Lesson 2: The Mind of a Person

Pastor’s Bible Class Thomas Road Baptist Church
Series: What Makes You Do the Things You Do?
Lesson 2: The Mind of a Person
Dr. Elmer Towns
September 30, 2007

A. INTRODUCTION

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5).

1. What is personality?
a. INTELLECT: the power of mental ability, i.e., the mind.
b. EMOTION: the power of feelings, i.e., joy, sorrow, fear, hate, excitement, and love.
c. WILL: the power of choice, i.e., purpose, determination.

B. WHAT YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT THE MIND

1. Knowing about Christ and salvation won’t save you.
2. You can’t get saved by knowing, and you can’t get saved without knowing.
3. The natural mind doesn’t seek God.
4. Tabula Rasa is not true. The mind is a clean slate that must be written upon from the outside.
5. When someone has a “sound mind” it means they have self perception (I know myself) and self direction (I direct myself).

C. WHAT ARE THE VARIOUS POWERS OF THE MIND?

1. Awareness. The mind records signals from the outside world and communicates them to us.
2. Perception. The mind can interpret stimuli from without.
3. Evaluate. The mind can treasure and classify stimuli.
4. Reasoning. The mind compares facts and draws conclusions.
5. Reflection. The mind can meditate on what it receives.
6. Thinking. The mind can contemplate things.
7. Memorize. The mind can retain facts for future use.
8. Recall. The mind can bring past facts into awareness.

D. WHAT IS THE MIND OF AN UNSAVED PERSON?

1. They are born with a knowledge of God. “The truth about God is known to them instinctively” (Rom. 1:19, LB).
2. They know God but won’t acknowledge Him. “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t acknowledge Him” (Rom. 1:21, LB).
3. When they refuse to acknowledge God, He loves them. “When they refuse to acknowledge God, He abandoned them to their evil minds, and let them do things that should never be done” (Rom. 1:28, LB).

Carnal minds – Col. 2:18 – Lust after sin
Doubtful mind – Lu. 12:29 – Deny God
Reprobate mind – Rom. 1:28 – Love evil
Vanity of the mind – Eph. 4:17 – Self love
Corrupt mind – I Tim. 6:5 – Evil influence
Blinded mind – II Cor. 3:14 – Can’t see spiritual

Conclusion: When left to yourself, you will be blinded to God, deny His influence, and turn from the right things to evil.

E. WHAT IS THE MIND OF A SPIRITUAL CHRISTIAN?

1. Think God’s way. “Come now, and let us reason together says the Lord” (Is. 1:18).
2. Learn the word. “They received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily [to find out] whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).
3. A good mind is possible. “The one who had been demon possessed . . . clothed, and in his right mind” (Mark 5:15).
4. The Great Commandment: Love God. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength and with all thy mind” (Lu. 10:27).
5. Be transformed. “Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2).
6. Yield. “We have the mind of Christ” (I Cor. 2:16).
7. Give absolutely all to God. “With one mind striving together” (Phil. 1:27).
8. Deny self. “In lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Phil. 2:3).
9. Absolute assurance. “God has not given us the spirit of fear, but . . . of a