Breadth of Mind and the Bible – Spiritually
Grow
When God says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your ways My ways” (Isa 55:8), what He means is, “My thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your ways My ways.” He then illustrates this by saying, “Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa 55:9). As we start the race, we know little of His will, ways, thoughts, priorities, agenda, goals and emotions. The starting line is just that … the starting line.
The length of the race equals how long one is in this age post-conversion. Whether long or short, since, “I, the Lord, do not change” and He is “the same yesterday, today and forever” (Mal 3:6 and Heb 13:8) … guess who is slated for change? One would do well to imitate Habakkuk’s posture early in the race. “I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart; and I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me and how I may reply when I am reproved” (Hab 2:1). Christian’s who choose otherwise – quit growing. Many don’t even realize it … yet.
So, the degree one abandons his/her way – in action and thought – will determine how far that person actually progresses in a spiritual breadth of mind. God lets His own know, as they go along, what dead meat He wants released. “(If) by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live – for all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God” (Ro 8:13,14). And in a consistency all His own, God is extremely gracious in these transactions. One exchanges a pound of flesh … for a ton of truth. But, the catch is … that pound of flesh must be released. In this, I am an adamant free-will advocate. And many … will … not.
Good or bad, right or wrong, God has determined that Christians grow – mature – into His thinking. Therefore, even the most fervent and honest Christian will make blunders along the way. It would be great if this was not so … but it is so. I do not know why God has decided on such a messy growth process. Maybe it is to humble us as we are still infested with a corrupt old nature that regularly rears its head. “If anyone thinks he is something – being nothing – he deceives himself” (Gal 6:3). What flattery. “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ … in your thinking be mature … solid food is for the mature who, because of practice, have their senses trained to discern good and evil” (2Pet 3:18, 1Cor 14:20, and He 5:14). One must be willing to lay all arguments and opinions before Him – for scrutiny, confrontation and often demolition. “There is no wisdom and no understanding and no counsel against the Lord” (Pr 21:30). None that prevails anyway.
The Challenges In Gaining Spiritual Breadth of Mind
There are several powers working to retard a Christian’s growth from a spiritual breadth of mind. Here is a quick list. You may come up with more. Some overlap.
Retardant 1: One’s Own Flesh
There is almost no end to this category. It includes “jealousy and strife” (1Cor 3:3), “selfish ambition” and “arrogance” (Ja 3:14), “partiality” (1Ti 5:21 and Ja 2:9), an endless parade of “fleshly lusts” (1Pe 2:11), and even simply being “forgetful hearers” (Ja 1:25). James may have summed it up best when he explained why prayers are unanswered. “You ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures” (Ja 4:3). Even as a Christian, one can still deceive his/her own heart (Ja 1:26). Fortunately, God knows our heart and has ways of exposing it to us (Lk 16:15, Ro 8:27 and 1Jn 3:20). This forms the base of our primary ministry in this age – one God is exceedingly interested in … the ministry of “putting to death the deeds of the body” with the promise, “you will live” (Ro 8:13) … and, by extension, gain breadth in mind.
Retardant 2: Hero Worship
When working with the fleshly Corinthians, Paul said, “each one of you is saying, ‘I am of Paul,’ and ‘I am of Apollos,’ and ‘I am of Cephas,’ and ‘I am of Christ.’ Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? … I, brethren could not speak to you as spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ.” Because of hero worship, they were still stumbling around the starting line. “I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able” (1Cor 1:12,13 and 3:1,2).
For decades, I have done a lot of work, and soul searching, on church organization (polity) and denominationalism. My formal Christian academic experience spanned three conservative factions (Presbyterian Church of America, Southern Baptist, and the