The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum Mind of Christ...

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Yes, this entire pericope, beginning at 1:1 delves into the great and mysterious working of God the Holy Spirit and the benefits of it which have been given by Him, i.e., Himself, to believers; not because they were believers but rather to make them believers.

Paul first sets the Gospel in the place where it belongs; a mystery from God and revealed by God the Spirit. (2:1-9) He then shows the chasm which exists between the "natural" man, i.e., the unregenerate/unconverted man, who not only does not receive the gospel but indeed he cannot comprehend it, i.e., in its absolute sense, to embrace it with his mind and heart wholly. This is due to the fact that the natural man is spiritually dead (Eph 2:1,5; Col 2:13) AND totally void of the indwelling Spirit who is the one who gives spiritual life. But the "spiritual" man isn't just one who has some unusual but natural superior knowledge of spiritual things but rather one who has the Spirit himself, this self-same Spirit who knows the very mind of God. (2:10; cp. Isa 43:10) This type of man, the spiritual man, the natural man has no way of judging, i.e., he is incapable of knowing even the most rudimentary things about what the spiritual man is, never mind what things he knows concerning the reality of God, sin, grace, Christ, reconciliation, and all leading up to the glory that shall surely come when Christ returns.

Now, this is what it is to have the mind of Christ. It is to be given the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father and by the incarnate Son, Jesus Christ. (Jh 14:16-21) It is He who reveals all things and makes known the glorious mystery of the gospel of Christ Jesus the Lord. There is an inseparable union that is created in every believer with Christ and with God. And this gift is reserved for those beloved of God before time and given to them according to God's sovereign good pleasure. (Matt 11:25-27) The result is, of course, that they are not only given to know because they are known of God, but they are adopted as sons/daughters and made to be children of God, (Jh 1:12,13; Rom 8:15; Gal 4:5; Eph 1:5; 1Jh 3:1) and partakers of the divine nature. (2Pet 1:4)

Does this boggle the mind? Hopefully so! True salvation in Christ is not the simple recitation of a prayer found on the back of some card or tract. It is a radical and spiritual transformation which enables a poor needy sinner to see the true state of his/her black heart, at least in part and to see the incomprehensible loveliness of Christ and His total willingness and sufficiency to save. The language used to describe this radical change couldn't be any clearer than what Paul wrote to the Colossians:

Blessed be the name of the Lord, for all things are of him, and through him, and unto him. To him be the glory for ever. Amen.