Captive Thinking
By: Scott Tolhurst
Take every thought captive to obey Christ….2 Cor.10:5
Our thoughts are a private world. We can share them with our lips, pens or artistic expressions, but they are not revealed in the mirror. Since they are hidden to all but ourselves, we can be deluded into thinking that they belong to our personal realm. We hold our thoughts as our own possessions. Paul corrects us in the text above. He doesn’t deny that we are the fount of our own reflections. He does caution that we do not have dominion over our own thoughts - Jesus does. We are told to bring every thought as a captive under Jesus. While Paul is arguing against error and resistance to the truth, his admonition has general application. He is not speaking solely of heretical ideas, but of all our thinking.
If Jesus is our Lord, He is Lord of every part of us. As living sacrifices, we surrender all we are to His reign. Our souls, bodies, words, feelings and our thoughts. Our minds are to be renewed. That renewal comes from Biblical alignment. We want to think the truth. Renewal comes by the Spirit’s virtues; whatever is true, honourable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent or worthy of praise, think on these things. But ultimately renewal comes from submission.
We all have opinions and ideas, sourced by experience, instruction or gathered information. But simply because we have opinions, doesn’t mean that they are free to roam and reign. All of our impressions, ideas, opinions, reflections, speculations or understandings are to be confined as obedient captives to Jesus. Our thinking is more than a deductive process. Thoughts are more than personal expression. Being right is not the ultimate measure. Thinking as Jesus is.
Are your thoughts in compliance to Jesus? Don’t jump to an assumed answer unless you have asked Jesus about this. Often we think independently of Jesus. We hope we have reasoned well, done our homework and offer Him our conclusions. But rather than just being graded by Christ, we can invite Him into our thought process. With a prayerful posture, marked by a quiet mind, we hold our thinking, as well as our thoughts before Him. We want both the process and product of our minds to please Him.
Lest you think I am just waxing theoretical, look around. The pandemic we are experiencing has been the petri dish of more than a virus. Rumours, speculations, arguments, opinions and heresy are rampant. Positions are taken and conversation is strained. There are moments I struggle to see the mind of Jesus in our discourse. I am not innocent in this. I too want my thoughts to be captivated by Jesus. I want my reasoning's to be informed more by the Spirit than by the experts. I want what I think and the way I think, to reflect the truth and gentleness of Christ. I want the mind of Christ, who is filled with the riches of knowledge and wisdom.