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Nous.--"And even as they did not approve to retain God in their knowledge,
God gave them up to an unapproving mind to do those things that are not seemly"
(Rom. 1: 38).
"Ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind, having the
understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that
is in them because of the hardness of their hearts: Who having cast off all feeling gave
themselves up to licentiousness" (Eph. 4: 17-19).
These passages supplement one another. In the first, God gave them up to an
undiscerning mind and the result was that they gave themselves up to all uncleanness
with greediness. The mind cut off from God and the knowledge of Him is death; it is
alienation from the life of God. So Rom. 8: 6, 7 declares that the mind of the flesh is
death and enmity.
We next discover that the nous, when under the dominion of the flesh, can constitute a
serious menace to Christian doctrine and practice:--
"Let no man beguile you of your reward . . . . . vainly puffed up by the mind of his
flesh, and not holding the Head" (Col. 2: 18, 19).
"Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth" (I Tim. 6: 5).
"So do these also resist the truth: men utterly corrupted in mind, reprobate as regards
the faith" (II Tim. 3: 8).
"Even their mind and conscience is defiled . . . . . unto every work reprobate"
(Titus 1: 15, 16).
Here it is evident that the mind is the seat of the trouble. It is useless to attempt to
deal with the members while the main-spring is out of gear. Romans and Ephesians,
which we found to be parallel in describing the evil (Rom. 1: 28 and Eph. 4: 17-19),
are parallel also in their description of the remedy:--
"Be not conformed to this age, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may approve what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God"
(Rom. 12: 2).
Notice, in passing, the recurrence of the word "approve". A glance back to the
references given will show that an unapproving mind is the cause of the mischief; and
here we see the mind being renewed.
A close parallel in Ephesians is found in chapter 4:: "To be renewed in the spirit of
your mind . . . . . which according to God is created in righteousness and holiness of the
truth" (Eph. 4: 23, 24). With this should be read the parallel passage in Col. 3: 10:
"And have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him
that created him."
We have probably all at some time wondered why the test and temptation of Adam
with its awful consequence, should have centred around the question of knowledge.
Does it appear from these passages that the Creator, and Satan in his measure, knew that
the mind was the citadel? If this is taken, the members of the body immediately become