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NASB | Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you]. |
Bible Question: Would you say the mind is a product of the physical world though not physical of its self? Is it exstinguished at death? |
Bible Answer: Dear Joseph, There are some that hold to a three fold nature of man (trichotomism) and others to a two fold nature of man (dichotomism). You need to realize that these are very Greek ideas. Aristotle, a Greek pagan philosopher, proposed that many was a trichotomy. To the Hebrew mind, humans were of only one substance. Particularly because of Greek influence, Christians speak of various components of ourselves. Sometimes its handy to talk of the mind, heart, spirit, body, etc. in distinctive ways. However, we are at a loss to deal with any of these in a way in which they are fully distinguished. Each is always effected by the others. Man, in death, is separated from the body. But even this condition, called by the theologians the "intermediate state," is an abnormal one. Humans were created to be living, embodied creatures. In glory, when God has restored His creation, we will live perfectly as such. Consequently, as you wander around this question, keep in mind that we are often using intellectual conveniences to aid understanding. The reality of what we are discussing, though, is a lot more complex and involved -- as reality often wont to be! A good nomenclature is invaluable, but in cases like this it can give us an illusion that we've got a good handle on the actual thing we are discussing. Here is an example: sometimes the Bible uses the word spirit and soul interchangeably. Both are said to think and both are said to feel. However, Scripture also uses the word mind. Both thought and emotion are also attributed to the mind in Scripture. To add to the complexity, the Bible often uses the word heart. Again, to our dismay, thought and emotion are both attributed to the heart. Apparently the ancients weren't confused by all of this, and didn't seem to mind. To our modern Western minds, it is quite a headache. :-) Speaking of which, the ancients never attributed thought or emotion to the head. That's solely a modern way of looking at ourselves. Nevertheless, don't let any of this put you off on your effort to arrive at what you deem an acceptable perspective. There is benefit in the process itself. In Him, Doc PS CDBJ has some interesting things to say. I didn't mean to detract from his answers. |