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God communicates with us through our spirit, not through our soul or our body. Therefore, we always need to keep an open and unveiled spirit in the presence of God so that we can have a living communication with Him. But today I want to draw attention to the relationship between the spirit and the nous. Whenever there is a closed nous, there is a closed spirit. If the nous is closed, God cannot give light to the spirit, because even if He gave light to the spirit, there would be no channel to express what the spirit had received. If the head of a Christian is sick, his spirit will also be sick. The illness of a Christian's body will not affect his spirit. Many Christians have been bedridden for years and still can serve God, obey God, and do the work of prayer. However, if the nous of a Christian is not proper, his spirit will also not be proper, for the problem in his head will directly affect his spirit.
There are two passages in the Bible which tell us that the believers' nous should be renewed. If one's nous is not renewed, it will be hard for him to go on. Let us look at the Scriptures.
Ephesians 4:17-24 says, "This therefore I say and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk in the vanity of their nous, being darkened in their dianoia [Greek for "understanding"], alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance which is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lasciviousness to work all uncleanness in greediness. But you did not so learn Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him as the reality is in Jesus, that you put off, as regards your former manner of life, the old man, which is being corrupted according to the lusts of the deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your nous and put on the new man, which was created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the reality."
In this passage of the Scripture, nous is mentioned twice. We have to pay attention to this nous.
Verse 18 says, "Being darkened in their understanding." Understanding according to the original text is dianoia. This word has the same root as nous in verse 17, but changes a little from the root to form dianoia. So the meaning from verse 17 to verse 18 is, "You should no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk in the vanity of their nous, being darkened in their dianoia." What is the difference between nous and dianoia? Nous is an organ; dianoia is a kind of function. This is like saying that the eye is an organ, while seeing is a function of the eye. Therefore, the eye is the object, while seeing is the function of the object. The nous is the organ, while the dianoia is the function. Nous is an organ, and verse 17 talks about the nature of this organ. Dianoia is a function, and verse 18 talks about the function of the organ.
Verse 18 says, "Alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance which is in them, because of the hardness of their heart." The "heart" in this verse is the true "I," that is, the self, one's own personality.
Verse 19 says, "Who, being past feeling." The meaning here in the original text is to have lost all feeling and to be numb. This term is used by medical doctors quite often. Every doctor knows that the wound of a patient hurts, but when the hurt goes beyond a certain stage, the person does not feel the pain anymore. Although the wound is still inflamed, the consciousness of pain is utterly lost. This verse means that there is no longer any feeling. It means that the heart is so hardened that it has lost its feeling.
In verse 22 we have, "That you put off, as regards your former manner of life, the old man." The meaning here is that since you have heard and have been taught in Him as the reality is in Jesus, that your old man has been put off, etc., you should do the things recorded in verses 25-32.
"The old man, which is being corrupted according to the lusts of the deceit" (v. 22). According to the original text the meaning here is, "The old man, which through the lusts of the deceit is heading towards corruption."
"And that you be renewed in the spirit of your nous [the Greek word for mind]" (v. 23). This is a continuation of a preceding verse concerning the reality in Jesus, that is, what the believers have received in Christ. We not only have put off the old man, but we should renew the spirit of our nous frequently. The meaning in the original text is to be continually renewed in the same way that the old man is continually being corrupted.
Verse 24 reads, "And put on the new man, which was created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the reality." "Put on the new man" in the original text can be rendered "having put on the new man." This corresponds to verse 22. Verse 24 also speaks of the facts which we have in the Lord. Verses 22 through 24 are all facts that we have in Christ. Based on these verses, verse 25 and the following verses command and tell us what we should do.
In this passage we see three particularly important things: (1) our spiritual life, (2) our heart, and (3) our nous. Verse 17 speaks of the nous; verse 18 speaks of dianoia, which is the function of the nous, something concerning the nous. Verse 18 says, "Alienated from the life of God." This means that the spirit is closed and can no longer communicate with God. Not only can Gentiles be like this, but Christians can also have a closed spirit. "The hardness of their heart" in verse 18 refers to the heart. "Being past feeling" in verse 19 refers to the numbness and the loss of feeling in man's heart. In short, this passage mentions the condition of three things: the nous, the spirit, and the heart.
