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For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so.
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The importance of this simply cannot be overstated! Our normal human mind is not able to accept the things of the Spirit of God because they are spiritually appraised. {1Cor.2:14} That is surely the reason that both John the Baptist {Mat.3:2} and Jesus (Mat.4:17} both started their public ministries by saying “repent.” That word in the original Greek, ‘metanoia’, literally means. ‘to change the way you think’.

The entire Sermon on the Mount {Mat.5-7} is all about the Lord changing the way that we think, taking us from being religious to being righteous—changing from a mind set on the flesh to a mind set on the Spirit. In that magnificent message Jesus said repeatedly, “You have heard it said” followed then by saying, “But I say to you…”

I may not know who you are, but I know you are a sinner! All have sinned and have fallen short of God’s glory, {Rom.3:23} that includes you and me. And if we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. {1Jn.1:10} Down in our hearts, in places that no one else can see, we all are aware that there are things in our life that we have done, maybe even still do, that are not right—that are not good. And something tells us that many of the things in our lives that we explain away to others—and often to ourselves—we surely know down deep inside that those things were not right to God.

That’s the bad news, especially when you consider the wages of sin is death! {Rom.6:23} There is however good news, actually, great news: God loves you anyhow! “For God so loved the world (including your very own self) that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever (there we are again) believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world (still including our very own selves) should be saved through Him.” {Jn.3:16-17)

Welcome to the word of, the glory of, the cross. It is recorded in the gospels that Pontius Pilate, who represented all of the power of the Roman Empire, tried Jesus Christ—found Him innocent—and condemned Him to death! {Jn.19:6-16} Who was so guilty that somebody had to die? Me and you. Jesus hung on the cross and paid the price for your sin and my sin—all our sin, and then prayed, “Father, forgive them” {Lk.23:34}

That will make no sense to the natural mind, but just say, “Yes Lord” and accept the Father’s love. And in addition to His righteousness, He will give you a renewed mind—the mind of Christ. {1Cor.2:16} Here is what that looks like:

“Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8)

THE AMAZING GRACE OF GOD