Tag: phroneo

Romans 14:6 – God-ward Focus

Posted on by Will

He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who is eating, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who is not eating, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God.

Truth to Learn

Convictions are good if properly focused.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “observes” is from the Greek verb phroneō. This word literally means “to use the mind.” It has a number of nuance interpretations in English, such as “to have a mindset about,” “to be mentally inclined toward,” “to interest oneself in,” or “to be of an opinion about.” This is the same word that Paul used back in Romans 8:5, translated as “set their minds on,”

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

This word indicates more than simply an occasional thought about something. It implies more of a state of mind or what we would call a conviction.

“Gives thanks” is from eucharisteō, which is made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and a form of charidzomai, meaning “to grant as an undeserved favor or as an act of grace.” Thus, eucharisteō means “to show good favor,” that is, “to express gratitude.” From this comes the English expression “to say grace” before eating a meal. Whatever we do, whether it is eating or some other action, we should give God thanks for it.

 

Meaning Explained

Paul now makes his summary statement regarding what he has said in the previous four verses. Whether it is regarding one day as special or abstaining from certain kinds of foods, there is no right or wrong belief. What is important is that the belief, or conviction, is focused on God, not on self. Unfortunately, our earthly flesh tends to make us believe that everyone should behave the way that we do with regard to the things that we have a strong conviction about. However, God does not give all Christians the same convictions.

Now, what Paul says is that the spiritually mature Christian who believes that Sunday is a day sacred to the Lord does so to honor God. And the spiritually mature Christian who believes that all seven days of the week are equally sacred does so to honor God. Likewise, the spiritually mature Christian who believes that certain foods should not be eaten does so because it honors God and the spiritually mature Christian who believes that all foods are given by the Lord as acceptable gives honor to God as he or she eats them. In each case what is done or not done is because of a conviction that it honors the Lord.

The crux of what Paul is saying is that the focus of all mature Christians should be on glorifying God. When we honor God in anything we necessarily lift Him up, which by the very definition means that we lower, or humble, ourselves before Him. It’s a matter of where our focus is.

 

Application

If you have been critical of another Christian for not having the same conviction that you do, then you need to refocus that conviction God-ward instead of man-ward.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 12:16 – Right-minded Thinking

Posted on by Will

Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not think too highly of yourselves.

Truth to Learn

Who we compare ourselves to affects what we think of ourselves.

 

Behind the Words

“Mind” is translated from the Greek word phroneō. According to Strong’s Dictionaries of Hebrew and Greek Words, his verb means “to exercise the mind, that is, entertain or have a sentiment or opinion.” We might call it “having a mindset.”

The word “associate” is from sunapagō. This word is made up of sun, meaning “together,” apo, meaning “away from,” and agō, meaning “to carry” or “to lead.” Thus, we see that this word literally means “to carry away together” or “to take off together.” In a negative sense it means “to be led astray,” but in a positive sense it means “to be personally involved.”

 

Meaning Explained

The message of the current verse centers on the Greek word phroneo. A literal translation of this verse might be, “minding the same thing toward one another, not minding high things, but taking off together with the lowly ones. Do not become conceited about yourselves.” As you can see, Paul is talking about how we think about ourselves and others within the body of Christ.

The crux of this verse is in the middle, “Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble.” It is fascinating to observe people in the presence of a celebrity. Everyone wants to be near the celebrity and to be his or her friend. But nobody wants to be the friend of the poor homeless person. This is not how it should be within the church, according to Paul. We should have the same regard for everyone independent of their social or economic status. I think if we get to the nut of this one, we will see that these improper attitudes are based on selfishness (how others can make us feel or what can be done for us) instead of self-less-ness (what we can do for others).

Keep in mind that Paul is talking about relationships within the body of Christ. That’s why he uses such words as “one another” and “within yourselves.” His basis for these things goes back to verse 3 of this chapter:

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think of yourself with reasonable judgment, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. (Romans 12:3)

He closes the current verse with a command that basically says, “Don’t get hung-up on yourselves.” Becoming self-righteous is the result of comparing ourselves to others (usually with an inflated view of ourselves) instead of comparing ourselves with Christ. If becoming like Him is our objective, then none of us will get puffed-up because the One we are comparing ourselves to is so much greater than we are.

 

Application

If we are submitted to our Lord and committed to becoming like Him, then we will naturally treat others with the proper attitude knowing that we, like them, are merely sinners saved by grace.

And we get none of the glory because He gets all of the glory!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 12:3 – He’s Great, Not Us

Posted on by Will

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think of yourself with reasonable judgment, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

Truth to Learn

We must make an honest appraisal of ourselves.

