In order to
attain a righteous and holy way of life, it
is necessary to "renew the spirit of the
mind". (Ephesians 4:23)
34H.1
Whose mind should the new creature possess?
In Philippians 2:5, Apostle Paul
explains:
Have this mind in
you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
(Philippians 2:5, ASV)
The new creature must possess "the
mind of Christ".
34H.2 What
is the mind of Christ?
Apostle Paul explains further in
Philippians 2:8:
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death--
even death on a
cross.
(Philippians 2:8, NRSV)
A humble mind. Christ humbled Himself
before God.
How did Christ
demonstrate the humble attitude of a true servant of God?
In Matthew 26:39, Christ said this as
He prayed earnestly to the Father, when He was about to be
crucified,
He went a little
farther on, threw himself face downward on the ground, and
prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, take this cup of
suffering from me! Yet not what I want, but what you want." (TEV)
Christ said "Yet not what I want,
but what you want."
Christ was ready to sacrifice even His life just He could obey the
will of God.
Who in the bible
possess the striking contrast
of Christ humble attitude?
Apostle Paul testifies in Romans
5:18:
Therefore just
as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all,
so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and
life for all. (Romans 5:18, NRSV)
Adam, . . . . blazed the trail for
insubordination and transgression, because of self-gratification,
which led to the condemnation of all men.
34H.3 What
has been put on by those who have been baptized into Christ?
In Galatians 3:27, the Scripture says:
For as many of you as were
baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (RSV)
Those who have been baptized in Christ, have
put on Christ.
What does "putting on Christ" mean?
"I have been crucified
with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and
the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of
God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
(Galatians 2:20, NKJV)
Those who have been baptized into Christ,
those who are created anew, reborn or born again have taken upon
themselves the qualities of Christ.
What does
"taken upon themselves the qualities of Christ" mean?
Since therefore Christ suffered
in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same thought, for whoever has suffered
in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time
in the flesh no longer by human passions but by the will of God. (1 Peter
4:1-2, RSV)
Those who have put on Christ or have taken upon
themselves the qualities of Christ, should spend the rest of the lives
(in the flesh) no longer by human passions but by the will of God.
34H.4
What are the works of the flesh that the New Creatures
should not do?
In Galatians 5:19-21, they are listed:
Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity,
licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of
fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy,
drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you
before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
(NAB)
The same verse in the other version of the
Bible:
Now the works of the
flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions,
jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions,
heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like;
of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past,
that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
(NKJV)
Against all this we should be triumphant,
because heaven is shut for doers of such works of the flesh.
________________
The
new creature must possess "the mind of Christ".
A humble mind, just as Christ humbled Himself
before God. Those who have been baptized in
Christ, have put on Christ. and have taken upon
themselves the qualities of Christ. They
should spend the rest of the lives (in the
flesh) no longer by human passions but by the
will of God.
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