In this lesson we will consider three matters related to transformation and then continue with the matter of being conformed to the image of Christ.
Human beings have three parts—spirit, soul, and body; therefore, God uses three steps to deal with us in His salvation: regeneration of our spirit, transformation of our soul, and transfiguration of our body. The Lord begins His salvation from the center by regenerating us in our spirit (John 3:6). When we receive Christ, the Spirit of the Lord enters into our spirit, dispensing Christ as life into our spirit to regenerate us. Through this divine operation, not only is our deadened spirit enlivened, but God’s life with its divine nature is put into our spirit. As a result, a change in life begins from the center of our being. The Lord desires that this change in life would continue to spread into our soul so that our mind, emotion, and will would be transformed. Our spirit is regenerated, but our mind, emotion, and will still need to be transformed. Even though we have Christ as life in our spirit, we still need Christ in our soul. He needs to spread continually from our spirit to our soul until every part of our soul is transformed into His image. When this occurs, we will think as He thinks, love as He loves, and choose as He chooses. We will have the Lord’s image in our practical living because our soul will be completely permeated by His divine element. Therefore, we need the renewing and the transformation of the soul.
Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind.” To be fashioned according to this age means to follow the modern fashion in our outward expression; to be transformed is to have an organic element wrought into our whole being to produce a metabolic change. We need to be transformed by the renewing of our mind.
The mind in Romans 12 is different from the mind in Romans 7 and 8. In Romans 7 the mind is individualistic, acting independently. In Romans 8 the mind is dependent, set on the spirit. However, the mind needs to be renewed in addition to being dependent. We need a renewed mind. This is not merely a matter of receiving outward teaching but a matter of the addition of Christ’s element. When the Lord Jesus spreads from our spirit into our mind, our mind is renewed and our soul undergoes a metabolic change. In this way we experience the transformation of the soul.
We may be regenerated in our spirit and yet be old in our mind, emotion, and will. If our mind remains old, our soul will not be transformed, and we will remain unchanged in our mind, emotion, and will just like unbelievers. However, when our mind is renewed, our soul will be transformed.
When our mind is subject to the spirit, we are subject to Christ because Christ is in our spirit. This gives Him opportunity to spread from our spirit to our mind and also to permeate, fill, and renew our mind with Himself. Our soul is thus transformed by the renewing of the mind. Once the mind is renewed, the emotion and the will are subsequently renewed because the mind regulates the emotion and influences the will. When the mind is open to the Lord, the emotion and the will surely follow. If our mind is permeated and occupied by the Lord, the Lord will take over our emotion and occupy our will. This is the reason Romans 12:2 speaks of the transformation of the soul by the renewing of the mind.