The Cleansing of the Church at Ephesus

How was the church at Ephesus cleansed from sin? To be cleansed from sin is to be saved. I think most in Christendom are well aware of the famous Ephesian passage found in chapter two, verses eight and nine, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.” (NAS) Many, many passages of the New Testament teach that salvation is a matter of God’s grace (Acts 15:11, Rom. 3:24, Gal. 2:21, 5:4, Eph. 1:7, 2:5, 2 Thess. 2:16, 2 Tim. 1:9, Titus 2:11, Titus 3:7, 1 Peter 1:10, 1 Peter 1:13). I have listed most of them here so the reader will know I am well aware of them.

I am thankful it is that way. If salvation were by works, a person might well come up short; the Bible teaches he would (Rom. 3:23). That is exactly what happened to the Jewish people under the Law of Moses. None was able to keep it. “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” (Gal. 3:10 NKJV) I think we are all glad salvation is a matter of God’s grace, versus works, for works demanded perfection.

God’s grace, which gives us salvation, is granted to us as a result of faith we possess. “Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand.” (Rom. 5:1-2 NAS) “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” (Eph. 2:8 NAS) There are many other passages teaching that we are saved by faith. Here are quite a number of them: John 3:14-16, John 8:24, John 11:25-26, John 20:31, Acts 16:31, Rom. 10:9, 1 Cor. 1:21, Gal. 3:22, 1 Tim. 1:16, Heb. 11:6, 1 John 5:13, Rom. 3:26, 28, 30, 5:1, 11:20, Gal. 2:16, 3:24, 26, Eph. 2:8, Philippians 3:9, 1 Peter 1:9. These were again listed that the reader might know I am fully aware of them.

The question that arises, however, is what is this faith that justifies, that gives us God’s grace? I am not asking what the object of the faith is, for we know that. I am asking what the nature of this faith is. Many, perhaps most, are persuaded today (and have been since the Reformation) that it is merely a state of the mind regarding a belief one has in Jesus, who he is, and what he has accomplished for us. It is mental assent to the teachings of the scriptures about him. This is the faith that it is said saves. I certainly agree with that as far as it goes, but it stops short, too short.

One must not only believe what the scriptures teach about Jesus--who he was, what he accomplished--but faith also commits us to believe the man himself, believe what he said, and act on it. If faith does not lead to action, it is dead faith (James 2:17). James says it is “useless.” (James 2:20 NAS) Even in this world, as regards worldly matters, how can we say we have faith in a man when we will not take the man at his word?

The faith the Ephesians had that resulted in their cleansing from sin was the faith they had in what Jesus taught them through his inspired representatives. Paul was an inspired man, but the Holy Spirit, whether speaking through Paul or through any other apostle or first-century prophet, did not speak on his own initiative. “He will not speak on his own initiative, but whatever he hears, he will speak…he shall take of mine, and shall disclose it to you.” (John 16:13-14 NAS--the words of Jesus referring to the Holy Spirit) Thus, the Holy Spirit spoke the words of Jesus, and Jesus was thus their teacher.

Paul said later in the book of Ephesians that Jesus cleansed the church, “by the washing of water with the word.” (Eph. 5:26 NAS) “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.” (Eph. 5:25-26 NAS)

Who was cleansed that way? Those Paul said earlier that had been saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8). The washing of water with the word is clearly a reference to baptism. What did Jesus teach about baptism? “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved.” (Mark 16:16 NAS) “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5 NAS)

John 3:5 and Eph. 5:26 teach the same thing. The Spirit gave the word. The Spirit working through the word works on our spirit, if we will allow it to do so, changing our thinking, our attitudes, our desires, and our will, bringing us to the point where we are ready to put the old man to death and be baptized to arise in “newness of life.” (Rom. 6:4 NAS) To be cleansed by the washing of water by the word (Eph. 5:26) is the same as to be born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5).

Furthermore, in scripture, the church (Eph. 5:25-26) and the kingdom (John 3:5), generally, not always but generally, are interchangeable terms. Peter was given the keys of the kingdom. When he used those keys, by preaching the gospel on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, and people believed and obeyed, they were added to the church, one and the same as the kingdom that Peter was opening with his keys.