Let us pay attention to verses 17 and 18 which say that the nous of the Gentiles is corrupted by vanity, and the heart is hardened and alienated from the life of God. A Gentile is so corrupted that he has lost all feeling. But where does this corruption really begin? If we know where it begins, we can deal with that part first. Does the nous of a man become corrupted first? Does his life or heart become corrupted first? If we know what becomes corrupted first, we can deal with it accordingly. If the disease starts from the heart, we should deal with the heart first; if it starts from the nous, we should deal with the nous first; if it starts from life, we should deal with life first. Verses 17 and 18 show us the order of corruption for these three. The apostle told us not to walk in the vanity of the nous. (The vanity of the nous is like what the Chinese call "the palace in the sky" and Westerners call "the castle in the air.") We should not walk like the Gentiles walk because the function and thoughts of their nous are darkened. The function of the nous is darkened because the Gentiles are alienated from the life of God, and they are alienated from the life of God because they are ignorant and hardened in their heart. Therefore, the trouble starts from the heart. Because the heart is hardened, a person is alienated from the life of God, and because he is alienated from the life of God, the dianoia is darkened. Brothers and sisters, the cause of all diseases lies in the heart. I have often told the co-workers that it is not the head of a person that is improper, but the heart that is improper. People always think that man's head is improper, but I say no, it is the heart that is improper.
Did not the last message say that man's head rather than his heart is improper? Yes, but that was another matter. This matter concerns morality. If a man wants to be proper in his conduct, his heart must first be proper. Do you know why a Gentile will not believe in the Lord Jesus and has many arguments? Is it because we do not have enough reasons to convince him to believe in God or Christ? No, we have the reasons. Psalm 14:1 says, "The fool has said in his heart,/ There is no God." He will not believe because he has said in his heart that there is no God, not because he is incapable of believing. The Lord asked the Jews why they would not believe in Him and come to Him that they might have life. This is a problem of the heart, not a problem of the intellect. It is the heart that does not believe.
I can give some people who do not believe in God many reasons for the existence of God. They respond by saying that this sounds very reasonable. I can then tell them the reason that the Lord is the Savior. Again, they respond by saying that this sounds very reasonable. But this is not enough to make them believe. Man's head is not improper; his heart is improper. Paul said, "If you...believe in your heart...you will be saved" (Rom. 10:9). The Lord Jesus also said, "Whoever...does not doubt in his heart....believe that you have received them, and you will have them" (Mark 11:23-24). The head is not the problem; it is not the issue. The heart is all that is needed to believe. The heart is our true "I," our person. This is why the Bible speaks of "an evil heart of unbelief" (Heb. 3:12), instead of "an evil head of unbelief." The heart, not the head, has been corrupted. This is why men will not believe and be saved. The heart has become improper. As a result, the nous has also become improper.
Not only are the Gentiles like this; even Christians are like this. Many Christians do not know God's will; they are unwilling to obey God and do not understand the Bible at all. They are like this because their heart is sick. A bad nous is just the symptom; the cause of the bad nous is a bad heart. I am not saying that the nous is not sick; the main point I am emphasizing is that the heart is sick first. Therefore, the heart must first become right before the action of the nous can be corrected. It is useless to deal with the symptom; the only way to cure the trouble is to deal with the source.
Let us take baptism as an example. This truth is quite obviously and accurately revealed to us in the Bible. Many Christians disobey the teaching of the Bible, while creating many distinctions not because the head has trouble, but because the heart has trouble. Suppose a believer hears that baptism is according to the Bible and is something that God has clearly commanded. If he hears about baptism and looks in the Bible, he will find God's will and obey, saying, "God, this is from You; I am willing to obey." But if another believer, after hearing about baptism, refuses to obey and dismisses it as being meaningless, he will not understand even if he reads the Bible later. When he subsequently hears others speaking about this truth, he will be motivated like a lawyer in court. He will not care whether the other side is reasonable; he will only care for his own reason. The first motive of a lawyer is to defeat the other side in the debate. Therefore, when problems arise, the question is not the condition of the head, but whether or not the motive is proper.
