12.07.06
Philippians 2 (5)
Have Christ’s Mind in You!
Philippians 2:5
As most of you will know, my favourite pastime, although I don’t get much of a chance to practice it down here, is golf. After being a member of a golf club for a while, you begin to learn not just the technical aspects of the game, but also the social etiquette – the expected behaviour – most of which isn’t written down anywhere, you just learn as you go along. One of the more obscure pieces of golfing etiquette is the complete avoidance of a certain word whilst playing – you may never say this word or it may cause you to start hitting vicious slices – and if you do say this word, everyone glowers at you. That word is ‘shank’ – ‘shank’ is a complete sliced miss-hit, which you can start doing all the time – and when you can’t stop doing it, you just want to throw your golf clubs away. So next time you are playing golf, never say the word ‘shank’! In Christian circles we also have a bogey word – don’t say it, never use it – that word is ‘theology’. People think of theology as so dry and boring, theology as being the reason for splits and divisions, way above their heads, and of absolutely no practical value at all. Now admittedly, there can be nothing more dull or dry, nothing more divisive and nothing less practical than scholastic theology.
However, let’s remember something – theology at its root means, ‘the study of God’ – it denotes that branch of learning which is concerned with God. Now if we claim to have God as our Father, and be in love with God, then it really isn’t natural for us not to be interested in knowing about Him. Could you ever imagine a loving husband wanting to know nothing about his wife? Indeed, is it not what the husband knows about his wife that makes him love her so much? And is it not what he knows about her that spurs him onto action on her behalf? We husbands here would die for our wives, we’d do anything for them, because we love them – but for a woman we don’t know, we’d do certain things for them, but not anything. So, knowledge about God and His perfections – which is ‘theology’ proper – must be the constant study of the Christian believer. But furthermore, ‘theology’ must come before action – if we don’t know about God, and therefore don’t love God, how then can we, or should we, give our lives up for Him? How can we obey and love a God we don’t know? The Apostle Paul begins all of his major epistles with a theological section, delineating for God’s people all they have and all they are in Christ – and then, and only then, once he has laid a theological framework, does he move on to spur God’s people on to action and behaviour. In this way, theology moves from the ivory tower into the marketplace – theology becomes indispensable to practice.
Philippians 2 is the classic example of such a movement. Paul here uses perhaps the most profound theology anywhere in the Bible to spur the Philippian Christians on to love and harmony. In the first 4 verses of this chapter, he has been urging the Christians there to strive for unity and single-mindedness. But the questions which must loom large in their minds is ‘why should we pursue unity at our own expense’ and ‘how can we pursue unity at our own expense’? In vs. 5 Paul gives them the answers they are looking for, and they all revolve around this amazing phrase, ‘the mind of Christ’. He then goes on in the subsequent verses to enter into the mind of Christ in connection with His humility and self-effacement. Tonight, for just a short while, as a sort of prelude to the great hymn to Christ in vs. 6-11, I want to examine vs. 5, under 3 headings: first, the mind of Christ; secondly, the people of Christ and thirdly, the humility of Christ.
[A] The Mind of Christ
In the first clause of vs. 5 the Philippian Christians, and we also, are commanded to ‘have this mind in you which was (or is) also in Christ Jesus’. Clearly, Jesus is said here to have a mind, a mind which we are to strive after. The word here for ‘mind’ is one we have met before – it is the word ‘fronew’ – we encountered it in vs. 2 where Christians are told to have ‘the same mind’. I want to see two things about this ‘mind’ of Christ which we are to strive after:
1. Definition – the verb fronew is used 26 times in the New Testament, most often in the writings of Paul. In this verse, the Bible translations differ as to its rendition – the KJV and the ESV plump for ‘mind’ whereas the NIV goes for ‘attitude’. Literally, the ESV and the KJV are quite correct, but I would argue strongly for the NIV’s translation. When we think of mind, we think of a purely cognitive, mental attribute – something disembodied. When we think of ‘mind’ we think of reason and rationality. Clearly Christ’s mind was reasonable and rational; however, I want to suggest that fronew is a far more holistic word concept than our idea of ‘mind’. Not only does it include reason, but it also covers disposition and attitude. Therefore, it is not merely a function of our cognitive ability, but also of our volition – in other words, it has to do with what we want and don’t want, and the movement of our wills towards what we desire. The Greek Lexical Dictionary I use talks of fronew in the following terms, “it expresses not merely an activity of the intellect, but also a movement of the will; it is both interest and decision at the same time.” So, in terms of the translation of fronew, I would suggest that the NIV is closer to the mark with its rendition – what the apostle wants us to understand from ‘mind’ is not just what we think, it is also what we want to think, how we feel about what we think, and what decisions and judgements we make on the basis of what we think.
