MY RESPONSE TO ‘LEARNING TO THINK CHRISTIANLY’
Just finished reading [struggling through] Charles E Cotherman’s ‘Learning to think Christianly’ It took me forever, but I persevered, and got there in the end. The most telling thing through all of that, was: Charles not once even mentioned the bible, let alone quoted it. When I finished that chore, I thought immediately of three bible passages that deal with this topic.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Phil. 2:5 NIV
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Rom 12:2 NIV
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Phil. 4:8 NIV
There are obviously more passages that relate to our minds, and thinking, but those three tell us all we need to know about ‘thinking Christianly.’ The bible is very easy to understand when you study the whole book with a good concordance at your elbow. The major theme through the whole book is: obey God and live, or disobey God and go to hell. It starts in Genesis two, in the Garden of Eden, jumps to Cain’s little talk with God after he killed his brother in Gem 4:7 and runs all the way through to Rev. 21:6-8 & 22:14-15. Jesus summed it up perfectly for us when He told us that it is not those who call Him Lord who go to heaven but those who ‘do the will of His Father. Mat 7:21
The Apostle Paul gives us a great look into the life of a true child of God in his letters. Romans six is a great passage to read, believe, and embrace. Verse eleven deals with our minds. In the same manner, count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. This clearly sums up how real Christians think. Because of the whole message of scripture, we see that God’s people cannot live Godly lives without ‘thinking Christianly.’ The foundation of Christianity is the obvious necessity of believing and embracing what God has told us. The process of believing something fully is to accept it with one’s mind, and to embrace it, allow the truth to affect one’s heart.
The following verses in Romans six pretty much sum up this concept fully.
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.
Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.
For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. Rom. 6:12-14 NIV
Paul finishes this chapter with a powerful description of salvation.
I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness.
When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness.
What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. Rom. 6:19-22 NIV
I can’t help myself: I must ask, how many ‘Christians’ of today are ashamed of sin?
Where does the process of offering oneself to another take place? You got it….in your mind. I have heard [and read] folks summarizing today’s gospel like this: ‘Give yourself to Jesus.’ In itself, such a statement has no meaning at all. But really, that is the gospel that has been taught for 150 years. Come to, believe in, have faith in, trust, accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior: say these words after me etc, has supposed to have transformed millions of lives from sinner to saint, but we all know that has not been the case. In fact, when such a gospel was invented, the inventor really desired that folks’ lives would be miraculously transformed as a result of such semantics. After all, he/she was well aware of God’s statement that when one is born again, one has been recreated into a brand-new creature.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 1 Cor. 5:17 KJV
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. Gal. 6:15 KJV
When Jesus preached the gospel, it was like this: repent: deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and come, follow Me, or, obey the commandments. Each of those gospel messages/truths involve the mind, big time. They are all deliberate acts of the will. Each is very substantive. Whereas, come to Jesus, or believe in Jesus, or give yourself to Jesus, have zero substance, and mean zip.
All through God’s Word we are told to fear Him. Jesus actually ordered us to, ‘be afraid of God.’ We all can see clearly how fear controls folks’ lives today, with this COVID stuff. Governments all around the world have used fear to gain power over millions of lives, causing more harm than COVID would have ever done. So, fear is always something that causes other issues in humans. Fearing God, because He told us that the wage of sin is death, ought to cause humans to stop sinning, but that has surely not been the case with ‘Christianity’ today. In fact, after 77 years of going to church, I cannot remember ever hearing a sermon on fearing God. And yet, God assures us that it is only the act of fearing Him that brings life to a person dead in sin.
Moses said to the people, do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of the Lord will be with you to keep you from sinning. Ex. 20:20 NIV
Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD. Since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. Prov. 1:29-30 NIV
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. Prov. 3:7 NIV
To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. Prov. 8:13 NIV
Through the fear of the LORD evil is avoided. Prov. 16:6 NIV
Humility and the fear of the LORD; its wages are riches and honor and life. Prov. 22:4 NIV
The fear of the LORD leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble. Prov. 19:23 NIV
The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor. Prov. 15:33 NIV
Whoever fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a person from sin. Prov. 14:26-27 NIV
In fact, Peter told us that salvation depends on our fear of God.
Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. Acts 10:34-35 NIV
That does not sound anything like the gospel that has been preached from pulpits for generations. I surely have no desire to judge Charles’s opinions, but it really does appear to me that if anybody really wants to know how to ‘think Christianly’ one would go immediately to the bible. I lived in the USA for nearly two decades, and returned to New Zealand broken-hearted, due to the absolute absence of ‘fear of God.’ The result of this travesty is seen today by anyone who truly wants to look around with an open mind. I wrote a book on my return to NZ, entitled ‘A Nation Broken.’ I have explained God’s message of salvation, and living [thinking] Christianly with masses of scripture, copied right onto the pages. I truly believe that my opinions matter exactly zip, but God’s word obviously matters beyond all else. And what God has told us, I have experienced just as He promised. That was after I got to know Him, and learned to fear Him. And that was after I had spent four decades vigorously trying to make today’s ‘Christianity’ work for me.
I would strongly encourage you to get a copy, and read it with a hungry heart and open mind. The greatest thing any person can do while they inhabit their shell of clay is to get to know God. When you do really get to know God, you will fear Him…..guaranteed! And God promises that He will reveal Himself to anyone who searches for Him with all their heart. Jer. 29 11-14
Go for it!!