How I Used Truth - Lesson 11 - Annotation 8
What is meant by the Biblical statement, "Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5)?
8. "Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" instructs us to have the consciousness, or to know, that the Mind of God that moved perfectly in and through Jesus works in and through us as we let it.
The "mind . . . which was also in Christ Jesus" is the consciousness of perfection, for it is the consciousness that knows God as Divine Mind, the Source of all. To "have this mind in you" is to be conscious of God's perfection; to see God as the one Presence and one Power, seeking to manifest His perfection as health of mind and body, harmony, success, prosperity of affairs.
"You are linked with the universal spiritual mind through the Christ Mind. It is through the Christ Mind that all things come to you; it is the channel to the all-mind of the Father. Make the unity of wholeness with the Christ Mind" (Prosperity 75).
It is only through prayer, when we "wait" on God, that we can become conscious of this Mind as being that in which we "live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28). When we come to the realization that we can never be outside of God-Mind, we open ourselves to the ideas of that Mind so that they may do their transforming work.
"Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom. 12:2), our Scripture tells us. Such mind renewal is made possible through the use of denials and affirmations either consciously or unconsciously. We release all wrong concepts by denial and accept the ideas of Divine Mind by affirmation. This gives us a true basis from which to think, feel, speak, act, and react. When the ideas of God fill our consciousness to the exclusion of error thoughts, or limited beliefs, we can be said to "Have this mind . . . which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5).
"When Jesus said, 'I am the resurrection, and the life,' He was telling of the power of the Christ Mind to enter the mind and the body of man as quickening Spirit to awaken the whole consciousness to the knowledge of God. This resurrecting process is now going on in many people. It is a gradual change that brings about a complete transformation of the body through renewal of the mind" (The Twelve Powers of Man 170).
If we are faced with some situation in life that requires adjustment, we learn that we must not attempt to do the work by human strength. We enter the "inner chamber" of prayer and "wait on God," knowing that all of the power of Divine Mind is working in and through us to bring about the right solution. We accept our freedom (salvation) from bondage and claim our inheritance of good in the form of divine ideas. By this attitude we "Have this mind . . . which was also in Christ Jesus." It was the movement of God-Mind in Jesus that made possible His mighty works of healing, supplying of food, raising of the dead, and casting out error. Jesus said, "The Father abiding in me doeth his works" (John 14:10).
"The Christ Mind is here as the unifying principle of this race, and we must believe in this Mind working in us and through us and know that through it we are joined to the Father-Mind" (Jesus Christ Heals 131).
When we speak of having "this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus," we also mean having a consciousness of and obedience to the will of God. (The subject of God's will was dealt with in the Annotations for Lesson One, How I Used Truth.) As we have already learned through this study, God's will is His plan, aim, purpose, intent, pleasure, or law for each one of us, and for every species of creation. The text (page 110) tells us to let go of narrow thoughts and desire only the fulfillment of God's will, which is always good. In order to "let go" we have to erase (by denial) any limited beliefs or thoughts and lift our mind (by affirmation) to the realization that God's will of good is being made manifest in mind, body, and affairs. When we have perceived that God's will is His plan of perfection for us, we can be said to "Have this mind . . which was also in Christ Jesus." The text refers on the same page to "His thought in and through you," by which is meant God's will or plan of perfection in us and moving through us to bring good into mind, body, and affairs.
"The net of man's thought works hard and long in the darkness of human understanding and gains but little, but once the Christ Mind is perceived and obeyed the net is cast on the 'right side,' and success follows. The 'right side' is the side on which man realizes the truth that inexhaustible resources are always present and can be made manifest by those who exercise their faith in that direction" (Mysteries of John 177).
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Preceding Entry: What does it mean to "wait" on God (text, page 108)?
Following Entry: Explain the distinction and relation between "revelation" (text, page 108) and "inspiration" (text, page 112) as used in this lesson.
