The mind of Christ is one with the Father. If we don't understand what God's will is for man, then it's impossible to know the mind of Christ. When God set the new covenant into motion with Jesus, this was, and is, God's will for man. When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed that "Not His will, but God's will be done." He knew what the Father's will was concerning mankind.
God made a new covenant because He knew that the old covenant could never do what needed to be done. Man was still in his fallen state under the old covenant. He could live by laws, but couldn't be born again and he couldn't be a new creation like the Father wanted. Man could have his sins covered by the blood of bulls and goats, but they weren't removed. By observing the Law and keeping the covenant, man could at least stay in contact with God, but couldn't enter into His presence. They could be God's people, but not His children and family.
The whole of creation was about God having a family to walk with and be able to have fellowship with. When Adam fell in the Garden and lost fellowship with God, God found Himself once again without children. The fall in the Garden was much more than eating an apple as some have declared. It was the separation of life into Adam's spirit and the entrance of eternal death that set in. God could no longer walk with His son as He had in the past. Now, the only way God could be close to Adam was for Adam to sacrifice animals to cover him with their innocent blood and skins.
God wouldn't give up on Adam (just like we wouldn't) and His dream and purpose for His family when Adam sinned. God set in motion and purposed a way to stay close with His family until He could bring complete reconciliation. The lives and blood of animals would cover man's sin for time, but not for forever. There had to be a death because, "The wages of sin is death." A death was needed that would suffice and cover all the penalty of sin for all mankind and not just a few. There had to be a sacrifice that would end all of the penalty sin had brought into God's family. There needed to be the shedding of blood that would meet all the claims of God's just forever.
God is righteous and He is just. Holiness demanded a payment that man couldn't possibly meet. Justice demanded this claim be met. The only things that could pay this debt, was "a Man without sin" shedding His Blood for man. Since there wasn't a man on Earth who was without sin, God Himself would shed His Own Blood by being made a Man of flesh and Blood, God's Own Blood.
Jesus, Who is the Word of God, was always with the Father. John 1:1-4 (Amplified) says that, "In the beginning (before all time) was the Word (Christ) and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself." Verses 2&3 go on, "He was present originally with God. All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being." Verse 4 says, "In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men."
"In Him was Life." Only through God Himself could life now return into a people who were spiritually dead and separated from Life (Christ). Jesus was always present with the Father. His Name was called "The Word of God." When He came into the earth through Mary's womb, we called that baby "Jesus." This was to be the name of the Child who housed the now walking and talking Word of God. John 1:14 (Amplified) says, "And the Word became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us."
How can we not see the love of the mind of Christ when we read in God's Word what had to be done in order to bring God's family back into His presence? Over the years, the Word has become so distorted by man's carnal thinking and religion that we've somehow lost track of why Jesus came. No other sacrifice could restore life to a dead family. John 1:4 (Amplified) says that, "In Him was Life and the Life was the Light of man."
God couldn't walk with His family, even when all the sacrifices had been made and the works of the Law had been carried out, without His Holy presence killing all who were there. God had to abide in a tabernacle made of skins and wood and only the High Priest could actually come near Him. Even then, it was only once a year and it must have been a fearful thing for the High Priest. If the High Priest had any sin that hadn't been cleansed by the fulfilling of all the requirements, then he would die.
God could come close to the family of men He had created, but not too close. He was still outside and every day there needed to be offerings and sacrifice just to be able to even be that close. The heart of God, as our Father, was One of longing for His children to see His love and to know His presence. Because the sin problem was only covered and not removed, God was still outside. Mostly, the people only knew God from His displeasure and Holy judgments.
God's people only saw God's power, but not His love. They didn't seem to realize that it was only His love sustaining them. It was God's love that provided water from the rock Moses tapped and it was His love that provided manna from heaven. When God's love provided shelter from the sun as a cloud by day and warmth as fire by night, the people complained about what they lacked and failed to praise Him or recognize Him in His love.
