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CHRISTIANITY AND THE RENEWED MIND by emb

Lately I have been concentrating on lessons aimed at the Renewed Mind. I'm sure many of you are wondering what exactly it is and why it is so important. With Thanksgiving and Christmas fast approaching, I feel it is a good time to discuss this with you.

As Christians, (Rom.10:9,10), God tells us to:

Rom.12:
[2] 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.

Once you are a Christian, you have a heavenly Father. It is God's will for you to renew your mind. The question is renew it how?

Phil.2:
[5] Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

1 Cor.2:
[16] For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

This then is our goal in renewing our mind - We have the mind of Christ so all we have to do to renew our minds is to let the mind of Christ be in us.

Let's start at the beginning - after all, starting at the beginning is always the best. However, to fully know and understand Christ, we cannot start at His birth as that isn't His beginning. The biblical record of Jesus actually begins much earlier then that. We'll have to take a little 'mankind walk'. This will give us more of a basis or good foundation of understanding who Christ Jesus is so we can renew our mind as God wants us to.

So here we go, mankind's beginnings:

Gen.1:
[27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

God created Man and Woman perfectly in His own image. What is the image of God? What is His likeness?

John.1:18 tells us 'No man has seen God at ANY Time' Why not? How do we know what the image of God is if no man has seen Him?

Here Jesus Christ tells us in John 4:
[23] But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
[24] God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

God is a spirit is why. His image and likeness is spirit. So when God created mankind, he created them with a body, a soul and a spirit. He gave them freedom of will to do right from wrong and gave them only one unlawful thing to do.

Gen.2:
[17] But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

As most of us know, Eve was tricked by the Serpent - Satan, disobeyed God, and got Adam to do the same.

God wasn't kidding when He told them - what?

"..the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

They did die that very day. God did not lie to them. That very day they lost their likeness of God - their eternal life. They died spiritually. They lost their spirit and as God told Adam:

Gen 3:
[19] In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Adam was just flesh and blood now and would return to dust. No spirit. No eternal life.

Not only did He punish mankind, but the serpent was punished too. Once he was one of God's most beautiful angels, likened unto the son of the morning:

Isa 14:
[12] How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

Now ...he is cursed, lowly, and ugly:

Gen.3:
{14] And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
[15] And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

If you are like I was, verse 15 kind of goes over your head. It didn't make much sense to me, so I more or less skipped it.

Actually, God is saying quite a bit here. We have to study this and think about it - break it down so we can understand it more clearly.

The Webster dictionary defines enmity as positive, active, and typically mutual hatred or ill will. It suggests positive hatred which may be open or concealed.

God is saying He will put - not right away - future tense, will put - enmity or mutual positive hatred between the seed of the serpent - the devil and the seed of the woman.

That means the devil can have offspring - as confirmed by Jesus when he was debating with some Jews and quite plainly told them:

John 8:
[44] Ye are of your father the devil...

But a woman doesn't make seed - which means just what we thought it does according to the Webster dictionary - offspring from sperm. The Greek translation for sperm is literally, seed. The original bible language was Greek and is what the KJV was translated from. So how can it be 'her' seed? God must be talking about a miracle birth.

The offspring from the miracle birth and the offspring of the devil will have mutual positive hatred for each other that may be open or concealed. That explains why when Jesus was in that debate that it got so hostile that they wanted to stone Him.

Verse 15 is actually quite beautiful, once we understand it clearly. God will restore face to woman because it was her shame being the one tricked by the devil. He does this by saying she will be the instrument to further punish the devil. She will be redeemed by being a very important key part in the miracle birth.

God goes on to say "it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

It, the seed from the woman, the miracle birth, her offspring, shall bruise Satan's head - meaning her offspring shall have total authority over him and literally be able to walk on him while all his authority in return will be to bruise his heal.

The Holy Men of the Old Testament obviously understood this verse as they were earnestly looking and waiting for the miracle birth. Right away God set it up for mankind to have a savior.

Here again Jesus confirms this saying in that debate with the Jews: John 8:
[58] Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

Jesus Christ existed long before Abraham, as God had already set it up for Him to be the Savior of all mankind as recorded. He existed in God's Mind - His Foreknowledge, just as we did, even before the foundation of the world!

How do I know this? Jesus Christ said so:

John 17:
[24] Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

And also it says so in Acts.2:
[23] Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

God knew Jesus would be crucified by the wicked.

We were also in God's foreknowledge as is confirmed here...

In Eph.1:
[4] According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

And Also in 1 Pet.1:
[2] Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

We were chosen by God BEFORE the foundation of the World just as Jesus Christ was! BEFORE There even was a world, we were! We existed in God's mind - in His foreknowledge!