The same is true in regards to listening to a message. When someone preaches something that is different from our belief and practice, we should ask God if his speaking is really improper. If his speaking is not improper, then are we improper somewhere? If we can learn humbly before God, our hearts will be proper. Consequently, even though our thoughts may be improper at times, our minds will not be improper all the time. However, if our motives are not proper and we only want to argue, we will always be able to find a couple of verses to oppose the truth taught by others. Many Christians study the Bible like a lawyer studying a law book; their purpose is only to defend their own case. Therefore, it is their motive that is corrupted first, not their mind. They first have a tendency to covet in their heart; then their mind and whole being are dragged into the peril of covetousness.
Among our brothers and sisters, is there anyone whose mind cannot understand the Bible? I would say the reason we do not understand the Bible is that our heart is improper. The Spirit will guide us into all truth. I often wonder why some people understand the Bible so poorly. The reason is that they are improper in the inclinations of their heart. Perhaps they are too subjective. As a result, their nous cannot receive the light of God's Word. The heart becomes corrupted, and the nous follows. If the heart is not calm and balanced, the mind will become corrupted. Someone said that Eve did not fall because she ate the forbidden fruit, but because her motive was not proper in the beginning. When she spoke with Satan, her heart was dissatisfied with God and already corrupted. Soon after, Genesis 6 says that every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart was only evil continually. The nous becomes corrupted after the heart has been corrupted.
One brother in the West said that before Eve ate the forbidden fruit, she had fallen already. When she added the words "neither shall ye touch it" in her conversation with Satan, her heart was not proper. By Genesis 6, God pronounced every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart to be only evil continually. First, the heart is improper; second, man is alienated from the life of God; and last, man's imagination and thoughts become totally evil. Any Christian who has a proper heart can read the Bible; he can receive God's light from the Bible, he can know God's will easily, and he can receive full grace from God.
If you want to know whether or not a person's heart is proper and his mind is right, you need only talk to him. Whoever can listen well has a good mind. Some Christians' minds are like a wheel; they rotate all day long and cannot listen to what others say to them. Just as the wheel splashes dirt as it rotates, these Christians only raise questions and do not take in the truth. These conditions indicate that a person's mind is improper. The mind is improper because the heart is improper. If a person likes to interrupt the conversation of others, it is also a sign of sickness in the heart. In listening to others, we can sometimes add a few remarks to indicate whether or not we agree, but constant interruption is a sign that there is sickness in the heart.
If the thoughts that go through your mind swirl around and around all day long, your nous must be sick. In this condition, a person cannot listen to others; he cannot even listen to God's speaking. The root of the sickness is in the heart. A self-righteous, self-confident heart, a heart that believes in its own cleverness, or some prejudice in the heart makes it impossible for one to listen to others. Not being able to listen to others is a sickness of the nous. But the root of this sickness is an improper heart. No matter what we hear, we have to transfer what we hear to our inner being before we can understand it. This work of transferring is somewhat like the work of language translation. For people who do not understand English, words must first be translated into Chinese before they can be understood. This work of "translation" within us goes on quickly. If a man cannot understand what others say, it means that his nous cannot translate. If a man misunderstands what others say, it means that the nous mistranslates. Once I was preaching in a certain place, and I told the people that man is saved not according to work, but according to what Christ has accomplished. There were two Taoists in the audience. After hearing my words, they told others, "He was only exhorting others to do good!" Many people are filled up inside; they cannot receive God's word. If we do not empty out what is inside of us, we will never be able to understand the Word of God. Our heart should be as meek as a child's, ready to be taught before God. We must tell Him, "God, I do not know if what this person says is good or bad, right or wrong. I pray that You grant me judgment, so that I will know what is right and what is wrong." By this, we will understand and see what God wants us to see. Many people think that the inability to understand the truth is due to the sickness of the mind. Actually, the basic cause is the sickness of the heart.
