In this modern day and age, in order to acquire the mind of Christ we must also put aside many incorrect Christian assertions that pervade our Western Culture. For example, we must put aside the doctrine of the Atonement that has become popular in Western Christianity.

This doctrine, it has been said by some, is the key to understanding the rejection of the saving truth of Christianity by an untold number of people in the last millennium. They reject Anselm’s portrait of an angry God who is in need of being appeased; who pronounces people guilty or not. The modern Anselmian doctrine of Atonement reduces the powerfully transformative aspect of the Gospel to a juridical concept, drained of its life. The Eastern Church sees this doctrine of Atonement as harmful to the New Life in Christ. The fullness of the Gospel message is indeed found in the biblical-patristic writings which are a part of our Sacred, Eastern Tradition.

One of the greatest miracles for people of ancient times was coming to know of the Gospel message: that the True and Living God was Love; a personal and living God Who gave His only Begotten Son, “not to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17). Gods of ancient times were remote (e.g., the Greek god Zeus), murderous (the Hindu goddess of death, Kali), and even required sacrifices such as children (the Ammonite tribal god, Moloch). The concept alone that the Christian God was a personal God of mercy, love and forgiveness, powerfully attracted great numbers; many even willingly faced the possibility of martyrdom for confessing their faith.

Christ came to bring Life to us because He Himself is “the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6). This is the foundation which the first Christians, from St. Paul onward, understood as the key to salvation: that “forasmuch as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death and bringing life and immortality to light” through the Gospel (Hebrews 2:14 and II Timothy 1:10).

So to acquire the mind of Christ we must have a right notion of why God came as Jesus, took on human flesh, and lived among men. We put on Christ’s mind when we know why He became man.