Were the Ephesians saved by grace through faith “before” they were cleansed? What was the church, the church being the members, cleansed of, if not sin? Can you be saved without first being cleansed of sin? They were saved by grace through faith when cleansed of sin by the washing of water with the word. That washing was done by “the obedience of faith.” (Rom. 1:5 NAS) Paul said he had received grace and apostleship, “to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles.” (Rom. 1:5 NAS)

Paul himself, obviously a church member, was told at his own conversion, “Why do you delay? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” (Acts 22:16 NAS) Paul had experienced the same washing and for the same reason the church had at Ephesus. No, water itself cannot wash away sins, but it can if God has made the decision that that is the time and place where he will act in response to a person’s faith. Some have said baptism is a test of faith, and I do not argue with them.

Naaman, in the Old Testament, “became furious” (2 Kings 5:11 NKJV) when told he needed to go wash in the Jordan seven times to be healed of his leprosy. He did not want to do it that way. His faith had brought him thus far to Elisha, and he felt that should be good enough. Elisha should just come out and “stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.” (2 Kings 5:11 NKJV) Obedience of faith had no place in his thinking. One is reminded of today.

No, the water of the Jordan had no magical power to heal Naaman, but faith in what God told Naaman to do, a faith strong enough to get him to act simply because God said to do it, was the faith that made the difference. Naaman is an excellent example of a man who experienced two types of faith. The first failed him in obtaining his objective. Why? Because it was based on his preconceived ideas of how God should do things.

When told to go wash in the Jordan seven times, "Naaman became furious, and went away and said, 'Indeed, I said to myself, 'He (reference to Elisha, God's prophet—DS) will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.''" (2 Kings 5:11 NKJV) Naaman's faith that failed was faith in his own idea of how God should act. Naaman admits as much when he says, "I said to myself."

His later faith that brought Naaman healing was based not on Naaman's personal thinking but on what God said—"Go and wash in the Jordan seven times." (2 Kings 5:10 NKJV) This was the faith that brought healing when his faith became strong enough to become obedient to God's word.

This illustrates man's faith today in the spiritual realm with regard to baptism. There are two types of faith in what is commonly referred to as Christendom, as it relates to our salvation. The one says we will stop here (at the point of faith--mental assent) and do it this way. We have gone far enough; let God do the rest. The other faith says God said to do it (be baptized) for this reason (the remission of sins--Acts 2:38), I believe him, and I will do what he says because I believe. Both have what men generally call faith, but clearly, the faith is not the same.

There is also a question that needs to be asked. If Paul did not consider baptism to be salvation by works, why should we consider it to be salvation by works today? I have never heard a direct answer to that question. Paul tells the Ephesians they have been saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8) and then tells them at the same time they have been cleansed by the washing of water through the word (Eph. 5:26). He doesn’t miss a beat, doesn’t seem in the least to feel he has contradicted himself, so why should we feel that the two passages are contradictory? Why do we feel we have to try and devise a way to explain away the obvious meaning of the phrase "the washing of water?"

But there is much more in proof of the point I am making. In Eph. 1:7, Paul says, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” (NAS) In him is a reference, obviously, to Jesus who shed his blood for us. How does one get into him, into Jesus Christ? Gal. 3:27 says we were “baptized into Christ” (NAS) and so does Rom. 6:3, “do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus.” (NAS) I know of no passage in the New Testament anywhere that tells one how to get into Christ other than through baptism.

If you were to start through the book of Ephesians and start marking every passage you come to that talks about different things that are found “in him,” “in Christ,” “in the Beloved,” here is some of what you would come up with: (1) every spiritual blessing--Eph. 1:3, (2) grace--Eph. 1:6, (3) redemption--Eph. 1:7, (4) an inheritance--Eph. 1:10-11, (5) sealed with the Holy Spirit--Eph. 1:13, (6) seated us in heavenly places--Eph. 2:6, (7) kindness toward us--Eph. 2:7, (8) his workmanship--Eph. 2:10, (9) brought near by the blood of Christ--Eph. 2:13, (10) partakers of the promise--Eph. 3:6. But one must note that all of these blessings are in, not outside of, but in Christ. “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (Gal. 3:27 NAS) How does one enter Christ? By baptism. If one is clothed with Christ, he is in Christ.