 

Behind the Words

Paul starts off this verse with, “For”, implying that this verse is directly connected to the previous one in thought and intent.

In this verse Paul makes one of his familiar play-on-words with the word phroneō, which refers to “the mind, thinking, or a mindset.” Literally, Paul says that each of us should “not over think ourselves beyond what we ought to think, but to think toward sound thinking.”

The words translated “reasonable judgment” is sōphroneō, which means “to be of a sound mind” or “to be mentally self-controlled.”

The Greek word translated “as” is hōs, which is a tiny word with numerous nuances of interpretation. We could interpret its use here as, “in recognition of the fact that.”

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul told us we should be transformed by renewing, or renovating, our minds. That is, we need to completely change the way that we think.

We in the United States, like the Romans of Paul’s time, tend to think of ourselves as a little bit better than others because we are part of a successful, powerful, influential country. And we tend to measure our own personal worth by our position, our income level, and our heritage. Couple that with the fact that we as Christians think of ourselves as better than the pagans and other unbelievers because we know the truth about God and they don’t. In other words, we are very proud of ourselves. It’s likely that the Jewish Christians in Rome felt exactly the same way about themselves.

Now that Paul has politely admonished us to offer ourselves up to God, recognizing that He is our master and we are His slaves, he tells us to quit being so arrogant! Of course, Paul is not as blunt as that, but in essence that’s what he’s saying. He gives us a guideline as to how we ought to think of ourselves; “in recognition of the fact that God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Everything we have and are has come directly from God. Even the measure of faith that we have, as small as it may be, has its source in God alone. Do you see that? This Christian faith which we have was measured out to us by God. We didn’t come up with it by ourselves.

When we recognize that God “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, for us to be holy and without blame before Him” (Ephesians 1:4), we must submit to the fact that all things are under God’s control. And no matter how great we think we are as a nation, as a church, or as a person, we must recognize that we are nothing more than sinners deserving of Hell, who have been saved by God’s grace, not by anything of our own doing. Though we are adopted children of the King of Kings, we are at our best when we recognize that we are lowly slaves of our Master who bought us body, soul, and spirit, and paid for us with the blood of His own son.

 

Application

So – don’t waste your effort thinking about how great you are! Instead, think about how great our God is!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 8:6 – Guarding Our Peace

Posted on by Will

For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Truth to Learn

Guarding our thoughts keeps us at peace with God.

 

Behind the Words

We saw in the previous verse that the verb translated “minds” is phroneō, which means “to think or have a mindset.” In the current verse Paul uses the word phronema, a noun form of the same word. Here it is translated “minded.” The Greek suffix ma on this word indicates that it is the result of one's thinking. Thus it refers to the condition of a person who is constantly thinking of such things.

The word translated “carnally” in the current verse is the same exact word (sarx) that was translated “flesh” in the previous verse. But, in the current verse it has the definite article, so it means, “the flesh.” Putting these two together we see that Paul is saying that “mindedness of the flesh is death.”

“Death” is from the Greek word thanatos, which is based on the verb thaneskō, meaning “to die.” Thanatos refers to physical death (the death of our physical bodies) as well as spiritual death (exclusion from the presence and favor of God). The base meaning of this word implies separation. Regarding physical death, it is the separation of the soul and spirit from the body. With respect to spiritual death is the separation of the soul and spirit from the presence and favor of God. In the current verse it indicates the separation of fellowship with God.

 

Meaning Explained

This verse is tightly coupled with the preceding and the following verses. Putting all three together we have:

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace  because the carnal mind is enmity toward God; for it is not submitted to the law of God, indeed it can’t be.

What Paul is saying is that a mind that is constantly focused on the flesh, on self-gratification, the mind that is always “looking out for number one,” is dead. As we pointed out in “Behind the Words,” since death implies separation, the notion is that those who are fleshly minded are separated from God. But God has promised all believers, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you,” so what does Paul mean? The simplest way to understand this is to recognize that when we are acting fleshly we are separated from the fellowship of God who cannot tolerate the presence of sin, but we are not separated from the presence of God. Our fellowship is restored when we confess our sins.

The second half of this verse describes the state of the mind that is focused on the Spirit of God. He says “to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” In other words, the person who is focused on the things of God is characterized as not being separated from God, but in fellowship with Him and at peace. In the next verse Paul will explain why fleshly mindedness results in death.

 

Application

Let’s all strive for fellowship with God and the peace that it produces by keeping our thoughts fixed on the things of God!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 8:5 – What Do You Think?

