Let This MIND be in You--Because It Balances Radical Kingdom Concepts Radically
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The Mind of Christ has no problems with that. Or the truth that God can both love and hate a person (yeah, He does not just hate sin but also sinners). But it rattles the human mind. So what others do is let go of one and hold on to the other, resulting to a denominational doctrine. Such doctrines believe only one side of the equation.
Like, we do not turn into God but the bible says we do not remain mere humans either when we're born again. We turn or "grow" into something else. So we cannot stubbornly keep saying we are just humans and nobody is perfect and God likes us the way we are. Well, he does accept us as we are, during conversion when we are still imperfect sinners. While we were yet sinners Christ died for us. But after we receive Jesus into our bodies, our lives, we are changed. The old is past, the new has come. We are new creations, turned into something else spiritually. We're no longer mere man, we're sons and daughters of God. We're not "saved sinners." We're saved saints.
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In fact, God says he sees us as "gods" and Scriptures cannot be broken, Christ said. We should transform and cease being just humans. We cannot stay as we are. God's plan is "attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ," [Ephesians 4.13]. The Mind fully understands this but the human mind will struggle with it. It will maintain that we are saved sinners and nobody is perfect.
So, when they read in Scriptures that no one can snatch us from Jesus' hand (or nothing can separate us from the love of God) and yet also read that sin separates us from God, they take just one side of the truth and trash the other. They don't have the imagination (or the Mind) to see that this is an equation and both sides of it need each other to maintain equilibrium. You may transpose one side to the other and still maintain balance. But you cannot take one concept in Scripture and make it go against the other. It's silly.
It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes. [Ecclesiastes 7.18]
Denominational doctrine keeps to one extreme. It will believe that one sin can make us lose our salvation (as if salvation is keeping ourselves sinless) and totally forget about it being by grace and not by works, not by keeping ourselves clean. While another denomination will prefer to be extreme with grace, declaring that you can sin all you want yet have no choice but to remain saved, whether you like it or not.
And what about the law? Many Christians are confused about junking it or obeying it. Just because they read that we are not justified by law or no one can be declared righteous through the works of the law, they think the law is not important. So they don't bother to study it seriously anymore. I wonder how many of us do our quiet times with God on the book of Leviticus or Numbers? Or the prophets like Hosea or Zephaniah? Did you know that matters about skin diseases and molds in Leviticus have lots to do in the spirit realms with how we take care of our relationship with God in Christ?
We forget that Jesus himself said we should not dismiss the law or the prophets because he never intended to abolish but to fulfill them. And Paul said we do not abolish the law in favor of faith. Instead, we should uphold the law---because somewhere also in Romans, Paul said Christ is the end of the law. We are not saved by law but we deepen faith and knowledge of Jesus as we study it.
Moreover, Jesus said you will never believe his words unless you believe what Moses wrote.
If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” [John 5.46-47]
Without studying the law and the Prophets, we will struggle believing Jesus' words genuinely. We can never take his words seriously unless we believe what Moses wrote. What we'd do is use his words for our Sunday school and preaching and in our bible schools and seminaries---but never take them seriously. Instead, we do things according to our traditions and our ways.
So, when they see the equation---Gospel = Law---they'd take just one side of the equation and trash the other. Such is the propensity of the human intellect.
And God hating sinners. A lot of Christians struggle to accept this truth because they've been told for decades or even centuries that God hates only the sin but loves the sinner---because God is love. When they see the equation---God loves sinners = God hates sinners---their minds revolt. They will opt to take the side of the equation that supports their lifestyles. They will say you're wrong and you don't understand sound theology because you didn't enter seminary.
They find it impossible for God to hate people. They deliberately forget that God killed millions of people around the world through the flood. Or that he declared how he loved Jacob but "hated" Isau even before they were born.
Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” [Romans 9]
Yes, God can hate people, sinners or otherwise---because He is God. He can do anything he wants. And he can both love and hate you at the same time.
As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, [Romans 11.28]Israel is both loved and hated, treated as both loved and enemies. You cannot take just one side of the equation. You have to believe both---that God sees Israel now as both loved and enemies. The Mind of Christ has no trouble believing this. Hence, I tell folks who doubt this truth that God loves all the souls he dumped in hell.
The Mind makes you easily see that Jesus has already come and yet still coming. Don't think that "when he comes" we will rule and reign with him. Or, we will have a better life. Don't wait for him to "come" because he's already here in our hearts. We're already ruling and reigning with him (no matter if we don't look like it) and we're enjoying eternal life right now, believe it or not. And yet, in an equally real sense, we wait for him to come back and rule and reign. Do you see this?
The Mind makes us understand so clearly that we are rich, though we don't look like it. Some Christians think that God's prosperity is all about amassing material wealth on earth. So they brag about their material blessings to all and say it's God's prosperity on their lives. Well, it is and yet it's not. You miss the point altogether if you think it's about possession.
In truth, true prosperity is losing all. That's how Christ demonstrated it. He lost all and gained everything. The prodigal son gained all and lost everything in the end. But his older brother thought he lost all (he was not even given a young goat) although he enslaved himself all his life to his father's will. But what did the father say? "My son, all I have is yours."
True riches is having nothing yet possessing everything. It's losing all so we can gain real life. The Mind of Christ understands these reversals easily. You may look like you're empty and nothing exciting is happening in your life, but remember that God defines "exciting" and "full" differently from how the world defines them.
Pastors today still believe that being productive in the Lord means you have many things going in your mega church. But listen to what the Lord said about Sardis Church: "You have the reputation of being alive but you are dead." If you don't possess this Mind, everything you do or achieve is trash because only the Mind of Christ makes you relevant in God's eyes.
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