If anyone is interested in learning more about this mysterious idea of the Mind of Christ, I would love to share some things that God has shown me over the years just by studying His Word. After discussing the importance of knowing and understanding Jesus’ meaning of the 7 Kingdom parables in Matthew, we are conveniently set up now for a more detailed look into this profound mystery, the Mind of Christ. Sadly, if we hold to the thought, as so many teachers today still do, that the Mind of Christ is given in full to every believer at salvation, the rest of the wonderful “hidden things” that are abundantly present in the Word, that so closely relate to the getting of the Mind of Christ, and that God so longs to reveal to us, will remain somewhat if not completely veiled. But there is a glorious door to enter, another door after the door of salvation, where beautiful and powerful truths are revealed if we will just walk through. I’ll propose that it is also a second veil. But you check that out.
Now in order to enter into eternal life, salvation, a man must come to Christ as he is. He is carrying his old baggage, he is ruled by his old man still, and he looks exactly like he did before he entered. The only difference in this man is that he was before only born once…of the flesh. Now, after faith in Christ, he is mysteriously born twice, or born again, that is “Spirit born”. Remember that back in Galatians Paul explains this through the picture of Abraham’s two son’s, Ishmael and Isaac. The first son was born of the flesh (the will of man) the second was of the promise, that is supernaturally conceived by the work and promise of the Holy Spirit. This is a picture of mankind being born once in the flesh, then twice through faith in Christ. Unless he is born twice, he remains spiritually dead, and unable to know God or understand Him or to be in His presence. God is Spirit and must be worshiped in Spirit. The spiritually dead, therefore, cannot know God. And all are spiritually dead until they are covered in the blood of Christ, no matter how nice and humanitarian and agreeable they may be.
Now, when we are born again, the spirit once dead in the person is now quickened or made alive simply by faith. And this is a mystery. Can a man be born again by reciting the sinner’s prayer and earnestly believing? Certainly. But again, this contemporary way is not mentioned in the Bible nor is it even alluded to. It has in my opinion the fingerprints of man intervening into the work of the Holy Spirit, someplace he does not belong, all over it.
There are two perfect examples that the Lord loosely gives. Nicodemus is one and the thief on the cross is another…also Cornelius and many others. The woman in adultery, the woman at the well and so on, the blind man who was blind but now sees, etc. Jesus gives these examples intentionally to show us how absolutely mysterious and profound it is for a man to be born of the Spirit. Nicodemus wondered how a man gets to Heaven. He was THE teacher in Israel, and yet he had no idea how this was done. Jesus told him he must be born again, or of the Spirit, because that which is born of the flesh is just flesh (and we already know that flesh cannot enter Heaven) but that which is born of the Spirit is spirit…and God must be worshiped in spirit and in truth. He leaves it there! High truth of Jesus always first leaves us scratching our heads! hahaha! Then little by little, precept upon precept, here a little there a little, light begins to chase away darkness, and veils are removed.
Then we see Jesus in the middle of two thieves on crosses. All are condemned to death…two justly condemned, one unjustly condemned. One thief, representing an unbeliever, mocks the Lord. One thief is Spirit born. But this is all that we see of this mysterious work. The thief evidently had a heart to be Spirit born (remember the seed sown on fertile ground) because he in one statement expresses repentance and faith and BOOM, it is done. He just looks at Jesus and says this Man is innocent. He is God. I am guilty. Lord remember me when You come into Your Kingdom! Hallelujah. How has mankind so jumbled such a perfectly simple truth like this one…being born twice, of the Spirit that is?
Instead we have come up with all kinds of weird ways to enter Heaven, but every one of them is through another gate not permitted, over the wall. We think we can baptize a baby and the faith of his parents will get him in. We think we can press a poor child at age of 12 to confess Christ is Lord before a church, after a series of classes, and he is confirmed in the church…this gets him in. We think that we can attend church every Sunday and be active in church work and this gets us in, we think we can be the best we can be and do nice things, saying peace, peace, all be well with you… and this gets us in. I could go on.
But the only thing that enables us to know God is to be Spirit born. That’s it.
Now Jeremiah for example was saved and sanctified before he was born. How was that? Now Paul tells us the Jacob belonged to God before he could even choose good or evil and Esau did not. How was that. John the baptist was filled with the Spirit in the womb, how was that?
Believe it or not, the Lord tells us how. He uses Judas Escariot as an example for us. In order to understand election, we have to first hold these things as true in our minds: God knows all things before they happen and always speaks and teaches from that vantage point (the Spirit speaks of things that are not as though they are). He is already at the end of all things (time that is) and knows who are His…even before they are able to choose…even before they were conceived. He knows who will reject Him. But He lets it all play out. Every man must choose or reject Christ and this is done in the dimension of time, of which God is outside completely. There has to be, even for those God knows will receive Him, a moment in time where the person repents of his old nature and receives his new nature in Christ (we will see this in Hebrews). God just knows who will do what before it happens. Judas was invited to be one of the twelve, he just rejected the invitation. Jesus says, Haven’t I chosen you 12 and one is a devil? The meaning of that word is invited, not elected. Only the ones who rsvp in the affirmative are the elect. It is free will but limited. In other words, God will not allow someone whom He knows in eternity past is His to reject Him. It is actually very easy to understand. Now, He also will not allow someone whom He knows in eternity past will never receive Him to be the elect. He explains this with Esau. Esau sought diligently repentance, and it was never given to him. Wow. This gives more understanding to why Isaiah said that there would be those who would ever listen but never hear, ever seeing but never perceiving and God makes sure of it because they are not His…by their own choice. He keeps them in darkness because they are unbelievers. He has already seen their end. Jesus died for the WORLD, giving the opportunity for election to all created.
Why did He even create those who would reject Him then? Paul warns us in Romans that it is just none of our business so don’t pry into it. So there we go.
We can understand this however: God created mankind for Himself. We could never be true companions fit for such a glorious God if we did not choose, of our own will and desire, to love God. He has no interest in making a God hater into His own. He allows them to hate Him. And those who don’t love Him, hate Him, He says.
Now believe it or not, all of this is necessary to set up the teaching of the Mind of Christ. What is it and who has it and why do we need it? I will pause here and put that in another email and send it mid week. Have a wonderful day today and may we know more and more what it is to draw so near the Lord that we are able to, like the butterfly now and not the caterpillar anymore, soar overhead, seeing His truth from an entirely different and grander vantage point.
Love in Him,
Cheryl