Some people think too much with their head; others are too empty in their head and do not think at all. Sometimes people are inwardly lazy; they do not want to think too much. Sometimes people feel dull in their head and cannot think properly. A Christian's mental condition mainly falls within these two categories: either it continues to think without stopping, or it is idle and not thinking at all. Some believers have a very bad memory and can only rely on their diary. I personally do not object to a diary. But if a believer only relies on his diary to remember things, his head must be sick. Mrs. Penn-Lewis said that believers should not be the slaves of their diaries. Of course, we all have times that we forget. Some things have not formed a deep impression in our mind and are forgotten. This is natural. But if the impression is deep enough, and we still cannot remember, something must be wrong. Being an amnesiac or forgetting things too easily are abnormal. If we cannot direct our thoughts, it is the symptom of a sick mind. The only time our limbs cannot be used is when they are paralyzed. In the same way, the only reason that the mind cannot be exercised is because it is sick. Once a man cannot think for himself and can only act according to the thoughts given by others, he becomes a mentally passive person. A mind which cannot think is sick, while a believer's mind which thinks constantly is also sick. Thinking constantly speaks of the mind's inability to stop, while failing to think speaks of the mind's inability to move. Both are wrong. Some people's minds are dull and seemingly bound; they cannot think at all. This condition is as sick as not being able to stop the thoughts.
I have mentioned only a few conditions of a sick nous. The root of all sickness can be traced to the position of the heart. The reason many people are depressed and dull in their mind is that they are lazy in their heart. This is like patients who have become so accustomed to sickness that they eventually like being sick. They would rather be sick than get up and work. Many times when the mind is too tired to think or work, it should take some rest. But if a person always dislikes working, his heart must be lazy. When a man's mind thinks too much or when it thinks nothing at all, it is a symptom that the nous is sick.
The apostle said in Ephesians 4:18 that because of the hardness of their hearts, the Gentiles were alienated from the life of God, and God's light could not shine into their nous. Because the light of God's life cannot shine into their nous, their nous is darkened, and the function of their nous is also darkened. The condition of their nous is due to the hardness of their heart. This is the condition of the Gentiles. Before God there is a danger of a believer being in the same condition as the Gentiles.
We want to know how we can have our nous renewed. We have the new life. We also have the new heart. Our nous has been renewed at least once and has been enlightened by God at least once. What we need to do now is to open our nous to God daily, so that we can receive everything from God, know God's will, understand God's desire, and understand the teaching of the Bible. This is our emphasis today. Brothers, do you want to understand God's will? Do you want to understand God's desire? Do you want to understand the teaching of the Bible? If you do, your nous must be renewed.
In the passage in Ephesians 4:17-24, the apostle says that since we have heard and been taught the reality in Jesus, we should manifest it in a practical way. His exhortation after verse 24 is based on his teaching given in verses 20 through 24. In other words, verses 20 through 24 are the facts which Christians possess in the Lord, and the following verses show the conduct that Christians ought to have based on that position. Today I am not going to talk about this whole passage. Rather, I will consider the renewing of the mind and its relationship with the old man and the new, based on our position in the Lord in this passage. As far as the fact is concerned, we have put off the old man in Christ. However, this does not mean that in experience we will not see the shadow of the old man. Positionally, our nous has been renewed. But this does not mean that we do not need to renew our mind frequently. Frequent renewing of the nous is essential.
Verses 22-23 say, "That you put off, as regards your former manner of life, the old man, which is being corrupted according to the lusts of the deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your nous." Notice the phrase "the spirit of your nous." There is a special relationship between the nous and the spirit. If we want the spirit of our nous to be renewed, we must put off the old man. If we do not put off the old man in our experience, we will not be able to experience the renewing of our mind.
