The Mind of the Spirit: Paul’s Approach
to Transformed Thinking
by Craig S. Keener: Baker Academic 2016. 402 pages.
Paperback: $29.99
Professor
Craig Keener’s stated purpose in writing this book is to show how, for the
Apostle Paul, Word and Spirit “are inextricably bound together,” and that the
life of the mind is not innately opposed to the moving of the Holy Spirit. In
fact, the Spirit often works through the mind of the believer, not solely apart
from rational cognitive processes (contra some in the Pentecostal/Charismatic
camp, who emphasize the Spirit’s bypassing of human thought processes).
As with all of
Dr. Keener’s works, this book is well-researched. The list of abbreviations
alone occupies 22 pages, covering ancient Greek and Latin works, Jewish sources
(Josephus, Philo, Dead Sea Scrolls, Mishnaic and Talmudic texts, and other
rabbinical works), Christian texts (New Testament and Apostolic fathers), and
other ancient, medieval, and modern sources. The bibliography runs for 46 pages,
while the indices of subjects, authors and names, Scripture citations, and
other ancient sources occupies another 76 pages. It is important when reading
this book to read not only the main text, but also the footnotes, which provide
(in addition to source references) key explanations and insights as well.
Keener has done a thorough job of examining the relationship between right thinking
and right living.
The first
chapter is titled “The Corrupted Mind” and centers around Rom 1:18-32. Here
Keener relates Paul’s statement that what may be known about God is plain to
humanity to the widely-shared conviction in the ancient world that the
existence of deity was self-evident. Paul’s argument that the rejection of the
true knowledge of God leads to depraved behavior corresponds to the ancient
philosophers’ teaching that unreasonable thinking leads people to become
subject to baser passions. (This may bring to mind for fans of Star Trek the differences between
Vulcans and Romulans, the former embracing the discipline of logic to avoid
being destroyed by out-of-control emotions, while the latter did not seek to
control their emotions and became a warrior race bent on conquest.) Keener
points out that when people refuse the truth about God they are given, they
become incapable of discerning truth (p. 12). When human beings fail to honor
God, the result is that they dishonor those made in God’s image, resulting in
sins against their own bodies. Acting based on passions rather than rational
thought results in one’s thinking being corrupted by those passions, leading to
a downward spiral as time goes on.
Chapter two,
“The Mind of Faith,” references Rom 6:11 as its theme text. Here, Keener talks
about how Paul’s goal is that believers recognize, and, consequently, live out
their new identity in Christ. In a well-written excursus on death symbolism in
mystery religions, the author handily debunks the idea that Christianity
borrowed the idea of a dying and resurrecting deity from mystery cults,
pointing out that this aspect of the mysteries seems to be a later development
that may have, in fact, borrowed from
Christianity, which rapidly gained popularity in the Roman Empire. Keener
focuses on Paul’s perception of faith as something objective, rather than a
subjective emotion. “Pauline faith is not meant to invite focus on the
subject’s ability to believe, thus initiating a never-ending cycle of self-questioning,
but rather focuses on the object’s trustworthiness. Because God and Christ are
faithful, people can depend on them” (p. 45). Faith, then, is a rational
response to evidence about God, rather than a wishful leap in the dark.
The third
chapter deals with “The Mind of the Flesh,” taking its cues from Rom 7:22–25. After
an in-depth discussion of the debate over what kind of individual Paul is
describing here (an unbeliever; a believer struggling with temptation and sin;
himself in an autobiographical sense; Adam as a representative of all humanity;
or the collective nation of Israel under the law), Keener concludes that Paul’s
main point here is that knowing the law, and even desiring to obey the law, is
not sufficient to make one righteous. Contrary to Stoic philosophy, right
knowledge alone can’t curtail passions. “Religious convictions do not
automatically change patterns in the brain; one may be disgusted by and reject
habitual responses on the level of one’s conscious will, but the ‘temptation’
remains” (p. 107). Something more than correct information is needed to effect
true change in one’s life.