Isn't God's Word beautiful? It fits together so completely you can tell that even though there were many writers, there was only one author ...

2 Pet.1:
[16] For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
[17] For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
[18] And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
[19] We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
[20] Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
[21] For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

The ONE Author of the Bible - The Word Of God, is God Almighty - no doubt about it!

Now on with the history of mankind ...

In the beginning, God created woman for man to be his helpmeet and companion. One to fulfill his needs and share his life with him on an equal basis of mutual love. After the fall, God punished woman with her desire to be now toward her husband and giving her husband head or authority over her.

Gen.3:
[16] Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

'Thy desire shall be to thy husband...' - Not just to any man, but to a her husband - the man she has intercourse with for this is marriage to God:

Eph.5:
[31] For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

And it is even more clarified with:

1 Cor.6
[16] What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.

It is only natural for a woman to do all she can to please and make her man happy. It is her normal desire. Most things she does is with her man and their family on her mind. Her desire therefore is toward her husband and due to this, he is head over her - she will agree and back down to most anything he won't budge on due to her desire to please him. He has authority over her.

Now one would think that man would be satisfied with this punishment and the pain in child birth she would have to suffer, but man through his own resentment, fears, hatred, and selfishness oppressed and dominated woman so that mankind had to wait for the miracle God had promised them.

Man chose to so oppress woman that she became more a slave to man then his companion. Most woman were not given an education of reading and writing. Most of God's scriptures were not even taught to her. Because of this, very few woman in the days of the Old Testament were strong believers in God. Many did believe in God but few very strongly.

It wasn't Gods Will for mankind to have to wait for so long...

Rom.5:
[14] Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

'who is the figure of him that was to come' - talking here again of the miracle birth.

Man suffered many years of tears and sorrow without a Savior. God had to wait for a woman to rise up. That is what took so long and the irony of foolish man and his willful mistreating of the woman God had given him. Once a strong woman of God with equal strong believing rose up, God could fulfill his promise of the miracle birth.

This finally occurred with a woman of God named Mary and begins the New Testaments.

Matthew 1:
[18] Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Mary and Joseph were to be married, but before they got married, Mary was found to be with a child of the Holy Ghost - the miracle!

[19] Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.

By the customs of the land, Joseph would be a fool to marry a woman who was pregnant by another so he was thinking of secretly calling off the marriage so as not to embarrass her.

[20] But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
[21] And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
[22] Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
[23] Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
[24] Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
[25] And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

After the angel told Joseph what was going on, he married Mary and did not have intercourse with her until after she had the baby Jesus.

Now we have the miracle of birth. The woman was Mary and the offspring was Jesus Christ.

John 3:
[16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Jesus Christ was God's ONLY BEGOTTEN SON. What does begotten mean?

Webster dictionary defines beget as meaning to bring forth offspring. Begotten is the past tense form of the word and means to procreate as the father. God was not only the spiritual father of Jesus but He was the physical father of Him as well. God made the seed (sperm) in Mary at her normal time of ovulation. Her egg was impregnated in her womb, she conceived, and brought forth her firstborn son. Jesus was God's ONLY Begotten son because He has fathered only ONE physical child, Jesus Christ.

The bloodline of each generation is carried on through the male sperm. Jesus bloodline was not from a previous generation but directly from God. His blood was as pure as Adam's blood. Thus Jesus was mankind's last Adam ...

1 Cor.15
[22] For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

1 Cor.15:
[45] And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

Jesus having pure blood direct from God made it possible for Him to be the perfect sacrificial lamb for all of mankind's sins.

John 1:
[29] The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. By Jesus Christ giving His life, God giving Him to the world, and God raising Him from the dead, He paved the way for all of God's spiritual children.

John 14:
[6] Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 3:
[3] Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Here in Romans, we are taught How to be 'born again':

Romans 10:9,10 tells us:
[9] That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
[10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

By saying out loud 'Jesus Christ is my Lord' and totally believing that God raised Him from the dead - God gives you back what Adam and Eve lost - eternal life - His gift of Holy Spirit. You become a spiritual child of God. At that very moment, you are born again. You receive the seed of God in Christ Inside of you. No longer a person just to return to the dust, you are given life through Jesus Christ our Lord! YOU have power and authority OVER the devil Just as Jesus Christ did because YOU HAVE CHRIST IN YOU! YOU are going to Heaven and all hell cannot stop you!

1 John 4:
[4] Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world

You are called a Christian! God is your spiritual Father and you are his chosen son/daughter.

Acts 11
[26] And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

As Christians, We are God's spiritual children.

1 John 3:
[1] Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
[2] Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Now are we the sons of God - when? NOW!

