We Have the Mind of Christ

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ,

if any comfort from his love,

if any fellowship with the Spirit,

if any tenderness and compassion

then make my joy complete

by being like-minded,

having the same love,

and being one in spirit and purpose.

(Paul, Philippians 2:1-2)

 

Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world,

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Paul, Romans 12:2)

 

For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of  God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may know what God has freely given us. . . . We have the mind of Christ. (Paul, 1 Corinthians 2:11,12,16)

 

 

The gospel has many expressions of the same reality. Some are more familiar than others. "God is light and there is no darkness in him." "For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only Son." "Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions." Perhaps we may also add this little phrase: "We have the mind of Christ."

True, we have much more than the mind of Christ. But we must be sure that we know that we do not have less. We do not merely have his deeds. We do not merely have his great intentions. We do not merely have his company. We also have his mind.

The mind of Christ is the entry point of discipleship and salvation. A disciple needs to do more than parrot his master, he needs to begin to share the master's thoughts and feelings if he is to have any hope of true imitation. Deliverance from this world is first and foremost an inner deliverance of the mind and spirit or else we end up with a merely external, behavioral faith.

The mind of Christ is the focal point of our discipleship and salvation. The watchword for the kingdom of God is "repentance" - metanoia- a turning, a rethinking about our thinking. This is how Jesus changes hearts. He enters through the mind, our thoughts and feelings. Our continuing repentance is a conversion of our thoughts and feelings to the thoughts and feelings of our Lord, our Master, Jesus.

We are given many of Jesus's thoughts through the Bible. If we want to know how and what Jesus thought, we need to become honest and open students of the Bible. There is no better resource. The Bible under the superintending Spirit will open up Jesus's feelings to us as well. Although the fruit of the Spirit is more than feelings, we recognize this fruit by the effect it has on our feelings: love that is joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, gentle, good, and self-controlled.

The problem with many current efforts and discipleship is the tendency to make our conformity to the mind of Christ a servant to another master, such as self-improvement, church attendance growth, material success, recognition by other people, relief from guilt, etc. When formation into Christ-likeness from the inside out becomes anything but the center and the only foundation, we end up pretending Christ-likeness while striving toward other goals. Our faith becomes hopelessly external.

 

The reason that "We have the mind of Christ" is such good news is accessibility. Through our special relationship with God opened up through Jesus, we have access to his mind. Through this access we experience deliverance from sin, wisdom for our days, direction for our life, and companionship through conversation. We find that Jesus did not come just to do something for us, but to open up his life to us to be with us even now.

 

How does enter into the mind of Christ? How do we become disciples who think and feel like our Master? What are the consequences if we neglect this access to the mind of Christ? What are our alternatives?

 

Lord Jesus, we know there are so many things that fight for our attention, some good and some not so good. We find ourselves like children, running here and there, maybe just playing in our lives instead of finding real meaning, joy, and rest. Open our hearts to the needed renewal of our minds and give us space to rest, learn, and grow. We look forward to great things from our Master! Amen.

How Do I Study?

"How does one teach someone to study?'  A good question I saw on Facebook.  I would like to give some suggestions using quotes from Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline in the chapter The Discipline of Study.

Study is a specific kind of experience in which through careful attention to reality, the mind is enabled to move in a certain direction. Remember, the mind will always take on an order conforming to the order upon which it concentrates. Perhaps we observe a tree or read a book. We see it, feel it, understand it, draw conclusions from it. And as we do, our thought processes take on an order conforming to the order in the tree or book. When this is done with concentration, perception, and repetition, ingrained habits of thought are formed. (p. 63)

Study is then part of "renewing the mind" spoken of in Romans 12:2: "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."  In study, my mind is molded to the form of that which is studied.  This is important to know because it is more or less automatic, for better or worse.


