If you have entrusted yourself in faith to the finished redeeming work of Christ then you must know (grasp and internalize) the truth about you in Christ as revealed by God in Scripture. The most important choice you make daily is what you choose to do with your mind. This axiom is reinforced by the imperative of Romans 6:11, “…reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” “Reckon” is the same word translated “impute” or “credited to” in chapter 4. In this context it carries the sense of taking inventory. What the apostle is stressing is that the believer must make this truth the object of his careful attention and study so that it becomes his habit of thought. If not, his Christian walk will inevitably become a frustration leading to drudgery in attempting to manage sin.
John 8:32 – The truth will set you free
Rom. 8:6 – To be spiritually minded is life and peace
Rom. 12:2 – Be transformed by renewing your mind
Col. 3:2 – Set your mind on things above
I Peter 1:13 – Prepare your minds for action
Chip Ingram said it well: “The Christian life flows out of a whole different way of thinking. The power of renewing the mind changes the course of a person’s life.” Far beyond mere “positive thinking,” the grace of God has put His law on the believer’s heart and His Spirit within him. This is the new creation that the believer is in Christ Jesus (II Cor. 5:17) as one who is born of God (John 1:12-13).
Your transformation through the renewing of your mind is to prove and experience the purpose that God has for you and to function according to your new design in Christ (Eph. 2:10). This is the definition of success – not just spiritually, but in terms of life now and forever.