2. Application – I want to apply this definition in two directions, both described in terms of commands. But before I do this, I want to explain something about the verbal form of fronew; the verbal form of fronew used in vs. 5 is an active imperative. The manuscripts from which the KJV was translated rendered it however, in the passive form – the difference is like this: the KJV renders the verse – ‘let this mind be in you’, whereas the NIV and ESV render it, ‘have this mind in you’. I believe the NIV and ESV are absolutely correct in the manuscripts they are using to translate this verb – it is an active, not a passive verb, and as such, it requires activity on our part to have Christ’s mind in us; it’s not just something we sit and wait for. So having said that, we can now make the following two applications:
(i) Do not ‘let’ – This world can be split into two groups of people – those who are Christians and those who are not. There is no middle ground. Likewise, it is a fallacy to think that a human being can think in a neutral way. Either his thoughts come from God or they don’t. And the plain fact about the human condition is that our natural, human default settings militate towards ungodly patterns of thought. In other words, if we let our minds be filled with something, it will invariably fill up with ungodly thoughts. We must never empty our minds of junk, because in doing to, since we are sinful creatures, only more junk will take its place. So don’t be passive about the way you think or inevitably you will not think like Christ; you will think like the Philippian Christian power-brokers did, with no thought of humility.
(ii) Do ‘strive’ – Because this verb is in its active form, we are being commanded here to pursue the mind, the attitude, the disposition of Christ – that is to consciously control the way we think as to bring it into conformity with the mind of Christ. In other words, we are being asked to indulge in Christian mind-control. Now this isn’t the only time Paul tells us to control the way we think; in Philippians 4:8 he commands the Christians to think about lovely, honourable and noble things. Yes, we are to empty our minds of rivalry, self-conceit and pride, but we are to do so by filling them with the mind of Christ. We are to consciously and purposefully apply the mind of Christ to every situation in our lives and in the life of our church.
[B] The People of Christ
The question I want to ask in this short section is just this – we can understand how one person can have the mind of Christ, but in what senses can a whole fellowship or group of Christians have his mind? The shortest of words in the passage answers this for us – the word which most translations render ‘in’ (have this mind ‘in’ you). Where is this mind of Christ to be, and to be manifested? In two places:
1. In – the mind of Christ is to be internal to each member of the fellowship – it is to be ‘in’ us. We are not to look at the person sitting next to us and question whether they have the mind of Christ, but rather, we are to strive and make every effort to ourselves have His mind within us. And what will the effect of each individual having the mind of Christ? The answer is, complete harmony. Think about it – if a jug is filled with pure water, if you tip it up what will come forth – dirty water? No – pure clean water. If a believer is filled with the mind of Christ, what will come forth from her lips? The mind of Christ. Unity is an internal phenomenon to the believers in a fellowship. Strive then not to be the odd-one out in this fellowship – strive not to be an Achan, but strive to have the same mind as Christ.
2. Among – the mind of Christ is to be externalised by each member of the fellowship – it is to be among, or between us. Just as oil lubricates the inner workings of an engine, so the mind of Christ is to be the lubricating oil which allows our joint working with each other. Sometimes, bad blood can come into a fellowship it becomes so tense that you can cut the atmosphere with a knife. What is the answer to friction and that harmful rubbing up against each other which can take place in a fellowship? The oil of the mind of Christ – that mind which is humble and self-effacing – that is the answer to our human default frictions. When people come into our fellowship, they should be struck not with factions and rivalry, but with how united we are – how the attitude of service and mutual submission has replaced the naturally human attitude of self-exaltation and self-service. This mind of Christ should be a kind of miasma, a fog, which hovers over our fellowship, replacing the prickliness of human pride with the winsomeness of Christian character.
