In our last post, continuing our discussion of how we are to live in light of the New Covenant, we said that we are to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in transforming us into Christ’s image. To do that, we are to walk according to the Spirit, not according to the Spirit. We then fleshed out what that means:
To walk according to the Spirit is to set the mind on the things of the Spirit, not the things of the flesh.
That thought led to our next question.
#5: How are we to know which desires are of the flesh and which are of the Spirit?
That’s a good question, and sometimes a tricky one. The flesh can be very deceptive, making us think that what we “want” is God’s desire, when it’s really the flesh. Likewise, we sometimes think that something might be of the flesh when it’s actually a Spirit-led desire. When dealing with this question, there are some things to keep in mind.
The First and Greatest Commandment
The fundamental thing that we need to ask is, Are we walking in love? Jesus clearly told us what our first responsibility is:
[Jesus said to the lawyer], “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37–40)
So, our first commandment is to love God, and the second is to love our neighbor. What does this mean? It means that in all we do we are to move toward God in loving obedience and service and move toward people in loving and self-giving service. Any desire that moves us away from these goals is contrary to God’s word and should be rejected. (See my post “Toward Christ: A Model for Biblical Change” for more on this topic.) Desires that tend to move us away from these goals are often focused on self-protection, and a refusal to be vulnerable before God and others.
Fixing the Mind
The next thing we want to think about when we consider how to discern Spirit-led desires and fleshly desires is what we are thinking about. What we saturate our mind with often comes out in our desires. Thus, we are told,
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)
As we’ve talked about previously, our entire being was thoroughly programmed by the Sinful Heart. Thus, renewing of the mind represents unlearning those old thought patterns and attitudes that keep us from living in dependence on God and moving toward others in loving sacrificial service. This is really a key passage in understanding our role in transformation, so we’ll look at it closely in the next post.
Here are some other questions to ask about thoughts, attitudes, and actions when considering whether they are of the Spirit or the flesh. (For more in-depth discussion of these questions, see my post “Legalism, License, or Liberty?“.)
Is it prohibited in the New Testament? Some examples are found in Rom. 1:28-32; Gal. 5:19-21; 1 Cor. 6:9-11.
Is it prohibited to all in the Old Testament? Notice the question includes “all.” Some examples are eating meat with blood in it (Gen. 9:4) and murder (Gen. 9:5-6).
Is it beneficial, helpful, or profitable? “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful (1 Cor. 6:12a). Specifically will it help me carry out God’s purposes for my life? Is there an advantage in it?
Is it an activity or thought that controls me? “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything (1 Cor. 6:12b). Notice the idea here is not about something that could control me, but something that actually does.
Will it cause a stumbling block in another’s life? Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8-10 teach that we should be willing to lay down anything that may hinder another’s spiritual growth. This is not simple “offense,” but rather causing another to stumble into sin.
Does it match the characteristics we should be thinking about? Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, 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 (Phil. 4:8) This is really one of the best examples of what believers should be focusing their minds on. Because all of these things lead to Jesus.
Is it in accordance with biblical wisdom? Is it wise? Both the Old and New Testament encourage us to seek biblical wisdom. We were created with minds to make wise, reasonable, and sound judgments. The books of Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes have much to say about wisdom (and great examples of practical wisdom). James tells us that if we lack wisdom, we need only ask for it from our Father who gives it generously (James 1:5).
Speaking of asking the Father, we should always ask the Holy Spirit for discernment. As He instructs us and we obey our ability to discern His will will become better and better.
In our next post, we’ll look closely at the passage we mentioned above. We’ll talk about the two keys in our role in the process of transformation.
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