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 ESV
Heart-led v. Head-led.
Can we make Christianity too mystical? Too spiritual? Paul tells his readers that we should renew our minds. Not our spirit. Not our heart. Not our emotions. But our minds. Our intellect.
In the book, The Screwtape Letters, the letter-writing demon, Screwtape, writes to his nephew, "Humans are amphibians--half spirit and half animal."* As such, God expects us to use both sides of our humanity. There will be times when our commonsense should guide and direct our decisions.
Prayer is not required to decide whether to spend money to go see "Hangover III". Meditation is not necessary when determining if lunch alone with an opposite sex colleague is a bad idea.
We are not to be conformed to this world. Our transformation is possible because we not only have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but because we also have the ability to make good choices based on intellect.
Our minds can help us understand Scripture. Our intellect can help us determine good use of our finances. Our gray matter knows whether that joke should be repeated, or even listened to in the first place.
Many matters call for extended prayer and spiritual discernment. But many others call for just plain, good old fashioned horse sense.
Lewis, C. S. (2009-05-28). The Screwtape Letters (p. 37). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
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