Paul says elsewhere in the book of Ephesians, “we are members of his body.” (Eph. 5:30 NAS) But, then Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 12:13 how we get into that body, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.” (NAS) What is Christ the Savior of according to Paul in Ephesians? “For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, he himself being the Savior of the body.” (Eph. 5: 23 NAS) This is the same body we are baptized into, that is, if we are in it, for that is the only way the scriptures give of entering into it--not by baptism alone but by the obedience of faith that results in baptism. The body of Christ, being the church (Eph. 1:22-23), is that which was cleansed "with the washing of water by the word." (Eph. 5:26 NKJV)

Where is grace found? The Bible tells us, “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim. 2:1 NAS) Paul tells the Ephesians that this grace is “bestowed on us in the Beloved.” (Eph. 1:6 NAS) Again, how does one get into Christ, the Beloved, according to the scriptures? We have already answered that. When one is led by faith to believe Jesus and obey him in baptism for the remission of sins, he enters into Christ, into the realm of grace by which he is saved.

In the book of Acts, chapter 19, Paul comes to Ephesus and finds 12 men there who are disciples. He asks them this question: “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” (Acts 19:2 NAS) They respond no, they had not even heard of the Holy Spirit. Paul then says, “Into what then were you baptized?” (Acts 19:3 NAS) Please note this one thing--Paul takes it for granted that if they were Christians, they had been baptized. He doesn’t ask them if they had been baptized. Why not? Paul doesn’t ask them because he knows what it takes to become a Christian and be saved. “Why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins.” (Acts 22:16 KJV, Ananias speaking to Saul, a believer, before Saul’s baptism)

One also ought to note the first thing Paul did with these 12 men, after learning their situation, was to have them “baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 19:5 NAS) Yes, Paul taught baptism at Ephesus. Paul stayed in Ephesus at least two years (see Acts 19:10) after this event, so when Paul said later in Ephesians that the church was cleansed by the washing of water with the word, there is no doubt he knew from personal experience all about baptism at Ephesus. There is no such thing as an unbaptized Christian, for Jesus commanded in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19) that all disciples be baptized. Paul either baptized them personally or saw to it that they were baptized by one or more of those who helped with the work. Either that or he disobeyed Christ, for which disciple was it that Christ said need not be baptized?

Faith is not just something to be believed but also obeyed. One must obey the gospel to be saved (2 Thess. 1:7-8). In a sense, the gospel is the faith (Jude 3); it is that body of doctrine that is to be believed, but within that body of doctrine that constitutes the faith, there are things that must be obeyed as well as believed. In addition to mental assent to the truth about Jesus as revealed in the scripture one must repent of sins (Acts 17:30), one must confess with the mouth the Lord Jesus (Rom. 10:9-10), and one must be baptized into Christ, baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38, Gal. 3:27). Faith, the faith that saves, is not a dead faith but an active one. It is by faith that a man does these things, by faith because he heard the words of God and believed them enough to take them to heart and obey them.

Do not allow yourself to be misled. A person does not believe Jesus who believes the doctrine that says, “he who has believed and has not been baptized shall be saved,” for that is not what Jesus said. Jesus said just the opposite.

I have asked this question before, but have never gotten an answer. If Jesus wanted man to know that baptism was essential to the remission of sins, the cleansing from sin, how would he say it in a way to get man to understand it? He could not say “repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38 KJV) for he already said that via the Holy Spirit speaking through Peter, and men will not accept it.

How would he say it to make it plain and simple enough so all could understand it? No one has yet answered that question. The truth is, Jesus has stated it as clearly as it can be stated by mere words alone. Men will either accept it or reject it and thereby be judged.

Have you been cleansed with the washing of water by the word? Will you be one with those saints in Ephesus Paul wrote to, or are you going to be another kind of Christian unknown to the church at Ephesus?

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The Struggle to be Spiritually Minded

Every person who has ever contemplated the subjects of life and death, the meaning of life and eternal destiny, and has chosen faith in Christ as the route they desire to follow has found themselves in a constant struggle. On the one hand, there is the deep desire to do what is right according to God’s will, as we read in the Bible, and on the other hand, there is that desire within us that wants to do what we want to do, which often means violating God's will. We have two states of mind, it seems, living within us. The one is the mind of the flesh, the natural man as he exists without God in his life, while the other is that of the spiritually minded individual to whom God deeply matters.

Which mindset shall prevail? The Bible teaches it is a matter of life and death. Hear Paul: “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.’’ (Rom. 8:5-9 ESV)

To set the mind on the flesh, the things of this life and of the fleshly body, we are told, is death. Now, why is that so? Because, Paul says, such a minded person does not submit to God's law. But we might reply, do we not live in a fleshly body? Yes, we do, but God, our creator, put us here for a purpose, and that purpose was not to live like the rest of the dumb animals of creation who live by the instincts of the flesh. We were created with a nobler purpose in mind, with the idea of living eternally with God, and not just for living a brief span of years on earth like a dog. We are better than that.

