Reflection on Rom 8:6
“For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
Where does the inspiration for the thinking of the flesh come from? Above all, it comes from the poisoned root – the source of evil within us – and from the spirit of this world, which is hostile to God. Today, public opinion is often treated as the norm, even though it does not respect God’s laws, fails to acknowledge God, and takes no account of death, God’s judgment, or eternity – not to mention eternal punishment or eternal reward. Yet not everything in the world is evil. There are many neutral things, ideas, and truths that are naturally good. The problem is that they are ultimately directed toward a goal that contradicts the path that leads to eternal life. At stake is the question of truth and falsehood, good and evil, virtue and enslaving dependence, as well as our relationship with ourselves, with other people, and with God. The spirit of the world, together with egoism, uses others for its own so-called good – or rather, for sin – and falsely calls this love. It often refuses to accept objective truth, treating half-truths or even lies as truth. The spirit of the world forms a unity with the poisoned source of evil within us and with the spirit of lies and death, who is the devil. From this poisoned root, sooner or later, death will ultimately emerge.
The Word of God speaks clearly: “To be carnally minded is death.” But let us be careful: this means not only temporal death, but eternal death as well – and that is a serious matter. Today, one of the things that greatly contributes to the development of this carnal way of thinking – that is, godlessness and a preoccupation with the ego and its self-exaltation – is the smartphone. It constantly pours out a stream of empty information, presented in such an engaging way that it steals people’s time and attention. Many are no longer able even to stop for a moment and lift their minds to God. They are unable to speak with God about the problems and concerns that each ordinary day brings.
More than half a century ago, television entered people’s lives. Yet it does not proclaim the Word of God, nor does it offer films that would psychologically encourage people to reflect on questions of good and evil, life and death. Perhaps the only notable exception was, some 40 years ago, films that still addressed this issue. Today, films are permeated by occultism, immorality, and cynicism. Computer games for children, whether on the internet or on smartphones, often have the same character. There are even instructions for suicide and for all kinds of perversions – information that can itself be deeply harmful simply by being encountered. If people today shape their thinking through these new media, they will find it difficult to pray, and their faith – if they do not lose it entirely – will be dead, not alive, for the mind of the flesh leads to death.
To set the mind on the Spirit, we must draw light and strength from prayer, from reading Sacred Scripture, and from the lives of the saints and truly good and sound spiritual books – not from heretical books. Today, books promoting a false spirituality are widely available, including esotericism, occultism, and similar practices. We must remain vigilant and humble. We must learn to accept correction when we begin to stray, even slightly, from the path of truth, and not take offence when someone admonishes us and points out how we have opened ourselves to the spirit of the world. There is an old saying: “Tell me what books you read, and I will tell you who you are.”
The Word of God warns us that the mind of the flesh brings death, while the mind of the Spirit brings life. This is a profound truth.
We need to realize again that setting our minds on the things of the Spirit and living according to the Spirit is connected with the law of the Spirit. And the law of the Spirit is essentially connected with Jesus; it is in Him. Those who are in Christ are spiritually rather than carnally minded – that means, they do not set their minds on themselves but on Jesus. Their focus is not on their self-fulfilment through vanity and sin, or on their ego, but on true good – spiritual good. However, they need not care about obtaining it. Our main concern must be to have a true relationship to Jesus. Without true love to God we will have true love neither of ourselves nor of our neighbour. And to love God, I need to be aware of what God has done for me. He created me out of love and prepared eternal life for me. He gave His Son for me who paid for my sins. He is not a distant God somewhere far away in heaven. He penetrates my whole life. He sees me, knows me and loves me, and every day I can communicate with Him and give Him my problems. This way of thinking according to the Spirit brings life and gives peace to the soul.
Download: Reflection on Rom 8:6
