In The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (both in narrative form and film), the imagination of the title character is overactive. He uses his imagination to escape his dull life.
In the book especially, Walter escapes into his mind because he lacks the bravery to confront difficulties in his real life. The imagination is an escape instead of a help.
Yet, we also hear about the power of imagination. I think it was Zig Ziglar who said, “If you can dream it, then you can achieve it.”
When I played baseball, I remember going through mental exercises, envisioning myself stopping a ground ball, throwing it to first, and getting the batter out.
Or envisioning myself hitting the baseball. Studies have shown that playing out scenarios in our minds before they happen — using the imagination — is a powerful tool for success.
Which is it? Are our imaginations a good thing or a bad thing?
If you read in the King James Version of the Bible, a verse like 2 Corinthians 10:5 might come to mind. Here, the Apostle Paul refers to “casting down imaginations.”
“Imaginations” is clearly in the negative. What does he mean? Does this mean imagination is a bad thing? Are there other ways to understand this verse? We will explore those questions today.
The Context of 2 Corinthians 10:5
Before we unlock the meaning of 2 Corinthians 10:5, it's crucial to understand its context within the broader letter. Paul wrote this letter to a struggling church. Especially in 2 Corinthians, they were wrestling with Paul’s apostolic authority.
A faction had wormed its way into the church and created an unfavorable opinion of Paul. Normally, the apostle wouldn’t care about what people thought of him, but in this instance, it was calling into question the gospel that Paul preached.
Therefore, he wrote this letter to defend his apostolic authority and address the issues present within the Corinthian church. As he does this, he underscores the importance of genuine Christian living.
Part of his task will be confronting false teachers who sought to undermine his credibility and distort the message of Christ. Amid this backdrop of tension and conflict, we find 2 Corinthians 10:5:
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5, NIV).
Or in the KJV:
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
The context, then, of this verse is a defense of the gospel, which Paul proclaimed over against the false teachers seeking to destroy his ministry and his message. Understanding this gives us a better grasp of what Paul means by “casting down imaginations.”
What Does it Mean to ‘Cast Down Imaginations’?
Now that we have a sense of the context, let's dissect the verse itself. The phrase "casting down imaginations" originates from the Greek word "logismos," which can be translated as "arguments" or "reasonings."
Paul is urging believers to confront and dismantle every argument or thought pattern that opposes the knowledge of God.
Paul is speaking here of a battle. It is active war. He is laying siege against any theology which pits itself against the gospel of Christ.
The “imaginations,” then, doesn’t have to do with what we might normally think of as daydreaming about going to Disneyland. It is fallen human thought that has shut itself off from the ways of God.
Particularly in 2 Corinthians 10, it is an argument that comes from a theology of glory. What is meant by that is further outlined in 2 Corinthians 11 when Paul engages in a bit of “foolish” boasting. In 2 Corinthians 11:16-21, he speaks tongue in cheek:
I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool. Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast. You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that!
Paul is leading them to see the human weakness that is connected to the gospel and gospel proclamation. These “strongholds” are cast down not by human power and authority but by the very weakness that is shown through the cross of Jesus.
The “imaginations” is the very idea of humanity that we can accomplish what we want by our own willpower.
Paul, then, takes on the thinking of a fool in order to demonstrate its emptiness. His boasting in 11:21-29 is in all of his beatings and the things which the powerful would deem to be the weak things of the world.
As he almost comes to a conclusion in 11:30 he says, “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.”
His real conclusion is in 12:10, “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Do you want to know how to cast down imaginations? It’s through our weakness. When we take every thought captive what we are doing is proclaiming the gospel to ourselves. The gospel says that humanity is finite and sinful.
We cannot do what it takes to gain the rest, rule, and relationship that we were created for and of which our hearts desire. But Jesus Christ can, and does, on our behalf. That precious message is what will cast down any stronghold.
How Do We Apply This Today?
That is what this verse meant, then, for the original audience. How do we apply this for us today? There are a few readily available application points here.
First, it's fitting for us to have some self-awareness. That was one of the principal faults of the Corinthians. They weren’t examining their thoughts, motives, and attitudes.
Proclaiming the gospel to ourselves is effective when we are also self-aware. When we are honest enough to bring our faults and our foibles to the living God, as well as the depths of wickedness that may reside in our hearts.
We also apply this passage by learning to filter our thoughts. We cast down all of the self-exalting and God-diminishing thoughts. That doesn’t mean that we beat ourselves up and take a supremely negative view of ourselves.
Humility isn’t viewing yourself as the scum of the earth as much as it is viewing yourself accurately through the lens of Christ. We apply a filter, like Philippians 4:8, in our life in order to obey 2 Corinthians 10:5.
We can also apply this verse by learning to resist cultural influences. While some might read that and think it means to avoid smoking, drinking, and cursing (and it very well might), what we really mean is avoiding a worldview that sets up the self at the center. This can manifest itself in greed, pornography, and even abusive religiosity.
When we equip ourselves with the knowledge of Scripture, and the gospel soaks through the pores of our being, we begin to align with the way in which God created the world. We rightly assess ourselves, and we respond to others appropriately.
Lastly, we apply this verse by practicing obedience. Obedience to Christ involves aligning your thoughts, words, and actions with His teachings. When you take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ, you are living out your faith in practical ways.
But that also means that we apply the gospel to our lives as well. When we stumble and fall, we remind ourselves of what union with Christ means. Rather than attempting to imagine that we can self-atone, we cast down that foolish thought and flee to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5 calls us to engage in a spiritual battle for the sanctity of our minds. By demolishing arguments and taking captive every thought, we actively participate in defending the knowledge of God and ensuring our thoughts align with His truth.
There are many voices and ideologies today claiming for our hearts. At the core of each one will have man at the center.
The call to “cast down imaginations” is a call to demolish the Tower of Babel that we set up in our hearts and drink in from the world around us. And as we “cast down imaginations” we embrace the precious gospel of Jesus.
For further reading:
How Do We Take Our Thoughts Captive?
5 Creative Ways to Take Our Thoughts Captive
What Does the Bible Warn about False Prophets?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/xxmmxx
Mike Leake is husband to Nikki and father to Isaiah and Hannah. He is also the lead pastor at Calvary of Neosho, MO. Mike is the author of Torn to Heal and Jesus Is All You Need. His writing home is http://mikeleake.net and you can connect with him on Twitter @mikeleake. Mike has a new writing project at Proverbs4Today.
