How Do I Take My Thoughts Captive?

Summary

In this insightful discussion, Pastor John Piper addresses Sara's question about 2 Corinthians 10:5, exploring the meaning of 'taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.' He clarifies that the verse is not a command for individuals but a description of Paul's actions against the proud minds of his opponents. Piper encourages Christians to submit their thoughts to apostolic teaching and seek the Holy Spirit's power to dismantle and rebuild their minds in conformity with Christ.

Takeaways

• 📜 The scripture reference is 2nd Corinthians 10:4-5, which discusses the divine power to destroy strongholds and take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
• 🛡️ Paul's weapons are not of the flesh but have divine power, indicating a spiritual battle against human wisdom and proud opinions.
• 🏰 The text describes a two-step process: first, destroying arguments and proud opinions against God, and second, taking every thought captive to obey Christ.
• 🤔 Sara's question is about applying this scripture to personal obedience to Christ and dealing with incorrect or sinful thoughts.
• 👥 It's clarified that Paul is addressing the minds and thoughts of others, particularly the Corinthians, who are boastful in their philosophical prowess.
• 🔍 The correct application for individuals is to see themselves as part of the group whose thoughts Paul is trying to demolish, not to take their own thoughts captive.
• 🙏 Christians are encouraged to submit their thoughts and ideas to Paul's teaching for scrutiny and to let go of anything that doesn't align with it.
• 🌟 The Holy Spirit's power is essential in the battle against deeply rooted errors of the mind, not just intellectual effort.
• 🕊️ The goal is to have one's mind and thoughts brought into conformity with Christ, aligning with the obedience mentioned in the scripture.
• 💌 The podcast invites listeners to submit questions to Pastor John and mentions the availability of resources like podcasts and a searchable database.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the discussion in the provided transcript?

The main theme of the discussion is the interpretation and application of 2 Corinthians 10:5, which speaks about taking every thought captive to obey Christ.

Who is the speaker in the transcript?

The speaker in the transcript is Pastor John Piper, who is responding to a question from Sara about the meaning of taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

What does Pastor John Piper suggest is the correct way to interpret 2 Corinthians 10:5?

Pastor John Piper suggests that 2 Corinthians 10:5 is not a command for individuals to take their own thoughts captive, but rather a description of what Paul is doing to his opponents by demolishing their proud and arrogant thoughts against God.

How does Pastor John Piper relate the concept of taking captive thoughts to the listener?

Pastor John Piper encourages the listener to submit their thoughts and ideas to the Apostle Paul's teaching for scrutiny and to ask the Holy Spirit to work in their lives to dismantle any thoughts that are out of sync with God's teachings.

What is the role of the Holy Spirit in the process of taking captive thoughts according to Pastor John Piper?

Pastor John Piper emphasizes that the Holy Spirit has a divine power that goes beyond mere human intellect, and believers should expose themselves to this power to have their thoughts and minds conformed to Christ.

What does Pastor John Piper suggest as the first step for a Christian to apply the concept of taking captive thoughts?

The first step Pastor John Piper suggests is for Christians to listen to Paul's teachings and submit all their thoughts and ideas about God and life for scrutiny against the apostolic teaching.

What is the significance of the weapons of warfare mentioned in 2 Corinthians 10:4 according to Pastor John Piper?

The significance of the weapons of warfare mentioned in 2 Corinthians 10:4 is that they have divine power to destroy strongholds of arguments and proud opinions against the knowledge of God, which is not a mere human effort but a divine intervention.

How does Pastor John Piper describe the process of having one's thoughts taken captive?

Pastor John Piper describes the process as a two-step action: first, demolishing arguments and proud opinions against God, and second, taking every thought captive to obey Christ, which involves the believer's submission to the teachings of Paul and the work of the Holy Spirit.

What does Pastor John Piper suggest is the role of the individual in the process of taking captive thoughts?

Pastor John Piper suggests that the individual should actively submit to the teachings of Paul and the work of the Holy Spirit, allowing their thoughts to be dismantled and reformed to align with Christ.

What is the ultimate goal of taking captive thoughts according to the discussion in the transcript?

The ultimate goal of taking captive thoughts, as discussed in the transcript, is to bring one's thoughts into obedience to Christ, resulting in a mind that is conformed to Christ's teachings and will.

Outlines

00:00

📜 Understanding 'Taking Captive Every Thought'

In this segment, Sara poses a question to Pastor John about the interpretation of 2 Corinthians 10:5, which speaks about taking every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ. Pastor John clarifies that the verse is not a command for individuals to take their own thoughts captive, but rather a description of Paul's actions against the proud and arrogant philosophies opposing God. He explains that Paul's use of divine power, not mere human wisdom, is meant to dismantle and capture the minds of those who are boastful in their intellectual prowess. The application for individuals, like Sara, is to submit their thoughts to Paul's teachings and allow the Holy Spirit to work in dismantling any proud or erroneous ideas they may hold about God.

