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The Mind of Christ?

We have it, right?

The Mind of Christ (1)

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know
them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2.14-16

Latent capabilities
I’m always delighted to learn something new about computers, especially where the matter of word processing is concerned.

For years, the computer was just a different kind of typewriter for me. The hardest part was getting used to the green letters against a dark background, and remembering that I could go back in a document and edit without having to retype an entire page.

After a while, and several computers later, I began to discover a few more things about the basic functions of this wonderful machine – like copy-and-paste, for example, changing font sizes and styles, undo typing, layout and design, and so forth. Pretty sophisticated stuff, no?

Gradually my computer was becoming much more interesting, and I began to be much more productive with it.

Over the years, friends and colleagues have clued me in to even more functions and capabilities. I’ve learned how to use PowerPoint, can set up and format a book for publication, make a PDF, and I even know how to access my website’s back pages to post something on the site. I have become adept at downloading, uploading, web searching, webinar hosting, and online training – and all through the computer. And I know I haven’t exhausted the possibilities of my current machine.

Probably none of this is a big deal for you, but discovering these latent capabilities, so long in my possession but only gradually understood and put to good use, has been for me a source of real satisfaction and increased productivity.

Something similar this is the case for every believer, for we all possess a power that, for most of us, is but little understood and grossly underused.

We have the mind of Christ!
I’m talking about the mind of Christ. Paul says that everyone who believes in Jesus possesses the mind of Christ. Imagine! The mind of Christ spoke the world into being and upholds it day by day (Jn. 1.1, 2; Heb. 1.3). The mind of Christ saw Nathanael under the fig tree, turned water into wine, healed a servant at a distance, understood every jot and tittle of God’s Word, peers into the heart of every person, and pursues the Kingdom agenda of God. The mind of Christ knows the will of the Father, and how that will is best accomplished to bless His people and glorify Him.

Whereas those who do not know the Lord can’t understand spiritual matters, can’t penetrate the mysteries of divine revelation and so discover the secret workings of the divine economy, this is not true for the followers of Jesus. We have the mind of Christ, and this means that we can understand the world as Jesus did, see God’s glory in the things He has made, plumb the depths of His Word, understand the times and what we must do, and draw on the power of His Spirit for transformed living and for restoring the reconciled world, increasingly day by day.

Doubtless many of us are already engaged in many of these areas; however, possessing the mind of Christ means that exceedingly abundantly more is available to us in terms of power to think God’s thoughts after Him and to understand and live out the privileges and promises of a Biblical worldview (Eph. 3.20).

We have the mind of Christ, and this is a resource for full and abundant life far more complex, promising, and potent than any computer. The mind is the second facet of the soul. It works together with a well-kept heart to strengthen the soul for richer, fuller, and more fruitful living in Christ.

So, where is it?
Nearly 60 years ago Harry Blamires wrote to decry the lack of a Christian mind among the followers of Christ (The Christian Mind). Most Christians in his day lived their faith only within a narrow band of spiritual experience. When it came to thinking like Christ in their day-to-day lives, well, there just wasn’t much evidence of the mind of Christ at work in our secular age.

Thirty years after Harry Blamires wrote, theologian Mark Noll published The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, in which he explained that the scandal of the evangelical mind was that there was no evangelical mind in evidence, speaking to the social and cultural issues of the day. The situation has improved somewhat, but where the mind of Christ is concerned in our world today, Christians are hunting and pecking on a supercomputer, the proportions and potential of which we have scarcely begun to explore.

The mind of Christ is ours to employ and to enjoy. If we can understand the mind of Christ, how it works, what it’s capable of, and how to access and engage it in our everyday lives, we may expect to see the reality of Christ in us, the hope of glory, becoming day by day more manifest and explicit. We may expect to grow stronger in our souls to live for God’s Kingdom and glory as He has called and appointed we should (1 Thess. 2.12).

We have the mind of Christ, and through His mind the realities of the unseen world and the deep truths of God are available to us in ways our unbelieving contemporaries cannot even begin to understand. Growing into the mind of Christ must be the goal of every believer, and is indispensable to a strong soul.

For reflection
1.  What do you understand by “the mind of Christ”? In what sense do you possess this?

2.  Should having the mind of Christ lead Christians to think differently about the world? Explain.

3.  How can we tell when we’re functioning with the mind of Christ and when we’re not?

Next steps – Transformation: Spend some time in silence, waiting on the Lord over the question, “Lord, where do I need to grow in the mind of Chirst?”

T. M. Moore

All the installments in this “Strong Souls” series are available in PDF by clicking here. Check out our newest feature, Readings from the Celtic Revival (click here).

Strong souls feed daily and deeply on the Word of God. Our book, The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart, can help you get more spiritual nourishment out of your time in the Word. Order your free copy by clicking here.

Thanks for your prayers and support
If you find ReVision helpful in your walk with the Lord, please seek the Lord, asking Him whether you should contribute to the support of this ministry with your financial gifts. As the Lord leads, you can use the Contribute button at the website to give with a credit card, or you can send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 360 Zephyr Road, Williston, VT 05495.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
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