Introduction- The Problem

In our last essay we spent some time looking at our presuppositions and how they shape the rest of our thinking. We applied what we learned to the topic of origins and showed how you can use presuppositional thinking to help naturalists understand the inconsistencies in their thinking. I hope you saw that with a proper application of Christian thinking we can open opportunities to show others of the glories of the Gospel in the world of thought.

We move on in this essay to begin to understand the contrast between the Christian mind and the carnal mind. It is my hope that we can paint a clear picture for each of us of not only the target we should all be striving for, but also what our carnal mind is like, and why we must abandon it.

The Christian Mind

Please turn in your Bible to Philippians chapter 2, where we read beginning at verse 5, 

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming 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. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. “

We looked at these verses in an earlier essay, although all too briefly. I want to come back to them for a moment now because they help us understand what it is we are trying to achieve. In other words, it illustrates the target we should be aiming for as we renew our minds. If we can begin to understand the mind of Christ as described for us here by Paul, we can then begin to develop the same mind in ourselves. After all, isn’t that what he admonishes us to do in these verses?

Before we begin though, I want to make a point about what a Christian mind is not. I want to do this because we can have some misunderstanding about what it means to have a Christian mind, or what it means to think Christianly.

First, thinking Christianly is not thinking by Christians. As we have already seen it is perfectly possible for Christians to not think or to think in an anti-Christian fashion. Jesus’ blunt words to Peter in Mark 8:33 remind us of this fact- “But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of (or thinking of) the things of God, but (you are thinking of) the things of men.””

Second, thinking Christianly is not merely thinking about Christian topics. Such topics as prayer, Bible study, and the spiritual disciplines are all topics worthy of thought, and so are necessarily parts of a Christian mind, but they do not include the greater part of life. There is much more that we are called to think Biblically about than just these.

Third, thinking Christianly should not be confused with adopting a “Christian line” or Christian approach on every issue. This is getting the cart before the horse. A “Christian line” on any particular issue must stem from a Christian mind. The mind must be developed before the line.

Now let’s look at our verses for a moment. What is the first thing you notice about the mind of Christ as Paul describes it here for us? First and foremost, Christ’s mind was centered on God and on the work God had given Him to do. It was concerned with God’s plan for the salvation of men. It was not tied down, or tied up with the cares of this world. It looked beyond this world to the eternal.

Also notice that it was not egotistical or self-centered. Its only thoughts were for the welfare of others. It was humble and it was obedient to God’s commands.

This is what we mean by the term Christian mind. It is a mind which, “sets all earthly issues within the context of the eternal, relates all human problems to the doctrinal foundations of the Christian faith, and sees all things below in terms of God’s supremacy and earth’s transitoriness.” These are words written almost 40 years ago by a man named Harry Blamires in his book, “The Christian Mind.” They spell out for us the target that we want to aim for.

In his book Harry Blamires lists six marks of a Christian mind:

1] It has a supernatural orientation. A prime mark of the Christian mind is that it cultivates an eternal perspective. That is to say, it looks beyond this life to that which is to come, and it looks beyond the material to the immaterial. It strives to see every aspect of this life in terms of an eternal perspective.

For example the Christian mind sees human life and human history as held in the hands of God. It sees the whole universe as being sustained by His power and His love. It sees the natural order contained in time and dependent upon the supernatural order within eternity. It sees life as an inconclusive experience, meant to prepare us for another experience. This world is seen as a temporary place of transit, not our true and final home.

All of the Christian mind’s judgments, references, and experiences are understood as having an eternal orientation and meaning. Scripture gives us some examples of this kind of thinking. Eccl. 5:2- “Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.” John 4:24- “God is a Spirit”

2] The Christian mind has an awareness of evil. It understands that there is an antithesis in the world, a division between those who love God and those who hate God. With this division clearly in view the Christian mind understands that this universe is a battlefield, and that it must be engaged in that battle. 

How does this perspective manifest itself? One way is that the Christian mind realizes that problems, especially problems with people must be seen as the product of evil in those people, and not as problems of environment, up-bringing, or class warfare. People are not seen as victims, but as sinners. What they do is not seen as the natural result of social injustice, but as the product of their sinfulness.

