Most of us, even as believing regenerated Christians, have made and likely will make decisions that are foolish and often harmful to us in one way or another. This is because we do not avail ourselves of “the mind of Christ” which indwells our spirit. He thereby has endowed us with His wisdom that flows to our mind from our spirit where He is one with us. For “But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.” (1 Corinthians 6:17 (KJV)

We are thereby fully equipped to navigate life with all its pitfalls in genuine ‘wisdom’ … by Christ in us. For it is “Christ in you the hope of glory.” (Col 1:27). Glory actually in practical terms means ‘expression,’ ‘the expression of Christ’s life’ both now and in eternity, in heaven. When we are to live in accord with His mind and wisdom, we are giving expression to His life in us and this is the glory (expression) of the life of Christ as the Christian within in us.

William R. Newell wrote in his book ‘The Spiritual Order of Paul’s Church Epistles’ as follows;

“In First Corinthians the subject is wisdom. The words “wisdom” and “wise” occur in the first four chapters twenty-five times, and the words “foolish” and “foolishness” some eight times! The wisdom of the world is “foolishness,” – therefore God’s "wisdom" is revealed (2:6-16).

In 1:30 we are seen as of God – we that are in Christ Jesus who was “made unto us wisdom from God;” which indeed includes “Righteousness, Sanctification and Redemption” but Christ is also looked at as our Wisdom. Indeed, in 2:16, “We have the mind of Christ.”

(William R. Newell (1868-1956), Professor, Moody Bible Institute)

The wisdom of the Godhead is inherent within every believer from the moment of their salvation, whether they’ve discovered it or not. Yet we make so many wrong decision and choices. Why is that?

We fail so often because we often are yet living independent of Him Christ is our life (cf. Gal 2:20), not recognizing or all too often ignoring Him who “is our life” (cf. Col. 3:4);

• All too often we rely upon our own resources still assuming we are the god of our own lives. We claim Him as Lord by resist Him being the Lord (governor) of our lives.
• Some of us are very impulsive, assuming every thought that comes into our mind is ours, and that we should ‘do it.’ Not true! Some thoughts are from a source that is not Christ and in fact from the sin infested “mind of the flesh.” Paul here cautions us about right thing and “the mind of the flesh.” This is ‘the mind of Satan’ who would destroy our walk with the Lord and literally destroy us unto an early death. Thus, Paul admonishes us;

“For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit [mind] the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For to be carnally [fleshly] minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Romans 8:5-6 (KJV)

• Then there are the “fiery darts” that are of ‘the wicked one.’ These are evil thoughts that seem to fly out of nowhere and find their mark on any believer whose armor is deficient – lacking the proper dispensational knowledge of “the word of God.” Christians should consider such thoughts in relation to their enemy. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that our fight is not with the people arrayed against us, but with the principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age, and spiritual hosts of wickedness – fallen angels. The attempt to bring lying deceptions to our minds.

These thoughts are of evil-spirit principalities who often try to convince God’s people that they ‘should do this or that’ thing which is contrary to the mind and will if God, or tell them they ‘are not good enough,’ that they ‘are not worthy’ and the list of attacks goes on. These are to deceive believers by holding up their incidental sins as evidence, trying to blackmail Christians into giving up. But, knowing and holding the truth tells us we are not under the law and that God loves us always, forever.

Our Apostle, Paul, as “the Apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:13) during this age of “the grace of God” often teaches us in his epistles how to conduct our daily walk.

“Let this mind [Gk. phroneo, mindset] be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men :8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippian 2:5-8)

Though He was God in the flesh, Jesus’ was humble and His ‘mindset’ was to “do the will of the Father” and ours should be the same. This then means we need to understand the detail of the walk of the Christian life. This we do by reading, and studying “the word of truth.” For there God has provided us “the wisdom of God” written on paper as an aid to our understanding, teaching us how-to-walk in accord with the indwelling “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” which has overcome “Sin and death” (Rom. 8:2). Richard Jordan of Grace School of the Bible is in the habit of saying: “Your Christian life will not work on the basis of ignorance.”

Paul placed great emphasis upon the proper knowledge and understanding… of the great and liberating truths that Jesus from heaven revealed to him for us. Jesus said of His words, “It is the spirit that quickeneth [makes alive]; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63 (KJV)

Note these words in Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians.

“[I Paul] Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; ¹⁷ That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: ¹⁸ The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance IN the saints, Ephesians 1:14-18 (KJV)

The ‘inheritance in the saints’ is all that Christ is … IN US. We need to have the revelation of Christ as our inheritance which comes by “the spirit of wisdom and revelation” – upon the written word of truth. Thus, Paul wrote;

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)