Romans 2:14-15 “for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, (15) who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.”
We have established thus far that when God writes His laws into our hearts, that He at the same time also gives our spirits understanding of His word. So when does God do that? In the above quoted passage of scripture the apostle Paul gives us an indication of when that happens, for in this passage he speaks about gentile believers not having the law and yet knowing what the law says. Paul goes on to explain to us that the reason that gentile believers know what God’s word declares, is because His law has been written in their hearts i.e. their spirits. And so we see from this passage that the spirit of the believer is able to give the believer guidance in the affairs of life the moment they are born-again, thus indicating very clearly to us that God gives our spirits full understanding of His word at the new birth. This same passage once again confirms the truth to us that the born-again spirit has full knowledge of all of God’s word, for as we can see from this passage there is no area of life that the believer encounters where their spirits are unable to give them guidance according to God’s word. As an aside we need to understand that in this area, God treats our minds differently to our spirits, for although we receive new spirits we do not receive new minds at the new birth. And so because we do not receive new minds when we are born-again, God admonishes the believer to renew their minds to His word (Romans 12:2). When God instructs the believer to renew their minds He places the onus on the saint to accomplish that. And so although, as we have seen in an earlier passage, God also writes His laws in our minds, He only does that as the believer is diligent in renewing their minds to His word. And so unlike the spirit of the believer which receives full knowledge and understanding of God’s word at the new birth, God imparts knowledge and understanding of His word to the mind of the believer over time. And so it is almost as if in this life, the mind of the believer is continually playing catch up with spirit of the believer in the area of spiritual understanding of God’s word. It is for this reason that the apostle Paul encourages the saints to set their minds on the things of the spirit, because our minds need to gain spiritual understanding in order come into sync with our spirits which already have spiritual understanding (Romans 8:5-6).
Michael E.B. Maher
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