The Christian mind also recognizes the evil within itself and the influence that evil has on the person and his/her thought and actions. It recognizes pride, or that self-assertiveness that makes one the center of the universe, as the chief sin. Instead the Christian mind strives to see God as the center of the universe and it works to make all of life’s activities and relationships a fit offering to God.

What forms the standard for right and wrong in the Christian mind? Understanding that inherent evil in all men, the Christian mind knows that objective moral standards can only come from outside of itself. Anything else results in chaos. Thus the moral criterion for the Christian mind is the Word of God. The Christian mind will never yield in this standard, despite the prevailing morality around it.

3] The Christian mind has a supernatural conception of truth. This conception of truth stems from nos. 1 & 2 above, an eternal perspective and a recognition of evil. Thus, for the Christian, truth is determined supernaturally and is not manufactured within nature, determined by a vote, or contrived within men’s minds based on feelings. That is to say what is true is determined outside of nature or man. 

This being the case truth is objective and not subjective. It is a revelation and not a construction. It is discovered by inquiry and not by the vote of the majority, or based on how we feel. Finally, it is authoritative and not a matter of personal choice.

Given these facts regarding truth, religious conviction becomes a necessity based on supernatural truth. Faith is not the construct of men, but the revelation of God. The Christian must worship and obey God because He alone is God. His revelation is our light and life that require acceptance and obedience. Facts lead to acts.

4] It is accepting of authority. The Christian mind understands that God is not our buddy, or some celestial Santa Clause just waiting for us to call on Him. But the Christian mind understands that He is an awesome God before Whom we must prostrate ourselves and worship, a wrathful God Whose raised right arm can shake the universe. He is the King, the Supreme authority in all Creation. And to Him is due our complete submission.

In the same manner the Christian mind understands that God has chosen to extend that authority through His chosen means- his revealed word, and His bride, the Church, and Her leaders, and the civil magistrate. These are God’s visible means of exercising His authority here on earth. As such they are due the same submission and respect as God Himself is due.

Nowhere is this understanding, or this submission more evident than with regards to the Word of God. For the Christian mind, “Thus saith the Lord,” is enough. The only questions that arise in the Christian mind have to do with understanding what is being commanded and how to best apply it, there is never a question of whether or not to obey it.

5] It has a high regard for people. The Christian mind understands that, though fallen, every man is made in the image of God, has an eternal spirit, and is worthy of love. It has a sense of the sacredness of human personality that is deeply grounded in revealed theological truth. After all, the Son of God took on human nature thereby exalting that nature for all time and eternity.

The Christian, understanding that God has assumed and redeemed human nature, lives in terms of his calling as free, chosen, active men and women, making the best possible use of a world which God has given us to tame it for His glory. No where is this more true than how we treat one another.

The calling upon the Christian mind to “esteem others better than ourselves” (Phil 2:3) results in a desire for God’s approval rather than man’s approval or self approval as the true measure of self-esteem.

6] It has a sacramental cast. It sees all of life as coming from God and relating back to Him and His Word. Thus all areas of life are suitable arenas for it to engage in, redeem, and transform for God’s glory. The perversion of the fallen world must be battled and ultimately defeated by application of God’s Law Word for the glory of the King.

Thus all areas of life are suitable for redeeming and submitting to God. It is not enough for the Christian mind to merely condemn modern media and culture. It must be vitally involved in redeeming these areas of life for our King, transforming what was profane into something that honors God and advances His kingdom here on earth.

Further, it views love, beauty, and truth as expressions of Divine Nature. It takes pleasure in the expressions of these qualities through art and music that honor God and point men to Him. It takes joy in creating and experiencing beauty, discovering God’s truth, and giving and receiving love. These are the realities that express the Divine Nature.

Here then is our target. It is a mind that mimics the mind of our Lord. It is a mind that is characterized by these six attributes.

In our next essay we will turn our attention to the dark side by discussing a carnal mind.