When God created man, he said, "Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness." (Gen. 1:26 NKJV) Only man was created in the image of God. Jesus said of man in John 10:34, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’?” (NKJV) Only mankind is referred to as God’s sons and daughters, as his children, when they obey him (2 Cor. 6:18). We are not merely a higher-ranking animal. Paul says, speaking to Christians, "We shall judge angels." (1 Cor. 6:3 NKJV) We were created to be spiritual beings in bodies of flesh for a time before being transformed from our fleshly bodies into immortal spiritual bodies (1 Cor. 15).

We were put here to glorify God. "Everyone who is called by my name, whom I have created for my glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him." (Isa. 43:7 NKJV) “Glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Cor. 6:20 NKJV) The sin of the world after God made man could be summed up by saying, "although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened." (Rom. 1:21 NKJV) This led to all types of specific sins as a result of the state of their hearts and minds.

Jesus said in his prayer to the Father, "I have glorified you on the earth." (John 17:4 NKJV) That is our job as well. The only way God can be given glory by man is by obedience. Disobedience to God does not bring God glory but dishonors him as God and as the ruler of humanity. Disobedience is sin.

We might ask why God gave us fleshly bodies that desire the things of the flesh rather than spiritual things. Our bodies give us free will. Created as a robot versus as a man, how could God receive glory from an object that had no free will, no feelings, and no ability to think, reason, or choose? I don't think you are going to go trade your wife or husband off for a robot and say you can find the same kind of love and happiness with it as you do with your spouse. We love our spouse in part because they had free will in choosing us as a life partner. They did not have to do that. So, I think, it is with God. When we choose God, it means something to him, and he does care about us.

Where does the mind of the flesh lead a man if a man is fleshly minded? Paul gives a list of things that flow from such a state of mind in Gal. 5:19-21, "Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." (ESV) Another list is given in 1 Cor. 6:9-10, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." (ESV)

Every one of us is tempted by sin. "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." (James 1:14-15 NKJV) Paul says, "For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please." (Gal. 5:17 NAS) Again, he writes, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man." (1 Cor. 10:13 NKJV) So, that is the situation we find ourselves in, even after becoming Christians. We begin the Christian life spiritually minded enough, or else we could not have become a Christian, but unless we die almost immediately thereafter, here comes temptation for that is the nature of this life we live. How do we remain spiritually minded so that we might have life and peace as taught in Rom. 8:6?

We will never succeed a hundred percent. John says, speaking to Christians, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:8-9 NKJV) Much of the New Testament was written to deal with sin in the lives of Christians. First Corinthians is perhaps the best example of that.

I have brought up the fact that we will never succeed one hundred percent for one reason, as a reminder to not despair and be overcome by discouragement when we sin or fall. A Christian may have to repent numerous times in their life from the sin that the King James Version says “doth so easily beset us.” (Heb 12:1) David Lipscomb, a Christian writer from the late 1800's through the early 1900's, made the comment that he doubted any Christian ever lived a single day without committing a sin. Whether that is true or not I cannot know but it is certainly closer to the truth than the idea that we seldom or never sin. I remind the reader, Jesus taught that even evil thoughts are sin (Matt. 15:19-20) and sins of omission are also sins (James 4:17). Have you had any sinful thoughts or failed to do the good that you could have done?

We must remember what Jesus told Peter when Peter asked how many times he should forgive his brother. Peter, I suspect, thought he was being generous by saying seven times, but what did Jesus say in response? "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." (Matt. 18:22 NKJV) Jesus was thus saying there is really no end to forgiving and was certainly implying God would likewise forgive us, no matter how many times we need forgiveness, just as long as we repent, confess our sins to him, and are willing to give it another full faith effort. So, never ever give up in despair. Never!

How does one maintain a state of spiritual mindedness to the greatest extent possible? One Old Testament character that stands out as being deeply spiritually minded is Daniel. One of the first statements you will read about Daniel, with respect to his godly character, as you start the book of Daniel, is found in chapter 1 verse 8 where it says, "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies." (Dan. 1:8 NKJV) "Daniel purposed in his heart." If one is going to pursue any course in life successfully, he or she must first purpose in his or her heart. Purposing in your heart gives you direction and motivation. There is no point in starting a diet or exercise program, enrolling in college or a training program, or doing anything else unless you have first firmly purposed in heart to see the thing through.

