Accessing The Mind of Christ

Yesterday morning I was meditating on some verses from Paul's letter -  1 Corinthians 2:9-16 NIV:

[9] "However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”---the things God has prepared for those who love him--- [10] these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit."

"The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. [11] For who knows a person's thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. [12] What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. [13] This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. [14] The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. [15] The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, [16] for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ."

Starting with the last line first, what an incredible statement "But we have the mind of Christ." Just let that settle in! We have, through the Holy Spirit, access to the mind of Jesus.  Not just access but possess, for the Greek word used is Echo and it is defined as 'to have, to own, to possess'.  When we experience salvation, we receive the Holy Spirit, as promised by Jesus (John 15:26).

Jesus describes what the Holy Spirit will do in the following passages - John 16:13-15 NIV: "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. [14] He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. [15] All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

So, Paul was describing to the Church in Corinth basically what Jesus described here in John. The Holy Spirit makes available to us God's mind, because all that belongs to the Father, including His mind, is Jesus' and the Holy Spirit makes known to us that which Jesus desires, which includes how He thinks, feels, and considers. This doesn't mean we have access to everything in the mind of God, for clearly our finite minds cannot comprehend nor handle the infinite. The Greek word translated mind is the word Nous, and it is defined as follows:

1) the mind, comprising alike the faculties of perceiving and understanding and those of feeling, judging, determining
    a) the intellectual faculty, the understanding
    b) reason in the narrower sense, as the capacity for spiritual truth, the higher powers of the soul, the faculty of perceiving divine things, of recognising goodness and of hating evil
    c) the power of considering and judging soberly, calmly and impartially
2) a particular mode of thinking and judging, i.e thoughts, feelings, purposes, desires

So we have the ability to access Jesus' mind.  We don't have to wonder what He is thinking, He will make that available to us through the Holy Spirit.  Obviously, I hope,  on our part we need to be willing to inquire, to ask and listen.  God honors our free-will in all ways, and He will not force Himself on us, regardless of how much easier that would be.  He wants us to freely choose Him, choose to listen to Him, choose to ask Him. We have the mind of Christ available to us, but it is up to us to access Him.  In the same way that I could have a million dollars in the bank and live each day, pay-check to pay-check, barely scrapping by, we can try to do life on our own as well.

Personally, I find that my life is much easier, and much better if I go to Him and ask His guidance and direction.  The Lord is never put out, in a bad mood, or unapproachable, but always welcoming and helpful.  I have learned that it is much better to go to Him and ask for guidance and direction early on, rather than waiting until I got myself in a real fix by my own fruitless efforts.  When I think back at my wondrous life, I am absolutely convinced that my life is immeasurably better for the direction the Lord provided.  I know my own capabilities and history and I would have ended up in some completely different life due to poor choices I would have made along the way.

I certainly don't feel that I have come to understand the mind of Christ, nor learned to fully live by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but I am doing better.  I consider this a life-long quest, one that will only be fulfilled when I see Him face to face.  However the knowledge that I can walk in closer unison with Him, that I can understand more of His mind and heart, and that I can grow to represent Him better is enough encouragement to last a lifetime.  I am so grateful for the life that He has given me, the encouragement and affirmation, the gifts and blessings, and intimate relationship with Him.  I am indeed a rich man.

So this day, the last of 2016, I am encouraged that 2017 will be a blessed year, not because 2016 was so terrible, but because I know that God is good, and He has great plans for me, some of which will be experienced in this coming year.  I know that He is present and available and desirous of my relationship.  I look forward to a new year, to new seasons and new adventures.

God bless!