Knowing all the above brings us to the renewed mind of a believer. "Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind ..."

This is something you have to do and is not given to you. You have to 'let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus'

First, lets get rid of bad thoughts - lingering worldly thoughts that may be stopping or hindering you from putting on the mind of Christ:

Rom.8:
[29] For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be thefirstborn among many brethren.

You were in God's mind before the foundation of the world - In His foreknowledge - accordingly you are predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son - Jesus Christ.

[30] Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

[31] What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

You cannot say you are unworthy or unjust - unless you want to call God a liar because God chose you to be His. You are worthy and you are predestined and you are called and you are justified! WHY?

BECAUSE GOD CHOSE YOU - God Is FOR YOU! GOD LOVES YOU - That's Why!

[32] He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Why do you worry about WHAT you ask for? Is there ANYTHING Greater then giving you His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON Because God Loved You so Much? What do you want or need that could be greater then that?

[33] Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

You are God's elected - chosen to be His Child! WHO DARE Say God is wrong for choosing you? - God JUSTIFIED YOU BY Calling YOU!

[34] Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Christ DIED FOR YOU - HE WHO DIED FOR YOU just happens to be the one who is sitting on the Right Hand Of God and Is THE ONE Talking to God FOR YOU. Certainly He who died for you isn't going to condemn you to God! There is NONE to condemn you!

[35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
[36] As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
[37] Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
[38] For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
[39] Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

How can you be separated from the Love of God when Christ dwells inside of you? You have God in Christ In You! You are physically from the seed of your earthly father - you and nobody else can change that. The same is of your heavenly Father. You are spiritually from the seed of your heavenly Father - you cannot change that - nor can any one or anything else! Simple and beautiful!

1 Pet.1:
[23] Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Renew your mind - put on the mind of Christ - you have it - what is it? Think about it. The mind of Christ is the Word Of God! Jesus Christ ate, drank, slept, walked What? - Prime Time TV? NO! The Word Of God!

John 1:14
'And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Jesus Rebuked the Devil using it...

Matt.4:
[4] But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

'Mouth of God' is a personification - we know God doesn't have a mouth because God is spirit so it refers to His speakers and by his Word - which is the bible. You do not live by bread alone - mankind must Have THE WORD of God to live. Of course you have the 'mind of Christ' because you Have the Bible, God's Word! That is what you need to renew your mind to.

The world says "For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter..."

Just what the devil wants you to believe ... but the Word --- God's Word says what? "we are more than conquerors...'

That's what God says you are - that's what you are!

John.14:
[9] Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

See how foolish - Philip was close to Jesus and was learning from him and yet asked to see the Father - who we all know is spirit.

Jesus said 'he that hath seen me hath seen the Father'

Why? God is spirit - His likeness - spirit - is in Jesus Christ - just as it is in all His children - Christians. You and me!

Rom.8:
[17] And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

We can say the same as Jesus did here as we have been glorified with God's Spirit - we have the Glory of the Lord inside of us!

Renew your mind to the Word of God and you will be able to say as Jesus did here in John.10:30 'I and my Father are one'.

Why? Christ has God in Him - they are one. You have God in Christ in You - you are one with God and Christ!

Get close with your Spiritual Father - Like Jesus in John.4:34 'Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.'

How did Jesus know God's Will? By Direct communication - God speaking to His spirit, communication from God's angels - when they ministered unto Him, and finally by His own study of the scriptures, the Word of God. The Word of God is indeed God's Will.

Let the Mind of Christ be in You...

Get up close and personal with your Spiritual Father. Read and study the books of the bible that were written especially for the church, the body of believers, the saints, - you.

That would be the ones in the New Testament.

These books you should study - eat, drink, and sleep them! They are from God to you - Let them be your spiritual meat:

Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude

Do you gobble your meat as a dog? No! So it is with the meat of the Word of God. Take it slow, chew it long, savor it, and then finally swallow and digest it.

Renew your mind to the Word of God so you may be able to have a weapon - the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, ALWAYS at hand (In YOUR MIND) to be able to defeat the enemy. Eph.6:13-17 And ...and by defeating the enemy be able to Live the More Than Abundant Life that Jesus Christ came to give you:

John.10:10 'The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.'

--------------------

I hope this lesson helps you more understand and appreciate how much God loves you. And all you have to be thankful for from Him our loving Father and from our beloved Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who gave His life for you.

2 Timothy 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God,
a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth.

May you, and all those you love,
be so blessed and fortunate
as to stand approved before God,
unashamed of your workmanship.

May God Always Bless You and Yours As
You Stand Steadfast on His Word Of Truth!

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