Those without the Spirit have their minds set on the flesh, on earthly things only, and cannot understand spiritual things. Indeed, spiritual things are foolishness to them, and they do not accept them.
Those who reject the message of the cross and consider it foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18 NIV) are those who are empty, without God's Spirit. So, when we try to tell them about spiritual things such as the power of the cross to free us from sin or the power of the Holy Spirit that guides us, they immediately try to turn the conversation back to food and exercise - what to eat and what not to eat, macros, calories, tracking, etc.
Question 6. What does 1 Corinthians 2:15 NIV say about the judgment of a person who has the Spirit of God?
Question 7. According to 1 Corinthians 2:16 NIV, in the area of thinking, understanding, perspective, discernment, and judgment, what do all believers have?
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All Christians have the Spirit of God; therefore, we have the mind of Christ.
Think of how this helps us war against the flesh. With the mind of Christ, we know our battle was already won at the cross; and we know we can win our daily struggle with our flesh by following Christ and putting it to death. Such concepts are entirely impossible to understand for those without the Spirit of God.
Since we have the mind of Christ, we can turn from earthly thinking to thoughts of Jesus’ sacrifice for us, and when we do, His love compels us to live for Him and not for ourselves. We know Him as “the Friend of Sinners,” the one who takes us into His confidence and explains to us His purposes in all things. We enjoy our relationship, closeness, and unity with Him, and we follow Him and learn from His grace to say no to ungodliness and our cravings. We not only have His heart, which constantly expresses love toward us, but we also have His Spirit and His mind, which enables us to think His thoughts.
Summary: we who have the Spirit of God and the mind of Christ have spiritual thoughts about the love of Jesus and the cross He bore, and we understand that the way we win the battle is by dying to our flesh. Those without the Spirit are all about food, diets, etc. - only the physical aspect of weight loss. Unbelievers lack the Spirit’s power; they lack the mind of Christ; they lack true judgment and the ability to discern eternal things.
Believers know that we war against the flesh; we do not pamper or comfort it. We know that our flesh is our enemy and that it must be crucified. These are things the Spirit has taught us, and they come to us with the power to transform us!
Believers can take every thought captive to Christ; that is the power of the mind controlled by Christ! Believers can tear down thought strongholds; that is the power of the mind ruled by Christ!
We have seen the power of the message of the cross, the power of the Spirit of God, and now the power of the mind of Christ. Do you see the power you have available to you?
Question 8. Regarding our thoughts about food, what is the difference between having the Spirit of God and the mind of Christ and not?
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Again Wende helps us understand what it's like to have the Spirit of God and the mind of Christ:
"Having the Spirit of God and the mind of Christ lifts me to a whole new place and enables victory in my struggle with thoughts about food."