Chapter four
echoes the book’s title, “The Mind of the Spirit,” and cites Rom 8:5–7 as its
key text. In contrast to the corrupted mind of chapter one, which rejected and
turned away from God, the mind controlled by the Spirit has a general bent
toward God and the things that please Him. It has right knowledge, as well as
the empowerment (from the Spirit) to act on that knowledge. Even though a
Spirit-minded person may occasionally slip and commit an unrighteous act, his
or her overall orientation is toward “a life perspective and disposition
informed and led by God’s presence” (p. 117). Those who have the Spirit, even
while requiring more training and growth in righteous living, have the Spirit
to depend on, while those without the Spirit can only depend on their own
flesh, which has already proven incapable. Even the stoic philosopher Seneca
recognized that indwelling by the divine is needed to make a person good. But
rather than this divinity being innate to human beings, Paul sees it as
something that comes only bu God’s initiative.
“A Renewed
Mind,” the fifth chapter of the book, focuses on Rom 12:1–3. Believers’ bodies
are to be presented to God for His use. This means that the body, contrary to
later Gnostic teaching, is not in itself evil. As Christians, our bodies do not
exist for the purpose of fulfilling our own desires, but for serving the
greater body of Christ. Keener points out that offering our bodies in living
sacrifice is a rational (λογικός) response to God’s mercy. The renewed mind
“evaluates matters of this age in light of the coming age, valuing God’s
opinions rather than the world’s and valuing what counts eternally” (p. 155).
Having been renewed by the Spirit, the believer’s cognitive faculties are now
capable of making right judgments and putting them into action, something the
corrupted mind could never do.
Chapter six
moves from Romans to 1 Corinthians 2:15–16, addressing “The Mind of Christ.”
Keener here makes the point that while Paul rejects human wisdom in his efforts
to reach the unconverted, he is not opposed to true understanding. In contrast
to some Greek philosophers who taught that human beings possess a “spark of
divinity” that allows them to share in the divine mind, Paul teaches that
connection to the mind of God comes only through the gift of the indwelling
Spirit. Having the mind of Christ entails recognizing that one’s own
Spirit-given gift is not the greatest one, but simply one of many that only
finds importance when viewed within the larger context of Christ’s body, the
church.
Keener next
moves to Philippians, discussing “A Christlike Mind” from 2:1–5, 3:19–21, and
4:6–8. This chapter addresses how divine peace guards the minds of those who
are in Christ. Rather than worry and fret about situations, believers can take
those needs to God, presenting them with thanksgiving. Trusting God to handle
the issue moves the focus from the problems to the God who resolves them.
Having a Christlike mind involves seeking unity within the body and the
well-being of other believers, as well as focusing one’s attention on eternal
matters as opposed to temporal concerns.
Chapter eight,
“The Heavenly Mind,” is based on Col 3:1–2. Keener says that Paul’s exhortation
to the Colossian believers to set their minds on things above is not only a
directive to think about the enthroned and exalted Christ, but on how the
reality of Christ’s lordship impacts daily life. Having a mind focused on things
above should result in transformed, moral living, and not only another-worldly
religious experience.
Too often, the
afterword or postscript to a book is simply a brief summary of the author’s
thoughts and is therefore skipped over by the reader. The postscript to The Mind of the Spirit, however, should
not be overlooked, as it addresses the pastoral implications of the academic
groundwork that has been laid in the preceding 256 pages. In these nine pages,
the reader sees Dr. Keener shift from his role as a professor who specializes
in cultural backgrounds of the New Testament to the role of pastor. And like a
good pastor, he brings some straight fire here. The Christian, with a renewed
mind, does not make decisions from the vantage point of this current age, but
rather lives teleologically, “evaluating present decisions light of eternity”
(p. 262). In one of the practical examples in this brief afterword, Keener
discusses how, just as taking certain drugs create chemical addictions in the
brain, so also certain actions rewire our brains to continue in those behaviors
in order to receive the same “reward” of emotional or sensual satisfaction. By
the same token, when we consistently make righteous choices, our brain synapses
become accustomed to those positive behaviors, making it easier to make the
right choice the next time. Even though believers are new creations, old
memories and patterns may raise their heads from time to time, requiring
continued vigilance. The battle against sinful thought patterns that lead to
sinful actions will only end once-and-for-all when we are in Christ’s presence
in glory.
In closing, this
book is an excellent exegetical study in the Apostle Paul's treatment of how
our thinking relates to Christian living. Dr. Craig Keener pulls in the
thoughts of Jewish and Greek writers and philosophers whose ideas were "in
the air" when Paul was writing, and which would have framed the
understanding of Paul’s first-century readers. I highly recommend this book,
not only for its academic quality, but also its practical application to life
as a believer.
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