05:03

🙏 Submitting to Divine Power for Spiritual Growth

Pastor John continues by emphasizing the importance of submitting one's thoughts and ideas to the teachings of the Apostle Paul and the scrutiny of God's Word. He shares personal experiences of the painful yet necessary process of having one's intellectual structures dismantled by divine intervention. He encourages believers to not only engage in intellectual study but also to seek the Holy Spirit's power to uproot deeply entrenched errors in their thinking. The goal is to align one's mind with Christ's teachings, fostering a mindset of obedience to Christ. The segment concludes with an invitation for listeners to submit questions to Pastor John and to explore the resources available on the Desiring God website and podcast.

Keywords

💡Captive

In the context of the video, 'captive' refers to the act of taking control over one's thoughts and making them obedient to Christ. This is derived from 2nd Corinthians 10:5, where the idea is to subdue any thought that opposes the knowledge of God. The video discusses how this concept is not about personal self-control but rather about allowing divine power to transform one's thinking.

💡2nd Corinthians 10:5

This is a biblical reference that serves as the central theme of the video. It speaks to the idea of taking every thought captive to obey Christ. The video explores the interpretation of this verse, emphasizing that it is about the Apostle Paul's mission to bring non-believers' thoughts into alignment with Christ, rather than a command for individuals to control their own thoughts.

💡Divine Power

The term 'divine power' is used to describe the supernatural strength that comes from God, which is capable of destroying strongholds of human wisdom and pride. In the video, Pastor John explains that the weapons of Christian warfare are not of the flesh, meaning they are not human or philosophical arguments, but are empowered by God to transform minds.

💡Thoughts

Throughout the video, 'thoughts' are discussed as the battleground for spiritual warfare. The idea is to take every thought captive, meaning to bring all mental activity into submission to Christ. This is not a mere intellectual exercise but involves a transformation of the mind through divine intervention.

💡Christ

Christ is central to the video's message as the one to whom thoughts are to be made obedient. The concept of taking thoughts captive is about aligning one's thinking with Christ's teachings and will, which is seen as the ultimate goal of spiritual growth and maturity.

💡Submission

Submission is a key concept in the video, referring to the act of yielding one's thoughts, ideas, and feelings to the teachings of the Apostle Paul and, by extension, to God. It is portrayed as a necessary step in allowing divine power to dismantle any erroneous or proud thoughts that one might hold.

💡Apostolic Teaching

The video mentions 'Apostolic Teaching' as the standard by which one's thoughts should be measured. It is the teachings of the apostles, particularly Paul, that信徒 should submit their thoughts to, in order to ensure that their thinking aligns with Christian doctrine.

💡Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is discussed as the divine agent that enables the transformation of thoughts. The video encourages believers to open themselves to the Holy Spirit's power, which is necessary for the demolition of deeply rooted errors in one's thinking.

💡Philosophical Prowess

This term refers to the human wisdom or intellectual prowess that the Corinthians were boasting about. In the video, Pastor John contrasts this with divine power, emphasizing that true transformation of thought comes not from human wisdom but from God's intervention.

💡Mind of Christ

The 'mind of Christ' is mentioned as the ideal state of thinking that believers should aspire to. It implies a mindset that is fully aligned with Christ's teachings and values, which is the ultimate goal of taking thoughts captive as discussed in the video.

Highlights

Sara asks Pastor John about the meaning of taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ, referencing 2nd Corinthians 10:5.

Pastor John explains that the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

The text in 2nd Corinthians 10:5 is about demolishing arguments and proud opinions against God, not about taking one's own thoughts captive.

Pastor John clarifies that Paul is not talking about taking his own thoughts captive but those of others who are proud and against God.

The process involves taking captive the defeated thoughts of opponents for them to obey Christ.

Sara's question is recontextualized by Pastor John to apply the verse to oneself by considering one's own thoughts as part of the opponents' minds that need to be taken captive.

Submission of one's thoughts and ideas to Paul's teaching and God's word is the first step in applying this verse.

Pastor John shares his personal experience of weeping over the dismantling of his own thought structures in alignment with Apostolic teaching.

The second step is to ask the Holy Spirit to work within us to dismantle deeply rooted errors of the mind.

Exposing oneself to the power of the Holy Spirit through the words of Apostle Paul is essential for thought transformation.

Pastor John encourages listeners to lay themselves open to the risen Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit for mind and thought renewal.

The podcast provides a platform for submitting questions to Pastor John about perplexing Bible passages.

Desiring God's website and resources are available due to the support of generous financial donors.

The website is continually improved for user-friendliness and intuitive navigation.

Pastor John Piper will discuss why God made humans to seek after the greatest and most permanent joys in a future episode.