Posted on by Will

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

Truth to Learn

What we think about is demonstrated by our actions.

 

Behind the Words

The words “who live” come from a form of the Greek word eimi. This is the verb of existence or being (I am, you are, he or she is, etc.) 

“According to” is the translation of the Greek word kata, which technically means “down” and is often used as an emphatic to intensify the meaning of another word. It is also used metaphorically, as it is here, to express the relation in which one thing stands with respect to another. In such a case it is translated as “in the manner of, according to, or characterized by.”

The phrase “set their minds on” is from phroneō, which means “to think, have a mindset, or be minded.” The activity represented by this word refers to our thought processes and it involves our will, our affections, and our conscience.

 

Meaning Explained

This verse is an explanation of the last part of the previous verse which said, “… who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” That phrase is a repetition of what we saw in verse 1. In some of the oldest manuscripts, however, this phrase only exists in verse four and not in verse one, so some translations leave it out of verse one. It rightly belongs to verse four, however, and the current verse now explains it.

Paul said that we conduct our manner of life either “according to our flesh” or “according to the Spirit.” So, if we are “walking according to the flesh,” it means that we are walking through life in a manner that is characterized by the things of the flesh. If we are “walking according to the Spirit,” it means that we are walking through life in a manner that is characterized by things of the Spirit of God.

Notice, however, that Paul does not talk about “those who walk” in this verse, but “those who live.” A person’s walk is the outward evidence of how he or she lives his or her life. If we live according to the flesh, then we will walk according to the flesh. But, if we live a life controlled by the Spirit of God, then the way we act will also be controlled by the Spirit.

Now, by way of explaining that phrase further, Paul says that those who walk according to flesh “set their minds on the things of flesh.” That is, those who live according to flesh are continually thinking about fleshly things; their thoughts are about how to please self. Those who live according to the Spirit, however, are continually thinking about spiritual things; their thoughts are about how to please God.

 

Application

In what realm do you spend most of your time? Do you spend more time thinking about spiritual things and about how you can please God, or do you spend more time thinking about how you can please yourself? In other words, are you living according to the flesh or according to the Spirit? Ouch!

Let us all commit to spending more time thinking about spiritual things and less time thinking about our own desires!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 15:6 – The Praising Body

Posted on by Will

Romans 15:6 – The Praising Body

that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Truth to Learn

God is worthy of praise from the entire body of Christ.

Behind the Words

The expression “like minded” in verse five is from the Greek phrase to auto phronein. The word phronein is a form of phroneō, which we have seen before meaning “mindedness.” It refers to a state of being (action) as well as a state of mind (thought). Literally we could translate this as “to mind the same thing” or “to have the same thoughts.” So, literally Paul was praying that God would grant that all Christians would have the same thoughts toward one another.

The word translated “one mind” in this verse is homothumadon. This is a compound word made up of homo (from which we get our word homogenized), meaning “all the same” and a form of thumos, meaning “temperament” or “mind.” So we could translate this word as, “unanimous agreement of thought and attitude.”

“Glorify” is from the Greek verb doxadzō, which means “to render glorious.” That is, it means “give someone esteem or honor by putting him into an honorable position or by proclaiming the honor due to his position.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul prayed for the Christians at the church in Rome, and by application for all Christians, that they (we) might be like minded toward one another. This is precisely the type of attitude and action that Paul has been exhorting us to have toward one another.

Now, in the current verse he explains why he is requesting God to give us the ability to have the same thoughts toward one another: “that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify … God.”  Paul knows that the church in which members are all minding the same thing with regard to each other (they are all considering the good of others more than self) will be able to glorify God with unanimous agreement. This type of praise is very pleasing to God.

There are four occurrences of the word “mouth” in the book of Romans. The first was in Romans 3:14 (whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness) referring to the mouth of sinful man which cannot praise God because it is controlled by the unrestrained sin nature. The second was in Romans 3:19 (that every mouth may be stopped) indicating the condemning effect of the Law. Realization that one is guilty before God causes even the most sin-hardened mouth to be silent. The third was in Romans 10:9 (that if you confess with your mouth), which indicates that salvation only comes from confession of the Lordship of Jesus Christ in a believer’s life. And, here, where the mouth is used for corporate praise and glory. The progression is startlingly dramatic as it metaphorically shows the change of a sinner from a self-serving individual into a God serving saint as an integrated member of the body of Christ.

