to your mind.

The Holy Spirit can also remind us of what he does for us and in us. Indeed many such things are mentioned in this chapter of Romans and it would be useful if we went home and wrote out all that he does or will do for his people. He gives us assurance, he stimulates us to pray, he makes us like Jesus, he gives us beautiful characteristics, he works twenty-fours a day to sanctify us, he gives us spiritual gifts, and he brings the Bible to our minds, with its many promises and requirements.

The necessity of deliberate choice – set your minds

Paul makes clear in this passage that we are responsible for setting our minds on the things of the Spirit. In other words, we have to exercise our minds. We are not to be passive, waiting for something to happen to us. God expects us to use our faculties and engage in mental effort through his strength. None of us can say that we cannot do this. If we believe in Jesus, the Spirit is at work within us secretly to bring this about clearly in our thoughts. What is it like to think as a Christian? Here are some suggestions.

First, a Christian will think about spiritual things instinctively. By this, I mean that he does not find it an unusual activity. What does a football supporter think about instinctively? He will think about his team. Who does a parent think about instinctively? A father or mother will think about their children and how to care for them. What country in the world does a person think about instinctively? He or she will think about their homeland. In a far higher sense, a Christian will think about the things of the Spirit. If he or she does not do so, there is something wrong with them spiritually.

Second, a Christian will think about the things of the Spirit progressively. Christians grow in understanding of the things of God gradually, and such growth will happen. The apostle John refers to different stages in the Christian life as children, young men, and aged men (he is not referring to their physical age – a person of forty who was converted at twenty should be an aged man spiritually, and a person of seventy who was converted last year is a child spiritually). He does not expect those who are classified as children to have the understanding or experiences of those in the other two categories. But all Christians will grow in grace, if not at the same rate.

Third, a spiritual Christian will think about the things of the Spirit appropriately, in ways that are suitable and relevant to his current situation. If he has sinned, he will think of God’s forgiveness; if he is under temptation, he will think of God’s help; if he is facing choices, he will think of God’s promises of guidance; if he is going through difficult providences, he will think of God’s wisdom and power. In times of joy he will recall that the goodness of God leads to repentance; if he is facing turmoil, he will think of the peace that God has to give. There are many ways of thinking appropriately about the things of the Spirit.

Fourth, a Christian will be pleased with the things of the Spirit. He will not be satisfied entirely with his progress because he is aware that he has to continue in thinking about them. Yet he is glad to discover that he has a delight in and a longing to focus on them. Once he has tasted them he does not desire the taste of anything inferior. He discovers that the things of the Spirit are comforting and challenging, plentiful and personal, ideally meeting the needs of his or her soul.

Those aspects of setting our minds on the things of the Spirit reveal the importance of meditation and prayer, of fellowship with God and with one another. We can think of a couple of verses as we close. Here is what the psalmist said in Psalm 104:34: ‘My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord.’ And here is the encouragement that Joshua gave to the children of Israel: ‘This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success’ (Josh. 1:8).