1 Corinthians 2:16 - Having the Mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:16 (KJV) For who hath known
the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him?
But we have the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:16 (MSG) Isaiah's question,
"Is there anyone around who knows God's Spirit,
anyone who knows what he is doing?" has been
answered: Christ knows, and we have Christ's Spirit.
INTRODUCTION
Linked to Christ, believers have the Spirit
of Christ to reveal Christs thinking to
them. [NLT SB 2008]
We are, by the Spirit, united to Christ, for
the Holy Spirits presence is the same as the
presence of Jesus; therefore we have the mind of
Christ. By the Holy Spirit Jesus dwells in the
believer and works in and through him. [SDA Bible
Commentary]
No one can know what the Lord is thinking
(Romans 11:34), but through the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, believers have insight into some of God's
plans, thoughts, and actions. They, in fact, have
"the mind of Christ." Through the Holy Spirit, we
can begin to know God's thoughts, talk with him,
and expect his answers to our prayers. Are you
spending enough time with Christ to have his very
mind in you? An intimate relationship with Christ
comes only from spending time consistently in his
presence and in his Word. [Life Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARLS
Becoming Wholly God's
Brother Lawrence said: "My sins, I
renounced, for the love of Him, everything that was not
He, and I began to live as if there was none but
He and I in the world."
Imagine a world with just you and God. In
this world, you have a present, personal, and
indisputable sense that He is all yours and you are all
His. Obviously, in the real world you are not
alone, but consider for a moment what would change
in your life if you were to adopt this mindset.
A mindset where the love of everything not Him
fades away, freeing you to offer yourself wholly
to God. Adopting a "mind of Christ" attitude of
continual submission to God enables us to live
confidently, joyously, and sacrificially each day. [The
Practice of the Presence of God: 40 Day Devotional by
Brother Lawrence/Alan Vermilye]
We Christians are not to be conformed to
this world in the way we think. The world by its
advertisements, its conversation, and its philosophy is
engaged in a gigantic brainwashing. Not always
consciously but sometimes unconsciously, the Christian
is beset by secular and worldly propaganda,
calling us to live for ourselves and to put things
and selfish pleasures ahead of God. The world's
sewage system threatens to contaminate the stream
of Christian thought.
However, above the din we can hear the
voice of Scripture: "Do not be conformed to this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind, that you may prove what is that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God" (Rom. 12:2).
Time yourself the next time you read the
Bible and pray. Compare it to the amount of time
you spend watching television or surfing the
Internet. Is God getting His share of your time and
attention?
Is the world shaping your mind - or is
Christ?
The mind of the believer is a
battleground. Every thought must either honor Christ or be
taken captive until it does (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Who's winning the war in your mind? [Hope for Each
Day by Billy Graham]
COMMENTARY
There are many whose hearts are aching
under a load of care because they seek to reach
the world's standard. They have chosen its
service, accepted its perplexities, adopted its
customs. Thus their character is marred, and their
life made a weariness. In order to gratify
ambition and worldly desires, they wound the
conscience, and bring upon themselves an additional
burden of remorse. The continual worry is wearing
out the life forces. Our Lord desires them to
lay aside this yoke of bondage. He invites them
to accept His yoke; He says, "My yoke is easy,
and My burden is light." He bids them seek first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and
His promise is that all things needful to them
for this life shall be added. Worry is blind,
and cannot discern the future; but Jesus sees
the end from the beginning. In every difficulty
He has His way prepared to bring relief. Our
heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for
us, of which we know nothing. Those who accept
the one principle of making the service and
honor of God supreme will find perplexities
vanish, and a plain path before their feet.
We are to enter the school of Christ, to
learn from Him meekness and lowliness. Redemption
is that process by which the soul is trained
for heaven. This training means a knowledge of
Christ. It means emancipation from ideas, habits,
and practices that have been gained in the
school of the prince of darkness. The soul must be
delivered from all that is opposed to loyalty to
God....