Putting off the old man is a specific matter; it is like a gate which we go through, rather than a road which extends continuously. Believers must have a specific and definite dealing. A gate is different from a road. Passing a school entrance examination is a gate; studying after getting into the school is a road. If a believer wants to ask himself if he has a renewed nous, he only needs to ask if he has ever specifically put off the old man, the former manner of life, and put on the new man. Please notice another thing: the old man in Romans 6 is spoken of in a different way than it is spoken of here. Romans 6:6 speaks of the facts we have in the Lord; it speaks of our old man being crucified. This is why we only have to reckon and believe. Ephesians 4 does not speak of the fact of crucifixion, but the fact of putting off. The crucifixion is something that we need to believe in; it is a matter of faith. But "putting off" is something of the will. Putting off something is an act of the will. We not only must believe that our old man is crucified, but we must also exercise the power of our will to cast away our old man. If we only exercise faith, without exercising the will to remove the old man, it will not work. We need our will as much as we need our faith.
This passage shows us that if we want our understanding and mind to be renewed, we must specifically put off our old man. If we want to be renewed continuously, we must put off continuously. Just as we exercise our will to take off our clothes and cast them aside when we undress, we should exercise our will to specifically put off the old man and cast it aside. Everything that belongs to the old man, whether it is our speech, thoughts, or behavior, should be specifically cast aside; we should reject everything sinful, unclean, or of the self. At the same time, we must seek the Lord single-heartedly and trust in the Holy Spirit to renew our nous. This renewing work belongs to the Holy Spirit. If we remove the obstacles and trust in Him to do the renewing work, He will renew our nous gradually.
We should pay attention to one more matter: the trouble with man's nous originates in man's heart; therefore, if the nous is to be renewed, the prejudiced heart must also be corrected. Although this correcting does not mean a so-called cultivation of the heart, that idea is, nevertheless, included in this correcting. An improper motive will block the light of God. Something as tiny as a little leaf can block the sunlight. It only takes a very tiny sin to block God's light. Most people have sin in their hearts. Once the sin in the heart is dealt with, everything else will be taken care of properly. If a believer's heart is proper, he will be able to understand God's will. Every believer who does not understand God's will is in this condition because his heart was improper in the first place.
Whoever is willing to say to God, "God, if You teach me right now, I thank You; if You do not teach me right now, I will not insist," can be taught by God. When a person who has been taught by God listens to another's preaching, he will ask, "God, am I wrong or not? Is what he said right or wrong?" The way a believer listens to a message proves whether or not his heart is proper.
The most precious thing about a renewed nous is that it can open as well as close one's thoughts. A renewed nous, with respect to God, is able to know His will; with respect to the self, it is able to control one's own mind and clarify his thoughts; and with respect to others, it can discern, receive, and understand the words of others.
Verse 24 reads, "And put on the new man, which was created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the reality." This is our conduct on the positive side. If we want to renew our nous, or have our nous renewed frequently, we must put on the new man in our experience. This also is an act of the will. What does it mean to put on the new man? Our new man, which is according to God's image, was created in righteousness and holiness of the reality. In other words, the characteristics of the new man are righteousness and holiness of the reality. Righteousness is God's way; holiness is God's nature.
Concerning God, we can speak of three aspects: (1) glory, referring to God Himself; (2) holiness, referring to God's nature; and (3) righteousness, referring to the way God acts. We were created according to God's image, but this is limited to the aspects of God's righteousness and holiness; we cannot be like God in His glory, since glory has to do with His Godhead. We cannot be part of this. But we have God's righteousness and holiness. Therefore, if a believer wants to be like God, he should let God's nature deal with him in God's way. Today how many believers have deep feelings about sin? I am ashamed to say that my feeling about sin is not deep enough. Miss M.E. Barber deeply understood sin and God's holiness. Usually one only senses pride or jealousy but does not know what pride and jealousy are. But if you went to Miss Barber, you would have a feeling that you otherwise would not have had. She hated sin the most, and she dealt with sin the best. She dealt with herself very strictly. As a result, she was also extremely straightforward with others. The minute one came into her presence, he realized what pride and jealousy are. She truly knew God. This is why I say that many times we cannot learn truths from a man's preaching, but we can learn from the truth he practices.
