2 Timothy 1:7 (Phillips)
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love and a sound mind.
A sound mind is sensible, well-balanced, and sober. It is filled with wise discretion and good judgment. These are all characteristics that Jesus exemplified, and they are all found in the Word of God because Jesus is the living Word (John 1:1; Heb. 1:1-3). You have a sound mind because you have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16).
Romans chapter 8 talks about two minds: the mind of the flesh and the mind of the spirit. The mind of the flesh is the mind of the body, and it thinks according to the 5 physical senses. The mind of the spirit is the mind of Christ, and it thinks according to the Word of God. A sound mind thinks according to the Word of God.
Now let’s define a “sound mind” by looking at some additional translations of 2 Timothy 1:7. The NIV and the NLT both use the word “self-discipline” to describe a sound mind. The NCV uses the word “self-control.” Therefore, a sound mind also refers to self-discipline and self-control. A sound mind (in 2 Tim. 1:7) refers to self-discipline and self-control.
Self-discipline and self-control are very similar. According to Solomon (in the Book of Proverbs), a wise life is a disciplined life – a life of self-control (Prov.25:28). Self-control (the 9th fruit of the spirit) is the result of the Holy Spirit’s influence in your life. That is why being filled with the Spirit is contrasted with drunkenness (in Ephesians 5:18) – because drunkenness produces a loss of self-control. Self-control is a characteristic of Jesus that we are to incorporate into our lives as the Holy Spirit transforms us into the image and likeness of Christ. A sound mind (self-discipline and self-control) activates faith.
Let’s talk about self-discipline and self-control as they relate to our pursuit of the Word of God. There’s a mind within a new creation person that thinks according to the Word of God. The mind of Christ is in your re-created spirit. However, that mind has to get into your brain so it can rewire your nervous system, and the only way that can happen is with self-discipline and self-control – self-discipline when it comes to meditating the Word of God, and self-control when it comes to practicing the Word of God.
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