“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:14-16)
Does having the mind of Christ mean that we know all things, even as God does? When Jesus pressed Peter as to whether he loved Him, Peter responded in frustration, “Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee.” (John 21:17)
Was Peter right: did Jesus know all things in the same way the Father knows all things? Jesus Himself said there was a limitation on His knowledge. “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” (Mark 13:32) What then does having the mind of Christ mean in the context of 1 Corinthians? Having the mind of Christ means that the Spirit of Christ within us gives us the attitude that Christ had as a true worshipper of the Father.
The true worshipper does not instruct God; He is instructed by God. He doesn’t dictate to God what God will do, as by his command; He receives the commands of his Lord and carries them out. He is always on the receiving end of instruction; never on the giving end. Because He lets God rule, He is is vessel of honor in God’s house, fit for the Master’s use. He is tasked with various assignments according to the will of his Lord. He is made to know what he should do in the various situations he faces. He confidently waits on his God for direction as to his next move. This was the mind of Christ that did nothing of Himself. This is the mind of Christ that all who are born of the Spirit have for the purpose of walking as Christ walked.
Here is the difference between the natural man and the man of the Spirit. The one doesn’t bother to inquire of God. God is not in all his thoughts. (Ps. 10:4) He does what comes naturally. He is a creature of instinct, whose decisions arise out of his strongest passions, preferences, and fears. He navigates the waters of life out of his emotions and desires.
Whether he goes to church or not is irrelevant. If he seems to draw near to God it is only with his mouth; his heart and mind are his own. In truth, he bows down only to himself and does what is right in his own eyes. This spirit is the very opposite of the spirit of Christ. It is anti-Christ.
Have you truly been born-again? If so, the Spirit of God dwells in you. And with the indwelling Spirit comes the mind of Christ. If this is not the case, then we are still our own person, belonging to ourselves to do as we wish, and not truly belonging to God. “… Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” (Rom. 8:9)
Paul wrote, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Gal. 5:25) There is so much that God wants to teach us by His Spirit. He would guide us into all truth. His one, chief interest is to lead us into full conformity to His Son, with whom He was well-pleased.
If you have been born again by the Spirit of God, Christ dwells within you. He is your hope of glory. Through Him, God has hope that you will grow up into the kind of true worshipper that Jesus was. There’s much that is outside your ability to know, but the one thing you can always know is what Jesus would do.