Two Ways Path of Death and Path of LifeBible World
8:6Romans 8:6
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
To be carnally minded is death and to be spiritually minded is life and peace, with no neutral ground between them, so that living for self, the world and the flesh is serving against God even while claiming His side, and only those on Christ's side are His true and loyal soldiers. The carnal mind is sensual and debased in thought, unsanctified and without part in the divine nature, having no desire for heaven nor victory over self and the world, and those who remain so will never unite with the redeemed. To be spiritually minded is to have died to sin and received new life in Christ, complete in His righteousness, with divine love filling the heart, the understanding sanctified, and the life marked by joy, growth in grace and knowledge, conformity to His image, and continuing light. Being spiritually minded is the duty of every believer, cultivated by training the thoughts to meditate on sacred and eternal themes rather than common earthly things, bringing the will into harmony with God, and resting humbly on Christ for aid through the Holy Spirit who develops spiritual life and fruit unto eternal life. It is lived as a fresh daily consciousness of being a child of God kept every moment by His power through earnest prayer and trusting belief, with grace purifying thought and desire, self examined before God to uncover secret sin, the mind of the Spirit studied and followed without resistance, and complaining criticism put away as incompatible with life and peace.
Carnal Death, Spiritual Life
There are only two sides with no neutral ground and no standing on both at once. To be carnally minded is death, and it means working the works of Satan and serving Belial, serving the world, the flesh and the devil, even while claiming to be on Christ's side. No one living that way is on Christ's side or is a true and loyal soldier for Jesus Christ. To be spiritually minded is life and peace, and it means being on Christ's side as a true and loyal soldier.
To be carnally minded is to be sensual and debased in thought, abominable in God's sight, unsanctified by and never sanctified through the truth, without part in the divine nature, and without victory over self and the world with its affections, desires and lusts. Those who remain so will never unite with the family of the redeemed. The carnal, unsanctified mind has no desire for heaven and no harmony with its purity, and its ruling sinful desires must be subdued by Christ's grace. Mere changed outward appearance, continued religious duties, and profession of Christianity do not prove the heart renewed. The carnal heart must be crucified and must die to sin, for otherwise it cannot serve God from fixed principle or grow in grace.
Allowing the carnal mind to rule leads to death because it works against God, and therefore the whole person must be sanctified through thorough daily conversion. When bodily lusts and evil passions control the heart, and when one yields to the dictates of mind and flesh, the spirit loses its proper character, balance and discernment, fails to discern and appreciate moral power, follows the maxims and voices of worldlings about the path of success, and esteems human invention above the Holy Spirit's enlightenment. That same control encourages skepticism about Christian truth so that doubt seems a virtue, and leads to spiritual carelessness, indifference and sin. Unless continually controlled by the Spirit of God, Satan gains control. A person's worth is determined by moral affections rather than property or intellect, with goodness ruling within rather than selfishness and sin, while the carnal heart leads to moral corruption and death.
To be spiritually minded is life and peace: when a person dies to sin and receives new life in Christ, divine love fills the heart, the understanding is sanctified, and life is marked by joy, knowledge and continuing spiritual light. That life and peace means true happiness assured only by wholehearted surrender of human will and way to God's will and way. The spiritually minded are complete in Christ through his righteousness rather than their own, living in the channel of light and letting light shine. This brings moral renewal, hatred of sin and selfishness, growth in grace and knowledge of Christ, and conformity to his image as they look to him. Being spiritually minded also brings discernment of God's mind, will and plans and ability to see their working out in life, so as to work together with him and shed and reflect light wherever placed rather than cast a shadow.
Becoming Spiritually Minded
To be spiritually minded is the duty of every believer, what God wants and requires, received in its fullness from the Author of all truth. It is the call to work for eternity, and to worldly-minded hearts it means to be detached from the world and turned toward God. So understood, it gives improved discernment of God's mind and will and plans and of their working out in life, so as to work together with Him, watch for souls as those who must give an account, and shed and reflect light wherever placed.
Spiritual-mindedness is kept by educating and training the thoughts to meditate on sacred, holy themes, turning the mind reverently to eternal realities and bringing the will into harmony with God. It refuses the habit of dwelling in thought or conversation on common earthly things, for cheap earthly thoughts bring forth from the heart's treasure only earthly and corruptible things that are no savor of life to others. It puts away pride and worldliness, uses the means the gospel provides, rests humbly on Christ for divine aid, and through the unseen agency of the Holy Spirit develops spiritual life and fruit unto eternal life, fostering harmony with others and keeping Christ beside as counselor.
It is lived as a fresh daily consciousness of being a child of God kept every moment by His power, since self cannot keep itself for even a moment. It is held through earnest prayer for grace and keeping power and through trusting belief that comforting promises full of assurance will be realized that day. When Christ's grace is admitted it purifies thought, regulates desire, and changes the disposition toward life with God rather than death, requiring thorough daily sanctification of the whole person because the carnal mind ruling works against God and leads to death. A changed outward appearance or continued religious duties do not prove the heart renewed, so self-examination before God must uncover secret sin and unoffered idols.
