3 Answers We Find in Romans about Renewing Our Minds

Have you ever considered why we think the way we do? We may not realize it but what goes on in our brains does affect our behavior.

Thoughts don’t have to be vulgar or obscene to be damaging to our psyche. They can just be negative, depressing, or condemning. They can be selfish, angry, and greedy.

Where Do Thoughts Come From?

•  Thoughts can come from past experiences, such as rejection, condemnation, and guilt. 
•  Thoughts can come from other people’s opinions. When we value what another person says about us more than what God says, we can fall into comparison and depression. 
•  Thoughts can come from God. Of course, these are the best ones. 

Thoughts can change the direction of our lives – for good or bad because unspoken words can create actions.

Proverbs 4:23 tells us, Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. 

The Selfish App

Almost everyone has a cell phone now. Even kids have them.

These little handheld computers dictate our lives without our conscious awareness. When we buy a new one, they come downloaded with certain apps. These are the default apps the cell phone company wants us to have.

But if we want this device to operate for our personal use, we need to download what we want and remove the ones we don’t.

Our minds work this way too. We are born with the “do it my own way” app.

Romans 12:1-2 NIV tells us,

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

If we take Romans 12:1–2 apart, we can find the answers to three questions. 

1.  Why do we need to renew our minds?
2.  How do we renew our minds?
3.  What are the benefits to our lives when we renew our minds?

The Why

We have already discovered that we come into this world downloaded with the “I want it my way” app. 

We read about becoming a new creation in 2 Corinthians 5:17. But we don’t always feel like we are new. We still commit sin, suffer from depression, anxiety, and worry. 

We wonder, “Where’s the new?”

The part of us 2 Corinthians 5:17 talks about is the inner most being. Our spirit. 

We may have an emotional high at salvation, but it is not the spirit part that makes the feeling. That’s because our spirit doesn’t have feelings. We can’t see our spirit, and we can’t feel our spirit. 

Our soul is where we think and feel. Our reasoning ability, our will, and emotions. This part wasn’t renewed at salvation. This is why we must make the deliberate effort to change the way we process information. This takes determination because we have to deny our flesh what we want when what we want goes against the Lord’s ways. 

Have you ever read the Bible or listened to a sermon and wondered why you didn’t get anything out of the message? Our mentality must be made ready to receive His Word. We can see why this happens by Jesus’ example of the Sower in Mark 4. 

The seeds scattered in this parable were all good but what made the difference was the ground.  

Birds devoured some seed, the hard ground prevented others from penetration, and thorns choked the influence of those who drifted into the sticker bushes. Good ground received a portion of the seeds. 

When Jesus explained this to His disciples, He compared what was eaten by birds with Satan stealing the Word before roots could grow in the listener’s heart. 

The hard earth prevented growth so that when tough times came the person drifted away from God. 

The issues of life stifled some seed’s growth. This heart put more importance upon the cares of life than upon God’s Word.  

The ones that received a return on the seed were those who heard, accepted, and produced fruit. 

These illustrations don’t necessarily mean we live evil lives. But this example can remind us to keep our brains fertile for godly perspectives.

The first part of our Scripture tells us to: Offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

We don’t offer our bodies as human sacrifices on an altar the way animals were in the Old Testament. A living sacrifice is one who allows the heart to be plowed so the ground is fertile. We sacrifice the selfish wants so we can live holy. 

The How

Do not conform to the pattern of this world...

As Christians, we are to follow the guidelines of the Bible. 

We do need to be conscious of what we allow into our thoughts. We are sometimes more aware of what we put into our bodies than our minds. We seek pure water, we count calories, read labels, and look for fat-free or sugar-free ingredients in our food. 

But we can allow derogatory thinking to grow into our subconscious without being aware of those seeds that are scattered if we aren’t careful. TV shows, movies, commercials, and words other people say to us can plant doubt into our attitudes. Social media, politics, and news most often project godless attitudes disguised as entertainment or educational information. 

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. (Colossians 2:8)

Now that spring has arrived, we see millions of weeds growing everywhere. Dandelions invade lawns with those miniature parachutes that fly wherever the wind takes them. They land and attach themselves to the soil and soon another plant grows in the yard. Influences drift across airwaves with words. What we do with them determines the direction of our belief system. 

We can change the channel on our TV if we see something offensive. But, unfortunately, our rationale doesn’t have an off switch. But we do have a channel changer. We can learn to meditate on godly reflections (Philippians 4:8). We are told to capture those mental wavelengths and change them before they take root. 

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

Small weeds are easier to pull out of the ground than those that have grown embedded roots. If we continue to expose ourselves to the anti-God influences of the world, strongholds build confusion, and we struggle to remove them. Our fight is so much easier if we take all the negative tendencies captive before they can be considered.

The What

The last part of Romans 12:1-2 shows us benefits.

That you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

•  We learn God’s will for our lives.
•  We can walk in victory over sin and temptation because we grow stronger in the knowledge of Christ. 
•  We learn to control our emotions which can alleviate depressing outlooks and physical symptoms caused by them. 
•  We learn about the identity Christ gave us and we can gain more wisdom. 

We can see we need to renew our minds because we are born with a default toward selfishness. We will not naturally gravitate toward godly ways. We need to train ourselves to think like our heavenly Father.

How we accomplish the renewing is to change the channel and learn to meditate on Scripture, not the ways of culture and society.

The benefits of a new thought process transforms us into servants of God who are free from oppression. We can say goodbye to depression, anxiety, comparison, and fear. 

We revolutionize our lives when we download godly apps into our souls. Instead of the “I want it my way” app we are born with, we can learn to rely on the “God’s Way” app. 

This download won’t be found in the Google Play or Apple store, but only in God’s Holy Word. The subscription is free, already paid for by the blood of Christ. 

What better influence can we have in our lives than that?

Related Resource: How Should Christians Think about the "Bro Code"?

In this episode of Thinking Christian, host Dr. James Spencer sits down with journalist, author, and podcaster Katelyn Beaty to discuss her series of essays on her substack "The Beaty Beat" about the "Evangelical Bro Code." They consider the various components of the bro code, possible solutions to the bro code, and the ways the bro code negatively impacts both women and men. Listen now!

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/primipil 

Barbara Latta lived as an Arkansas girl until she wed her sweetheart. She never dreamed she would reside in seven states and visit eight countries in this marriage adventure with finally settling in Georgia in 1993. Riding on the back of her husband’s Harley inspired her book, God’s Maps, Stories of Inspiration and Direction for Motorcycle Riders. Some rides take them to historic and scenic sites combined with stops at antique and flea markets. Barbara and her husband enjoy life with two sons, one daughter-in-love, and an energetic granddaughter who frequently gets her hands messy in paints, clay, and other art projects. Barbara writes articles for online sites and anthologies, and about living in our identity in Christ at www.barbaralatta.com.