The Mature Mind (3)

Let all things be done for edification. 1 Corinthians 14.26

What was He thinking?
Consider the ways most people we meet throughout the week use their tongues: to inform, impress, instruct, advise, entertain, direct, deceive, criticize, complement, or perhaps correct the people with whom they live, work, and otherwise consort.

Or maybe they use their tongues to justify or explain themselves, or to work out something with someone else. And why do they do the things they do the ways they do – work their jobs, conduct their relationships, manage their activities?

All forms of speech and ways of being-in-the-world require thought. We establish and maintain a particular frame of reference, a peculiar mindset, and we resort to certain ways of thinking about others. This determines how we use our tongues and bodies. The problem Paul was addressing in Corinth was that the believers there were operating with childish rather than mature thinking. They were relating to one another not out of a framework of maturity of mind, but of childish self-interest. He scolded them for their self-centered, factious, and frivolous ways, and called them to “grow up” into the mind of Christ, so that they would think more like Jesus and less like their old selves. 

What was the Son of God thinking when He took upon Himself the form of a servant and came among us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth? In His mind, the whole redemption project was in view, including the salvation of His people, their being built together into the Church and advancing His Kingdom, His preparing an eternal dwelling for them, their being secure with Him forever in the New Heavens and New Earth, and God being glorified in everything. He was thinking all this, all the time. This was the framework within which He came among us and spoke and lived and died as He did.

Everything Jesus did on earth, all His works and words, were focused on gathering, assembling, saving, and edifying His people and, through them, restoring the reconciled world to His Father. If we want to have the mind of Christ, having emptied ourselves of self-interest for the sake of caring for others, we’ll need to think about others as Jesus did, and to learn what is necessary for edifying others.

Three things
This involves three things.

First, we need to know what edifying others means. What does someone look like who is being edified in the ways Paul had in mind? Is a person edified simply by letting him do or say or have whatever he wants? Is he edified by being lied to about how others view him? Is a person edified by always getting his way? Or by getting away with trampling on others? What does someone who is being edified look like exactly?

Mere human standards of maturity and edification won’t help us here. We need to understand God’s view of what this work involves. What does God consider the ideal edified person?

In God’s view being edified means becoming more like Jesus (2 Cor. 3.12-18; 1 Cor. 11.1; 1 Jn. 2.1-6). Jesus Himself said, “Follow Me.” God’s plan for people is to become more like Jesus. So we need to make sure we know Jesus well enough to understand what that means. We who have the mind of Christ are called to make disciples (Matt. 28.18-20), and disciples are those who take after the one they’re following. Christian disciples will look like Jesus. Jesus intends to fill the world with Himself, and He will do this through the mature thinking and acting of those who know, love, and serve Him with His mind (Eph. 4.8-10), and who work to build others up in His likeness.

Here there is no substitute for regular reading and re-reading of the gospels, meditating deeply on the Man Jesus as we encounter Him there, and contemplating those descriptions of Him, exalted in glory, which we find in the psalms, prophets, and book of Revelation. The more clearly we see Jesus, the more the Spirit within us will transform us into His image. Then we will understand what’s involved in edifying others. The more clearly and consistently we see Jesus, the better we will be able to encourage others to be like Him.

Second, we’ll need to talk with others about that ideal, about being a person like Jesus, and encourage them to desire this for themselves. This shouldn’t be a huge obstacle. After all, there is much to admire in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. If we are faithfully reading about and meditating on Jesus, seeing and desiring Him for Who He is, we will be naturally more inclined to talk with others about Him.

Just as people love to brag about the exploits of their favorite sports hero, or extol the virtues of some respected person they know, we who are growing closer to Jesus and becoming more intimate with Him will want to encourage others to see His beauty and glory as well. Boasting about Jesus will flow like rivers of living water from our knowing Him more personally and more continuously (2 Cor. 10.13-18; Jn. 7.37-39).

Finally, edifying others to be more like Jesus means we will need to challenge people in areas of their lives where they are falling short. Building others up isn’t just a matter of passing out “attaboys” to everyone and his brother. It’s hard work to help someone begin to know Jesus and desire to be like Him. We must know how to teach, coach, correct, and shape others so that their old selves pass away as the new selves of Jesus Christ begin to gain traction in their soul.

And yes, that’s going to take some mature thinking on our part.

But we have the mind of Christ, and as we grow into that mind, and into Christlikeness in all our ways, seeing Jesus and desiring others to be like Him will govern how we relate to them.

Mature thinking seeks edification
Jesus Christ is bent on making others like Him. His mind is devoted to making disciples, and to making Himself the supreme example of beauty, goodness, and truth, even for those who do not believe in Him. He is determined to fill the world with Himself and to enable His people to take all their thoughts captive for Him and His Kingdom.

We are operating out of a mature mind when see Jesus and when seeing Him formed in us and others defines the way we pursue our relationships. The mature mind of Christ seeks maturity in others, that they might think and live like Him. We’ll be thinking with a mature mind when this is our objective as well.

For reflection
1.  Do you agree that Jesus is the standard of goodness and love toward which all people should aspire? Why or why not? Does this mean that everyone will want to become more like Jesus? Explain.

2.  To mature into Jesus, we must see Him more clearly: “Here there is no substitute for regular reading and re-reading of the gospels, meditating deeply on the Man Jesus as we encounter Him there, and contemplating those descriptions of Him, exalted in glory, which we find in the psalms, prophets, and book of Revelation. The more clearly we see Jesus, the more the Spirit within us will transform us into His image. Then we will understand what’s involved in edifying others.” How would you describe the state of such contemplations in your life?

3.  Why doyou  think Christians are so hesitant to talk about Jesus with the people in their Personal Mission Fields?

Next steps – Transformation: What can you do to invest more time and thinking into contemplating Jesus?

T. M. Moore

This might be a good time to review our recent ReVision series, “We Would See Jesus.” You can download the four installments in that series by clicking here.

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).

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