Human beings, being made in the image of God, are different from all other animals (Genesis 1:27; see IMAGE). One difference is that indefinable human characteristic called the mind. The mind does not result solely from the fact that a human being has a brain, for other animals also have brains. There is something within humans that enables them to commune with God, to think, to reason and to understand in a way that animals do not. The Bible sometimes calls this the mind, though frequently it calls it the heart (Proverbs 2:2-3; Hebrews 10:16; see HEART). The point that the Bible emphasizes is that because humans have minds they must think and behave differently from the other animals (Psalms 32:8-9; Proverbs 1:2-6; Proverbs 18:15; Matthew 22:37; Philippians 1:9-10; 1 Peter 1:13-15; 2 Peter 2:12-16; see KNOWLEDGE; WISDOM).
Like the rest of human nature, the mind has become corrupted through sin (Romans 1:21; Romans 8:7; 2 Corinthians 3:14; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Colossians 1:21; Ephesians 4:17-18). Therefore, when people repent and believe the gospel, their minds are renewed because of their union with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:5-6; Ephesians 4:22-24). They must then show that this is so. They must develop new attitudes of mind, which will result in new patterns of behaviour (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Philippians 2:5; Philippians 4:8; Colossians 3:2; Colossians 3:10; 1 Peter 4:1).
This use of the mind should be seen not only in the way believers behave, but also in the way they worship and serve God. They must use their minds to pray and sing intelligently (1 Corinthians 14:15; Colossians 3:16; see PRAYER; SINGING), to understand Christian teaching (Proverbs 2:1-5; 1 Corinthians 2:11-13; 2 Timothy 2:7; see INTERPRETATION), to find out God’s will (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 5:17; Colossians 1:9; see GUIDANCE), to preach the gospel effectively (Acts 17:2-4; Acts 19:8-10; see PREACHING), and to teach the Scriptures in a way that builds up the hearers (Colossians 1:28; Titus 1:9; see TEACHER).