CHAPTER 6 



			      THE RENEWING OF THE MIND



	In Romans 12:1-2 we read, "I URGE you therefore, brethren, by the 

mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable 

to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.  And do not be conformed to 

this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove 

what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."  

	Let me give you a twenty-five cent tour of a great and weighty biblical 

concept, the renewing of the mind.  This is perhaps the most important chapter 

of the book, as it is really the key to understanding where you are at in 

relationship to your musical taste and your spiritual maturity.  It will 

enlighten your understanding as to how to choose music which will cause you to 

grow spiritually, and of paramount importance, for you parents, how to guide 

your child musically.  In this study we are going to deal with three "stained 

glass words": Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification.  These three 

words are really part and parcel of the process of Sanctification, but 

are different facets of that process.  Let me draw an illustration and we'll go 

from there:



		JUSTIFICATION ----------- SPIRIT ----------------- PAST

		SANCTIFICATION ---------- SOUL   -------------- PRESENT

		GLORIFICATION ------------ BODY   -------------- FUTURE



Justification is that which occurs at the moment we are born again.  

"Behold we are new creatures, all things become new, old things are passed 

away."  (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Justification is a SPIRITUAL reality, and occurs 

when our human spirit, dead in sin, comes in union with the spirit of God, and 

comes alive in God through the redemptive work of Jesus.  Righteousness is then 

IMPUTED to us, the righteousness of Jesus, and we become righteous in God's 

sight, as if we'd never sinned.  That word "imputed" is much like the word 

"credited".  We receive Jesus' righteousness on credit, so to speak, even though 

the attainment of ultimate purification, or sanctification, is yet 

to come.  In fact, the Word says we become the very righteousness of God 

in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).  So justification is a spiritual reality.  God sees 

us through Jesus' work at Calvary as a finished product and because of the fact 

the we immediately pass on to the next phase, the renewing of the mind, we view 

justification as a past work.  Of course we were justified, are justified, and 

will continue to be justified as long as we abide in covenant with God, but 

justification is viewed as a point of entry in the redemptive process, and in 

that context, is a past work.

	The renewing of the mind, or sanctification is the present process in 

which we are involved now.  This is a progressive work and will continue to be 

until the final step of redemption occurs, which is when we receive our 

glorified bodies at a future date in time.

	SO EVEN THOUGH WE ARE JUSTIFIED IN JESUS AND OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS 

ESTABLISHED IN THE SPIRITUAL DIMENSION, OUR MIND AND BODY SIN, AND MUST BE 

RETRAINED TO AGREE WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED SPIRITUAL REALITY OF JUSTIFICATION.  

This is where a lot of Christians miss it, and actually grow no further, because 

they do not understand that their mind has to be retrained or renewed to the 

things of God.

	To further understand this, let's look at the word "Sanctification".  To 

be sanctified is to be set apart for the master's use.  This will happen to 

you progressively as you read and act on the Word, and step by step, areas of 

your life will be sanctified.  Let's say, for example, you are a musician who 

likes to jam in nightclubs.  You come to know the Lord, and for a while you 

continue to jam.  But conviction sets in, and one day you make a decision to 

play only for the purposes of God.  Your music then has been sanctified, or set 

apart for the master's use.  Simplistic as the example may seem, it more truly 

conveys the spirit of principle of sanctification, as sanctification 

more involves an attitude of the heart, than a legalistic desperate 

attempt to never again sin in an area.  The same with repentance.  I believe 

repentance starts out as regret, but is never truly repentance until there is a 

changing of the mind, an attitude change toward that sin.

	The simplest way I can explain this process of the renewing of the mind, 

is to view the human mind as the ultimate computer.  All your life it's been 

programmed with incomplete and incorrect data, the worldly mind set.  It has 

been programmed to fear, to doubt, to be troubled, to complain, etc.  Well, 

after you accept Jesus, the program does not change overnight.  Your spirit is 

willing but your flesh is weak!  You have all good intentions, but the decisions 

made in your unrenewed mind bring you down into failure, misery, and guilt.  So 

your mind must be renewed to agree with the things of God, and the only way to 

do that is by knowing and living the Word of God.  As you commit to His Word, 

because it's living and powerful, it will begin to change you when you act upon 

it.  It will slowly begin to change the program in your computer until little 

by little, line upon line, precept upon precept, your mind will begin to 

change, to think differently.

	Over a period of time, years for most, you'll get enough Word in the 

computer that you'll begin to be different.  The new program will begin to 

supercede the old, and one day you'll realize that there is no longer a child of 

God staring back at you in the mirror, but a young man, a young women of God.  