The mind of Christ, the Word of God was with God from the beginning and was the very heart of God in His creation of all things. The only reason for creation was you. Without you or me, without mankind, what would an empty planet be for? The expectant parents plan a nursery where they paint the walls bright colors. They buy and put together a crib and bassinet. They buy baby clothes and toys and things they think their baby will enjoy. And, finally, when the nursery is completed, they bring the baby home to this place they created for him.
In Genesis, God lays out all the things He thinks will please the child He brought forth out of His love, Adam. Adam and Eve were the firstborn in the household of the Father. After all things were made ready in the nursery, God created His children. The Father walked with them in the midst or the beautiful Garden He had prepared for them. He taught them how to talk and live with Him in this paradise. Adam went walking with his Father and named all of the animal and the things the Father made for him. He walked in and was born by the love of the Father.
When God, our Father, lost His family in the act in the Garden, He never gave up on getting His family back. In His heart of love and in His mind, there was a plan. It was a plan that would cost Him everything, but it would be worth everything it cost Him to have His children back without any barriers between them any longer.
Only someone without sin could pay the price for sin. Only someone who would love enough to stand in our place and pay our penalty could do it. There had to be death to pay the price for life. It needed to be a supernatural death and not just a natural death. It had to be someone who would and could go all the way for man's transgression.
The mind of Christ, the very thoughts and deeds of Jesus (the Man), was the very thoughts and deeds of Jesus, (the Christ), the very Word of God. All of His thoughts and deeds, His sacrifice, His sufferings, His bearing and becoming what we were, His becoming the cursed so we could be blessed, His being separated from God and His being forsaken by God was so we could be drawn back and be made one with our Father and never be forsaken again. Man could never do all the things that Jesus did for us.
The return and fellowship with God's family was the foremost thought in the mind of Christ. Hebrews 12:2 (Amplified) says, "Looking away (from all that will distract) to Jesus, Who is the leader and the source of our faith. (Giving the first incentive for our belief) and is also it's finisher (bringing it to maturity and perfection) He, for the joy (of obtaining the prize) that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God."
Notice how Hebrews 12:2 (Amplified) says that, "He, for the joy (of obtaining the prize) that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame!" What was the prize that was set before Him that brought Jesus such joy that even the pain, suffering and shame of the cross couldn't quench? The return of God's family back to the Father. All God's love was suffering on that cross that day. This love can never be removed or replaced. This love will never fail. This love of God, Who is love, has now come into our hearts by the Holy Spirit crying, "Abba! Father."
That's what is in the mind of Christ. It's the total restoration of God's family to Him. "Old things are passed away and behold, all things are become new and all things are of God." Once you realize why we were the joy that allowed Jesus to go to the cross, it isn't hard to walk in love with a Father Who gave up everything to get us back. When you read the new covenant, don't read it with a sense of failure and of not living up to God's standards. Read it from the point of view that Jesus removed all of our failures, sins, misdeeds, curses and anything that stood in the way of God's bringing us back to Him. You're not being judged on your merits or your works. You're being judged by His grace and mercy and love.
When you read and hear the words of the new covenant, you hear the voice of the mind of Christ assuring you that seeing you in the Father's presence was the joy that brought Me strength to endure all I did for you. When you read the covenant, don't see you as you were, but see yourself as what Jesus endured to restore to you.
We're no longer apart from the heart and mercy of the Father, but we're filling His house with the sounds of laughter and He is rejoicing with us. The mind of Christ, the heart and thoughts of the Father, says that you are like the prodigal who was once dead and is now returned. We are God's family who was once gone and is now returned. "Allow Me to place a robe on your shoulders, a ring on your hand and prepare a feast to celebrate every day as My children come home," God says to us, "My house shall be full."
The mind of Christ will always reveal to you, the light of liberty and not bondage; the truth of what Jesus has done for us and not our own shortcomings. He will reveal to you the triumph of the resurrection that has raised us with Him. Don't listen to those who will always point out our imperfections. Listen to those who will point out His perfection in you. That is the mind of Christ.
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