Introduction
In 1 Corinthians 2:14-16, the Bible distinguishes between the mind of the natural man and the mind of the spiritual man.
1 Corinthians 2:14 Now the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged. 15 But he that is spiritual judges all things, and he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
The latter part of verse 16 states, “But we have the mind of Christ,” which signifies that the Lord guides us. Many times, throughout our day, we find it challenging to control our actions, words, and thoughts. Therefore, we should all meditate on how we can have the mind of Christ. The key question we should consider is: how can we know the mind of Christ so that we can confidently say we have the mind of Christ in what we do? In this blog, we examine our Lord Jesus as an example to help us understand the steps necessary to have the mind of Christ in every aspect of our lives.
Doing the Will of the Father is the Mind of Christ
In this section, we highlight two significant aspects about the Lord Jesus: the first pertains to His humanity, and the second to His deity.
The Lord Jesus is both fully human and fully God. While the Lord Jesus was on earth, He was fully human. However, He is also the sinless Son of God. No impure thoughts or negative words were found in Him. He was completely aligned with the will of the Father and the Holy Spirit. As a result, in His humanity, He was perfect in every way, embodying truth and grace, as stated in John 1:14.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Comments John 1:14. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” This portion of the verse clearly tells all humans that the beloved Son of God came down to be born as a human and took the human flesh to be His own; the beloved Son of God has lowered Himself to be a human.
“And we beheld His glory … full of grace and truth.” From the first breath of life that the beloved Son of God has taken on this earth, His glory has shown to all humans: the glory from the Father Himself. The glory from the Father Himself has come down with the beloved Son as well. All humans can see through His grace, and the truth that He is teaching to all humans. All His teachings are the truth of life; every human should take them seriously. The Bible is the Word of life.
Full of grace in this place means that when every human reads the Bible, all can notice the way the beloved Son of God has used His life on earth, teaching and pointing out the way to be saved. All of the teachings the beloved Son of God has given to humans are given according to His own grace to humans, for all can see and worship Him.
Grace (meaning from Webster dictionary): unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification.
The Lord Jesus is both fully human and fully divine. Despite His deity, He was completely submissive to the will of the Father in all things. As stated in John 10:30, He is One with the Father. Additionally, in John 6:38, the Lord Jesus clearly expresses that He came down from heaven to fulfill the will of the Father. And, in John 6:39-40, He reveals the ultimate will of the Father for Him.
John 10:30 I and the Father are One.
Comments John 10:30. All readers must keep this in their hearts: the beloved Son of God and the Father are One. Therefore, because God is One, you cannot worship only One person, but you must worship the God of Three in One.
John 6:38 Because I have come down from heaven, not to do My will, but the will of the One having sent Me.
Comments John 6:38. This verse has been interpreted in many ways by many people; some even say that the beloved Son of God did not want to be sacrificed, but He did it to fulfill the Father’s will. Still, they all forgot that the beloved Son of God does not need to leave His throne; by His own will, He left the throne and came down to earth, and then He obeyed the Father’s will after He was born on earth. He did not fight to live longer on earth, but, with His own will, He took the death on the cross and took the torture by His own creatures that He has created; that is the love of the beloved Son Himself.
39 And this is the will of the One that sent Me, in order that all that He has given Me I should lose none of them but will raise them up in the last day.
Comments John 6:39. “… will raise them up in the last day.” When the judgment day comes, those who are faithful to Him, He Himself will raise them up, and they will be with Him.
40 For this is the will of My Father, in order that everyone beholding the Son, and believing in Him, should have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
Comments John 6:40. “Everyone beholding the Son.” This saying means the same as saying everyone who is faithful to Him.
The will of the Lord Jesus is one with the will of God the Father. The purpose of the Lord Jesus is to give eternal life to all who belong to Him—specifically, those whom the Father has given to Him. So, who are those who belong to Him? They are all who believe that the Lord Jesus is the Son of Man and the Son of God and accept the salvation He provided through His crucifixion on the cross. He was crucified, died on the cross, and shed His precious blood for the sins of the world. After being buried in the tomb, He rose in the flesh from the dead on the third day and ascended in His body to the Father, where He is now seated at the right hand of the Father. Therefore, to have the mind of Christ means to believe in Him by following His teachings and the living examples He provided us in the Bible.
Conclusions
In conclusion, we can draw closer to the mind of Christ “by beholding the Son of God,” primarily through praying, reading, and meditating on the Word of God. These activities help us understand the Lord’s commandments with both our hearts and our minds. Additionally, we should memorize Bible verses so that we can recall them during times of temptation. For a follower of the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, it is essential not only to read and meditate but also to practice all of the teachings of the Lord Jesus. We need to regularly evaluate our thoughts and actions, asking ourselves if they align with what the Lord Jesus would do. For example, when we encounter a worldly music video featuring a contemporary singer, or movies or YouTube videos that depict violence, immorality, or themes of sex and adultery, we should take a moment to pause and reflect. We need to consider whether the Lord Jesus would watch and approve of such content being fed to our minds, and whether engaging with it truly reflects having the mind of Christ.
Meditation Tasks
- As followers of the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, we must hold that the Word of God is holy, true, and precious. We need to uphold the teachings of the Bible and practice them in our lives, as this aligns with the will of the Trinity of God (God the Father, God the Son, Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit). We encourage all readers to reflect on the holiness of the Bible and to consult our article titled “The Writing of Scripture.”
- Each day, we should strive to live a holy life, practice the teachings of the Lord Jesus, and perform good deeds. For more on this topic, please refer to our other blog article titled “What Is Our Religion?”