Let this mind be in you ...

Philippians 2:5 (New King James Version)
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
(Some translations use the word “attitude”. I believed it is accurate to use the word “mind”, because our attitude flows from what we have in our mind.)

Why? Do you know the reason? What is mind? I submit it is not the brain. The brain is the house where the mind resides.

What is mind? Or who is the mind?

I don’t know exactly. What I know is that the mind’s main activity is to think. Thinking thoughts is mind’s work.

Now, is or are your thoughts you or not?

Can we choose what we should think about and not think about?

Can we choose our thoughts?

Know-how or knowledge is the domain of the mind. When Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, their mind became the storage of knowledge that is both good and evil. Not good separated from evil. If this is so then, Adam and Eve’s thinking are characterized by a combination of good and evil that is together. It is picking the good end of the stick that you also pick up the other end, which is evil. Because a stick has two ends.

Let us look at another angle in the same sense, When Christ said, “I am the first and the last”, what does this mean? Is Jesus two? One, of course! When, Christ said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life”, does this mean three?

The tree of knowledge is just one that has both evil and good in there. That’s where the fruit came from and was what each of us has eaten.

Let me dissect the words good and evil further: at level 1, you may think it to be just bad/good; at level 2, you might say it just false/true; at level 3, you could settle that it’s just about right/wrong; and at level 4, this is what is evil/good. Well, regardless of how our mind tricked us into this kind of thinking, it is still about good and evil combined. It is the devil's thinking.

This means that all human beings mind’s activity is to think naturally of good and evil thoughts combined. Why?

Because it is what they have come to know as a result of partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge. That is the seed (good and evil seed) of knowledge that we’ve chosen to plant in our mind. Not the seed from the tree of understanding and wisdom, which is the tree of life.

I submit to you that this is the reason why Paul said to the Philippians, “Let this mind be in you, which is also in Christ”. Christ’s mind, not the mind of the devil.

In other words think like Christ, or think differently not naturally. Choose your way of thinking. Change!

Let me give a brief example of Christ’s changing ways of thinking from the Old Testament to the New Testament.

“You have heard in the past that it was said… now I tell you…” the Ten Commandments revisions...(murder...adultery...).

I submit to you further, that Christ’s mind’s activity is to think only in terms of the truth, what the reality is, actually. The human mind in its natural state thinks only in terms of good and evil, right and wrong, true and false.

Truth is only right, good, and true sans wrong, evil and false.

Now, some of you might be thinking Jesus knew about evil, didn’t He?

Of course, Jesus knew about evil; but Jesus does not think about evil.

Knowing evil and thinking evil are two different things.

If you say you knew about something it does not necessarily mean you also understand the thing. Why? Because if one knew something he usually talks about it; but if he understood it he proceeds doing it and also talks about it.

What do I mean by this?

Knowledge is not synonymous to understanding. Knowledge without understanding lacks wisdom. Wisdom is the correct application and usage of knowledge because we already understood it.

Knowledge, on the one hand, can be acquired through our senses: hearing, seeing, touching, etc. by reading too. In other words we have built-in information sensors.

On the other hand, understanding and wisdom can be received only through listening- i.e. continuous and consistent thinking about the information at hand. This process, called thinking, allows you and me to gain understanding- in biblical sense, -a revelation.

Correct understanding of the knowledge allows you and me to have the wisdom to apply and use this information for our benefit and others.

Again, just knowing is not the same as thinking.

Knowing is an event, an instance. Thinking is continuous and a series of events. Understanding is the result of thinking. Wisdom is the action- the result of understanding.

Let us try and in the following comparison see the difference between Christ’s pure thoughts and diluted human thoughts.

Christ’s pure thoughts are about the truth only, while diluted human thoughts are about right together with wrong.

1.0 He said, “I AM… the Son of God.” (Isaiah 55:11; Luke 22:70)
1.0 You said, “I am a Christian” or “I am a child of God.”

2.0 He said, “God always answers my prayers.” (John 11:42)
2.0 You said, “God answers my prayers but not always.”

3.0 He said, “I always do what pleases God.” (John 7:29)
3.0 You said, “I do not always do what pleases God.”

4.0 He said, “It is finished!”(John 19:30)
4.0 You said, “It is not yet finish!”

5.0 He said, “Why not me?” or “Why not?”
5.0 You said, “Why me?” or “Why?”

6.0 He said, “Yes.”(Mathew 7:7-8; John 11:41)
6.0 You said, “No.”

7.0 He requested noble things.
7.0 You requested not so noble things.

The “You said…” in the statement meant humanity as a whole, the prevalent thinking we have even after so many years of attending church services and bible studies.

Examples of the many Bible personalities that requested mostly noble (good, not evil) things are:

Abraham’s: “Help me follow you.”
Moses’: “Help me free your people.”
David’s: “Help me slay the giant threatening our people.”
Solomon: “Give me wisdom to rule your people.”
Isaiah: “Give me clean lips to speak your words.”
Peter: “Help me feed your sheep.”
Jesus: “Help me show them Your love.”

Now, what is lacking? What is missing? The answer, I guess, is in the complete knowledge and accurate understanding of the true nature of what is meant to have a mind pre-programmed to think in terms of dichotomies (two): good and evil, right and wrong, good and bad. Like the computer that has gotten a virus, someone has to install the anti-virus. But unlike the computer who is not aware of the virus, humanity is aware that something must be misaligned, misdirected and up-side-down in him- or herself.

The cure or the treatment Paul says to the Philippians, “Let Christ’s mind be in you!”

The reason is that your thoughts become you. To become like Christ, we think like Christ.

The Scriptures says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Prov. 23:7)

Love thinks no evil! (1 Cor 13:5 last part NKJV), the Scripture also says.

What is really the mind of Christ?

I say, together with Paul, it is the mind that knows evil but thinks no-evil- love.

Let this mind be in you!

The book entitled "The Shack" by William P. Young parallels the thoughts above. If you are interested in additional information on the change in thinking we need to have you may want to read it. I invite you to watch some of the interviews given by the author by clicking these links, there are three interviews aired separately: You're Included.

The controversy...the critique...