The Mature Mind (6)

Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.

1 Corinthians 14.20

Having and using
It turns out, there is a place for thinking like children in the Kingdom of God, even in the minds of those who are maturing into the mind of Christ.

Those who believe in Jesus Christ have the mind of Christ. But having the mind of Christ and using the mind of Christ are two different things. If we have the mind of Christ, but choose not to use it, what can we expect? We can expect that, in all our thinking – all our analyzing of situations, making plans, arranging our thoughts, comparing choices, determining courses of action – all our intellectual and mental activities – we will be operating, to one degree or another, with the mind of the flesh.

Now we know a few things about how the mind works that operates in the flesh, that is, according to my best thoughts and interests about anything, or whatever I perceive the spirit of the age will abide. Paul says, in Romans 8.7, “the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God.” Whoa! That can’t be a good thing, can it? If I’m not using Christ’s mind to guide my thinking, I’m using my mind, which is only a variation on the carnal mind or the mind of the flesh, to a greater or lesser extent. Consequently, the outcomes which issue from my thinking are not likely to be those that honor Christ, benefit others, and advance the Kingdom of God. They will, instead, be outcomes that are only one degree or another of evil!

They’ll be more the kind of outcomes characteristic of children who just don’t know how to act responsibly or stay out of trouble.

Overcoming evil
But still, there is a place for thinking like children. Paul tells us to be mature in our thinking and infants with respect to malice, or evil. Just as infants, given their limited experience and intellectual abilities, cannot think things through to generate mature outcomes, so those who are infants in their thinking, rather than mature in their thinking, can count on the fact that the outcomes of their thoughts and plans will tend more toward the evil end of the spectrum than the good. At the same time, infants don’t generally understand all the parameters of right and wrong, good and evil, true and false. They lack experience with evil and don’t think about whether evil is evil as such. So we cut them some slack, and bear with them in their ignorance of such matters. 

So the more we are like infants respecting malice, evil, falsehood, and wickedness, the more we’ll be able to devote our minds to seeking “whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report” and whatever is virtuous and praiseworthy (Phil. 4.8). It’s that simple. The mature mind turns a blind eye and deaf ear to evil, as it seeks to maximize Kingdom outcomes in all its thinking.

Or, as Paul put it in Romans 12.21: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Maximizing and minimizing
So the mature mind will focus on Kingdom outcomes; at the same time, it will both understand the potential for evil in any situation, and think carefully and clearly about how to minimize any evil outcomes. It’s like Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 14.23, 24: Here’s the situation. If you insist on continuing in this one particular course of behavior, you’re gonna make outsiders think you’re nuts, and they’re not gonna have anything to do with you. On the other hand, if you choose this other course of action, what Christ Himself might do, you may see some of those outsiders be drawn closer to God. So we must learn to think and plan to maximize Kingdom outcomes, and think and plan for how to minimize evil outcomes.

This is the way a mature mind works. One can be a good deal more effective in thinking this way if he considers the needs of others carefully, pays attention to the way people respond or things tend to work out in various situations, consults the Scriptures and wise counselors on matters, and then acts in ways that preclude, to the best of one’s ability, any evil outcomes from showing up.

Which is just another way of saying that the person who has a mature mind carefully weighs and considers the choices, courses of action, and possible outcomes of any contemplated action, and plans carefully and works diligently to overcome any potential evil with whatever good he can do. It’s not enough merely to engage our minds toward the good outcomes we seek; we must be aware of the ways evil might try to crash our party, and we must thoughtfully consider how to recognize and overcome it when it does (1 Pet. 5.8, 9).

Just as Jesus, at the very beginning of His public ministry, bound the devil and negated his ability to impede the Lord’s redemptive work (Matt. 12.22-29, cf. Matt. 4.1-11), so we need to think and plan carefully, to overcome evil with good works of the Kingdom of God.

For reflection
1.  Meditate on Romans 7.7. What role should the Law of God play in helping us to understand evil? How can it play that role in our lives (Rom. 3.31; Ps. 1)?

2.  What’s involved in being aware of the presence and possibility of evil? How should a mature mind resist temptation and overcome evil with good?

3.  Meditate on Ephesians 5.15-17. If we don’t make the most of our time for good, what is likely to happen to it? Why does this make it important that we continue pressing on toward maturity in our thinking?

Next steps – Preparation: Meditate on Proverbs 1.17. Apply this to the day ahead. What can you do right now to prepare to overcome evil with good?

T. M. Moore

This is part 2 of a multi-part series on the Christian mind. To download this week’s study as a free PDF, click here.

How’s your Christian worldview? Are you stretching your mind to think about life and the world as Jesus does? Our free online course, One in Twelve: Introduction to Christian Worldview, can provide the categories, terms, and framework for you to begin nurturing a more expansive Christian mind. For more information and to register, click here.

The mind of Christ is set for the Kingdom of God. Is yours? Our book, The Kingdom Turn, provides a concise and practical overview of what it means to live for Christ from within the framework of His Kingdom. Order your copy by clicking 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.