You'll think differently, and your tastes in music will begin to change.  You'll 

begin to seek out the anointed music, the pure.  You won't be so interested in 

entertainment or musical thrills anymore.  You'll want to listen more and more 

to music that brings you into worship, into the presence of God, music that 

ministers peace and joy to your spirit, that stirs up the gift within you.  

You see, even your flesh will begin to act differently, for the flesh 

follows the dictates of the mind and spirit.  The habits and urgings of the 

flesh can trigger the carnal nature of the unrenewed mind, but the mind 

ultimately decides which way the flesh will go.  And when the mind is in line, 

the flesh follows suit.

	Then the ultimate salvation will come, the future and final step in the 

process, when we get our glorified bodies, and will be one with God in all areas 

of our being, spirit, mind/soul and body.	But we're not there yet, none of us 

are, and what will be musically acceptable for some will be unacceptable for 

others.  The criteria will be where you are spiritually.  In the early stages of 

your spiritual growth one of two things happen.  Either your reborn spirit will 

reject Christian music which is similar in style to what you listened to in 

the world, or you will be attracted to music similar to that which you 

listened to in the world.  This would depend on many variable factors.  The 

memories you associate with the music could be positive or negative.  You may or 

may not yet have personal convictions about some music, etc.  As you grow in 

God, the factors will still vary.  Musical tastes, your personality, your 

make-up, your convictions, etc.  all will play a part in what is pure for 

you.  Although my personal tastes do not run to, say heavy metal Christian 

music, I can see a place where God could use some of that kind of music in some 

specific situations to bring some young people to the Lord.



2. I want to qualify here, that even as an evangelistic tool, it's the 

spiritual quality of the lives of the musicians that has to come across, not 

just the music.  If a musician was totally right with God, and still played, say 

heavy metal music, I believe the whole presentation would have to reflect Jesus, 

not just the lyrics.  (See chapter on "Heavy Metal".)  It is also not an 

endorsement of the validity of a ministry just because God "uses" it.  God used 

Balaam's ass, God used Pharaoh, God used the Philistines, all to accomplish His 

purposes.  None of them were ministries ordained of God.  (See Gifts and 

Callings).

	After they become Christians, since their minds are not renewed, they 

might perhaps have a hard time getting into some of the more mellow Christian 

music.  So the music of some of these groups could provide an alternative to the 

music they came out of, and even though there may be many impure elements, the 

music could be a step up from where they came from.  But the key word her is 

"bridge".  A bridge takes you from one point to another.  If all you do is stand 

in the middle of the bridge, you will never get where you want to go, and I 

submit that a person who stays into some of the heavier music too long isn't 

going anywhere.  There are enough impure elements in most of that music to 

eventually begin to cause your walk with God to deteriorate if  are not getting 

enough of the Word and developing a prayer life, etc.  No form of Christian 

input, music, books, radio, T.V. can ever take the place of the Word of 

God in your life.  These all can be tools for growth, can help us spiritually, 

but are not a substitute for God's Word.  The Word is what renews our minds.  

"For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any  two-edged sword, 

and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints 

and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."  

Hebrews 4:12 (NASB)  The only  thing that will renew our mind is the Word of 

God.

	So you say, well, what about the words of Christian songs?  Does the 

Word of God renew our minds and as a result, change our musical tastes?  Does 

the music we listen to renew our minds and drive us deeper into the Word?  It 

would be ideal if both statements were true.  But some Christian songs are so 

devoid of the Word, there wouldn't be enough to make a difference.  Most 

Christian songs sing about Jesus, personal experience with Jesus, etc. and 

although that kind of lyric can be positive and inspirational it does not convey 

the anointing and power, the spiritual food our spirits require, our minds need 

in order to be changed.  Better to listen to a Christian lyric in most cases, 

than a worldly one, but at best, most provide just an alternative to the 

world's offerings.

	So I conclude that it is the Word that renews our minds, and as we take 

on more and more of the mind of Christ, our tastes will change.  I don't pretend 

to be able to tell you what you will listen to as your mind changes, but I 

believe that you will begin to seek out music  that ministers to you more.  

Probably you will connect with some music that leads you into worship and 

praise.  But again, it will be "different strokes for different folks".  We're 

all different.  Some relate more to joyful, up tempo music, some like more 

mellow music.  But the Holy Spirit within you will bear witness to what 

you should be listening to, and take you through your changes.  It will be great 

when musicians get their minds renewed and start to produce music that will 

minister to you more effectively, whatever the style.  More about this in a 

later chapter.



(c)1998 Chuck Girard Ministries