1 Corinthians 2:16

For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

David Lipscomb and Adam Clarke concurred in rendering this verse, "Who hath known the mind of the Lord that he should teach it (that is, teach the truth)?"[42] This would appear to be preferable, because the thought of any mortal "instructing God" is evidently not in the passage at all.

The thought is that `none of you uninspired men have any notion whatever of what the truth of God may be.'

But we have the mind of Christ ... "We" indicates that Paul did not claim this status for himself only, but for all of the inspired apostles and evangelists of the New Testament dispensation.

Isaiah 40:13 speaks of Jehovah in words like those Paul here used of Christ. "This is another passage significant for Paul's view of Christ. The passage in Isaiah refers to the MIND OF JEHOVAH, but Paul moved easily to the MIND OF CHRIST."[43] By this Paul made the mind of Christ to be equivalent to the mind of Jehovah, thus attesting the deity of our Lord.

THE MIND OF CHRIST

Precisely what is it to have the mind of Christ? There are a number of expressions in the New Testament which clearly have reference to the same condition: Being "in God," God's being "in us," our being "in Christ," Christ's being "in us," the Holy Spirit's being "in us," our being "in the Holy Spirit," or our having the word of Christ dwell "in us," and our having the mind of Christ "in us," as here and in Philippians 2:5, are all references to the saved condition, not to eight different conditions.

There is a distinction, however, between the Christians of all ages having the mind of Christ and the fact of Paul and the other inspired teachers of the New Testament era having the mind of Christ as affirmed in this verse. It is a matter of degree; and they had plenary power to preach God's word to mankind.

"The whole trend and meaning of the chapter is that none could know or teach the word of God by human wisdom."[44] Today, all people are dependent for a knowledge of the will of God upon the revelation made by God's Spirit through the apostles and inspired teachers of that era. "No man ever had any greater right than Paul to say, `We have the mind of Christ.' "[45]

[42] David Lipscomb, op. cit., p. 62.

[43] Leon Morris, op. cit., p. 62.

[44] David Lipscomb, op. cit., p. 45.

[45] John Wesley, op. cit., in loco.