Framing Your Mind

Framing your mind refers to how you think about yourself. Your hopes, your desires, your opinion of yourself, all relate to how you frame your mind. When your mind is framed a certain way, your thoughts don't go beyond that frame.

For example : When you are setting your mind on the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, your frame of mind relates to who you are in Christ. By focusing your thoughts on who you are in Christ, and taking God at His word, you will begin to change your opinion of yourself to line up with God's opinion of you.

Lining up your opinion of yourself with God's opinion of you is very important. How else will you approach God correctly? If God says you are righteous in Christ, but you consider yourself to be a terrible sinner before God. How can you approach Him with confidence?

Not only how you approach God is affected by your frame of mind, but your actions are also affected by how you frame your mind.

In Romans chapter seven, Paul expressed his frustration with the sin nature when he attempted to control it through law. The law was not designed to control the sin nature; rather, it was given to show how sinful our sin nature could become, Romans 7:7-13. Through Paul's experience with trying to control the sin nature by law, and the frustration that followed, Paul came to the conclusion that with the mind he serves the Law of God but with the flesh the law of the sin nature, Romans 7:25.

Although we struggle with the sin nature, we always need to remember who we are in Christ. God has provided a way for us to overcome our sin nature, we just need to use it. However, as we learn, we will mess up. Our mistakes do not affect our position before God, nor do they change His opinion of us. Always remember, in Christ there is no condemnation. (Grace is not a license to sin, so we should not think that we can do anything we want to do. God will not allow us to be condemned with the world. Continuing in sin will bring chastening, Hebrews 12:6. Chastening does not change God's opinion of us, rather it shows His opinion is true. He will not allow us to be condemned with this world. Do not be discouraged by chastening, if we are being chastened it is because we are not framing our mind correctly and therefore we are producing the works of the flesh in our lives. Rather than being discourage, we should listen, obey, and frame our mind on the things above so we will stop doing whatever is causing the chastening. God loves us to much to allow us to continue acting like the devil's kid.)

Roman 8:1 "Now therefore, there is not any condemnation in Christ Jesus." Condemnation is a judgement that has already been passed, but the penalty has not been applied. There is no judgement hanging over anyone who is in Christ.

Because we serve the law of God with our mind, how we frame our mind is going to directly affect whether or not we are serving God or the sin nature.

Side Note: In Romans 8:1 some translations have "who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." This phrase was added by a scribe when copying the book of Romans. There is substantial evidence that this phrase should be crossed out. Also when you look at other scripture, this phrase does not line up. Whether or not you are condemned does not depend upon your actions, but rather upon who you are in Christ. In Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation. How you walk, or govern your life, affects whether or not you are fulfilling the righteousness of the principle of the Spirit, Romans 8:4. The scribe that added "who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" took it from verse 4.

There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus because in Christ we are free from the law of the sin nature.

Romans 8:2 "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of the sin nature and the death."

If we still served God with our flesh, we would still be under condemnation. Condemnation came because of Adam's sin, Romans 5:18. However, Christians are no longer in Adam and therefore are no longer condemned. Rather, we are free to walk in newness of life unto God.