Ezekiel 37:1-14; Romans 8:1-11; John 11:17-27, 38-53
Stedman’s Medical Dictionary defines ‘mindset’ as “A fixed mental attitude or
disposition that predetermines a person’s responses to and interpretations of situations.” In other words, our mindset is how we think of and react to things. It’s how we view things in terms of good/bad, right/wrong, desirable/undesirable, etc. There’s a lot that goes into forging a person’s mindset: culture, language, experience, education, family influences, conscience, etc. But the most significant factor in shaping our mindsets is that on which we have our minds set.
Romans 8:5 explains the formation of our mindsets: “Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.” If we set our minds on worldly things (i.e., the flesh), then worldly things will shape how we set priorities, what we consider right and wrong, how we make use of the resources in our lives, how we treat other people, etc. If we set our minds on the Spirit, then the Spirit will shape these things in our lives. Either the Spirit is going to shape our mindsets or the world is going to. It is not possible to have a mindset that is forged by both the Spirit and the world. It’s either the Spirit or the flesh. And on which one we set our minds is a matter of life and death.
“To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6). It’s that straightforward. A mindset shaped by the world will always lead people away from Christ and the life that He alone brings to the world. Such a mindset is trapped in sin and death. In contrast, the mindset that has been renewed by the grace of God is centered in the Spirit who brings us life and salvation. With such a clear contrast between these two, why wouldn’t a person choose to set his mind on the Spirit instead of the flesh? Because “the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot” (Rom. 8:7). We cannot choose our mindset; it is something that we inherit. By nature we all have worldly mindsets that are “hostile to God” and that lead us to death. But by grace, God has given us His Holy Spirit who brings us out of death into life. He provides us with a new inheritance which includes a new mindset, one which is crafted by His love and mercy. To set our minds on the Spirit, by the working of the Spirit, is life and peace.
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