The mind of Christ

STUDY PASSAGE 1 CORINTHIANS 2

WOULDN’T it be wonderful to have access to Albert Einstein’s brain? Imagine if his thoughts became your thoughts! It is 57 years since Einstein died and science and technology have come a long way since then. With today’s pool of knowledge and Einstein’s mental dexterity, what could you accomplish if his brain were at your disposal?

The scientific mind might not be your first choice. Perhaps you could make good use of the genius of filmmaker Steven Spielberg or musician Kate Bush. Imagine the journey through the creative process with that kind of barrier-free imagination! If you could link into those minds, what contribution would you make?

As much as we might love to examine the thoughts of these brilliant people, we have access to something far greater. 1 Corinthians 2:16 tells believers that ‘we have the mind of Christ’ (all quotations from New International Version).

This is a remarkable statement! How can a mere human know the thoughts of God?

In verse 6, Paul begins building up to the dramatic declaration of verse 16. The first thing he wants his readers to understand is that God’s wisdom and human wisdom are nothing alike. The world will call the wisdom of God ‘foolishness’ (1 Corinthians 1:21). Paul affirms that human wisdom – the wisdom of this age – is fleeting. Only what is true is eternal, and the wisdom of the age is not truth.

WHAT IS THE WISDOM OF OUR AGE? WHAT THINGS ARE WE TAUGHT BY SOCIETY THAT ARE NOT GODLY, LASTING TRUTHS?
The wisdom of God is the ‘mystery’ of God. That mystery is nothing less than God’s plan to provide salvation through Christ Jesus and includes the crucial fact that ‘we may approach God with freedom and confidence’ (Ephesians 3:12). While vague in the days of the Old Testament, the mystery became much clearer with the coming of Christ. The unbelievers did not understand. They could not comprehend God’s wisdom.

The mystery of salvation continues to unfold. There is a final piece to it. We are already saved from our lonely, wretched state as human beings and can enjoy fellowship with the Holy Spirit even as we walk this earth. We are already welcome to approach God boldly in prayer and worship. We already possess the hope of Heaven. But salvation will be complete when we share in the glory of God with, and through, Christ (Romans 8:17 and 18). That day is yet before us.

WHAT DOES SALVATION BRING TO US, NOW AND IN THE FUTURE? HOW CAN THIS IMPACT THE WAY WE LIVE?
The Holy Spirit of God knows the thoughts of God. This same Spirit is the companion and guide of every believer. Perhaps we have become too accustomed to the truth that the Spirit who dwells within is ‘not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God’ (1 Corinthians 2:12).

It is a spectacular thing to have been given God’s own Spirit. On our own we are flawed and feeble. But we possess the Spirit of God. Ponder the kind of power that comes with that.

The Spirit of God has been given to us so we might understand the wisdom and mystery of God that is ours to claim. Without the Spirit, we would be as the ‘rulers of this age’ (v8), who could not understand. The Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts and minds and teaches us. Most of us cannot access the Queen, yet we have daily access to the God of the Universe, who is our ‘private tutor’. Hallelujah!

This leads us to the glorious conclusion of this chapter: ‘We have the mind of Christ.’ Through the Holy Spirit, believers can actually think as God thinks. We can make appropriate ‘judgments about all things’ (v15) because we can discern what God would have us do. That is not to say we are never wrong! Sometimes we allow our own voices to crowd out God’s voice. But with the Holy Spirit living with us, we can know the mind of Christ.

Are we mindful of the thoughts of God? Do we allow his wisdom to control our lives?

FOR REFLECTION
Consider the questions in the first two paragraphs in relation to knowing the mind of Christ.

• Captain Reardon is Editor, Young Salvationist, USA National