Being spiritually minded means receiving Jesus as the Spirit of truth, studying the mind of the Spirit, consulting the Lord and following His way. It closes the door to human inventions and opens the door to divine illumination, not resisting the Spirit's working upon the soul, but determined to please God, magnify His name, and enjoy the sweet influence of His grace. Yielding to the dictates of mind and flesh makes the mind carnal and deceived, losing balance and discernment of moral power, following worldly maxims about success, and esteeming human invention above the Holy Spirit's enlightenment. Dwelling on others' defects, complaining, and criticizing sours the spirit and is incompatible with the life and peace of the spiritually minded.
In daily work, working for Jesus as spiritually minded brings life and peace with no weariness, not sullen drudgery but peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The assurance of His love sweetens toil, braces the arm, and stimulates the spirit, so the Christian remains spiritually minded while he works. One entrusted with responsibility must let the Spirit govern and control the mind to shape a life of spiritual influence, watching for souls and laboring together with God to accomplish the work He would have done. This higher spiritual tone is required especially of ministers and physicians in sanitariums.
To be spiritually minded is to live close to Christ by transforming grace, discerning spiritual things, free from worldly bustle and self-centeredness. It adorns Christ's doctrine in home life and in the church with a holy atmosphere that convinces souls of truth, meeting with worship and service and being benefited by sermons unto completeness in Christ. To be carnally minded is to be more worldly than spiritual, living in bustle so as not to discern spiritual things, failing to adorn the doctrine, bringing little to the Lord's side and spreading poisonous influence in home and church. Such hear sermons without benefit until truth loses influence and time is spent in vain, so that though professing membership one is not a member of Christ's body and makes a decided failure.
The carnally minded will be found in the church militant, which is not yet the church triumphant. They are cold, proud, haughty and unchristian, sensual, debased in thought, frivolous, never sanctified through the truth, without part in the divine nature and without victory over self and the world with its affections and lusts, degrading the mission and lowering everything connected with it. Their presence makes the churches weak and sickly and ready to die, and such ones will never unite with the family of the redeemed. Their presence does not mean the church sustains or endorses them, they are to be pitied more than blamed rather than expelled unmercifully adrift, believers need not associate with them nor become tares because not every plant is wheat, and their presence gives no ground for faultfinding to quiet a convicted conscience. What is called for is decided pointed testimony rebuking impurity and exalting Jesus, with God's people living in expectation, working and waiting and watching and praying.
To be carnally minded is death and to be spiritually minded is life and peace, with no neutral ground between them, so that living for self, the world and the flesh is serving against God even while claiming His side, and only those on Christ's side are His true and loyal soldiers. The carnal mind is sensual and debased in thought, unsanctified and without part in the divine nature, having no desire for heaven nor victory over self and the world, and those who remain so will never unite with the redeemed. To be spiritually minded is to have died to sin and received new life in Christ, complete in His righteousness, with divine love filling the heart, the understanding sanctified, and the life marked by joy, growth in grace and knowledge, conformity to His image, and continuing light. Being spiritually minded is the duty of every believer, cultivated by training the thoughts to meditate on sacred and eternal themes rather than common earthly things, bringing the will into harmony with God, and resting humbly on Christ for aid through the Holy Spirit who develops spiritual life and fruit unto eternal life. It is lived as a fresh daily consciousness of being a child of God kept every moment by His power through earnest prayer and trusting belief, with grace purifying thought and desire, self examined before God to uncover secret sin, the mind of the Spirit studied and followed without resistance, and complaining criticism put away as incompatible with life and peace.
Carnal Death, Spiritual Life
There are only two sides with no neutral ground and no standing on both at once. To be carnally minded is death, and it means working the works of Satan and serving Belial, serving the world, the flesh and the devil, even while claiming to be on Christ's side. No one living that way is on Christ's side or is a true and loyal soldier for Jesus Christ. To be spiritually minded is life and peace, and it means being on Christ's side as a true and loyal soldier.
To be carnally minded is to be sensual and debased in thought, abominable in God's sight, unsanctified by and never sanctified through the truth, without part in the divine nature, and without victory over self and the world with its affections, desires and lusts. Those who remain so will never unite with the family of the redeemed. The carnal, unsanctified mind has no desire for heaven and no harmony with its purity, and its ruling sinful desires must be subdued by Christ's grace. Mere changed outward appearance, continued religious duties, and profession of Christianity do not prove the heart renewed. The carnal heart must be crucified and must die to sin, for otherwise it cannot serve God from fixed principle or grow in grace.
