“The mind of Christ” is one of the most striking phrases in the New Testament. Can an ordinary believer really have the mind of Christ? What would that even mean?
Paul uses the idea in two different letters, in two different ways. Both matter, and it helps to see each one in its own setting.
1 Corinthians 2:16: The Mind of Christ as a Gift
“For, ‘Who can know the LORD’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?’ But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.”
1 Corinthians 2:16 NLT
The setting. The church in Corinth prized clever speech and human wisdom. Paul reminds them that God’s wisdom, shown in the cross, looks like foolishness to the world. No one discovers it by human cleverness. It’s revealed by God’s Spirit.
A few verses earlier he writes:
“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.”
1 Corinthians 2:12 NKJV
What it means. Here “the mind of Christ” is something believers have. Through the Holy Spirit, we’re able to understand and receive what God has revealed, things the world without the Spirit can’t grasp (1 Corinthians 2:14). It isn’t that we know everything Christ knows. It’s that the Spirit opens our minds to God’s truth.
That’s both humbling and encouraging. We don’t earn spiritual understanding by being clever. It’s a gift.
Philippians 2:5: The Mind of Christ as a Calling
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 2:5 KJV
The setting. Paul is writing to a church he loved, urging them toward unity and humility. Just before this verse he writes:
“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”
Philippians 2:3–5 NLT
Then he describes that attitude:
“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”
Philippians 2:6–8 NLT
What it means. Here the mind of Christ is an attitude we’re called to let shape us: humble, self-giving, putting others first. It shows up in how we treat people: at home, at work, in church, in conflict.
Two Passages, One Lord
These two uses shouldn’t be blended into one idea, but they belong together in the Christian life:
- 1 Corinthians 2 is about understanding: the Spirit gives believers the mind of Christ, so we can receive God’s truth.
- Philippians 2 is about attitude: we’re called to let Christ’s humility shape how we live with others.
The Spirit who opens our minds to God’s truth is the same Spirit who forms Christ’s humble love in us.
Growing in the Mind of Christ
How does a believer’s thinking come to reflect Christ’s more and more? In my book, Renewing Your Mind: Living Life Intentionally, I describe taking our thoughts captive this way:
“This means challenging your current thoughts, ideas, attitudes, opinions, and beliefs and exchanging them for those that are in alignment with the Word of God and therefore the heart and mind of Christ.”
In practice:
- Stay in God’s Word. It’s where Christ’s thoughts are revealed.
- Depend on the Spirit. Ask Him for understanding as you read.
- Practise Christ’s humility. Look for one way today to put someone else’s interests ahead of your own.
- Let Scripture correct you. When your thinking doesn’t line up with His Word, His Word wins.
This is what Romans 12:2 calls being transformed by the renewing of your mind. (See How to Renew Your Mind Biblically (opens in a new tab).)
Thinking and Living Like Christ
The mind of Christ grows in us as God’s Word reshapes how we think and how we treat others, day by day. At Renewing Your Mind Discipleship Ministry, we teach a simple way to engage God’s Word in those moments, in four parts. We call it The Process.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
KJV: public domain.