[C] The Humility of Christ
What is the mind of Christ? What exact mind is Paul commanding the Philippian Christians to strive after? I want to suggest three aspects of the mind of Christ which we are to strive after, following the context and language of vs. 5:
1. Example – by far, this is the most common understanding of this last clause of vs. 5 ‘which was also in Christ Jesus’. That is to say, that the mind of Christ revolves around His humiliation and subsequent exaltation. It is the mind which, though it is much, becomes little. The word ‘Christ’ is interpreted properly just another way of saying ‘King’ – in other words, we are saying here that the mind of ‘King Jesus’ was one which sought after humility and self-abasement. None of us are kings, none of the Philippians were kings; and none of us stooped so low as King Jesus. None of us endured the cursed death of the cross. But if Jesus, though higher than any of us, had a mind to become lower than any of us; how can any of us, mere nothings, be so worried and highly strung about our relative status compared to one another? Our King is humble, if we would be His citizens and people, we must follow His example. And so, within ourselves and between ourselves, we are to think, desire and make decisions based upon the self-humiliating Christ of Philippians 2:6-8. The problem is that we want to get to the exaltation before the humiliation – but it didn’t work that way for Christ and it won’t work that way for us. We want people to look at us with wonder and respect; but we don’t want to do the dirty work of washing their feet. Forget wanting people to look at you with respect and honour – that is the mind, not of Christ, but of the Philippian power moguls. Who has the mind of Christ? Not the person who sits the highest, but the person who stoops the lowest.
2. Status – the second way in which we can understand the second clause in this verse, ‘which was also in Christ Jesus’ is to compare the way we treat Him with the way we treat each other. If we have the mind of Christ, then surely we would never dream of trying to play one-upmanship with Him. Surely we would never treat Him with disdain, looking down our noses at Him? We are His people – His servants. That translates also to our relationships with other believers. Surely the fact that we are His makes us each other’s servants. The apostle Paul certainly believed that when he wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:5 – “for we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” And so, we should treat others with whom we have communion with the same respect and humility we treat the Christ we have communion with.
3. Fruit – the final way we can understand the last clause of vs. 5, ‘which was also in Christ Jesus’ is to understand the words, ‘in Christ Jesus’ as code for the new life which we enjoy in Him. Paul uses these words, ‘in Christ’ throughout his letters to describe the benefits and responsibilities we have as Christ’s people here and hereafter. And so what Paul is saying here is that we have this benefit here and now – we have ‘the mind of Christ’. In other words, Paul is answering the question which we might ask, ‘how is it possible, in the midst of such difficult people in my fellowship, to be humble and to serve others at my own expense?’ He answers it by pointing to the work which Christ has done for us and all therefore that we have “in Christ”. Jesus humbled Himself and died on the cross at Calvary to take away our sins, and He rose and was exalted for our justification – to make us new people – to give us new hearts and new desires – desires which are no longer dictated by the natural human default setting of pride and self-service, but the divine prerogative of humility and self-emptying. What is the fruit of the humiliation and exaltation of Christ Jesus as we read in vs. 6-11? Is it not that His people are now possessors of Christ’s own mind? They are completely new people, capable, because of what He has done, to follow His example. I’m sure some of the professionals here can set you a great example of how to excel in their professions, but it doesn’t make any difference to us, because even if we wanted to, we don’t perhaps have the ability to do what they do. But Jesus doesn’t just say to us, ‘follow my example’, by virtue of the new hearts we have ‘in Christ’ and His strength at work within us, we are capable and responsible for following His example of humble self-emptying.
I know that, because I have talked about Greek words, grammar and theology, what I have said is perhaps difficult to understand. And if you are struggling to understand what I have said, either ask me or look on the web-site where the sermon is posted. The only way I will know that we understand what the mind of Christ is, is ultimately not that we can talk about it, but that we put it into practice. Let’s strive, in Christ’s own power and as Christ’s new people, to follow Christ’s example and treat others like we treat Christ. Let’s strive to have a fog of Christ-mindedness hanging over our fellowships and within each one of us. God will bless us if we so pray and strive – and He will add to our number, for those coming in will say of us, ‘see how they love one another’. Brothers and sisters in Christ, ‘have Christ’s mind in you’. AMEN