Armed With The Mind of Christ

Introduction

Previously, Peter has been encouraging us to holy living. We are to be holy in our dealings with God, in the Church, and outside the church. Part of this holy living is submitting to authority, and he encourages us to submit to each other for God’s sake. This in no way means that we are saying they are better than us, but is to keep order. For the Believer this will almost certainly mean that we will suffer at the world’s hands, and so are exhorted to suffer for righteousness sake. Last time we saw how Jesus’ righteous suffering, once for all, is the only sufficient way to be saved from sin.

Today we are going to look at arming ourselves with the mind of Christ.

Ready For War

1 Peter 4:1-2, Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. At the heart of the Gospel is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. All the way through this letter we have been reminded of Jesus suffering for our benefit. It is introduced in 1:2 we were sprinkled with the blood of Christ. In 1:3 we are born again because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. In 1:11 the prophets of the Old Testament kept searching for when the sufferings of Christ and the glories would follow. In 1:19-21 we are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. That Jesus was foreordained before creation. In 1 Peter 2:21-24, Peter wrote, For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps...who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. The suffering Messiah was one of the hardest things to penetrate through the minds of His disciples.; As you will remember that one three separate occasions Jesus spoke to His disciples of His impending death, and on each of those occasions His disciples were confused, and indignant about His death.

Christ’s Suffering

1 PETER 4:1, Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh. The first thing to notice is the “therefore,” which refers us back to the previous passage, 3:18-22. Jesus died once. Once for sins, the just for the unjust. Though Jesus was put to death in the flesh, He was made alive by the Spirit, and so rose in victory over the grave. God alone has done this for our benefit. Ephesians 2:4-6, God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2 gives us a clear description of what the lengths God went to on our behalf.

Philippians 2:5–8 (NKJV)

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

And because the Son of God suffered death, on our behalf, and was raised to the right hand of God, we are called to submit to Him and obey Him by living according to His Word. Philippians 9-13:

Philippians 2:9-13

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Arm Yourselves

We are at war, and any good soldier will prepare themselves properly. Ephesians 6 tells us to put on the armor of God. We are to arm ourselves with the sword of the Spirit, which, it says is the Word of God. Paul attaches Biblical principles to each piece of armor, and tells us that we put this spiritual armor on because our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against demonic forces. Likewise Peter agrees, so instructs Believers to (1 Peter 4:1) arm yourselves also with the same mind. 3:22 says that these demonic forces, angels and authorities and powers, subject to Jesus Royal rule. As you know this letter is written to people who are suffering the insults of their neighbors and family because they are followers of Jesus Christ. On top of this, we also know that everyday we suffer the temptation to sin that makes a mockery of God’s salvation, and draws us closer to the will of the world, and the Evil one.

Peter, knowing that temptation is waiting at the door, encourages Christians to arm themselves. We arm ourselves so we don’t fall into temptation, and sin. Peter knows full well the pull of temptation, and how dreadful sin can be. If you’ll remember on the night Jesus was betrayed, two of His disciples fell terribly into sin. Judas Iscariot, who’s guilty heart caused him to commit suicide, and Peter, who’s guilty heart brought Him into the arms of His Savior. If you saw both these men that night, you would not see any difference, because both were acting as non-Believers. Both armed themselves with the mind of the world, and not the mind of Christ. So, says Peter, arm yourselves with the mind of Christ, because it is only by searching our Savior’s mind will we be able to stand on the rock, and fight well.

Arming ourselves with the same mind, the mind of Christ, is further explained in the verses that follow. You see, Jesus never lived for the pleasures of this world, and instead submitted to the Will of God. Not once did Jesus walk in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, etc., and in not doing as the world sees right, but following God and His Word, Jesus was eventually killed. Jesus was declared the only perfect human because He always did His Father’s Will, always lived according to God in the Spirit.

Arming ourselves involves thinking. I am amazed at how much information is available to us. At the click of a few buttons there is an overwhelming amount of details on virtually any subject you can think of. And twenty or thirty years ago we would have devoured it. But in today’s climate we are taught to listen and obey the “experts.” In years gone by everyone was happy and willing to debate the issues at hand. But now we are commanded to submit to their understanding. - no more debates. These people make you feel like their cause is the right and only cause. God, on the other hand, wants His people to follow, but with eyes wide open. He isn’t looking for non-thinking followers. That is why He has given us His written Word.

There is no other way to gain the mind of Christ than to immerse ourselves in His Word. When we study the Bible, we are learning the mind of Christ, because it reveals the authentic Jesus Christ. Instead of being anti-intellectual, God desires us to be using our minds to seek understanding of His Word, and to arm ourselves with the mind of Christ. Psalm 1 says, the blessed man delights in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. Psalm 19 tells us, The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes, and in verse 10 says God’s Word is sweeter than honey and the honeycomb…in keeping them there is great reward.

