“But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16)
That is not a throwaway line at the end of Paul’s argument; it is the conclusion. It is the great contrast he has been building toward. There are, in the end, only two ways of thinking: the way of the world, and the way of Christ.
And they are not merely different. They are opposed.
The Way of the World
Worldly thinking is not always loud or obviously rebellious. Often, it is subtle, respectable, even admired. It plans carefully, calculates outcomes, and prizes control. It seeks strength, influence, and self-preservation. It measures success by what can be seen: results, recognition, security.
It asks questions like:
- What will work?
- What will advance me?
- What will protect me?
- What makes the most sense?
There is a certain wisdom to it, at least on the surface. It can build impressive structures, achieve measurable success, and even appear moral. But Paul reminds us that this wisdom is ultimately “of this age,” and therefore passing away (1 Cor. 2:6).
At its root, worldly thinking assumes that we are competent judges of reality. That we can, by our own reasoning, chart the right course. That the cross (weakness, sacrifice, dependence) is unnecessary or, at best, inefficient.
In other words, it is wisdom without the Spirit.
The Mind of Christ
Then Paul says something astonishing: “But we have the mind of Christ.”
Not will have. Not might have. Have.
As Richard Pratt notes, this is not because believers are naturally wiser, but because the Spirit of God dwells within them, revealing the mind of God through the apostolic word. The Spirit does not improve our old way of thinking; He replaces it. He teaches us to see reality as Christ sees it; to evaluate life according to a different standard altogether.
And what does that look like?
It looks like the cross.
The wisdom of God is revealed precisely where the world would never look: in weakness, in suffering, in what appears to be defeat. The cross is not merely the means of our salvation; it is the pattern of our thinking.
The mind of Christ:
- Sees strength in weakness
- Sees gain in loss
- Sees life through death
- Sees glory in humility
Where the world says, “Protect yourself,” Christ says, “Deny yourself.”
Where the world says, “Assert yourself,” Christ says, “Humble yourself.”
Where the world says, “Win at all costs,” Christ says, “Take up your cross.”
This is not natural. It is learned… taught by the Spirit through the Word.
A Necessary Surrender
But here is where it presses in on us.
To have the mind of Christ is not simply to think differently in theory; it is to relinquish our confidence in our own reasoning. It is to admit, often painfully, that God’s ways are right and ours are not.
That is what makes this so difficult.
We prefer strategies we can control. We gravitate toward outcomes we can predict. We trust what feels effective. But the Spirit leads us again and again back to the same place: the cross.
And the cross dismantles our pride.
It tells us that our wisdom could not save us.
It tells us that our strength was not enough.
It tells us that God’s power is made perfect in weakness.
And then, by the Spirit, it begins to reshape how we think.
Living with the Mind of Christ
What would it look like to live this out?
It means we begin to evaluate our lives not by worldly success but by faithfulness.
It means we are willing to look weak, if that is where Christ is honored.
It means we trust God’s Word over our instincts, even when it cuts across everything we would naturally choose.
It means, quite simply, that we begin to think like Christ.
Not perfectly. Not consistently. But truly.
And that is Paul’s encouragement: those taught by the Spirit are no longer bound to the judgments of human wisdom. They are being conformed to something better… to Someone better.
So when you find yourself wrestling between what seems right and what Christ has said, do not be surprised. That tension is not a sign of failure; it is evidence of a new mind at work.
Stay there. Sit under the Word. Ask the Spirit to teach you.
And remember: the goal is not sharper thinking by worldly standards, but deeper conformity to Christ.
After all, we have His mind.
SDG
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