On the Mind and Body of Christ

St. Maximus the Confessor ca. 580-662

The mind of Christ which the saints receive according to the saying, “We have the mind of Christ,” comes along not by any loss of our mental power, nor as a supplementary mind to ours, nor as essentially and personally passing over into our mind, but rather as illuminating the power of our mind with its own quality and bringing the same energy to it. For to have the mind of Christ is, in my opinion, to think in His way and of Him in all situations.

We are said to be the body of Christ according to the Scripture, “We are the body of Christ, each one a member of it,” not by losing our own bodies and becoming His, nor because He passes into us in His Person or is divided up in our members. Rather it is because the corruption of sin is shaken off in a likeness to the Lord’s flesh. For as Christ is by nature sinless in both body and soul by which He is known as man, so can we believe in Him and who are clothed with Him in the Spirit be in Him without sin by the use of our free will. (Chapters on Knowledge 83-84)