1 Corinthians 2:16 (ESV)
16
“For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
My wife sent me to see a doctor after not being able to her several times. It was easier to comply that protest, so I went. The doctor gave me bad news. I had perfect hearing! It appeared that I was simply choosing not to hear.
Wouldn't it be great if this story ended there? However, my wife insisted that my hearing was faulty and literally made another appointment to have my hearing checked. This time I got worse news! This doctor said my hearing must much more acute than normal. I hear things in ranges that other people can't hear.
Now, I was in real trouble. Should I give her the result or buy fake hearing aides? I could always tell her the hearing aides were faulty when I didn't "hear" her. (I am in no fear. She doesn't read my blog.) The problem is that I couldn't find a fake hearing aide store. I had to tell her my hearing was okay. Of course, that meant that I wasn't going to really be okay until I actually lost my hearing.
Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." The one who possesses the Spirit of God, who has had his own spirit made alive by God, is able to discern the will of God. The person has ears to hear but may not choose to listen. The Christian has the ability to know what God is doing but lets the world cloud his sight and muffle his hearing.
The ability to know the mind of Christ is not set aside for an elite group of Christians. It is available to all believers. The Spirit of God awakens the spirit within us so that we can relate to God spiritually. Our spirits are made keen to the voice of God as we set out minds on the things of the Spirit. We walk in the will of God as we do so because we are being transformed by the renewing of our minds.
We know the mind of Christ because we are no longer conformed to this world. We know His mind because we have decided to listen. That doesn't mean we naturally listen any more than I listen to my wife all the time. I let the tv, an article that I am reading or just some project I am doing around the house crowd out what she is saying. I can hear but I don't hear because I am not listening.
So many people are looking for God's will. I don't know what they think it is. Maybe they expect God to speak in a whirlwind, earthquake or fire. Maybe they don't realize that God speaks the most loudly when He speaks in a whisper. Maybe they don't know they have to put aside all that is crowding out the voice of God in order to hear the voice of God.
It seems quite astounding to say that we have the mind of Christ. It comes with a qualification though. We must listen.
2 comments:
I like the way you put it; NOT like some others who puts it to, we are having the full mind of Christ outright, as if we have been hallowed out of our mind, and our mind being replaced by the mind of Jesus; making it all sound like, whatever God thinks, the person would know, and so, he needs NOT be advised of or proposed to, as to what should possibly be done; purportedly, if he has to do anything, he would have known (for he has the full mind of Christ).
It is still we have to have our mind renewed progressively, and that, “have our mind renewed” or transformed, is to have our mind changed to be aligned (NOT like given another mind) to the Kingdom mindset. The Kingdom mindset is of course, coming from the mind of God.
“But Bro Anthony, Scripture said, that we are new creations, is it NOT; you did NOT believe it only, you have a new mind, the full mind of Christ?!” Yes, I am a new creation, a non-believer is NOT, and it means NOT, that my mind has been chucked away, and the Lord has His mind in, in its place. Because I am a new creation, my mind can be renewed or transformed; a non-believer’s mind cannot, be transformed, the same way as a believer’s can.
How do we, believers, get our mind transformed or renewed? A must, is to continue to assimilate the Word of God, His truths and all. For this, there is no short-cut, we have to spend time, going to church to listen to expositions of the Word over the pulpit, we may have to attend classes, and we have to read and study the Word ourselves, too. Not only that, we have to apply them in our lives.
The transformation is progressive; and our living out of the Word, helps us to move on, from area to area, from level to level of the faith or Word. It is like we can get a student through 5 to 6 years of medical school, but if he does NOT practise medicine for some years, he is NOT going to be very good at what he is to live out, a man knowing what and how to diagnose, and prescribe, to cure and heal. He gets better and better, and that is of his mind aspect, too, as he practises, and reverts back to medical books, as he researches, considers, and concludes and acts.
Another thing we need to do is to practise Phil 4:8 - Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. What this also mean is that we are to hate evil, which is the definition of having the “fear of the Lord” as defined for us in Pro 8:13 and taught by King David in Ps 34:11-14. We have to hate evil if we are to be of like-mind with God, for God is holy. And one just cannot possibly get godly wisdom unless he has the fear of the Lord, for as said in Scripture, the beginning of wisdom demands the fear of the Lord.
A third thing is that we must be willing and want to be led by the Holy Spirit. It is He, the Holy Spirit, who is of the mind of Christ; Scripture said that the Holy Spirit does NOT speak of His own, but speak from the Godhead; and so, He leads from the Godhead. Scripture says it is He, the Holy Spirit, who knows the mind of God. So, when Scripture said that we have the mind of Christ, really, it is we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, and so, we “have the mind of Christ” when we listen and be led by the Holy Spirit; it is the full mind of Christ or God is completely open to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has the mind of Christ or God, all the time and instantaneously; for us, we either have our mind progressively transformed to be aligned to that of Christ or God, or we “ride” on the Holy Spirit by being led by Him.
Anthony Chia, high.expressions
Stop putting up posts that challenge me!
Otherwise I may need to put my fingers in my ears and go 'la la la la la'...oh yeah, that was your point...
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