The Fallen Mind

This is a quote from Faith and Reason, a message given by John Piper at the 2007 Ligonier Conference:

"An adulterous heart disorders the mind so that it can function just fine in selfish quests, but it cannot function in spiritual quests. It is enslaved to wrong inferences because it wants so badly another spouse. The mind serves then to justify the desires of the heart."

Our minds play a major role in our conversion. It was said of Paul many times that he reasoned with unbelievers. Jesus spoke of how men could predict the weather but could not discern the times. God has given us a brain and it functions in extraordinary ways. People use their brain to cure diseases and develop technology. Our mind is a wonderful gift from our Creator, but when it comes to spiritual life, we read of man's mind "They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart" (Ephesians 4:18).
What Piper meant by the quote above was that men can use the mind to do wonderful things while at the same time the mind rejects God and pursues its own lusts. It never ceases to amaze me at how I justified my own sin in my mind when I was unconverted and how my mind continues daily to rationalize wrongdoing and justify fulfilling my lusts. Our darkened minds not only deceive others but they deceive us as well.

Because the mind of man, in fact all of natural man, is enslaved to sin it loves its own lusts and works fine in selfish quests. But our brains are incapable of searching for spiritual things on their own. Reason has a major role in conversion but no power in itself; God must impart spiritual life to the unbeliever and until He does our minds will continue to serve our own lusts.

Oh God, renew our minds and let us think deeply about you. Let us meditate on the gift of your Son, his agony in the Garden, His bearing your wrath toward us on the cross, and your seal of approval on Him by raising Him from the dead. Holy Spirit, stop us in our tracks and reveal to us how our minds are attempting to justify our sinful thoughts and deeds. Let our thinking be centered on you and not on the pleasures of this world. Let the mind of Christ be in us today.

Through Christ,
Amen