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Do You Have the Mind of Christ?
“Have you the mind of Christ?”
Do I see the beauty of a holy life as Jesus saw it? Do I
see lost people through His eyes? Do I understand the eternal purpose of God
with the same conviction that Jesus had?
The apostle Paul said, “We have the mind of Christ” (I
Corinthians 2:16). What are the implications of having that mind?
In contrast to the pagan false “wisdom” Paul sets forth the
wisdom from God, “That is found in the righteousness and sanctification and
wisdom of God in Christ. God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame
the wise.” Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
In God’s magnificent wisdom, He has been “well-pleased
through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe,” and
the message preached is “Christ crucified.”
The unregenerate, sensual person who lives his life as if
there is nothing beyond the physical “does not accept the things of the Spirit
of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them because
they are spiritually appraised” (I Cor. 2:14).
In contrast Paul says the believer in Christ has “received”
not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know
the things freely give to us by God” (v. 12).
We have the mind of Christ because we have the Holy Spirit
indwelling us. Therefore, since we are new creatures in Christ, our habit of
mental activity needs to be like that of Christ.
The apostle Paul uses the word “mind” signifying the
exercise of the mind, including our emotional and spiritual responses creating
activity. It refers to understanding, intelligence, and mental presence. It is
the whole knowledge of Christ including emotions and volitions based on thought.
Perhaps John 17 reveals the mind of Christ in its rare beauty. “Jesus spoke
these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, ‘Father, the hour has
come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him
authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give
eternal life’” (John 17:1-2). That is the passion of God incarnate.
He came to reveal the Father and give eternal life to all who will believe on
Him. In the mind of Christ, we understand the cross. Only then will the
passion our preaching be “Christ crucified.” "For I determined to know nothing
among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2).
The mind of Christ is revealed in the cross. In the mind of Christ we see
“the beauty of holiness.” Christ came to reveal the holiness of the Father and
the sinfulness of sin. The cross of Jesus exposes our sins, and we stand
condemned before a righteous God. The cross reveals the mind of our Savior who
knew no sin and became so identified with us that He gave Himself as the
substitutionary sacrifice on our behalf. The mind of Christ reveals an attitude
of self-emptying and humility so profound that He would empty Himself “taking
the form of a bond-servant and being made in the likeness of men” and give
Himself a ransom for sin. "Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled
Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross"
(Philippians 2:8).
Jesus saw everything in perpetual relationship to His Father. He saw the
whole universe related to the Father and for that reason He gave His life in
obedience to Him. The master passion of Christ Jesus was to glorify His
Father in saving sinful man.
“We have the mind of Christ” when we see the Father in all of His holiness.
“We have the mind of Christ” when we sin as it breaks the heart of a holy and
righteous God. We have the mind of the Savior when we understand the penalty
for sin must be paid in full by a divine, sinless substitute. “We have the mind
of Christ” when we feel the passion of His soul in submission to the will of
God, even unto death.
If I have the mind of Christ, I can see the infinite beauty of holiness as He
saw it when He clothed me in the robes of His perfect righteousness. "He made
Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Do I have that same passion to see lost people as He saw them? If I have the
mind of Christ, I will pour out my life in obedient sacrifice and believe and
trust in Him.
Hear my prayer, oh God. I give my mind to you; let me think the way Christ
thinks. Help me make the choices the way You would choose. I want to do what
You would do and feel as you feel. Help me to obey You—even unto death!
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
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