The Mind of Christ
“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 him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:5-8) KJV
In one of his sermons, G. Campbell Morgan related that the essence of the mind of Christ was love, the consciousness of that mind was joy, and the expression of that mind was self-sacrifice. Since God is love, and Christ is God, it is clear to see that the essence of that mind would be love. Being one with the Father, we can understand from John 3:16 that when it says “God so loved the world”, that this statement also included the love of Christ. Jesus came to make the Father known, and in all His relationships with humanity this love was demonstrated. It was His love for us that took Him to the cross.
The consciousness of His mind was that of joy as was recorded in His words to His disciples.. “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11) We also see a reference to His joy in Hebrews 12:2. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
The expression of that mind as one of self sacrifice is seen throughout the pages of both the Old and New Testaments. “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” (II Corinthians 8:9)
The challenging part of this passage in Philippians is found in the first six words. “Let this mind be in you.” It is not only daunting, but impossible in our strength to do this. Paul warns against self effort in Galatians 3:3. “Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you trying to attain your goal by human effort? We are never expected to do this except by depending on the Holy Spirit to manifest the life of Christ within us. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) It is His love, (Romans 5:5) and His joy, (John 15:11) that is poured out into our lives and enables the living Christ to be seen in and through our lives with self-sacrifice. “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so the the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.” (II Corinthians 4:9-10)
If we are to “Let this mind be in you,” we have encountered an enemy at the outset. “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.” (Galatians 5:17) The sinful nature, or self, is opposed to self-sacrifice, particularly when asked to have joy in doing so! The answer to this opposition is described by Paul in Galatians 3:16. “So I say, live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”
As I look back over my life, I can recall that on a number of situations, self-sacrifice was not demonstrated at all. The cost of time, effort, and other choices took precedent. On other occasions, self-sacrifice was present, but the efforts put forth were done reluctantly or grudgingly, wondering why someone else could not have done what I was asked to do. Those events where the Holy Spirit enabled me to say no to self and willingly, with joy, minister to others with self-sacrifice are memorable. They were all characterized by a God given love for that person, a willingness to do whatever was needed to attend to their need, irregardless of the cost to myself. There was also a joy in being able to be used by the Lord on their behalf. There was a distinct sense of being led by the Holy Spirit in these situations.
We are all given periodic opportunities in life to express the love of Christ in situations where self-sacrifice is involved, even at times when it is unnoticed by others. As the Holy Spirit leads us, we can also experience His joy as the Spirit manifests the life of Christ through us. These opportunities come unexpectedly, and not on our agenda for that time or place. They come as we interact with others, perhaps at a place of employment, during travel, or chance meetings with others. They come most often, however, with those with whom we have the closest relationships. As we look back on our lives, we will always have the remembrance of the opportunities that the Lord has given us to minister to others with self-sacrifice. These opportunities are fleeting. We will not always have an opportunity to demonstrate Christ’s love to others.
A little more that three years ago, I walked into our bedroom and found the carpet was a total mess. Beverly was unaware of an illness which had suddenly happened to her and she sat reading in a chair facing away from the carpet I was cleaning. Although I did not know it at that time, it was the first symptom of a Covid illness. As she sat and was looking away from me in the chair, I spent the next hour cleaning up the room. It was a chance to minister to her that the Lord provided, even though she was unaware of what I was doing. The Lord actually gave me a joy in serving her for which I am thankful to this day. She slept that night in the chair, as she would often do. I brought her McDonalds for her breakfast the next morning when she awakened. She didn’t seem to know what to do with the food and all she could say was “I don’t know.” She was unable to swallow and I was not even able to help her stand up. I am not even certain that she even knew my name. When admitted to the hospital that morning, all that she knew was her own name. One month later, the Lord took her home to be with Him. I will always be grateful for the opportunity to provide self-sacrificial love for her as the last thing I was able to do for her.
Major Ian Thomas was once asked what his purpose in life was. He answered “To make the invisible Christ visible.” It is in letting His mind be in us that He becomes visible. As we do this, then the essence of our mind becomes love, the consciousness of our mind is joy, and the expression of our mind is demonstrated by self-sacrifice. May the mind of Christ be richly evident in your life as you follow Him.
In Christ, Richard Spann