THE MIND OF CHRIST ISAIAH 26: 2-4
“ Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the
truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose
mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in
the Lord forever, for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting
strength.” kjv
This principle, taken from the Old Testament is also applicable in the
New Testament. The Lord God (JEHOVAH) of the Old is the same
Lord Jesus Christ of the New. From Philippians we find our key text,
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who being
in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But
made himself of no reputation and took upon himself the form of a
servant and was made 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.” Philippians 2: 5-8
(Do we doubt that our Lord Jesus Christ dreaded the day He would
experience torture, humiliation, death and separation from the
Father? With that in mind, we are given a different perspective of the
One who came for the very purpose of suffering and dying for people
who in no way were deserving of such a sacrifice. YOU AND ME!! )
Since this is stated in Scripture as the Apostle Paul writes in Romans
11:34 through 12:2, we are Spiritually transformed when we become
a living sacrifice and renew our minds, refusing to be conformed to
the world around us and are able to prove the will of God. When we
pray, we ask for the will of God to be done. Looking back to Philip-
pians 2:7-8, we see the same principle. As Christ emptied himself of
status and went to the cross we humble ourselves and present our
bodies as living sacrifices. When we pray, according to His will, we
submit our wills to His and are prepared to accept answers to prayer
according to His will, knowing He knows best, and has our best inte-
rest at heart.
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which
is your reasonable service.
And 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.
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among
you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but
to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith."
(Romans 12: 1-3)
The price paid by our Savior was incomparable. He left the presence
of his Father, came as a man to a debased, sinful and thankless cul-
ture, voluntarily giving up His life for them/us. Our price is less, but
is significant. We must give up self, submit to our Heavenly Father
and at some point, according to his will, humbly accept gratefully that
will of service to God and mankind. The rewards are incomparable,
and when one considers the alternative, ours is a small price, indeed.
Jesus Christ has already paid the lion's share. (Lion of Judah, Reve-
lation 5: 5 - 7.)
What then is our responsibility in the matter, one might ask; It is to
simply place ones faith in the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ
at Calvary, and his resurrection, believing it more than adequate to
save us and by a figure, we take up his cross and follow Him.
We must learn how he conducted his life and pattern our lives after
his. He has not left us in the dark. We have his Word to show us
how to live. As we become indwelt by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, He
will empower and enlighten us to live, successfully, the life of Christ.
We must guard against depending on our own activity in working for
our salvation. We are saved from our lost condition through faith in
the work He did as we serve and worship him according to command
and instruction that follow; Romans 12: 4 through 21. Instructions
are clear and quite definite; We find our niche in the "Church," the
Body of Christ, and begin exercising the gifts He has dealt us accor-
ding to "the measure of our faith." ( Verse 3)
In verses 7 thru 8 the Scripture lists the gifts as Prophecy, Ministry,
Teaching, Exhortation, Giving, Ruling and one who shows Mercy. The
gifts mentioned are accompanied by the ability to perform them, and
for some, instruction on attitudes of the one who bears the gift. We
must remember; exercising the gifts is impossible without the Spirit of
Jesus Christ within us. We must rely on his power and his "mind" as
we serve him.
The balance of this chapter, 9 thru 21 gives more detailed instruction
on how to administer these responsibilities. (The gift is accompanied
by responsibility.) Again, there is the Spirit abiding in us as we live
out the mind of Christ and the rewards here and hereafter are incalcu-
lable. May the Lord God bless our efforts in living the mind of Christ.
There are books available on this subject. I have one. I decided not
to read it until after posting this piece. To the best of my knowledge,
this content has been taken from Scripture without input from other
sources. Now I will read the book.
"Living Out the Mind of Christ," Dr. Ben Gutierrez, innovatechurch.
donporter,sr. 10,26.13
Having begun reading, "Living Out the Mind of Christ," as above,
there are four additions to make to the post above. The first; having
the mind of Christ is not "noun ," but "verb." Being an action word,
having a mindset and calling it the "mind of Christ," will not work.
If you would have this "Mind of Christ," we go back and read verses
1 thru 5 to understand the description of the "Mind of Christ." It is
in verses 2 thru 4. " Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having
the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done
through strife or vain-glory; but in lowliness of mind let each
esteem other better than themselves Look not every man on his own
things, but every man on the things of others."
Looking closely, we see the "mind of Christ" is not one, but three
principles of life. Just as the nine principles of the fruit of the Spirit,
Galatians 5: 22-26 are the results of one living in the Spirit, not sepa-
rate but from one source, the fruit of the Spirit of Christ. Living the
mind of Christ will result in living out the three. These points suggest
to us the attitude our Lord had as He was on the earth and lived his
life for others with no thought for himself. If we have the "mind of
of Christ," the actions of our lives will embody the same attitude as his.
Remember "renewing your mind..." in Romans 12: 1-3. This means
submission to our Lord's enlightenment of our minds will change the
way one thinks; allowing new thinking ("Mind of Christ") to affect
ones attitude and actions described in Philippians 2:12-16.
Thanks for reading, donporter 10.27.13
To begin these additional remarks, we must clarify something brought
to mind while reading the letter of the Apostle to the Philippians. The
opening reads: "Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ,
Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the
Bishops and deacons: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our
Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." (verses 1-2) This letter was
addressed to the Church, not an individual. The Mind of Christ must
be lived out as a body of believers in the unity of the Spirit. It starts,
of course, with each individual, but one person would be hard put to
live out this directive alone.
