THE
MIND OF CHRIST!
Phil 2:2-8
2
Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one
accord, of one mind.
3
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let
each esteem other better than themselves.
4
Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of
others.
5
Let this
mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be
equal with God:
7
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and
was made in the likeness of men:
8
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross.
Three
times
in this portion Paul uses the word “mind.” It is interesting to learn that they
have different meanings in the New Testament’s original language. Each
time, however, Paul is emphasizing the fact that our actions begin in our
thought processes. Let’s take a look.
Like
minded – One accord – of one mind—THIS IS UNITY!
Couples
who have been married for a long time have an uncanny ability to finish each
other’s thoughts and sentences in a conversation. They are so intimately
familiar with one another that they seem to share one mind! This is the
atmosphere Paul is promoting within the Philippians’ church. The meaning is UNITY.
What
would happen if you did not have to ask a question because you already knew the
answer? What would happen if you did not have to persuade or negotiate because
there was no opposition? What if every action had a predictable and FAVORABLE
reaction? This is the atmosphere Paul wanted for them.
1 Cor 1:10
10
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak
the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that
ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Lowliness
of mind – THIS IS HUMILITY!
Paul
actually explains himself in verse 4 when he says: “Look not every man on his
own things, but every man also on the things of others.” What would happen if
every member of the church weighed their ambitions in someone else’s balance? What if we consciously and intentionally
thought of others more than ourselves? What if each time we prepared a cup of
coffee for ourselves we prepared one for someone else – just the way they like
it – two sugars and no cream? Think about the atmosphere in that church where
every member functioned in this way!
The
Mind of Christ – THIS IS SACRIFICE!
Without
abandoning His awareness of His own equality with God, Jesus “took upon him the
form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” It was necessary for
Christ to become man!
Rom 8:3-4
3
For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God
sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned
sin in the flesh:
4
That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after
the flesh, but after the Spirit.
It
was a tough job, as we say, but someone had to do it! This is the mind of
sacrifice. Jesus willingly suffered loss that we might gain. Try, Paul was
saying, to blend your affections and emotions – your mind – with this attitude
held by Christ. The opposite of this “mind” is what I call the “greedy grab”
mindset and it genders strife.
James 4:1-2
4:1
From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of
your lusts that war in your members?
2
Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight
and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
Dear
Lord! Help me to develop a mind of unity with my brethren, a mind of humility
with my peers and the mind of Christ in the world. AMEN
