On Spiritual-mindedness, as promised

John Owen commonly takes the words of God and applies them to their fullest. His text is from Romans 8: The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. This is NIV, and the verse seems to imply a passive state, as if I are minds were controlled by some sort of super-entity that fed us thoughts and programmed our actions.

In Owen's own translation, the verse is "To be Spiritually-minded is life and peace." This captures the fullness of it a bit better, as it is both passive and active. This is pattern that we see in many verses in the Bible, of our fullest efforts joined unto the enlivening actions of God. Thus, "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to act and to will according to his good purpose." This is not a synergism, for all action in us is ultimately through the grace that is in us. But the Spirit works through the means we supply to him. Owen's thoughts are often filtered through Hebrews, the way Luther's are generally filtered through Romans. They arrive in the same place, but with a different emphasis, appropriate for their day.

The verse states simply that the mind which is controlled by the Spirit is full of life and peace. Peace is the satisfaction in the believer's condition. Life is the power of spiritual activity.

Owen therefore states that there is a connection between being "Spiritually minded," or engaged in the thoughts and affections towards spiritual things, and one's growth in grace and intimacy with God. Also, the security of one's condition (whether you are one of the elect) is revealed through being spiritually minded.

He is basically saying that if you are not doing all you can with the means you have to engage your mind with God at all times, you shouldn't expect to have your intimacy with Jesus grow.

Kind of an intense statement, honestly, once you put it into modern language.