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The gospel in rapturous poetry is what Paul writes, as he begins in the second chapter of Philippians, to establish the truth of comfort and unity becoming possible through oneness with Christ in your soul. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, Who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God. But made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond servant, and coming in the likeness of men, And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the Cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him, and given Him the Name above every other name, that at the Name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, And, that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. [Philippians 2:11-8]
It is the mind of Christ in you that will see God’s purpose being worked out in your life, and signifies the importance of your thought life, and being ‘in Christ’, a term that is so very often used by the apostle Paul. For, your mind, or your soul, plays a key role in your well being, and it is what the apostle John reiterates in his epistle, when he declares that you may prosper and be in good health, even as your soul prospers. [3 John 2] As God’s creation, you are a tripartite being with a spirit, soul and body, and also in that order. And so, even in the way you operate, the revelation truth comes to you from God in your spirit, and your mind can then be a channel or a barrier in it being worked out in your life. For your mind needs to be renewed by the truth of it. Being in church, therefore, and hearing God’s word, is much more than a privilege. It also needs to bring about a godly change in you, one that is in line with the mind of Christ. And, it is when your mind is governed by the Holy Spirit, that it all becomes possible. [Romans 8:3]
Seeing through God’s word:
Wearing green tinted glasses, and seeing through it, can make your brown environment, appear green and fertile. The entire scenario changes to look vastly different. And, it serves to give a picture, though it may be a very diluted and not truly complete one, of how as a Christian, as you perceive through the word of God, your mind is renewed through the word of God, to become the mind of Christ. For, there will be in you, a change in perception that brings truth and light. And, as it has been wonderfully and aptly expressed, having the mind of Christ is ‘thinking of yourself, just as Christ would have thought of Himself!’ And, often one can tend to think too highly or too lowly of oneself, as Paul writes in his letter to the Romans. But, it is so vitally important that you have a right estimate of yourself, in order to know where you stand, and what you need to do in God’s kingdom, to fulfill His purpose for your life.
And, it is with the mind of Christ within you, as you think of yourself, just as Christ thought of Himself, that it becomes possible in you. It is all about the inner world within you. The world is so easily carried away by the externals, but God is always more concerned about the unseen, and the intangible, the internal workings of your being, what you think concerning yourself, when the mind of Christ is in you. And, having the mind of Christ, requires that you think of yourself, as Christ thought of Himself.
Studying the mind of Christ:
Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. [Colossians 1:15] And it was why, when Philip asked of Him, to show them the Father, His reply was crystal clear, to say that the one who had seen Him, had seen the Father. He is the exact representation of God in human form. No one can represent God like God Himself; and that is why He is God! And it is also why God Himself had to come down to earth.
Retaining & giving up for God’s purposes:
Christ did not consider His equality with God, as something that had to be retained at all cost. He was willing to give it up, in order to fulfill God’s purpose. And, but for it, you and I would still be sinners, hopelessly and eternally separated from God, instead of being seated together with Him in the heavens, as heirs and co- heirs with Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ , knew what to retain, and what to give up, and did it willingly, in order to accomplish the purposes of God. And it is when you are able to do it that Christ’s comfort and union with Him, comes in you, and begins to grow in you, as the attitude and mind of Christ in you.
And there was no prestige or rank involved in the act of the Lord. It was He who came searching for Adam, in order to redeem him, though Adam had hid himself in shame and fear. He did not stick to His position, as the One above all, but stooped down, to reach out in love and lift you up and save you, while you were a sinner still, and in no way, or in no position to climb out of the miry pit of sin that you were in, as a legacy of Adam’s fall that had corrupted the entire human race after him. But, God did not give up on His purpose. And Christ came, as the last Adam, to put an end to it all through His death on the Cross. It was to fulfill God’s purpose, that He went to the Cross, a seemingly unjust suffering and death. He opened not His mouth, against the humiliating taunts that were thrown at Him, words that were bitter barbs! It is the attitude that slowly needs to grow more and more in you, when it is the mind of Christ. It could be hugely challenging to even consider going to the people who have harmed you, in forgiveness and love. You could think that humbling yourself will only make people walk all over you; and it could be true too. But it is the pattern Christ has modeled, and can develop in you too, when the mind of Christ is in you, to reflect in every situation that you face in life, when God’s purpose needs to be worked out in your life.
For, the One on the throne in heaven, came down in love, to hang on the Cross of Calvary! What a change in position it was for the Lord! Impossible for you to ever comprehend it, though thankful and grateful you may be, for even a small change in your position, your comfort zone, or daily routine, can throw your life totally out of gear! But it was the mind of Christ; one that does not crop up in you in a single day, but can grow in you steadily, as you are trained and disciplined, instructed and changed as only the Creator, your Heavenly Father knows to accomplish. And, Christ gave His life on the Cross, it was to fulfill God’s purpose; to bring many sons to glory, including you and I. On our own we would never have turned to God, for all we like sheep were led astray. And satan thought that he had dealt the final blow. But, the Savior stayed on the Cross, where love and justice met, for all of humanity, to crush his head and overcome death, and to rise victorious from the grave, a glorious fulfillment of the purposes of God.