Allowing the carnal mind to rule leads to death because it works against God, and therefore the whole person must be sanctified through thorough daily conversion. When bodily lusts and evil passions control the heart, and when one yields to the dictates of mind and flesh, the spirit loses its proper character, balance and discernment, fails to discern and appreciate moral power, follows the maxims and voices of worldlings about the path of success, and esteems human invention above the Holy Spirit's enlightenment. That same control encourages skepticism about Christian truth so that doubt seems a virtue, and leads to spiritual carelessness, indifference and sin. Unless continually controlled by the Spirit of God, Satan gains control. A person's worth is determined by moral affections rather than property or intellect, with goodness ruling within rather than selfishness and sin, while the carnal heart leads to moral corruption and death.
To be spiritually minded is life and peace: when a person dies to sin and receives new life in Christ, divine love fills the heart, the understanding is sanctified, and life is marked by joy, knowledge and continuing spiritual light. That life and peace means true happiness assured only by wholehearted surrender of human will and way to God's will and way. The spiritually minded are complete in Christ through his righteousness rather than their own, living in the channel of light and letting light shine. This brings moral renewal, hatred of sin and selfishness, growth in grace and knowledge of Christ, and conformity to his image as they look to him. Being spiritually minded also brings discernment of God's mind, will and plans and ability to see their working out in life, so as to work together with him and shed and reflect light wherever placed rather than cast a shadow.
Becoming Spiritually Minded
To be spiritually minded is the duty of every believer, what God wants and requires, received in its fullness from the Author of all truth. It is the call to work for eternity, and to worldly-minded hearts it means to be detached from the world and turned toward God. So understood, it gives improved discernment of God's mind and will and plans and of their working out in life, so as to work together with Him, watch for souls as those who must give an account, and shed and reflect light wherever placed.
Spiritual-mindedness is kept by educating and training the thoughts to meditate on sacred, holy themes, turning the mind reverently to eternal realities and bringing the will into harmony with God. It refuses the habit of dwelling in thought or conversation on common earthly things, for cheap earthly thoughts bring forth from the heart's treasure only earthly and corruptible things that are no savor of life to others. It puts away pride and worldliness, uses the means the gospel provides, rests humbly on Christ for divine aid, and through the unseen agency of the Holy Spirit develops spiritual life and fruit unto eternal life, fostering harmony with others and keeping Christ beside as counselor.
It is lived as a fresh daily consciousness of being a child of God kept every moment by His power, since self cannot keep itself for even a moment. It is held through earnest prayer for grace and keeping power and through trusting belief that comforting promises full of assurance will be realized that day. When Christ's grace is admitted it purifies thought, regulates desire, and changes the disposition toward life with God rather than death, requiring thorough daily sanctification of the whole person because the carnal mind ruling works against God and leads to death. A changed outward appearance or continued religious duties do not prove the heart renewed, so self-examination before God must uncover secret sin and unoffered idols.
Being spiritually minded means receiving Jesus as the Spirit of truth, studying the mind of the Spirit, consulting the Lord and following His way. It closes the door to human inventions and opens the door to divine illumination, not resisting the Spirit's working upon the soul, but determined to please God, magnify His name, and enjoy the sweet influence of His grace. Yielding to the dictates of mind and flesh makes the mind carnal and deceived, losing balance and discernment of moral power, following worldly maxims about success, and esteeming human invention above the Holy Spirit's enlightenment. Dwelling on others' defects, complaining, and criticizing sours the spirit and is incompatible with the life and peace of the spiritually minded.
In daily work, working for Jesus as spiritually minded brings life and peace with no weariness, not sullen drudgery but peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The assurance of His love sweetens toil, braces the arm, and stimulates the spirit, so the Christian remains spiritually minded while he works. One entrusted with responsibility must let the Spirit govern and control the mind to shape a life of spiritual influence, watching for souls and laboring together with God to accomplish the work He would have done. This higher spiritual tone is required especially of ministers and physicians in sanitariums.
To be spiritually minded is to live close to Christ by transforming grace, discerning spiritual things, free from worldly bustle and self-centeredness. It adorns Christ's doctrine in home life and in the church with a holy atmosphere that convinces souls of truth, meeting with worship and service and being benefited by sermons unto completeness in Christ. To be carnally minded is to be more worldly than spiritual, living in bustle so as not to discern spiritual things, failing to adorn the doctrine, bringing little to the Lord's side and spreading poisonous influence in home and church. Such hear sermons without benefit until truth loses influence and time is spent in vain, so that though professing membership one is not a member of Christ's body and makes a decided failure.
The carnally minded will be found in the church militant, which is not yet the church triumphant. They are cold, proud, haughty and unchristian, sensual, debased in thought, frivolous, never sanctified through the truth, without part in the divine nature and without victory over self and the world with its affections and lusts, degrading the mission and lowering everything connected with it. Their presence makes the churches weak and sickly and ready to die, and such ones will never unite with the family of the redeemed. Their presence does not mean the church sustains or endorses them, they are to be pitied more than blamed rather than expelled unmercifully adrift, believers need not associate with them nor become tares because not every plant is wheat, and their presence gives no ground for faultfinding to quiet a convicted conscience. What is called for is decided pointed testimony rebuking impurity and exalting Jesus, with God's people living in expectation, working and waiting and watching and praying.