Early in Israels history, while in the wilderness, God gives them this instruction in how important thinking and understanding the Word of God is, Deuteronomy 11:20-21, “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.”

When we spend time reading our Bible, and using helps to understand it better, we are arming ourselves with the mind of Christ.

Controlled Is Given To God

Ceased from Sin

1 Peter 4:1-2, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. Some say this is talking about Jesus flesh, and not our own flesh. That since Jesus suffered in the flesh, He, therefore, had ceased from sin. To cease from doing something, though, means that it was being done in the past. You couldn’t, for example, tell me to cease from being Prime Minister, because I have never been a prime minister. If we were to take this verse as referring to Jesus, we are saying that there was a time that Jesus was sinning. If Jesus had sinned in any way, His death did nothing but condemn Him to eternal punishment. No perfect sacrifice, no atonement for the sins of the world.

These words in 1 Peter must refer to us. If we suffer in the flesh, then we have ceased from sin. Jesus secured the victory over sin, and if we have received His salvation, then we too have victory over sin. In Hebrews 12:2 we see Jesus going through all His suffering, so He might finish what He set out to do - gain victory for us - looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame.

Once we have received God’s grace by faith, we begin the new life. At the moment of our rebirth we have victory, the victory won by Christ on the cross, who said, it is finished. We are no longer slaves to sin, but cease from sin’s power over us. Romans 6:7, For he who has died has been freed from sin. The problem we see is that we, as those who are reborn in Christ, still sin. The suffering in the flesh we endure, refers to this war that goes on in our hearts and minds.

Dead to the Sinful Nature

Peter goes on to give some broad areas of life that are common place as temptations for sin. 1 Peter 4:3, For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. Amazing how common the sins of 2000 years ago are the same sins that plague the human race in 2021. We are freed from the spiritually dead condition that was part of the old life, the will of the Gentiles. Peter tells us, enough, stop living for the world and start living for Your Savior, Jesus Christ. We have been delivered and purified from them, and as such should think of them as dead. We arm ourselves with the mind of Christ to combat the sinful desires and temptations that plague us day in, day out. We do so by living according to the Will of God.

The Strangeness of the New Life

As we live according to the Will of God, the world responds in the only way it can. 1 Peter 4:4, In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. This verse reminds us of the transient status of Christians in this world. The flood of dissipation speaks of throwing off all moral reservations. This is the type of living the wayward son entered into, in the parable of the Prodigal son. We are indeed those sojourners and pilgrims of 2:11, and so do not run into the same flood of dissipation. the word for strange here has the meaning of a strong psychological reaction.

Those who have grown up in small towns will know that if you don’t play on the local sports teams and don’t spend your weekends at the pub, then you are seen as very strange. This is doubly true for Christians, when we stop behaving in the way of the world, and according to our old self, people will not like it. They may malign our person, speak evil of us, even if we love them.

Judgement Is Coming

Accounts Will be settled

The good news for Believers is that 1 Peter 4:5, They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. In 1 Peter 3:15 we saw that we are to be prepared to give a defense for the hope we have in Christ. In 4:5 the tables are turned. When Judgement Day comes everyone who has not received the salvation God offers, will have to give a defense to God. In Matthew 12:36 Jesus says, But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For the Believer, we don’t have to spend our free time getting revenge, or vengeance, on those who do evil against us. Peter told us to suffer for righteousness sake, back in the previous chapter. Living and the dead is all encompassing, and is another way of saying every person who has ever lived. Allow God to be the judge of the living and the dead. Believers are called to arm themselves with the mind of Christ so they can withstand the temptations and wickedness of the world, and after all is finished to stand.

The Gospel Saves

1 Peter 4:6, For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. The best understanding of this verse comes from the change in who the judge is. Is Peter speaking of the same judge as the verse 5, God, or is the judge of verse 6 different. The key to understanding who this judge is comes from the words that follow it, judged according to men in the flesh. The aim of Peter’s letter is to encourage Believers to persevere in the face of suffering. So it figures that the phrase Men in the flesh refers to the judgement of Christians by worldly standards. The Gospel message was preached and received by those who are now dead on account of their trust and faith in Christ. These people are now alive to God in the spirit. meaning they have joined in the multitude singing praises to God before His eternal throne.

Conclusion

I would like to encourage each of us to have an honest conversation with ourselves and see if we have the correct weaponry. If we are to stand firm until the end, we must be armed with the right weapon. The only weapon that will do the job is being armed with the same mind of Christ.

Amen.