Digging Deeper: The Greater Meaning of 1 Corinthians 2:16

“For ‘who has come to know the mind of Jehovah, so that he may instruct him?’ But we do have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16)

Paul wrote this to the Christians in Corinth, a city proud of human wisdom, to show that true wisdom comes from God through his spirit. The main point is that we can learn to think the way Jesus thinks, and that way of thinking protects us. As the day’s text explains, Jesus loved Jehovah with his whole mind and let nothing distract him from doing his Father’s will. Peter saw that up close, and later urged Christians to “arm” themselves with that same mind. (1 Peter 4:1)

1“Mind”: Jesus’ Way of Thinking (νοῦς, no·usʹ)

The Greek word for “mind” is νοῦς (*no·usʹ*). It means more than brainpower. It is a person’s way of thinking, how they look at things and what they decide is important. No human can fully know Jehovah’s mind, but we can come to know Christ’s, and Christ perfectly reflects his Father.

The NWT study note explains that we get “the mind of Christ” by learning the pattern of Jesus’ thinking, meditating on his personality, and imitating his humility and obedience. Paul said the same thing another way: “Keep this mental attitude in you that was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5)

• The more I study how Jesus thought, the better I come to know Jehovah.

2“Arm Yourselves”: Getting Ready for Battle (ὁπλίζω, ho·pliʹzo)

Peter wrote: “Since Christ suffered in the flesh, you too arm yourselves with the same mental disposition.” (1 Peter 4:1) The word for “arm yourselves” is ὁπλίζω (*ho·pliʹzo*). It comes from the Greek word for weapons and was used for soldiers getting their gear on before a fight. This is the only place it appears in the Christian Greek Scriptures.

A soldier doesn’t wait until the enemy shows up to grab his weapons. Peter learned this the hard way. When he tried to talk Jesus out of suffering, Jesus told him: “You think, not God’s thoughts, but those of men.” (Matthew 16:23) Jesus had already settled in his mind to do God’s will, so Peter’s words didn’t move him.

• I can decide ahead of time how I will respond to temptation, before the pressure comes.

3“Strongly Entrenched Things”: Tearing Down Fortresses (ὀχύρωμα, o·khyʹro·ma)

The day’s text points to 2 Corinthians 10:4, 5: “The weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but powerful by God for overturning strongly entrenched things. For we are overturning reasonings and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God.” The word for “strongly entrenched things” is ὀχύρωμα (*o·khyʹro·ma*), which usually meant a fortress or fortified city.

The picture is an army knocking down the walls of a stronghold. Wrong ideas and sinful habits can dig in deep, like walls around our heart. With God’s Word and the mind of Christ, we can tear them down and bring “every thought into captivity to make it obedient to the Christ.” Our real fight is not with people but with Satan and his demons. (Ephesians 6:12)

• No wrong thinking is too deeply rooted for Jehovah’s Word to tear down.