The Mind of Christ?

“Do I have to?”

“You can’t make me.”

“The Bible doesn’t say I have to.”

“I don’t answer to you.”

These sentences, and many like them, have been uttered by some who in the very next breath would claim to be faithful Christians. But these sentiments betray an attitude far from what God intended to produce through the sacrifice of Christ. Philippians 2:5 commands Christians to set their minds as Jesus did when He left the throne of heaven, lived a human life obedient to God, and died obediently to save all from their sins. Never once did Jesus speak even a syllable that remotely resembled any of the above statements. Jesus’ heart was with God, and obedience was the only appropriate response to every opportunity for good that God presented to Him.

The mind of Christ is seen in the prophet Isaiah, who, after being cleansed of his sins, heard God present an opportunity to serve. Isaiah’s response was not delayed, nor did he hope to avoid the task before him. Isaiah 6:8 portrays Isaiah’s response as being given immediately after God asked, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Isaiah said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah’s willingness to obey God was not short-lived. He wrote one of the longest books of prophecy in the Bible and served God gladly for the rest of his life.

When Jesus died on the cross, He hoped to save all people from their sins and, in the saved, to produce a steadfast eagerness for every good work God would put in their path. Titus 2:14 says Jesus, “gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” Christians are not just God’s saved people. They are God’s saved people who are excited to serve Him in every pleasing way. As Jesus served without the Father’s thumb pressing Him on, serve your Savior excitedly and thankfully, rather than requiring coercion.