"It's a question of mentality. You need to think outside the box, try new approaches. Changing the way you think will make a huge difference to your outcomes." Here are some questions for you:
- What is the basic orientation of your life? Are you intellectual, practical, creative, meditative?
- What is your main disposition of mind? Are you interested in concrete things, people or in ideas?
- What prevailing thoughts characterise you? What do you mostly think about?
- What do you usually focus your attention on in life? What are your underlying key interests?
- What mental disposition or outlook characterises you?
It is important to consider all these things critically. Psychometric tests will tell you that there are sixteen or more personality types and you can identify which one you fall into. But the Apostle Paul, in this biblical text distinguishes two underlying categories which are distinct and completely opposite. He notes how they result in huge differences in outcomes. They involve, before God, precise consequences.
One's mentality, our way of thinking, steers our way of considering things, reacting, reasoning, understanding reality and our relationships with our neighbour. All these things are characteristics of us, as a unique person. Consider the text of Romans 8:6-11. It uses terms you are probably not familiar with, but need to be explained.
“For what the flesh is minded is death, but what the Spirit is minded is life and peace, for what the flesh is minded is enmity against God, because it is not subject to the law of God and neither can it be; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you, but if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, it is not his. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of justification. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:6-11) .
Two opposing mentalities
The apostle speaks here of two mentalities: the first he calls "carnal". The second "spiritual". Let's get familiar with this particular terminology.
The mind of the flesh (known as a carnal attitude) refers to an orientation of one's soul focused on worldly desires and interests, such as power, fame, money, success, pleasure and personal gain for its own sake. Someone may even have 'religious interests' and even say they are a professing Christian but it is crucial for them to check whether their tendency towards the world ('Vanity Fair') prevails or not. This mentality, Scripture considers 'sinful' because it goes against the healthy principles that God has established for the good of human creatures. It is a mentality absolutely not to our ultimate (or society's) advantage, even if it might seem the opposite, at first. Sinful inclinations include pride, selfishness, jealousy, anger, lust and other behaviours that actually harm ourselves, others, and our relationship with God. This is a materialistic and self-centered mindset known as 'venal', acting only on the basis of profit, 'gain' that can be drawn from every opportunity just for personal profit. However, it's not just about that.
The other mentality Scripture calls the mind of the Spirit which is a spiritual attitude to life. It represents an orientation to please God, the desire to live in accordance with His revealed will by following the guidance provided by His Holy Spirit. This has 'fruits': "The fruit of the Spirit, however, is 'love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control' (Galatians 5:22).
Unfortunately the carnal mentality repays, says the Apostle, with 'death'. Here we mean primarily spiritual death but mere human observation perceives how those who do not follow the spiritual life face all kinds of troubles and deterioration in this life.
- the self-induglent, lazy and profligate run into serious social and/or money difficulties
- the powerful find that complete possession eludes them
- schemers and manipulators are 'hung' on 'the petard' of their own schemes
- the greedy find that making money their 'god' does not satisfy and that obsession and lust becomes 'a thirst', a toxic sickness
- liars and the foolish lose respect and reputation
- the proud and cruel lose their heart - their feelings run dry because God hardens the heart as a punishment on them
- the overwheeningly ambitious lose their rational mind and moral judgement - go 'mad' .....
The cracks of spiritual 'death' starts appearing in this life too. People can fall from the good life, in a day.
Spiritual death is the inevitable result of maintaining a carnal mind because it is separation from God, the source of all life, compassion and feeling. It is a state of not being in communion with Him through sin becoming the dominant force in their life. This separation can manifest itself as alienation from God, a deep loss of inner peace, feeling and harmony (leading to anxiety and depression), and ultimately, exclusion from an everlasting life in God's presence.
The 'mind of the flesh' is entirely focused on worldly desires and ambitions that are at odds with the teachings and the will of God. When a person focuses exclusively on worldly desires, he turns away from God and His laws, focusing on himself and on the temporal aspects of life. This mentality impedes the moral and spiritual development of our being and, in fact, over time degrades and alienates us from the world and others. The concept of 'death' in Romans 8:6, therefore, refers not only to physical death, but also to the spiritual consequences that follow from falling away from God.