Application

Even more than our individual praise, God is pleased with the corporate praise of a body of believers. Whereas, in the past our mouths brought forth only cursing and bitterness, now they are capable of glorious praise. Let’s give Him the kind of unanimous praise and glory He deserves!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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Romans 14:6 – God-ward Focus

Posted on by Will

Romans 14:6 – God-ward Focus

He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.

Truth to Learn

Convictions are good if properly focused.

Behind the Words

The word translated “observes” is from the Greek verb phroneō. This word literally means “to use the mind.” It has a number of nuance interpretations in English, such as “to have a mindset about,” “to be mentally inclined toward,” “to interest oneself in,” or “to be of an opinion about.” This is the same word that Paul used back in Romans 8:5, translated as “set their minds on,”

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

This word indicates more than simply an occasional thought about something. It implies more of a state of mind or what we would call a conviction.

“Gives thanks” is from eucharisteō, which is made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and a form of charidzomai, meaning “to grant as an undeserved favor or as an act of grace.” Thus, eucharisteō means “to show good favor,” that is, “to express gratitude.” From this comes the English expression “to say grace” before eating a meal. Whatever we do, whether it is eating or some other action, we should give God thanks for it.

Meaning Explained

Paul now makes his summary statement regarding what he has said in the previous four verses. Whether it is regarding one day as special or abstaining from certain kinds of foods, there is no right or wrong belief. What is important is that the belief, or conviction, is focused on God, not on self. Unfortunately, our earthly flesh tends to make us believe that everyone should behave the way that we do with regard to the things that we have a strong conviction about. However, God does not give all Christians the same convictions.

Now, what Paul says is that the spiritually mature Christian who believes that Sunday is a day sacred to the Lord does so to honor God. And the spiritually mature Christian who believes that all seven days of the week are equally sacred does so to honor God. Likewise, the spiritually mature Christian who believes that certain foods should not be eaten does so because it honors God and the spiritually mature Christian who believes that all foods are given by the Lord as acceptable gives honor to God as he or she eats them. In each case what is done or not done is because of a conviction that it honors the Lord.

The crux of what Paul is saying is that the focus of all mature Christians should be on glorifying God. When we honor God in anything we necessarily lift Him up, which by the very definition means that we lower, or humble, ourselves before Him. It’s a matter of where our focus is.

Application

If you have been critical of another Christian for not having the same conviction that you do, then you need to refocus that conviction God-ward instead of man-ward.

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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Romans 12:16 – Right-minded Thinking

Posted on by Will

Romans 12:16 – Right-minded Thinking

Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

Truth to Learn

Who we compare ourselves to affects what we think of ourselves.

Behind the Words

“Mind” is translated from the Greek word phroneō. According to Strong’s Dictionaries of Hebrew and Greek Words, his verb means “to exercise the mind, that is, entertain or have a sentiment or opinion.” We might call it “having a mindset.”

The word “associate” is from sunapagō. This word is made up of sun, meaning “together,” apo, meaning “away from,” and agō, meaning “to carry” or “to lead.” Thus, we see that this word literally means “to carry away together” or “to take off together.” In a negative sense it means “to be led astray,” but in a positive sense it means “to be personally involved.”

Meaning Explained

The message of the current verse centers on the Greek word phroneo. A literal translation of this verse might be, “minding the same thing toward one another, not minding high things, but taking off together with the lowly ones. Do not become conceited about yourselves.” As you can see, Paul is talking about how we think about ourselves and others within the body of Christ.

The crux of this verse is in the middle, “Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble.” It is fascinating to observe people in the presence of a celebrity. Everyone wants to be near the celebrity and to be his or her friend. But nobody wants to be the friend of the poor homeless person. This is not how it should be within the church, according to Paul. We should have the same regard for everyone independent of their social or economic status. I think if we get to the nut of this one, we will see that these improper attitudes are based on selfishness (how others can make us feel or what can be done for us) instead of self-less-ness (what we can do for others).

Keep in mind that Paul is talking about relationships within the body of Christ. That’s why he uses such words as “one another” and “within yourselves.” His basis for these things goes back to verse 3 of this chapter:

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think right-mindedly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

He closes the current verse with a command that basically says, “Don’t get hung-up on yourselves.” Becoming self-righteous is the result of comparing ourselves to others (usually with an inflated view of ourselves) instead of comparing ourselves with Christ. If becoming like Him is our objective, then none of us will get puffed-up because the One we are comparing ourselves to is so much greater than we are.

Application

If we are submitted to our Lord and committed to becoming like Him, then we will naturally treat others with the proper attitude knowing that we, like them, are merely sinners saved by grace.

