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your "ourlook" on rclígíon' Do you
change your Church) Changc your
habirs? Change WI IAT?
The Aposrle Paul explaincd thar
rhe " ... carnal mind is enmiry againsr
God: for ir is nor subjecr ro rhc law
of God. neirher indeed can be"
(Rom.
8:7).
That carnal mind is rhe
natural human mind - che normal,
sincere, natural, common "way of
looking ar rhings." lr's rhe mínd of
every normal human being prior ro
che change Chrisr was ralking abom.
Paul wenc on ro say. ·'Now if any
man have nor rhe Spirir of Chrisr, he
is none of hís" (Rom.
8:9).
Did you
noríce ir)
lf
a
man have nor che
Spiril
of Christ
-
he doesn't beLong
ro Chrisr,
and rherefore is NOT a Christian.
This change has somerhing ro do
wirh rhc carnal mind, and rhe Spirir
of Chrisr. Ler's no rice anorher impor–
ranc scripture.
" 1
beseecb you chcrc–
fore, brerhrcn, by che mercies of God,
thar ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy. acccprable unro God,
which is your r<.-asonable service. And
be noc conformed
ro
chis world: bur
be ye cransformcd by rhe renewing of
your mind, rhat yc may prove whar is
rhac good, and acceprable, and pcr–
fecr, will of God" (Rom.
12:1-2).
Read rhar scriprurc again. Scudy ir.
God says you musr undergo a rc–
newing, a
tmnsforming,
a CHANGING
of rhe MIND.
This changing of che mind is a
change of human nature.
The normal, natural way of human
narure is rhe way of SELFishness. Thc
self is rhe encirc morivaring drivc in
human nacure. Ir is che pleasing of
che self, rhc sarisfaccion of rhc self,
rhe way of gening for che self chac is
rhe basis of human narure. You are
exrremely selfish. All human beings
are selfish.
And. behind rhe selfishness of
every person lics che roor cause of ir
all : vaniry!
"Vaniry of vanicies, sairh rhe
Preacher, vani ry of vanities; all is van–
iry" (Eccl.
1:2).
Every person is filled
wirh vaniry, in one form or anocher.
Notice rhar Paul rells us, "For rhc
30
crearure [marginal reading: "cre–
a rion"} was madc subjecr ro vaniry,
nor willingly. bur by reason of him
who harh subjecred rhe samc in
hope" (Rom.
8:20).
AJI
is vaniry' The desire of every
person is ro be "likcd" by orhcrs, ro
be '·well rhoughr of," ro be acccpred
by sociery, lookcd up
ro,
rcspccred,
admired, and loved by orhers - all
this is vani ry.
l t
is rhis vaniry which Jeads a per–
son
ro
say, "\'V'har will my friends
say?" or, ' 'Whar will
people
rhínk?"
Ensnarcd in Sociery
Having bcen reared in a world rhar
measures evcryrhing by whar people
rhink, you probably are guire con–
cerned abour rhe opinions of your
friends, neighbors, and relarives. You
are wrappcd up in rhis agc, chis so–
cíery. Wharcvcr is rhe standard, whac–
ever is looked upon with approval by
rhese people, whose acceprancc you
cover, rhar becomes rhe standard of
your life. If you're like mosr people,
you live in rhe way which is mosr
likely ro gain for you the acccprancc
and approbarion you seek. You are a
pan of rhis world. Your life is regu–
lared by rhis world and irs cusroms.
irs hoJidays, irs pracrices in business,
in social lifc, in religious life. and all
rhe many accepred srandards of so–
ciety which make up rhis '·world."
Mosr people are ensnared by ir -
rrapped inro conformity wirh whar–
ever is rhe way of rhe majoriry - fol–
lowing like blind sheep wherever
sociery leads, never quesrioning
wherher ir is righr, bur simply con–
forming ro rhe ways of orhers.
Many pcople have seen rhis dcsirc
ro conform and havc rebclled againsr
ir.
Bur,
nonconformisrs who would
be honcsr wi th chemselves would be
forced ro admit rheir nonconformiry
is merely conformíng
ro
a diffcrcnr
group rhan bcfore. The ''hippic" who
claims ro be "nonconformisr" ac–
rually wears a uniform - addicrs
himself ro certain clearly definable so–
cial
cuscom~
as an obvious mark of
bis ncw conformiry! "Kidding" him–
self rhar he ís "escaping' ' from rhe
esrablishmcnr, he enslaves himself
ro a
new
establishment!
And all rhi:. is jusr so much vaniry!
Ir
is ro release us from rhese
shacklcs of cradirion and socierr rhar
Jesus calls us
Olll
of chis wodd!
Jcsus Calls You
OUT
of Society
Jesus s:lid.
' 'My
kingdom is NOT of
this world"
Oohn
18:36).
He was rhe
Messengcr from God rhe Farher of a
berrer kingdom - rhe world-ruling
Kingdom of God
1
\XIhcn Chrisr
walked chis earrh as a man, He spoke
ro His disciples of a soon-coming
world govcrnmem rhar would super–
sede and put down all opposing.
man-made governmems, and rule chis
world! (Rcv.
2:26-27.)
He praycd rhar His discíples would
be separare from chis world.
"1
pray
for rhem:
1
pray nor for rhc world,
bur for rhem which rhou hasr given
me; for rhey are rhine" Oohn
17:9).
Did you know Jesus Chrisr Him–
self said char if you are a rcue Chris–
tian, sorne of your former fricnds,
your relaríves, and rhis socicry will
hace you?
Listen! "If che world ha
re
you. ye
know rhat ir haced me before ir haced
you. Tf ye were of thc world, rhe
world would !ove his own: but be–
cause ye are nor of rhe world. bur
1
have chosen you our of rhe world,
rherefore rhe world harerh vou·•
Oohn
15: 18-19).
Jesus said sorne members of )'Our
own family would begin ro look
down on you if you are really willing
ro
OflEY Ilim! "Think
no!
chat
I
am
come ro send peace on earrh:
I
carne
not
ro send p<.-ace, but
a
sword. For
I
am come ro ser a man ar variance
againsr his farher, and rhe daughrer
againsr her morher. and rhe daughrer
in law againsr her morher in law. And
a man's foes shall be chey of his own
household" (Marc.
10:34-36).
Norice che companion scriprure in
Luke
12:51-52:
''Suppose ye thar
1
am
come ro givc peace on earrh?
1
rell
PlAIN
TRUTH December 1972