The 'mind of the Spirit', in contrast, leads to life and peace, as it is centered on love of God, His guidance, and following His teachings. Of course, everyone must undertake duties, achieve an adequate income, to avoid being a burden on others (where possible) and provide for their family: all this God knows and will provide means of doing this. But following the Spirit (not the world) allows believers to experience a deep sense of connection with God, the life force and independent 'freedom of spirit' allied to truth, delivering a meaningful life that enjoys inner peace and ultimately, results in what Scripture calls 'eternal life' in His presence. Also, it delivers avoidance of the spiritual consequences that come from turning away from God. The 'mind of the Spirit' resulting from conversion and repentance therefore leads away from death to life and peace, centered on love of God, expressed in the Cross and in the teachings of Christ.
The tragic condition of the carnal mind
The Apostle delves into the tragic condition of those who cultivate a carnal mentality. He explains it this way, he says: “… for what the flesh has a mind is enmity against God, because it is not subject to the law of God and neither can it be” (7).
The reason why the carnal mentality leads to death is the pride and presumption of the unregenerate person which comes from a radical enmity towards God. This 'bias' is part of the fallen nature of natural mankind. Mankind opposes God's sovereignty, questions His power and omniscience, questions His justice and faithfulness, despises His goodness, His grace and mercy. This mentality finds fault with God's authority, decrees and intentions, resents the expression of His Providence (which is often through suffering) and manifests itself as ingratitude. This contempt goes so far as to laugh at the 'foolish' Gospel (the Cross) and the doctrines of grace. This is why so many people today like to play "I Did it My Way" at their funeral. They are saying "I did not need God telling me what to do or how to live. I was 'a winner' without Him".
This deep hostility is universal and integral to how the human mind works. It cannot be uprooted without a direct and powerful intervention by the grace of God. The carnal mentality manifests itself as estrangement from God, contempt for the godly and delight in living under the rule of sin (the Enemy). The carnal mentality is 'antinomian", that is, it refuses to submit to the revealed law of God. It may want to do so 'in theory' through false religion, but in practice it is far from the law of God which it hates because it limits personal freedom (or appears to from the outside). It contradicts the law in every instance and thereby nullifies it.
Without the presence of regenerating indwelling grace, the carnally-minded refuse to submit to God's law because sin has a paralyzing effect on them. While theoretically someone might want to submit, they lack the strength to obey God. The need for an omnipotent power and an effective grace in conversion is most evident here. This is why the experience of having true conversion to Christ is essential.
One thing, however, is clear. As the Apostle Paul says "those who are in the flesh cannot please God" even if they pretend to be religious and 'orthodox', brought up in the church, baptised and confirmed. Their basic attitude, their heart is in fact far from God. They are alienated from Christ, devoid of grace and in particular from an enlivening and working faith without which it is impossible to please God. They may even welcome impurity and immorality in their life and justify these things. While they are in this condition, they do not enjoy Him or have fellowship with Him whatever they claim.
Spiritually unregenerate people have no inclination or appetite for the things of God. Being in a condition of substantial enmity against God, they also find themselves in a dilemma. They cannot approach God, because He hides Himself from them. They cannot approach Him to 'negotiate' with Him on terms of peace to be accepted, on their own terms; they cannot do anything to deliver peace with God. The truth is that Christ on the Cross is the only way someone can approach and find reconciliation with God. His atoning death alone can overcome the helplessness and ingrained biases of 'natural man' and achieve anything that is pleasing in God's eyes. There are many things that please God, such as
- prayer
- worship
- reading Scripture and teaching others
- praise and sharing the gospel
- doing good, caring for the vulnerable
- being responsible, telling the truth
- healing the sick, feeding the hungry, visiting the prisoner
- giving time and money
- fellowship
- community service
- stewarding creation and the planet
- keeping His commandments and walking in his ways
However, spiritually unregenerate people even if they do some of these things, cannot do them in a way that is acceptable to God because they are devoid of His Spirit and without authentic faith. In everything they do, they do not give the glory of God, but to themselves. They have neither grace, nor strength, nor right principles, nor right ends. God is also working to obliterate the remembrance of those who were not 'for Him' on the earth, wiping out any positive legacy. They would be astonished to learn that their charitable actions (which may have delivered to them honours and awards) cannot overcome the impotence of 'natural mankind' to accomplish anything that is pleasing in the eyes of God.
The spiritual mind is different
This is the 'carnal mentality' of the person who has not been spiritually regenerated by the grace of God through Jesus Christ and of the 'prevailing mentality' of this world which might claim to be pure, even in some way 'religious' but is not. In Verse 9, the Apostle addresses the Christians of Rome.
