This divine life in us begins with something small: a seed. In Matthew 13, the Lord shares with His disciples the parable of a seed planted in four different types of soil. The life out of the seed issues the heavenly kingdom of God within us. This kingdom life is nothing but the new creation, a hopeful, heavenly, victorious life that has the power to enliven our fallen, earthly, deadened beings. But whether that life can grow to maturity depends on the type of “soil” — or, our beings — it’s been sown into. The painful reality of this picture is that even though many believers might receive or even enjoy this life, they do not reach a full, fruitful maturity in spirit. We are believers, and yet we are stunted. We have the seed, or maybe even the sprout, but it quickly dies when the reality of our everyday life hits us.
How can we mature in life — in the new creation? The problem is not the seed, but the soil. In other words, the problem is not in our spirit, but in our soul, the organ in which we think, feel, and decide every day. In Romans 8, Paul gives us a key by pointing to the setting of our mind. The mind is the key location for life to grow, and it needs to be exercised in a unique way to bear fruit and be productive: “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6). Paul’s language is very clear: when our mind is set on the spirit, there is life and we grow; when our mind is set on the flesh, there is death and growth ceases. Just as with the types of soil, our mind can have many obstacles that keep us from setting it on the spirit of life — worldly traffic, hidden opinions, self-love, anxieties, and desires. But in a moment, we can turn to set our mind on the spirit and be on the path of growth again!
We don’t need to be confused about why we are not maturing. The word is clear. If we set our mind on the spirit, there will be a deeper rooting and a resultant fruit of that seeding. The growth in life will spontaneously happen. We will be able to be that good earth for God’s enlargement and move. The church life will grow strong, beyond doing “spiritual activities” to grow into the New Jerusalem as the new creation in consummation. The spirit is ready at any moment, but for us, it is our choice: is our mind being set?
(Above are notes of fellowship taken from a gathering on 5/22/2024, not reviewed by the speaker.)