We Have the Mind of Christ --1 Corinthians 2:9-16

In the Upper Room, as Jesus was preparing to leave His disciples to return to the Father, He spent the last few hours teaching and reassuring the men. He told them of the Counselor who would come once He had risen and returned to heaven. He commanded them to love as He had loved them.

One of the most interesting and reassuring words Jesus gave them was found in John 15:9-17. Here, Jesus tells the disciples that they are no longer servants, but they are friends. The significance of this is that the disciples are being brought in to a deeper relationship with Jesus, for soon they will know and have the mind of Christ. As they receive the Holy Spirit, they will be reminded of Jesus’ teachings; they will be guided into the truth, and Jesus Himself is the Truth.

Building on this promise made on that night, Paul writes to the Corinthians, and to us, that we are beneficiaries of this promise. We, too, are Jesus’ friends, and we, too, now have the mind of Christ.

Central Truth: As a new creation, God’s Spirit enables us to discern His will by having the mind of Christ.

Having the mind of Christ:

1. Allows us to understand what God has freely given us (9-12)

Our passage begins with a quote from Isaiah 64:4. Isaiah’s words are in the midst of a confession and a yearning for God’s intervention. Here, Paul speaks of the intervention that did take place, when Jesus came into our world, and the Spirit was bestowed upon us. God, by His grace and mercy, has deemed us worthy through His Son to be able to know some of the things of God.

When Jesus affirmed Peter’s great confession at Caesarea Philippi, He told the disciples that Peter’s understanding came through God’s revelation, and that the Church would be built upon this revelation. It is a revelation that is accepted by faith, but it is a revelation made possible by the Holy Spirit living in us.

Paul explains that one of the roles of the Spirit is to search the mind of God. The Spirit knows the thoughts of the Father, and it is this Spirit that gives us understanding and guidance.

It’s been said that people who know each other well, who have known each other a long time, gain a special connection that allows them to “read” each other’s minds. When we know someone so well, we can anticipate their responses to certain situations. We can understand their moods and their passions. It allows us to communicate on a level that goes beyond words and borders on embracing each other’s thoughts. In many ways, this allows us the ability to support and care for one another on a deeper level.

So it is with the Spirit that makes us that new creation Paul wrote of in 2 Corinthians. Because we have this ability to know the thoughts of God, we are able to learn His will and His ways in a way that goes beyond the mere reading of Scripture. No longer are we simply reading the Bible; now, we are being instructed in the written Word by the Author Himself. Now, as we speak to the Father, we gain answers and guidance. By being given this special gift, God has allowed us to, as Paul writes, “understand what God has freely given us.” In this way, we are able to truly love, worship and praise Him.

1. Separates us from the old ways, the world’s ways (13-14)

Paul then shows us how the indwelling Spirit is such a wonderful gift by contrasting the Christian with the non-Christian.

Look how Paul describes the Christian. The believer is one who is able to speak in words taught us by the Spirit. These words are from the wisdom of God. He writes we speak spiritual truths with spiritual words.

In contrast, the person without the Spirit of God living in them reacts as if the words of God are alien to him or her. Without the Spirit’s guidance, the things of God are like a language that is completely alien to them.

Because of my rudimentary knowledge of Spanish, I can sometimes pick up words that I hear and have a vague understanding of something being said. I discovered when Laura was in high school that my understanding of the written Spanish is better than I thought. I was able to translate loosely what was written on a page. However, if that same page had been written in Vietnamese, I would be clueless what was being communicated. I have heard someone speaking the language, and it seemed as if the person was speaking gibberish. I know they weren’t, because I heard an interpreter explaining what was being said. Nevertheless, it is impossible to understand something if we have absolutely no awareness of the words or the meanings of the words.

That’s what is taking place in the world in which we live. For the believer, God is speaking to us spiritual truths in spiritual words. We understand it, because we have the Spirit who searches even the deep things of God. For the non-believer, without that Spirit, it is as if we are speaking gibberish. When they read the Bible, though it is in modern English, the meaning is lost to them, and it all seems like complete foolishness.

It is for this reason that we need to speak God’s truth as we understand it, but we also need to remember that God alone can speak to the heart of the person. The Spirit alone can convict and draw someone. All we can do is testify. All we must do is testify, and trust God to do the rest.

1. Allows us to learn from Him (15-16)

Paul quotes from Isaiah 40:13 in asking who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him. The verse comes from a chapter that speaks of God’s comfort and His majesty, stressing that God is so far above us and beyond us. Yet He cares for us, tending to His flock like a shepherd.

None of us has the capability to instruct God, but we do have the ability to speak our hearts to Him. The marvelous thing about God’s omniscience is that He knows us better than we know ourselves. We cannot hide our feelings from Him, and that frees us to be completely open to Him. If we are angry, we tell Him. If we are puzzled or confused, we tell Him. There is no reason not to speak to God openly and freely as a child speaks to a loving father.

And the added benefit is that we have the mind of Christ. Because we have the mind of Christ, we can speak our hearts to God and we can have a better understanding of His will and His ways. We gain insights into the thinking of God as we allow the Holy Spirit to direct our ways and lead us into truth and righteousness.

Conclusion

Last week, looked at the fact that we are new creations. Made in His likeness, filled with His Spirit, we are able to discern the mind of God and we are allowed to be friends of Christ. Because of the indwelling Spirit, we are given glimpses into the ways of God that would be alien from us but for His grace, His mercy, His plan.

As we continue in our walk with the Father through the Son by the presence of the Spirit, we can should do nothing less than celebrate the One who loved us and saved us from ourselves and from our sins. “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.”