He says: "But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you but, if someone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not of he"(9).
He states that believers in Christ are no longer 'in the flesh'. They look similar to others but their mentality has been completely transformed because, they are 'in the Spirit', that is, they have a spiritual perspective. The Spirit of God dwells in them in a concrete, not an abstract or superficial way. It can be seen with spiritual eyes. God is working through them and this can be verified because His is a spirit of enlightenment, regeneration, sanctification, consolation, adoption, intercession and wholeness This indwelling of the Spirit does not depend on someone's goodness or their ritual observance, but on their significant personal relationship with Christ. This is possible thanks to His ascension, His intercession for them and the love that God the Father has manifested through Christ. If His Spirit is not visible in actions, speech or character, it is not there. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ working visibly, it is not in their heart and life, no matter what someone claims. Do they fail in their duties and promises, lie, deceive, 'follow the money', prefer the company of the godless and promote pagan ideas? If so, His Spirit is not there.
It is not just a question of participating in the gifts of the Spirit, but of having made a positive decision for Christ, to obey His teaching and follow Him, of having 'communion' with Him. Anyone who does not have the indwellng Holy Spirit cannot claim any communion with Christ nor does this person enjoy Him.
Then the Apostle adds: "But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of justification"(10). The verse teaches that iif Christ lives in you, even though your body is mortal and subject to death (due to the wages of sin being death), the Holy Spirit, who is present in you because of your justification by Christ, gives you life and hope for the resurrection through Christ. In other words, your physical body is bound to die due to sin, but your spirit is quickened and renewed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within you, which is called the 'guarantee of eternal life'. Your justification in Christ gives you the hope of eternal life with God, even after the physical death of your body. Since your spirit is closely related to Christ's, you can rest assured that your ultimate identity, your soul will not perish, with your body.
Thinking about the implications of all this:
The present and future of the spiritual mind
The last verse of our text confirms this point: "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you”.
This means that if we have entrusted our lives to Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God lives in us, having regenerated us, In the end we too will be resurrected as Christ Himself rose from the dead. Our body, which is subject to death due to sin, will be transformed into an incorruptible and immortal body. This beautiful verse speaks of the hope of the resurrection of our bodies through the power of God's Holy Spirit which has been granted to dwell within us.
All this is due to the basic (re)orientation of our life, of our new mentality. This orientation is crucial. It is true that under certain conditions, following Christ can hinder and prevent the worldly success of our career, our business, our personal, family, social and to some extent our emotional life (or promote it). We must have the right mindset, be open to change and innovation within the limits, of course, of what is good and right before God. We have to abandon our 'basic mentality', the materialistic mental disposition (more or less still working in us even when we profess ourselves to be believers) to assume, by the grace of God, a spiritual one, in conformity with that of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Which of these two mentalities is the most “eternally productive”? Undoubtedly, this is indeed a question of eternal life v spiritual death. It goes without saying that this calls us to carefully examine ourselves and urges us come to repentance. May God give us grace to fully realise it.
Paolo Castellina, 18 March 2023
Text, summary and questions for discussion
“For what the flesh is minded is death, but what the Spirit is minded is life and peace, for what the flesh is minded is enmity against God, because it is not subject to the law of God and neither can it be; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you, but if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, it is not his. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of justification. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:6-11) .
The passage from Romans 8:6-11 focuses on the distinction between carnal and spiritual mindsets, and the role of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life. In this passage, the Apostle Paul explains that the carnal mindset leads to spiritual death, while the spiritual mindset leads to life and peace. It is emphasized that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the believer is what makes him part of the family of God and gives him eternal life.
- What is the difference between carnal and spiritual mentality, according to Paul?
- What are some concrete examples of carnal and spiritual thinking in our daily lives?
- How can a believer go from a carnal mindset to a spiritual mindset?
- What is the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, according to this passage?
- How can the presence of the Holy Spirit influence the choices and actions of a believer in everyday life?
- How does the Holy Spirit help us experience life and peace?
- According to the passage, what is the sign that a person belongs to Christ and is part of the family of God?
- How is the resurrection of Jesus related to eternal life and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the believer?
- How can we encourage one another to live with a spiritual mindset and remain sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit?
- What are some challenges believers may encounter in trying to live with a spiritual mindset and how can they overcome them?
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