Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong’s favorite Scripture was Psalm 133:1-3, which reads:
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing—Life forevermore.”
We cannot have this kind of unity unless we are like-minded; that is, think alike and being on the same page.
Paul gave us this admonition in Philippians 2:5: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…”
When the mind of Christ is internalized in our minds, there is harmony. The competition is gone and the focus is turned to accomplishing the task given to us by God. The spotlight is not on us but on Christ and our Creator God, with the desire to fulfill His Will in our lives.
It’s not just the mind of Christ in our minds, but the mind of the Father also.
In John 17:19-24, Christ says this in His prayer to God the Father:
“And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”
It is really incredible that God and Christ live in our minds through the Holy Spirit, but to what end?
Their Spirit in us does not force their Will upon us, since we are free moral agents. What They do is to influence our thinking to make proper judgments and decisions. They also open our minds to spiritual truths and spiritual understanding of Scripture—not just the understanding of what is written in the physical sense, but a deeper spiritual understanding of the intent of Scripture, which is a tremendous blessing, allowing us to grow in biblical knowledge.
In order to maintain this status, we have to be faithful in the study and meditation of the Word of God, lest we forget through neglect. We must make certain that this close relationship with God is maintained.
This knowledge should act as a catalyst to be zealous in our study and meditation of God’s Word, the Bible.
Flesh and blood cannot enter the Kingdom of God, as we read in 1 Corinthians 15:50-53: “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
The only thing moving forward into the Kingdom is our minds preserved by our human spirit which, combined with the Holy Spirit of God which had been bestowed on us, will be placed in a new spiritual body given to us by God. Let us ensure we remain faithful to the end to receive eternal life in God’s Family.