There are four basic steps in study:  Repetition, Concentration, Comprehension, and Reflection.  In repetition, I observe the object of study openly and repeatedly, taking in as much as I can without analyzing it yet.  Concentration accompanies repetition as my attention is drawn to certain details or ideas or questions.  Taking notes and asking questioning frequently accompany concentration.  Comprehension comes as my concentration draws conclusions.  Usually, comprehension is seen in summarizing, defining, and consolidating material.  When I comprehend, I make charts, outlines, or explain the material in my own words to someone else.  Finally, reflection takes what I comprehend and finds the significance of it in my life and in this world in general.

It soon becomes obvious that study demands humility. Study simply cannot happen until we are willing to be subject to the subject matter. We must submit to the system. We must come as student, not teacher. Not only is study directly dependent upon humility, but it is conducive to it. Arrogance and a teachable spirit are mutually exclusive.(p. 66)

The steps of study require the right attitude to go anywhere.  Without humility study will not happen.  I find rationalization and self-justification come instead.

 Now in the study of books, the Bible in particular, study has three rules that apply to study in itself and three rules that aid study from the outside.  (Also known as intrinsic and extrinsic rules.)

The intrinsic rules may, in the beginning, necessitate three separate readings but in time can be done concurrently. The first reading involves understanding the book: what is the author saying? The second reading involves interpreting the book: what does the author mean? The third reading involves evaluating the book: is the author right or wrong? Most of us tend to do the third reading right away and often never do the first and second readings at all. We give a critical analysis of a book before we understand what it says. We judge a book to be right or wrong before we interpret its meaning. (p. 67)

I have found these rules very helpful in reading as well as in listening to other people.  I need to constantly remind myself to seek to understand first before interpreting.  Most arguments and bad advice come from a lack of understanding.  Understanding first takes a lot of humility because it involves not pretending to be smarter or better than I am, not presuming that I know what someone means, and not pushing to get to a certain conclusion that I want.  (Thanks, Dallas Willard for these three "p's".)  Studying the Bible certainly involves this kind of humility if I'm ever going to grow or change.

Interpreting must precede evaluation as well.  In working with other people, whether in books or in person, I often have to listen to what they mean and not so much what they say.  Misinterpreted statements from other people fuel all sorts of hurt feelings and rash statements.  Misinterpreted scriptures are the fuel of false teaching.  The meaning of the Bible is always governed by two basic things, God is loving and good and God is for us and not against us.  With this many misinterpretations disappear.

Finally, evaluation is appropriate.  It is right and good to discern after understanding and interpreting.  With the Bible, I find that I use the Bible to evaluate myself or other situations around me.  Also, after understanding and interpreting the Bible, I evaluate what other people say about God or the Bible from the passage.  Such evaluation deepens faith and usually brings mercy if I have handled the study with humility.

The intrinsic rules of study, however, are in themselves inadequate. To read successfully we need the extrinsic aids of experience, other books, and live discussion. (p.68)

We read a book on tragedy with different eyes when we have walked through the valley of the shadow ourselves. Experience that has been understood and reflected upon informs and enlightens our study. (p. 68) 

Other books can include dictionaries, commentaries, and other interpretative literature, but great books that precede or advance the issue being studied are more significant. Books often have meaning only when they are read in relation to other writings. People will find it exceedingly difficult to understand the New Testament books of Romans or Hebrews, for example, without a grounding in the literature of the Old Testament. (p.68) 

Live discussion refers to the ordinary interaction that occurs among human beings as they pursue a particular course of study. . . . We interact with the author, we interact with each other, and new creative ideas are born. (p.68)

Of course, there is more to be learned here.  Foster's book is a great discussion on not only this important exercise of study, but other exercises that can bring this transformation by the renewing of the mind.  All of them are subject to the Holy Spirit who teaches and leads each of us into knowledge with love, rather than just knowledge.  These steps and rules are not intended to minimize that work, but to describe how one submits himself as a student to the Teacher in humility and trust.

As Foster explains in this chapter, I must agree, nothing can quite replace study in its ability to transform our hearts.  I testify to this in my daily life and encourage it in everyone who will hear: study is a means of God's transforming grace.