Having the Mind of Christ: What This Really Means When Someone Sins Against You
First, let me say, we are not God, nor the Holy Spirit, and not Christ. So we need to establish that while Scripture calls us to have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), we do not possess His divine omniscience or sinless perfection to do so. In these earthly bodies, we will never achieve Christ’s mind fully or flawlessly, but we are called to grow toward it through sanctification (a lifelong process of becoming more like Him).
However, we can meditate on His Word, ask for wisdom and understanding from the Holy Spirit, and be transformed by His power to have more of a mind like Christ than the mind of our former self—the self that once willfully denied Him (Romans 12:2).
Once you accepted Christ, you acknowledged that His ways are better than yours and committed to follow His example because, in truth, left to our own strength and reasoning, we lack wisdom and tend to distort what is good.
Truth is outside us, and Christ is our model. To achieve any true resemblance of Christ’s mind, we must knowingly submit our will to His (Luke 9:23).
This directly challenges the cultural belief that truth is found within us. Christianity teaches that truth is revealed, not self-generated (John 14:6).
So now, let’s talk about what the mind of Christ is—and what it is not.
The mind of Christ is not passive, weak, or indifferent to sin. It is marked by humility, obedience, love, and eternal perspective.
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…” (Philippians 2:5–8)
The mind of Christ:
• Submits to the Father’s will, even when it costs something
• Loves sacrificially, not conditionally
• Seeks redemption over retaliation
• Trusts God with justice instead of demanding it immediately
Jesus did not deny wrongdoing—but He consistently prioritized restoration over retribution.
So when a friend, co-worker, boss, church member—or anyone—represents Christ poorly, our ultimate struggle is not against that person, but against the spiritual forces that seek to distort truth and sow division (Ephesians 6:12). This does not excuse harmful behavior, but it should reframe our response without minimizing real harm.
Why? Because Christ called us to love our enemies—not merely with politeness, but with a love that reflects His heart and points others toward repentance and restoration (Matthew 5:44).
It no longer becomes about my need for immediate justice—because God handles justice far better than we ever could (Romans 12:19). Instead, it becomes about the Gospel that saves. Every soul will be accountable before God and will give an answer for every word spoken (Matthew 12:36). That reality should humble us, not harden us.
So if our words point others to Christ, we are faithfully reflecting Him. But if our words primarily point to ourselves—our anger, our demand for control, or our need to be right—we should pause and examine whether we are responding from Christ’s mind or our old nature (Galatians 5:22–23).
Having the mind of Christ means asking different questions:
• Does this response reflect Christ’s character?
• Am I seeking to win an argument or to win a soul?
• Am I trusting God with the outcome, or trying to play judge myself?
The mind of Christ does not ignore pain—but it refuses to let pain become permission to sin.
Now, let me say this:
No One Gets Away With Anything
I’ll say it again. No one gets away with anything. And we should take comfort in this. When injustice happens—when there is abuse, neglect, abandonment, betrayal, backstabbing, violence, or even murder—we need to know this truth deeply: our God has our back. He sees. He knows. And He will fight for us.
Even when we don’t see it.
Even when we cannot comprehend how.
Even when it looks like our enemy is getting away scot-free.
Scripture is clear that God is a God of justice. “It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord” (Romans 12:19). Nothing done in darkness is hidden from Him. No word, no action, no betrayal, and no cruelty escapes His notice (Hebrews 4:13).
This matters because when we truly believe God is just, we are freed from the exhausting and destructive burden of trying to be the judge, jury, and executioner ourselves. Trusting God does not minimize the harm done to us. It actually acknowledges that the harm matters enough to be handled by a perfectly holy and righteous Judge.
Now, God’s justice may not come on our timeline. It may not look the way we expect. And it may not satisfy our desire for immediate vindication. But Scripture assures us that justice delayed is not justice denied (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
“The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is His name” (Exodus 15:3).
“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:14).
When we believe no one gets away with anything:
• We stop replaying conversations in our head, rehearsing arguments we wish we had won
• We release the pressure to retaliate or prove ourselves
• We are able to grieve honestly without becoming bitter
• We can love our enemies without becoming doormats, because justice is not our job
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30).
This is good for our mind—and our soul.
Loving our enemies does not mean pretending the wound didn’t hurt. It means trusting that God takes our pain seriously enough to deal with it rightly.
This truth is especially freeing for those who have experienced deep wounds. God does not ask the abused, abandoned, or betrayed to “just move on.” He asks them to entrust their case to Him, the One who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23).
When we respond from the mind of Christ, we are not denying injustice—we are declaring that injustice will not have the final word.
God will.
And we need to remind ourselves that we respond from a place of victory, not defeat. Christ paid the price and defeated the power of sin and death. The cross is where our mind should be anchored.
When Christians react in a non-Christian way, my heart breaks. We then look no different from the world. When we see Christians calling for “give them hell” action, it encourages outrage and piling onto hate-filled bandwagons.
The enemy delights in division, accusation, and dehumanization. Even when what we say is factually accurate, truth alone does not give us a license to condemn others.
Evil should be acknowledged, named, and taken seriously—but from the real source. Our real enemy is the Devil.
Our response to people must always leave room for repentance and redemption. We can recognize wrongdoing while still praying for a soul.
When Christians abandon love, humility, and self-control, the enemy doesn’t need to silence the Gospel—we just did it for him.
To stand boldly for God means:
• Refusing to dehumanize those made in God’s image
• Speaking truth without contempt
• Praying for repentance rather than destruction
• Responding in a way that leaves room for God to work
Jesus loved His enemies all the way to the cross, and in doing so, He changed the world.When we are tempted in our flesh, let us strive to put on the mind of Christ—because only pointing to Him truly ends the cycle of suffering and conflict.
To cultivate the mind of Christ, it helps to focus on who God is.
1. Meditate on His character daily: Take a verse or passage about God’s attributes—His love, faithfulness, wisdom, justice, or mercy—and reflect on it throughout your day (Psalm 103:8; Lamentations 3:22–23).
2. Name His attributes in prayer: When praying, explicitly praise God for His qualities: “Lord, You are faithful in ways I cannot see. You are my refuge and strength.” Replace reactive thoughts with truth about God. When anger, fear, or hurt rises, pause and remind yourself of an attribute of God that counters it, e.g., God is just and sees all things.
3. Journal with God’s attributes. Write down moments where you experienced God’s faithfulness, love, or guidance. Reflecting on real-life evidence of His character reinforces trust and aligns your mind with His truth.
4. Speak His attributes aloud: Declaring who God is—not just what He has done—strengthens your mind to think like Christ: “God is merciful. God is patient. God is good.”
5. Remember Christ as the ultimate reflection of God’s attributes.
Focus on how Jesus embodies God’s love, humility, patience, and justice in every circumstance. Let His example shape your thoughts and responses.
When we intentionally meditate on, speak, and reflect God’s attributes, our minds begin to align with His. This is a practical step toward putting on the mind of Christ in everyday life.
References
New International Bible. (2011). Zondervan. (Original work published 1978).
