Ezekiel Kimosop Supporter

What does it mean to have the mind of Christ?
The context of this question lies in 2 Cor. 2:10-16 where Paul was proclaiming that believers have the mind of Christ. Unlike the carnal minded man, those who are truly in Christ can, by His Spirit, perceive the spiritual things of God. This is evidence that our communion with Christ through the Holy Spirit is anchored in our covenant relationship with God.

In answering this question, I wish to relate it to Paul's use of the same phrase in Philippians 2:5 which says "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."

To have the mind of Christ in this context is to be willing to suffer for the good of others under sacrificial love. 

Paul was calling on believers to consider the interest of others. He demonstrated that Jesus did not consider equality with God something to grasp. He chose to forfeit His divine glory and heavenly privileges and took on human form and accepted to suffer even to the point of death. In so doing, Jesus accomplished God's purposes and was reinstated to His position of glory. (Philippians 2:8-10). 

There is no greater sacrifice than what Christ paid for our redemption and there can be no greater expression of love than his dying on the cross for condemned sinners. 

In this context, the Bible calls on us to count the cost of our calling by willing to suffer to advance God's purposes on earth. Notice that God was exhorting the Philippians on being mindful of others and the need to consider others better than ourselves (Philippians 2:1-4). He used the example of Christ to drive his point home. 

Matthew 5:13-14 teaches that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. These imageries underscore moral responsibility for covenant living that will attract and transform the lives of others. We must rise above lethargy and procrastination to practical living that demonstrates that we have been transformed by Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17-18). This is only possible if we totally yield to the admonition of Scripture and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus sacrificed his life to free us from sin and death. We should take the message of his love to the lost and dying so that they too may share in Christ's redeeming grace. This will cost us our time and resources. Are we willing to suffer for Christ's cause? 

For millions of believers through the church ages, it cost them great deprivation, disease, and even death when they chose to respond to the Macedonian call. I am reminded of great missionaries such as David Livingstone and Cameron Scott who died in Africa while seeking to turn the continent to Christ in the late 1800s. Their efforts were not in vain because millions of Africans have come to Christ over the two centuries courtesy of the foundations they laid. There are many other heroes of faith who suffered to lead thousands and millions to saving faith. These heroes had the mind of Christ.

Apostle Paul himself sacrificed personal liberties to serve God. He chose a life of celibacy even though he was entitled to marry. He suffered gruesome perils such hunger, shipwrecks, beatings, imprisonments, and persecutions by false teachers (2 Cor. 11:22-30). When he was finally imprisoned in Rome, he faced martyrdom in confidence after serving gallantly as a great missionary to Achaia, Macedonia, and Asia Minor. He too had the mind of Christ. He declares in 2 Timothy 4:7-8 that he had finished the race and kept the faith. 

If ever we seek the mind of Christ, we should ask ourselves what legacy we shall leave and what impact we shall have exerted on the lives of those whom God has placed in our charge, those within our sphere of influence, whose lives cry for our attention and decisive action. 

This is the mind of Christ.

April 07 2015 • 2 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jeffrey Johnson Supporter

What did Paul mean when he said that we have the mind of Christ?

1 Corinthians 2:16: "For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."

To put on the new personality, we need to "have the mind of Christ." In other words, we must learn how Jesus thinks and then imitate him. Jesus displays the fruitage of God's Spirit perfectly. Like a flawless mirror, he reflects his Father's qualities just as they are. (Heb. 1:3) The more we think like Jesus, the more we will act like him and the more successful we will be in reflecting his personality.​—Phil. 2:5.

Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 2:16—"we have the mind of Christ"—means that believers, through the Holy Spirit, share in Christ's way of seeing, discerning, and valuing reality. It does not mean possessing Christ's omniscience; rather, it means receiving His perspective through the Spirit's illumination. 

Paul contrasts two ways of understanding: human wisdom, which relies on natural reasoning, and spiritual wisdom, which comes from the Spirit. The natural mind cannot grasp God's truth, but the Spirit enables believers to perceive what God has revealed. This is why Paul says Christians "participate in the very way Christ thinks, feels, and chooses." 

By quoting Isaiah 40:13, Paul shows that no human can comprehend God's mind on their own. Yet, through union with Christ and the Spirit's indwelling, believers receive access to God's revealed thoughts. This is a shared, communal reality—Paul's "we" refers to the whole body of believers, not a spiritual elite. 

The "mind of Christ" refers to a renewed faculty of perception and moral judgment (nous). Believers can evaluate life according to Christ's values rather than the world's standards. This includes recognising the wisdom of the cross, discerning spiritual truth, and aligning decisions with Christ's priorities. 

Paul's point is that the Spirit gives believers the ability to understand God's revealed will. The Spirit guided the apostles themselves, and the same Spirit now works in all who belong to Christ, granting insight into divine truth. 

In other words:

To have the mind of Christ is to share His perspective through the Spirit—seeing with spiritual discernment, valuing what He values, and understanding God's revealed truth in a way the natural mind cannot.

Lessons for Christians today

The lesson for Christians is that spiritual understanding comes from the Holy Spirit, not human reasoning. Believers are called to think with Christ's values—seeing life through His truth rather than the world's standards. 

This means evaluating choices, motives, and desires by what honours God. It encourages humility, because insight is received, not achieved. It also calls for discernment, rejecting ideas that conflict with Christ's character. Having the mind of Christ means letting His Word shape judgment, letting His Spirit guide decisions, and allowing His example to govern attitudes. It is a daily commitment to think in a way that reflects Him.

3 days ago • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report