📖 Biblical Definition
The seat of thought, intention, and moral reasoning; in Scripture, the faculty of the inner man that the gospel renews. Romans 12:2 commands the believer to be transformed by the renewing of your mind; Philippians 2:5: let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. The mind is not neutral — it is being conformed to the world or to Christ at every moment.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
MIND, n.
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1. The intellectual or intelligent power in man; the understanding; the power that conceives, judges, or reasons. 2. The heart or seat of affection. 3. The will. 4. Memory; remembrance.
📖 Key Scripture
Romans 12:2 — "Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind."
Philippians 2:5 — "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."
1 Corinthians 2:16 — "But we have the mind of Christ."
2 Timothy 1:7 — "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Modern Christianity feeds the heart and starves the mind; Romans 12:2 puts renewal in the head.
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Romans 12:2 names the location of transformation: the mind. Not the emotions alone; not the will alone; the mind — the way you think. Conformity to the world is mostly cognitive (you absorb its categories without knowing) and renewal is mostly cognitive (you replace those categories with Scripture's). The Christian life is a long re-education.
Modern Christianity often feeds the heart and starves the mind, treating doctrine as cold and feeling as warm. Paul reverses the priority. Renew the mind; the heart and will follow. Read theology. Memorize Scripture. Submit your assumptions to the Word. The mind of Christ is offered (1 Cor 2:16); take it up.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Greek nous (G3563); dianoia (G1271).
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G3563 — nous — mind, understanding
G1271 — dianoia — mind, deep thought
G5426 — phroneo — to think, set the mind on
Usage
"Modern Christianity feeds the heart and starves the mind; Romans 12 puts renewal in the head."
"Conformity to the world is mostly cognitive; so is renewal."
"The mind of Christ is offered; take it up."