A Tale of Two Minds

Bill Brinkworth 

After one is saved, it is often argued that a child of God is “brainwashed”. After having a lifetime of being filled with godless, worldly philosophies and unhealthy ideas, most brains need to be washed from their unscriptural influences.

When one is saved, he becomes a new creature (II Cor. 5:17) with a new mind. Examine some of what the Bible says about the new, godly mind:

A godly mind should have desires and thinking that are similar to Christ’s. As the acronym WWJD suggests: What would Jesus Do? What would He do if He were in the situation in which you find yourself? We should have thinking patterns similar to those of the Son of God.
“For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” I Corinthians 2:16

A godly mind wants to please God. It shares the desires that God has instilled in it. An unsaved person cannot experience this, and this is why they do not understand the different thinking of a Christian.
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:2
“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:” Hebrews 8:10 Also: I Peter 1:13, 3:8

A godly mind should be an eager and willing mind desiring to serve God and follow His leadership.
Nehemiah, when he took on the task to rebuild the place and city to worship in, was successful because there were people that had a mind to work. A work for God will not grow, if the people do not have the desire to work to accomplish the desires He has put on their hearts.
“So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.” Nehemiah 4:6

David had a deep desire to build a place of worship. Because his background involved much bloodshed, God would not allow him to build the temple. Solomon, David’s son could build it, according to God. David put his energies into getting the materials to build it, so the place of worship could be built. His godly mindset was to build a place to worship God, and even if he was not allowed to build it, he could help another build it. We need to have similar thinking in accomplishing something for the Lord today.
“And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God:” I Chronicles 22:7

A godly mind should be a remembering mind. This mind remembers the spiritual lessons it was taught. It is a mind that can hear and understand the words and urgings of God. It is a spiritually sensitive mind.

An example is Peter. Peter was not standing up for Jesus the way He should have, but he remembered what he was told.
“And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.” Mark 14:72 A “remembering” mind can be convicted of God’s will and way.

A godly mind is a “right” mind . When Jesus changed the demoniac, he put the man in his “right mind”. This implies there is such a thing as a “wrong mind.”
“And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.” Mark 5:15

Here is how God defines a wrong, ungodly mind:
An ungodly mind is a forgetful mind. No, I am not talking about the aged mind that forgets what it did yesterday. I am talking about a mind that chooses not to remember the things of God that it has already learned. This mindset does not want to hear the convicting voice of God.
“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;” Romans 1:28

An ungodly mind is a prideful mind. King Nebuchadnezzar had such a mind, and God taught him a painful lesson. The King learned the hard way who really was responsible for his success.
“But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:” Daniel 5:20 Also: Romans 12:16

An ungodly mind is a reprobate mind . Its thoughts and desires are totally abandoned to sin. The commission of sin does not bother one’s conscience. Romans 1:28

An ungodly mind has often been influenced by the world, or it had never had any godly precepts put into it . It puts a higher priority on the temporary glitter the world offers, than it does on living for the Lord and pleasing Him.
“Because the carnal mind is enmity [opposite of friendship] against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Romans 8:7

Are you a child of God? If so, there is no guarantee that our minds will have the proper thinking. We have to guard our thought-life and fill it with godly influences. As is said often to explain computer data errors, “Garbage in, garbage out!” Are godly influences going into your mind? Are you letting that mind-set lead you? Christian, is your mind the mind of Christ He intends it to be?
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” Philippians 2:5

"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he ...” — Proverbs 23:7