It is the love of self that brings
unrest. When we are born from above, the same mind
will be in us that was in Jesus, the mind that
led Him to humble Himself that we might be
saved. Then we shall not be seeking the highest
place. We shall desire to sit at the feet of Jesus,
and learn of Him. We shall understand that the
value of our work does not consist in making a
show and noise in the world, and in being active
and zealous in our own strength. The value of
our work is in proportion to the impartation of
the Holy Spirit. DA330
ILLUSTRATION
God's Delivery Service
I don't know where you are today, but I
have a sneaky suspicion that you, like me, might
have a few intruders crowding into your life and
could use some divine reinforcements. If so, don't
hesitate to call for help. Tell your Father that you
are running out of hope and energy and ideas
that you need "not words taught by human
wisdom, but those taught by the Spirit,
combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words
For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he
will instruct Him? But we have the mind of
Christ" (1 Cor. 2:13, 16).
You may have cancer. So what can you do?
You dial Heaven 911 and you tell God you have an
emergency need: "I have cancer, Lord, and I need
wisdom." And at that very moment He will begin to
make His deliveries.
Amazingly, you soon discover that your
greatest enemy is not the disease but subtle,
slippery feelings of despair, the thief of peace. And
so you rely on God's daily delivery service to
get you through that one day. And then the
next.
When Dan Richardson, an enthusiastic
believer in Christ, lost his battle with cancer, the
following piece was distributed at his memorial
service.
Cancer is limited
It cannot cripple love,
It cannot corrode faith,
It cannot eat away peace,
It cannot destroy confidence,
It cannot kill friendship,
It cannot shut out memories,
It cannot silence courage,
It cannot invade the soul,
It cannot reduce eternal life,
It cannot quench the Spirit,
It cannot lessen the power of the
resurrection.
You cannot deny that you have the
disease, but you can deny despair from taking
control. Wherever you are, whatever your
circumstances, call for God's daily delivery of wisdom,
strength, and grace.
Each morning, slam the door on despair.
If you don't, it will slip in and rob you. And
you'll soon find a peace missing.
Each day, slam the door on despair. Don't
let it slip in and rob you of Gods peace.
[Chuck Swindoll www.insight.org.]
CLOSING THOUGHT
Scripture tells us that Jesus faced the
same temptations that we face and yet did not
sin. He obeyed his parents, loved his friends,
and got angry at his enemies. He ate food and
drank water, slept and wept, walked and talked.
His hair got longer, his fingernails grew, and
he bled whenever he got cut, which, when he was
beaten by the Roman guards right before he was
crucified, was a lot.
Just as all mortal bodies eventually
expire, Jesus' did too. His family and loved ones
mourned his loss and buried him. Because Jesus was
also God, though, the story doesn't end there.
Christ did what no one else could ever do
- defeat the power of sin and death once and
for all. When he left earth, he promised to send
his followers a gift, the Holy Spirit, who would
dwell in them and guide them. With God's Spirit
living in us, we start to become more like Christ
in the ways we see the world and other people.
We begin thinking differently and acting
differently. We have new minds that enable us to overcome
the power sin has on our bodies.
We have the power to love others more
than we love ourselves. We can see the needs of
others and be moved with compassion, just like
Jesus was. Compassion fuels our ability to serve
those around us and show them Christ's love in
action.
Lord, Today I want to cultivate more
compassion in the way I see and serve others. I want
them to see Jesus in me, Lord, so that they may
know your love and mercy the same way I do.
[Daily Power by Craig Groeschel]
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
The law of ten commandments is not to be
looked upon as much from the prohibitory side as
from the mercy side. Its prohibitions are the
sure guarantee of happiness in obedience. As
received in Christ, it works in us the purity of
character that will bring joy to us through eternal
ages. To the obedient it is a wall of protection.
We behold in it the goodness of God, who by
revealing to men the immutable principles of
righteousness, seeks to shield them from the evils that
result from transgression.
We are not to regard God as waiting to
punish the sinner for his sin. The sinner brings
punishment upon himself. His own actions start a train
of circumstances that bring the sure result.
Every act of transgression reacts upon the sinner,
works in him a change of character, and makes it
more easy for him to transgress again. By
choosing to sin, men separate themselves from God,
cut themselves off from the channel of blessing,
and the sure result is ruin and death.
The law is an expression of God's idea.
When we receive it in Christ, it becomes our
idea. It lifts us above the power of natural
desires and tendencies, above temptations that lead
to sin. {6BC 1085}
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC:
Philippians 2:5 - Having the Mind of Jesus.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220129-0830.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Parable of the Sower - Open Heart Surgery by
Ralph Ringer: https://vimeo.com/666314378
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study
Guides:
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
