Ryle makes these points about what "one mind" means:
- Agreeing with God's judgments. The more we agree, the holier we become.
- Measuring everything by the standard of God's Word (Bible)
"Holy" means "set apart," something Ryle's two points about "one mind" bring out. Here are a few thoughts:
- Servants adopt the master's priorities over their own, the foundation for servants achieving "one mind" with the master.
- Servants make decisions based on their understanding of the master's priorities. This helps servants do what the master wants even if the master is absent. In the military, we called this the commander's intent. What did the commander want to accomplish? Knowing that priority helped us use the right tactics for the situation.
- Measuring everything by God's Word requires studying God's Word.
Is this a harsh thing? It might be hard, but it shouldn't be harsh because we set ourselves apart everyday in many ways. We pursue the priorities of our employers. We go to school or training courses to understand concepts by which we measure things in our professions and pursuits.
"One mind" makes for more effective groups as well. Teams must be of one mind to win the game. The military invests much money into training units so they're of one mind. "One mind" in that sense grows from having the master's priorities in common and a common framework for evaluation and decision-making. That level of team and individual accomplishment doesn't come without an investment of properly focused hard work.
What happens when you reach the state of "one mind"? In the movie, The Last Samurai, the character played by Tom Cruise was having trouble mastering the samurai sword skills. The chief's son advised him, "You must have no mind." In other words, don't overthink it. Just act. Thinking about what you'll do in high speed combat will get you killed.
Reaching the state of "one mind" is Christianity's version of "no mind." You've internalized God's priorities to the extent you can respond to situations, confident you're fulfilling His intent. In Christianity, "no mind" really means "not your mind but God's."