If you yield to sin the first time, you will lose the feeling about sin the second and third time. If you call sin by the right name and acknowledge sin as sin the first time, if you have the right view and right attitude toward sin, and if you deal with sin the right way the first time, you will be able to deal with sin the next time. If you do not consider sin as sin the first time and deal with it, but rather consider losing your temper as a common thing for a Christian, you will commit the same sin the next time. Whoever does not know sin will not know holiness. What is holiness? Holiness is having the knowledge of sin. Adam and Eve were only ignorant and innocent before they sinned; they were not holy. Only those who know sin know the meaning of holiness.
What is unrighteousness? Whatever is improper is unrighteousness. Originally, I did not know what unrighteousness was. One time I saw a story in a magazine which said that there was a man who listened to someone preaching in a chapel. After he preached, the speaker walked down the aisle and sat next to the listener. While he was seating himself, he unintentionally stepped on and dirtied the raincoat of a lady sitting in front of him. He kicked the raincoat aside without removing the dirt and did not apologize to the owner of the raincoat. The listener criticized the preacher, saying it was unrighteous. What is unrighteousness? Unrighteousness is to be indebted to someone. Even if the man did not indemnify the lady, at least he should have removed the dirt for her; otherwise, before God there is an indebtedness forever.
Therefore, the nous is related to our living before God. Whenever we yield to sin, we become unrighteous. We are not able to fellowship with God, and our nous is darkened. Therefore, we should put off uncleanness, improper motives, and unrighteousness on the negative side and put on the new man on the positive side. Brothers, we must pass through this gate. The renewing of the nous is something very specific. Do not think that all that is needed is to grow gradually.
Several years ago I saw in a magazine something written by Mrs. Penn-Lewis which said, "If your spirit is obstructed, it is because your nous is obstructed." In other words, the spirit is closed because the nous is closed. I saw and appreciated these words, but my spiritual life at that time was very shallow, and I could not fully understand. Sometime later I realized how real these words were. If a person's nous is closed, his spirit must also be closed. Since the spirit expresses itself through the nous, the spirit will have no outlet if the nous is closed. Although an electric current has power, if the filament of the light bulb is broken, no light will shine. This does not mean that the electric company has run out of power; it only means that electricity cannot circulate through the bulb. In the same way, if our nous is closed, our spirit will have nowhere to express itself and have no power to express itself. I do not know what more I can say to lead you into this deep truth and help you have a renewed nous. If your nous is closed, your spiritual power will find no expression.
I am not saying that our mind can help God's work; what comes out of the mind is just the power of the soul. But if a believer's nous is not renewed, his spirit will have no outlet, and God will not be able to use him. Peter said, "These men are not drunk" (Acts 2:15). If they had been drunk, their mind would not have been clear. If their mind had not been clear, they would not have had an open spirit for God to use. As far as I know, those who are greatly used by God are very clear in their spirit, understanding, nous, thinking, and logic. The amount of knowledge they have is another matter altogether; not everyone who is used by God has great knowledge.
If our nous is renewed and our understanding is quick, we can understand God's will, God's desire, and the Bible.
Romans 12:1-2 says, "I exhort you therefore, brothers, through the compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect." The word mind in the original text is nous. Here the renewing of the nous is mentioned again. Paul exhorted others to present their bodies to God and serve God. The renewing of the nous is based on consecration.
Friends, are there things which drag you down, hold you back, and bind you tightly? If you can consecrate these things to Him and put them upon the altar, your renewed nous will receive double strength from God, and you will understand God's desire and will; you will be able to think and understand everything about God. At the same time, you can also dispense them to others. You should practice this matter in a definite way before God. The result is "that you may prove...." (The meaning of that is "so that" or "in order that.") The result is that your mind will understand God's will, and you will be able to see clearly and prove God's will, that which is well pleasing to Him.
