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A regenerated mind is a changed mind - changed by the power of God. No one is saved unless he exhibits that change of mind - more and more forsaking sin and the thinking of this present evil world, and more and more focused on "things above."
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)
The Gospel In Its Fullness
In proclaiming the preeminence of Christ in Colossians chapter one, and in defending the preeminence of Christ in chapter two, the Apostle Paul by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit defines and proclaims the Gospel in all of its fullness: Deliverance from the power of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son; forgiveness of sins; restoration of fellowship with God for sinners who were alienated and enemies in our minds through wicked works; and, a radical change of mind, away from the thinking of this present world, away from the thinking of those who remain under the bondage of Satan, toward "things above."
You see, Christianity is nothing without a change of mind. Regeneration - being brought out of spiritual death and into spiritual life in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit - does not happen apart from a change of mind. A regenerated mind is a changed mind, changed by the power of God. No one is saved unless he exhibits that change of mind - more and more forsaking sin, and forsaking the thinking of this present evil world, and more and more embracing the heaven-oriented way of thinking in which God's Word instructs us.
A Striking Example of a Changed Mind
Even the dying thief, hanging on a cross next to Jesus, exhibited a radical change of mind when he acknowledged that Jesus was innocent of all wrongdoing, and said, "Lord remember me when You come into Your Kingdom" (Luke 23:42). In those few words, the dying thief acknowledged that this life is not the end, that there is an eternity to come.
Furthermore, the dying thief acknowledged that Jesus Christ is Lord. He understood that Jesus was to have a kingdom. He understood that this kingdom was not a kingdom of this present world. He acknowledged his sin, and he acknowledged Christ's ability to save him from his sin, and to admit even a dying thief into His kingdom, on the basis of repentance and faith.
And so even this dying thief, even in the last moments of life on earth, even in a sentence of just nine words, gave the strongest possible evidence of a change from having his mind set on things on earth, to having his mind set on things above, where Christ would soon be seated, and where he himself would soon be.
Have you had this change of mind? Do you understand that there is Biblical reason to question whether you are saved if you have not had it? If you have questions on this momentous matter, please contact us. We would be glad to help you.
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