As this relates to becoming spiritually minded, this means you must determine in your heart that that is the way it is going to be. Things do not happen by accident. If you want to be a spiritually minded person, you must prepare to be one and work toward that end. Unfortunately, many Christians seemingly never develop spiritually beyond what they were on the day of their conversion. Instead, they gradually grow lukewarm and indifferent, and many fall away. What happens?

One likely contributor to such a state is spiritual starvation. Peter says of a newborn Christian, "desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby." (1 Peter 2:2 NKJV) It is impossible to maintain spiritual mindedness in the absence of spiritual food. Tuck your Bible away and do not use it and the result will be regression in spiritual mindedness, not growth. Jesus said, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63 NKJV) The words of God are spirit. Paul said, "These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches." (1 Cor. 2:13 NKJV)

Spiritual mindedness is not developed in the workplace, the fitness club, the golf course, in attendance at school activities, on family outings, etc. It comes with reading, studying, contemplating, and meditating on the words of the Spirit--the words of the Bible.

This takes us back to the point made--you have to purpose in your heart you are going to be faithful in reading and studying the word of God, and not just do it occasionally or once in a great while. Just as in exercise or fitness training, there is no such thing as reaching your goal without a commitment to doing it. A growing knowledge and understanding of God's word is essential to growing spiritual mindedness in our lives. How can you become spiritually minded without knowing the mind of the Spirit? That is found in the word of the Spirit.

Let us go back to Daniel, a spiritually minded man. The Bible teaches that Daniel was a praying man. "And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days." (Dan. 6:10 NKJV) It is impossible to be a spiritually minded person if one does not have a prayer life. Quit praying, or only give prayer a random and hurried few seconds a day, and again, you are destroying spiritual-mindedness rather than building it. One cannot pray to God without thinking about God (spiritual mindedness). Prayer is, among other things, thinking about God. A spiritually minded man will have a thoughtful and consistent daily prayer life.

Then Daniel also kept good company. The apostle Paul said, "Do not be deceived: 'Bad company ruins good morals.' " (1 Cor. 15:33 ESV) The Good News Bible puts it this way: "Do not be fooled. 'Bad companions ruin good character.' " (GNB) Daniel had 3 good friends--Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego--who like Daniel were godly men. These men refused to worship the golden image set up by Nebuchadnezzar and, as a consequence, were cast into the furnace of fire from which God miraculously rescued them (Dan. 3).

If one desires to be a godly person and develop spiritual-mindedness in his or her life, that one needs the fellowship of like-minded people. "Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together." (Heb. 10:24-25 NKJV) Worshipping with God’s people is essential to spiritual mindedness and growth.

To become spiritually minded, we must become doers of the word and not hearers only. To fail in this we become academics only, even if we spend time in the word. We must allow the word of God free rein in our lives so that we live it. We worship God, do the things he tells us to do, and refrain from those things he forbids.

One can read any book of instruction on any topic, but until you put into practice what you read, it cannot be said that the word has become a part of who you are.  For example, we want a pilot who has gone beyond reading how-to-fly manuals. We want one flying our plane who has actually flown. To be truly spiritually minded, we must be doers of the word.  If we are disobedient to the word, we are not spiritually minded.

It is a mistake to take spiritual growth and spiritual mindedness for granted. Physical growth and development will occur whether you do anything or not, but it is not that way in the spiritual realm. The passage of time itself is not going to make you or me any more spiritually minded than we are now.

You have to make a commitment and an ongoing effort, or else you will do nothing more than grow old and die like the rest of mankind who live for the flesh, who live for the things of this life and this physical body. How will you differ from the mass of humanity unless you commit to the development of the spiritual side of your life? Paul says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Rom. 12:2 NKJV)

The development of spiritual mindedness is not like turning on a light. You cannot just flip a switch. It takes time. No one becomes a spiritual giant, even if such a one exists, overnight.

If you live with a fleshly mind long enough, you may find it personally impossible to turn your life around, lacking the will to do it.

"To be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Rom. 8:6 NKJV) "To set the mind on the flesh is death." (Rom. 8:6 ESV) I think we all know whether or not we are spiritually minded. It is not a hard thing to know. Do thoughts of God and his word enter your mind frequently or not? Do you have a strong desire to know and do God's will?

The free will God has given us means we have a choice. Our state of mind is a matter of choice, a matter of life or death.

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