"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good
works. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the
manner of some is; but exhorting one another, and so much the
more as ye see the day approaching " ( Hebrews 10:24-25) kjv
10.28.13, edited 5.01.17
“ Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the
truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose
mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in
the Lord forever, for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting
strength.” kjv
This principle, taken from the Old Testament is also applicable in the
New Testament. The Lord God (JEHOVAH) of the Old is the same
Lord Jesus Christ of the New. From Philippians we find our key text,
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who being
in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But
made himself of no reputation and took upon himself the form of a
servant and was made 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.” Philippians 2: 5-8
(Do we doubt that our Lord Jesus Christ dreaded the day He would
experience torture, humiliation, death and separation from the
Father? With that in mind, we are given a different perspective of the
One who came for the very purpose of suffering and dying for people
who in no way were deserving of such a sacrifice. YOU AND ME!! )
Since this is stated in Scripture as the Apostle Paul writes in Romans
11:34 through 12:2, we are Spiritually transformed when we become
a living sacrifice and renew our minds, refusing to be conformed to
the world around us and are able to prove the will of God. When we
pray, we ask for the will of God to be done. Looking back to Philip-
pians 2:7-8, we see the same principle. As Christ emptied himself of
status and went to the cross we humble ourselves and present our
bodies as living sacrifices. When we pray, according to His will, we
submit our wills to His and are prepared to accept answers to prayer
according to His will, knowing He knows best, and has our best inte-
rest at heart.
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which
is your reasonable service.
And 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.
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among
you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but
to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith."
(Romans 12: 1-3)
The price paid by our Savior was incomparable. He left the presence
of his Father, came as a man to a debased, sinful and thankless cul-
ture, voluntarily giving up His life for them/us. Our price is less, but
is significant. We must give up self, submit to our Heavenly Father
and at some point, according to his will, humbly accept gratefully that
will of service to God and mankind. The rewards are incomparable,
and when one considers the alternative, ours is a small price, indeed.
Jesus Christ has already paid the lion's share. (Lion of Judah, Reve-
lation 5: 5 - 7.)
What then is our responsibility in the matter, one might ask; It is to
simply place ones faith in the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ
at Calvary, and his resurrection, believing it more than adequate to
save us and by a figure, we take up his cross and follow Him.
We must learn how he conducted his life and pattern our lives after
his. He has not left us in the dark. We have his Word to show us
how to live. As we become indwelt by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, He
will empower and enlighten us to live, successfully, the life of Christ.
We must guard against depending on our own activity in working for
our salvation. We are saved from our lost condition through faith in
the work He did as we serve and worship him according to command
and instruction that follow; Romans 12: 4 through 21. Instructions
are clear and quite definite; We find our niche in the "Church," the
Body of Christ, and begin exercising the gifts He has dealt us accor-
ding to "the measure of our faith." ( Verse 3)
In verses 7 thru 8 the Scripture lists the gifts as Prophecy, Ministry,
Teaching, Exhortation, Giving, Ruling and one who shows Mercy. The
gifts mentioned are accompanied by the ability to perform them, and
for some, instruction on attitudes of the one who bears the gift. We
must remember; exercising the gifts is impossible without the Spirit of
Jesus Christ within us. We must rely on his power and his "mind" as
we serve him.
The balance of this chapter, 9 thru 21 gives more detailed instruction
on how to administer these responsibilities. (The gift is accompanied
by responsibility.) Again, there is the Spirit abiding in us as we live
out the mind of Christ and the rewards here and hereafter are incalcu-
lable. May the Lord God bless our efforts in living the mind of Christ.
There are books available on this subject. I have one. I decided not
to read it until after posting this piece. To the best of my knowledge,
this content has been taken from Scripture without input from other
sources. Now I will read the book.
"Living Out the Mind of Christ," Dr. Ben Gutierrez, innovatechurch.
donporter,sr. 10,26.13
Having begun reading, "Living Out the Mind of Christ," as above,
there are four additions to make to the post above. The first; having
the mind of Christ is not "noun ," but "verb." Being an action word,
having a mindset and calling it the "mind of Christ," will not work.
If you would have this "Mind of Christ," we go back and read verses
1 thru 5 to understand the description of the "Mind of Christ." It is
in verses 2 thru 4. " Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having
the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done
through strife or vain-glory; but in lowliness of mind let each
esteem other better than themselves Look not every man on his own
things, but every man on the things of others."
Looking closely, we see the "mind of Christ" is not one, but three
principles of life. Just as the nine principles of the fruit of the Spirit,
Galatians 5: 22-26 are the results of one living in the Spirit, not sepa-
rate but from one source, the fruit of the Spirit of Christ. Living the
mind of Christ will result in living out the three. These points suggest
to us the attitude our Lord had as He was on the earth and lived his
life for others with no thought for himself. If we have the "mind of
of Christ," the actions of our lives will embody the same attitude as his.
Remember "renewing your mind..." in Romans 12: 1-3. This means
submission to our Lord's enlightenment of our minds will change the
way one thinks; allowing new thinking ("Mind of Christ") to affect
ones attitude and actions described in Philippians 2:12-16.
Thanks for reading, donporter 10.27.13
To begin these additional remarks, we must clarify something brought
to mind while reading the letter of the Apostle to the Philippians. The
opening reads: "Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ,
Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the
Bishops and deacons: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our
Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." (verses 1-2) This letter was
addressed to the Church, not an individual. The Mind of Christ must
be lived out as a body of believers in the unity of the Spirit. It starts,
of course, with each individual, but one person would be hard put to
live out this directive alone.
"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good
works. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the
manner of some is; but exhorting one another, and so much the
more as ye see the day approaching " ( Hebrews 10:24-25) kjv
10.28.13, edited 5.01.17
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