God and Reason (15)
For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2.16
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus… Philippians 2.5
We have the mind of Christ?
To think like Jesus is to practice sound reason. We who have the mind of Christ should expect, as we increase in Christlikeness, to increase in our ability to think like Jesus and, thus, to use reason as God intended.
But what does thinking with the mind of Christ look like? Within what kind of framework does Christian reasoning unfold? We must look to Jesus and the apostles to answer these questions.
Paul tells us in Philippians 2.5ff: The mind of Christ is, first, engaged with and submissive to the mind and will of the Father, which is revealed in His Word and works.
Second, the mind of Christ focuses on the coming of His Kingdom. The Son of God knew, as He submitted to the will of the Father, what this would eventuate in over time, namely, His receiving a Kingdom and glory, and being exalted as Lord and King over all things. We have been called to the Kingdom and glory of God, and we must allow this calling to shape our thinking and reasoning.
Third, the mind of Christ is humble, condescending to meet people at the point of their need and to do whatever is necessary to reach them with the grace and truth of God.
Thus, fourth, the mind of Christ is self-denying, willing to undertake deprivation, suffering, and even death to make the way for others to be reconciled to God the Father.
Fifth, the mind of Christ sets aside all self-interest and focuses on the will and glory of God, for it knows that in His will and glory, we find our fullest satisfaction and greatest delight.
Sixth, the mind of Christ is devoted to His appointed work, to do the work God appointed for Him for the redemption of His people and the restoration of the world.
We are to be so minded at all times, in every situation, so that the mind of Christ may guide our reasoning, rule our hearts, and give shape to our words and deeds.
But how shall we arrive at such a mindset and such Christlike reasoning powers?
Pray like Jesus
We’ll need the Lord’s help here, and a very good place to begin is in praying the Psalms. The Psalms give us the clearest picture of the mind of God: His praise and glory, purposes and plan, power and Presence. By using the Psalms in our prayers, we shape our mind to be more like the mind of God, so that we will think and reason more with the mind of Christ.
We know this is so because Jesus prayed the Psalms, and He was especially diligent in praying them during His time of greatest trial, as He hanged on the cross. We see Him praying portions of Psalm 22 and 31, and it is likely that Psalm 22.21-31 was the joy that Jesus saw from the cross—the coming of His Kingdom for the praise and glory of God—that gave Him the strength to endure (Heb. 12.1, 2).
Since Jesus turned to the Psalms in His time of greatest trial, it is reasonable to suppose that He used them—and all of God’s Word—to guide and comprise His prayers at other times as well. Praying the Psalms enables us to join our minds with Jesus when we pray and thus to think in prayer with the mind of Christ. When we consider how many topics are covered in the Psalms, and how they are all related to the worship of the one true God, it’s not hard to see that if we trained our minds to think within the framework of the Psalms, we would surely be using our reason in the way God intends.
Think like the apostles
In the writings of the apostles, no book of the Old Testament is cited, quoted, or alluded to more than the Psalms. Clearly, the thoughts and reasoning of the apostles were shaped by the teaching and priorities of the Psalms, and, doubtless, by their using the Psalms in their prayers.
Praying the Psalms can help us think and reason more like the apostles. And this is true of the entirety of the Old Testament as well. These days, the Old Testament is not given the kind of prominence in preaching and teaching that it deserves. We must not ignore or neglect the Old Testament in our reading and study of God’s Word, because neither Jesus nor the apostles did. Their teaching is rife with references and allusions to the books of the Old Testament, and it is manifestly clear that the Old Testament shaped their ability to think and reason with the mind of Christ.
Let us apply ourselves diligently to these valuable resources. We want to see our world as Jesus does, to think about our lives and callings as He intends, and to do all that we do in a manner that glorifies Him and brings His grace to our neighbors. Praying the Psalms and reading consistently in the Old Testament can, over time, have powerful effects on how we think about life and reason our way through the challenges we face each day.
For reflection
1. How do you practice thinking with the mind of Christ?
2. Why should we expect that praying the Psalms and reading the Old Testament can shape our ability to reason with the mind of Christ?
3. Do you have a favorite Psalm? Start by praying that Psalm for a few days. Then branch out to other Psalms from there.
Next steps—Transformation: Make sure you have a plan or schedule for reading the entire Old Testament. And begin praying the Psalms right away.
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
If you need some help praying the Psalms, order a copy of our book, Praying with the Psalms, from The Ailbe Bookstore.
This week: Our Read Moore podcast continues readings from the book, The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart. In our Crosfigellteaching letter, we are studying examples of the spiritual poetry of the Celtic Revival. And in the daily Scriptorium column we are working our way through the Gospel of Matthew. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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