And we get none of the glory because He gets all of the glory!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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Romans 12:3 – He’s Great, Not Us

Posted on by Will

Romans 12:3 – He’s Great, Not Us

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

Truth to Learn

We must make an honest appraisal of ourselves.

Behind the Words

Paul starts off this verse with, “For”, implying that this verse is directly connected to the previous one in thought and intent.

In this verse Paul makes one of his familiar play-on-words with the word phroneō, which refers to “the mind, thinking, or a mindset.” Literally, Paul says that each of us should “not over think ourselves beyond what we ought to think, but to think toward sound thinking.”

The word translated “soberly” is sōphroneō, which means “to be of a sound mind” or “to be mentally self-controlled.”

The Greek word translated “as” is hōs, which is a tiny word with numerous nuances of interpretation. We could interpret its use here as, “in recognition of the fact that.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul told us we should be transformed by renewing, or renovating, our minds. That is, we need to completely change the way that we think.

We in the United States, like the Romans of Paul’s time, tend to think of ourselves as a little bit better than others because we are part of a successful, powerful, influential country. And we tend to measure our own personal worth by our position, our income level, and our heritage. Couple that with the fact that we as Christians think of ourselves as better than the pagans and other unbelievers because we know the truth about God and they don’t. In other words, we are very proud of ourselves. It’s likely that the Jewish Christians in Rome felt exactly the same way about themselves.

Now that Paul has politely admonished us to offer ourselves up to God, recognizing that He is our master and we are His slaves, he tells us to quit being so arrogant! Of course, Paul is not as blunt as that, but in essence that’s what he’s saying. He gives us a guideline as to how we ought to think; “in recognition of the fact that God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Everything we have and are has come directly from God. Even the measure of faith that we have, as small as it may be, has its source in God alone. Do you see that? This Christian faith which we have was measured out to us by God. We didn’t come up with it by ourselves.

When we recognize that God “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him” (Ephesians 1:4), we must submit to the fact that all things are under God’s control. And no matter how great we think we are as a nation, as a church, or as a person, we must recognize that we are nothing more than sinners deserving of Hell, who have been saved by God’s grace, not by anything of our own doing. Though we are adopted children of the King of Kings, we are at our best when we recognize that we are lowly slaves of our Master who bought us body, soul, and spirit, and paid for us with the blood of His own son.

Application

So – don’t waste your effort thinking about how great you are! Instead, think about how great our God is!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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Romans 8:6 – Guarding Our Peace

Posted on by Will

Romans 8:6

For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Truth to Learn

Guarding our thoughts keeps us at peace with God.

Behind the Words

We saw in the previous verse that the verb translated “minds” is phroneō, which means “to think or have a mindset.” In the current verse Paul uses the word phronema, a noun form of the same word. Here it is translated “minded.” The Greek suffix ma on this word indicates that it is the result of one’s thinking. Thus it refers to the condition of a person who is constantly thinking of such things.

The word translated “carnally” in the current verse is the same exact word (sarx) that was translated “flesh” in the previous verse. But, in the current verse it has the definite article, so it means, “the flesh.” Putting these two together we see that Paul is saying that “mindedness of the flesh is death.”

“Death” is from the Greek word thanatos, which is based on the verb thaneskō, meaning “to die.” Thanatos refers to physical death (the death of our physical bodies) as well as spiritual death (exclusion from the presence and favor of God). The base meaning of this word implies separation. Regarding physical death, it is the separation of the soul and spirit from the body. With respect to spiritual death is the separation of the soul and spirit from the presence and favor of God. In the current verse it indicates the separation of fellowship with God.

Meaning Explained

This verse is tightly coupled with the preceding and the following verses. Putting all three together we have:

For they who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the Law of God, nor indeed can be.

What Paul is saying is that a mind that is constantly focused on the flesh, on self-gratification, the mind that is always “looking out for number one,” is dead. As we pointed out in “Behind the Words,” since death implies separation, the notion is that those who are fleshly minded are separated from God. But God has promised all believers, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you,” so what does Paul mean? The simplest way to understand this is to recognize that when we are acting fleshly we are separated from the fellowship of God who cannot tolerate the presence of sin, but we are not separated from the presence of God. Our fellowship is restored when we confess our sins.

The second half of this verse describes the state of the mind that is focused on the Spirit of God. He says “mindedness of the Spirit is life and peace.” In other words, the person who is focused on the things of God is characterized as not being separated from God, but in fellowship with Him and at peace. In the next verse Paul will explain why fleshly mindedness results in death.

Application

Let’s all strive for fellowship with God and the peace that it produces by keeping our thoughts fixed on the things of God!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Copyright © 2010 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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