The mind of Christ gives:
He used His position to give; it is what the mind of Christ can accomplish in you too, in whatever position that God has appointed you, at home and in the society around you. You have a role, a position in which God has placed you; and being a child of God is the greatest position that you can enjoy, and it needs to be used by you for the purpose for which God has given it to you, in order to bring true fulfillment and peace in you. But as the word of God teaches through Paul’s epistle to the Romans, the one who is in a strong position, ought to give to the one who is weaker than him. [Romans 15:1-6] Bear each others burdens is the encouragement that comes to you from God in the realm of giving and sharing what God has blessed you with, that you may use it not in a condescending manner, but genuinely in truth and love for the well being and the edification of the one who is weaker than you.
The Lord used His position to give:
In love He gave of Himself; and He gave Himself. It is the mind of Christ, and it could be a challenge for you and I. But giving wisely, as you are led by the Spirit, is necessary, and in the realm of money, it should be for the right reason, right purpose and not for self glory. The name of the small boy, who gave what was in his hand to the Lord, is not mentioned, but what he did saw God’s purpose accomplished. Giving can never be for selfish reasons, when it is for God’s purposes, and it is why the mind of Christ needs to be in you. For, He gave Himself in love, instead of standing on His position of righteousness to look down upon our unrighteousness. But, He who knew no sin, became sin, so that you and I can be made righteous in Him.
He gave up His right in order to make us right! It is the mind of Christ that needs to be in you, as you cater to the needs of others in love. And it has been said that the only right that a Christian has, is to give up his right; Paul talks about giving up on his right to eat meat if it was going to hinder another person from drawing near to God. It may seem too lofty an ideal to attain initially, but God as a loving parent will teach and train you gently to carry you forward, and see the mind of Christ formed in you more and more, as you stay sensitive and receptive in His hands. Christ was equal to God; and for your sake and mine, He chose to empty Himself to become man.
Christ used His position to serve:
He became man, to make you like Him, and in Him is the source of all blessing. It was all for a divine purpose. And what He became all for your sake, you no longer need to be in your life. He became poor on the Cross, limited Himself to being human so that through His poverty, you can now enjoy His unlimited riches. He became a curse on the Cross so that you may now be blessed, experiencing His blessings untold forever. But there is always a purpose to it, for otherwise even what is good can become bad to ultimately lead to harm and destruction. His grace abounds toward you, so that you will have all sufficiency, for every good work. [2 Corinthians 9:8] And good work here refers to doing the will of God, for which you will not experience any lack.
Christ became a slave, portraying to His disciples, so varied as they were in their nature, as He washed their feet, that the path to true greatness is through service, and not by lording it over others. He did it all in willing and obedient submission. It is the mind of Christ, who came in love to seek and save the lost. It may seem a challengingly tall order, to begin with, but an attitude that will grow in you, when you are ‘in Christ’ and fulfilling the purposes of God, it will all fall rightly in place. ‘Here I am, send me’, were the prophet Isaiah’s words; and it will become yours too. For, the Lord has done it all on the Cross, shed his last drop of blood on Calvary, to say ‘It is finished!’ It was all about fulfilling God’s purpose, and doing it all in love. God sent His Son in love. The Son gave Himself in love, so that none may perish. It was and still remains God’s purpose for humanity, a shadow of which happened on Mount Moriah, as Abraham laid his son Isaac on the altar, and Isaac cooperated in loving and willing obedience. It was a test of faith on that day; one that became reality on the Cross. And if God so humbled Himself, how can you and I not be humble ?!
The ‘I’ in you needs to be laid low for true humility to spring up. And it has been said that pride is every Christian’s greatest enemy, and humility, his greatest friend! Humility acknowledges God and focuses on God, to accomplish His purpose for your life. And it is the mind of Christ; He who sacrificed Himself to fulfill His Father’s will, the purpose for which He was sent. He humbled Himself, to raise us up ! That we may be seated together with Him in the heavens. Where Adam failed, Christ won, that we may be victorious in Him! You and I can never out give God! The little boy was giving the little in his hand to the One who fed His people miraculously for forty years in the wilderness! The widow who gave the little that was all she had as an offering, was giving to the One who gave all of Himself for the whole world. What a privilege it is to give to God! And it is the attitude, the mind of Christ that needs to be in you, as you give to God. It needs to be for the right reason, that it is a privilege.
But we have the mind of Christ:
It is the confident declaration of Paul, as he describes the process, Your faith should not be in the wisdom of man, but in the power of God. [1 Corinthians 2:5-7] For it is not the wisdom of man, but the hidden wisdom of God, revealed to us through the Spirit. And therefore, how does the mind of Christ come in you ? Naturally speaking, what we speak out as a word, is from our mind which then becomes a thought. Therefore, with God, we start with the word of God, to study it and move on to knowing His thoughts, and thus, His mind. How long it will take, you may not know, but it will surely happen, for His purposes can never be thwarted. Thank Him therefore, for the privilege of being chosen and saved by Him. And may you be led with a grateful heart to offer yourself to love and serve Him, and give to Him unconditionally, as He reveals to you His mind, through His Word, to be transformed more and more into His likeness, reflecting His glorious image here on earth.
In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
