The Christian Mind

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3.1, 2

The Christian Mind
Harry Blamires (1916-)
“[The Christian mind] is supernaturally oriented, and brings to bear upon earthly considerations the fact of Heaven and the fact of Hell…The Christian mind sees human life and human history held in the hands of God. It sees the whole universe sustained by his power and his love. It sees the natural order as dependent upon the supernatural order, time as contained within eternity. It sees this life as an inconclusive experience, preparing us for another; this world as a temporary refuge, not our true and final home.”

Having asserted and illustrated his argument regarding the absence of a Christian mind, Harry Blamires now turns to describe the attributes of such a mind, and the impact Christian thinking can make. He begins where he should, with the proper overall orientation of the mind of Christ. Faith, we recall, is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11.1). If we are not clear about what we hope for, and if we have little or no familiarity with things not seen, how can we know unbending assurance of salvation, or demonstrate the kind of evidence of true and lively faith that turns the world rightside-up for Jesus? How many of us fertilize our Christian minds by setting them on Christ and the landscape of unseen things? How earnestly do we seek those things which are above? We have no prospect for renewing our minds in Christ unless we begin – and continue – here.

In your own life, how do you carry out what Paul commands in this passage? How do you as a pastor encourage and equip your people to live this way?

Recovering Christian communication
Our Mission Partners Outreach program is designed as a life-based training curriculum, to help church members identify and begin working their Personal Mission Fields for the purpose of making disciples and advancing Christ’s Kingdom. I’m looking for some men to lead through this training program, and to help you see how our Missions Partners Outreach programcan help your church overcome its failure to communicate. If you’re interested, drop me a line at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Landscape of Unseen Things
Here are a few places you can begin to improve familiarity with the landscape of unseen things. Download our free 28-day devotional, Glorious Vision: 28 Days in the Throne Room of the Lord, and immerse yourself in Psalm 45 for a month (click here). You can also walk with Scripture and great saints from the period of the Celtic Revival for 28 days in our devotional book, Be Thou My Vision (click here). Finally, the 24 lessons in our workbook, The Landscape of Unseen Things, provide a tour de force of the spiritual realm, and can help you learn to be more at home there (click here).

Does the Lord want to use you to help support The Fellowship of Ailbe? Please look to Him in prayer over this question. You can contribute to The Fellowship of Ailbe by using the Contribute button at our website, or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452. Thank you.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All quotations from The Christian Mind are from Harry Blamires, The Christian Mind (Ann Arbor: Servant Books, 1963, 1978).