Transcripts

[Music]

Sara writes and asked this pastor John

what does it mean to take captive every

thought to make it obedient to Christ

2nd Corinthians 10:5 how can I take this

commandment and apply it to my incorrect

or sinful thoughts that I may obey

Christ and have join him well here's the

text let's read it and and then we'll

see if we can figure this out 2nd

Corinthians 10 and 2 verses 4 and 5 for

the weapons of our warfare are not of

the flesh that is they're not merely

human this is not a mere battle building

one philosopher with some human wisdom

against another philosopher with a human

wisdom but the weapons of our warfare

have divine power to destroy strongholds

and then he defines this powerful

stronghold destroying activity in two

steps verse 5 first we destroy arguments

and every lofty or proud opinion raised

against the knowledge of God and second

we then take every thought captive so

like you you move in a battle and you

destroy the fortress and you take

captives we take every thought captive

to obey Christ

so Sara asks how can she take verse 5

taking every thought captive and apply

it to herself to be more obedient to

Christ in her thought life the first

thing I think that needs to be said that

when we apply this to ourselves we have

to make sure we're in the right place in

the text when when Paul says first he's

destroying arguments and arrogant

opinions against God and second that he

is taking thoughts or Minds captive we

need to realize it's the minds on

thoughts of others he's not talking

about taking his own thoughts captive

it's the thoughts of others I'm I'm

moving

into these rascals in Corinth who are so

boastful in their philosophical prowess

that I am going to demolish them not by

counter philosophy but by divine power

I'm going to show power and there

they're going to collapse in their

thinking and then I'm going to take

their thoughts captive so that they now

obey Christ

so he's the warrior and the enemy is

these people whose minds and arguments

are proud and lifted up against God and

when Paul defeats those minds and

arguments in the power of the Holy

Spirit their thoughts and their minds

are taken captive and they become people

with the mind of Christ or obedient to

Christ so I think Sara might be miss

reading just slightly I'm going to come

around and say she's she's on the right

track but just might be miss reading the

verse when she says how can I take this

command and apply it to my incorrect

sinful thoughts it's it's not a command

it's it's a statement about what Paul is

doing to his opponents he's demolishing

their worldview and then taking their

defeated thoughts captive for Christ so

that they become thinkers rightly

they're obedient in the way they think

about Christ so verse 5 is not a command

to do this ourselves but Sarah's

question is still a very good question

there is a way to apply this to

ourselves we just have to get ourselves

in the right place and the place we

belong in is the group whose opinions

and thoughts Paul is trying to demolish

that's where we belong we destroy

arguments in every lofty opinion raised

against the knowledge of God and we take

every thought captive so when John Piper

reads that or when Sarah reads it I

should say or she should say okay Paul

Here I am do you're demolishing work on

me do your captive taking work on me

destroy in my mind any faults or proud

thoughts that I have about God which

means really two things I think that

Sarah and I anybody else any Christian

should

do 1 we should listen to Paul and submit

all our thoughts and ideas and feelings

about God and a life submit them to

Paul's teaching God's apostle for

scrutiny and and if any thing is out of

sync with Paul's teaching we should let

it be destroyed now I have experienced

this very painfully I mean if you put

your mind and thoughts really at the

disposal of the Apostolic teaching and

say anything in my thinking that needs

to be destroyed destroyed it can utterly

undo you there have been seasons in my

life where I have wept over the

dismantling of what felt like really

important structures in my brain so I

think that's the first thing we do we

listen to Paul we submit everything we

think all of our ideas all our worldview

all our viewpoints to God and we say

Paul let your word dismantle me if

necessary the second thing we should do

is we should ask the Holy Spirit to work

because Paul said we don't we don't

fight with mere human fleshly arguments

our ministry has power so we should

expose ourselves to that power verse 4

says the weapons of our warfare are not

of the flesh but have divine power in

other words he's tearing down arguments

and God belittling ideas but he's not

doing it merely by argument so when I

come to the Bible there's a lot of study

I do and I love to study and I love to

assess arguments and figure them out but

I should also be crying out Oh God

I know that mere intellect will not

dismantle the deeply rooted errors of my

mind so I avail myself I open myself to

the Holy Spirit and I seek your face

Paul said in Romans 1518 for I will not

venture to speak of anything except what

Christ has accomplished through me to

bring the Gentiles to obedience now I

think that's the same obedience as in

2nd Corinthians 10 4 and 5 when he

brings our thoughts into obedience to

Christ and here he says I won't speak of

anything except what Christ has

accomplished so that's what I'm getting

at when I say expose yourself lay

yourself open to the risen Christ by the

power of the Holy Spirit through the

words of the Apostle Paul so that

everything can be dismantled and then

your brain your mind your thoughts can

be taken captive and everything brought

into conformity to Christ excellent

thank you Pastor John and thank you for

the thoughtful question Sara if you have

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thank you well God made you to seek

after the greatest joys imaginable and

to seek after the most permanent

pleasures in the universe have you ever

stopped to wonder why tomorrow Pastor

John Piper will explain I'm your host

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