THE MIND OF CHRIST
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus..." (Philippians 2:5).
There are many battles that we must face
while trying to live our lives for the Lord.
We have an enemy who is intent on drawing us away from our confidence in
Christ, and causing us to trust in our own strength and will. It is not just a matter of overcoming obvious
sin, we must also learn that anything
that emanates from the natural man is tainted by the flesh, and promotes self-interest.
We do possess some natural strength; but
when it comes to spiritual warfare, our greatest natural power is simply
insufficient to win the day. Jesus said,
"...without Me ye can do
nothing." (John 15:5b). Many
Christians still insist on doing much, though, and the result bears no lasting
fruit. In Christ, however, we find that
we are more than conquerors, and as we learn to rely on Him, we find that our
enemy must flee away, and our natural life (the carnal man) can be subdued.
There is a story that was told to me
that illustrates this principle rather well.
A lady I know went to a revival meeting where there was a man who had a
form of mental disability. Several very
good singers shared songs at the beginning of the meeting, but there was no
true worship, or outpouring of the Spirit among the brethren. Then, this man stood up and began to sing, "I'm A Child Of The King," and
the Spirit fell on that assembly, and many wept for joy because of the presence
of God in that place. This man was not a
talented singer. He was simply willing
to be used of God, and God blessed him despite his obvious disability. When we can bring our talents, wisdom,
strength, and all that we have
in the natural, to the foot of the cross, and let it die there, we will
discover a resurrection force that will be greater than anything we have ever
experienced.
The place that most of our trouble begins
is in our mind. It is there that we are
tempted and drawn away by our own lusts.
We have a thought to do something that violates our conscience, and then
we entertain that thought until it becomes irresistible. We then act on it and it becomes a sin. Some thoughts - like anger, pride, or lust -
pass so quickly through our minds, especially if we are accustomed to just giving
vent to our emotions, that it may be hard to discern that the thought ever
stopped off in the mind long enough to be considered right or wrong.
The mind is also the seat of our
self-reliance. It is there that we
reason a thing out, and make decisions based on our intellect, emotions, and strength
of will. To the natural man this seems
normal, but the spiritual man gradually learns that when self is in control,
things just don't prosper. Adam's first
sin was to choose a life apart from God - one that was not reliant on God at
all. By partaking of the forbidden tree,
he and Eve had the power to discern good and evil, and to steer their ship in
the direction that they pleased, away from God's loving care and direction. Their choice did not go so well for them or
for the rest of mankind. Essentially,
Adam and Eve chose death over life.
The secret is to know that there is a tug-of-war
going on between our old nature that ruled us before we came to Christ, and our
new nature in Christ which is created in righteousness and true holiness. Once we received Christ, we became new
creatures with a new outlook on life, and we became alive to the Spirit that
God sent to indwell us. Many things that
held an attraction for us before no longer appeal to us. In fact, some of the things that we found
pleasure in previously now repulse us and things that we had no interest in
before now have become precious. Paul
says, "For they that are after the
flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the
things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually
minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So
then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." (Romans
8:5-8). In light of this, we see that
our fleshly, or carnal, mind is not an innocent thing at all, but an enemy to
the purpose of God!
It is essential, therefore, that we be
spiritually-minded if we are to please God at all. We must quit thinking with our carnal
reasoning, and cease from relying on our natural mind. How is that possible? How can I just turn off the way that I have
been accustomed to thinking all of my life?
The answer is quite simple. "But ye are not in the flesh, but in
the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you." (Romans
8:9). What God asks of us is not
something that we can achieve through our own efforts. It is something that He
has already accomplished for us. As in everything else that we have been
freely given by God, it is a matter of faith.
We are given a promise, and we choose to believe it, or deny it. God says, "Let
this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus...," and we can
either receive it by faith, or reject it.
The key word here is "let."
We must "let" the mind of
Christ be in us, because it is that very thing that He has promised us. Just like redemption, justification, and
sanctification, the mind of Christ is something that we just accept. Besides that, we must feed our minds every
day on the Word of God. “…man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” (Luke
4:4). “So then faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17). “For
the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of
soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not
manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him
with Whom we have to do.” (Hebrews 4:12, 13). “That
ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt
according to the deceitful lusts; and
be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man,
which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” (Ephesians
4:22-24). Our mind is renewed
continually by God’s Word, and our new, spiritual man matures and is
strengthened the more we feed it. It is
through God’s Spirit, and by His Word, that we are changed into His likeness.
God has placed His Holy Spirit in every
believer, and it is His job to speak the mind of God to us. At the same time, our flesh is speaking to
us. It is up to us who we listen
to. This is the spiritual warfare that is
going on in every Christian's life. Paul
tells us, "For though we walk in the
flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through
God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting
down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of
Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Paul was very practical in his teaching. He acknowledges that we are still in the flesh,
but he tells us that we do not want to war
after the flesh. If Satan can get us to
fight in our own strength, he has won.
Our weapons are not carnal, however; they are mighty through God. They are capable of casting down our own
reasoning, and bringing every thought into obedience to Christ. Yes, our salvation is that complete! Our victory is that sure! Scripture tells us that as many as receive
Christ are given power to become the sons of God. Therefore, we can act and think like Christ as we discover that it is in Him that we live, and move,
and have our being. Oh, to live up to
the potential that we have been given as Christians! Oh, to realize and believe that we have been
given the mind of Christ!
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