Many people say lightly, "I will obey, no matter what." Actually, they are far from what they say. They do not know what they are talking about. When the Lord was going to die, Peter said, "Even if I must die with You, I will by no means deny You" (Matt. 26:35). Many people are like Peter. They do not know what God is asking of them. They simply have no idea what God requires of them. This is why they never make any progress. If you want to see how deep or how advanced a believer's spiritual life is, just find out what God is asking of him. A sinner who is newly saved gives up smoking and gambling, etc. These cannot be considered as signs of very much growth. All of us know that this is a basic step in the spiritual pathway of a saved person. Soon afterwards, he realizes that envy, pride, etc. are bad. This signals a further progress. Further on, God shows him that in his work he should drop his opinion. This is another, deeper step. In short, God's demand deepens and increases little by little. Some Christians know that they should not smoke or gamble. Other Christians know that they should not be proud or jealous. Yet they often do not know anything more. We must offer ourselves to God according to what we know. Only then will our nous be renewed. At the same time, our renewed nous will teach us how we should consecrate ourselves to God.
Originally, the nous of many people is like a kitchen window that is covered with grease. After the nous is renewed, it is like a clean glass window which allows sunlight to come through. A person with a renewed nous will become more and more clear and will understand God's demand more and more. His nous will become very sharp and quick, and he will become very clear concerning God's requirement. Many Christians do not understand God's will because they do not have the proper receiving organ. They can only infer, guess, and presume; they cannot understand God's will. But if the nous is renewed, this organ will enable a person to know God's will more and more clearly.
Romans 14:5 reads, "One judges one day above another; another judges every day alike. Let each by fully persuaded in his own mind." The "mind" in this verse is the nous. Paul says that one man esteems one day above another, and another thinks that all days are the same. By what should we judge what is right and what is wrong? It is judged by our own nous. We can judge clearly by our nous. If there is a question of God's will, it can be decided clearly by the nous.
Luke 24:45 reads, "Then He opened their mind to understand the Scriptures." The "mind" here is nous in the original text. The Lord Jesus opened their nous. Why did He do this? He did this in order that they would understand the Scriptures. Please remember that the Lord Jesus has to open our nous before we can understand the Scriptures. When the nous is opened, the result is the understanding of the Scriptures. Every time you read the Bible, you have to tell God, "I humble myself before You like a child. I do not know or understand the meaning of this passage of the Scriptures. Please grant me the light." God will grant you the understanding or the possession of His truth, though not necessarily at the moment you are reading. Sometimes your nous is opened, and you understand the truth while you are walking, working, going to bed, or getting up. Once God opens you, you will become more and more systematic. According to my own experience as well as that of others, God never gives an incomplete truth to man. At the beginning, when we read the Bible, we may only get pieces; but later on, we will understand the whole truth from God. For instance, I know a man in the Lord who was caught by the truth concerning authority for four or five months. God continually showed him everything in the Bible concerning the truth of authority. Nevertheless, he also received other things as well in his daily morning watch.
Once someone asked me, "Is it necessary for one to prepare before he preaches?" I said, "On one hand, there is no need to prepare. On the other hand, one has to prepare every day." We should receive from God daily. All the time, we should receive the truth God reveals to us in our nous. Following a long period or sometimes even a short period of time, we will know and understand the whole truth. A message does not come merely with two hours of preparation. This kind of preparation is useless. Many spiritual persons yearly receive from God clear, systematic, and great truths. God shows them truths in their nous and sustains them with these truths. At the same time, He enables them to bring these truths to others to help and sustain them with these truths.
Concerning the process of renewing, we need to do our job, and God will do His job. The renewing may be resolved all at once; it may also not be resolved all at once, but rather grow like an infant. The most important thing is that a renewed mind is under a person's own control; he can stop when he wants to stop, and he can think when he wants to think. One should be able to control himself in a spontaneous way. After the mind is renewed, one should not allow outside thoughts to control him. If he does, his mind will become sick. This does not mean that one should analyze his thoughts. If he analyzes, it will be a great suffering to his mind. This control should be exercised very spontaneously, as spontaneously as the opening and closing of the eyelids. There is no need to think or command; the eyelids open and close spontaneously. Concerning controlling our thoughts, in the beginning we may have to exert some effort. But after a while, we will no longer need to exert any more effort; the control will come spontaneously. We should control our thoughts. However, this should be done most spontaneously and naturally. There is no need to analyze or become introspective. If we do, we will suffer and come into danger. This is something to which we should pay attention.
