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Have this mind in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5)

Here Paul begins upon a short discourse on what is the mind of Christ. He gives us the impact of what we should realize that we have as believers. When we accepted Jesus Christ, we were given the Holy Spirit to guide us. Jesus told the apostle, “But when that one, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak from himself, but whatever he hears, he will speak; and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” (John 16:13) The Holy Spirit is able to give us the mind of Christ if we are willing to follow the direction at John 17:3. “This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.”

Some believe that this is an early hymn that the Christian Church sang. They say it is made up of two stanzas – verses 6-8 (Christ’s humility), and verses 9-11 (Christ’s exaltation).

Paul teaches that the mind of Christ is one of humility. In another prison letter, Ephesians chapter 4, Paul stated, “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, enduring one another in love, being diligent to preserve the oneness of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” – Ephesians 4:1-6.

How do we walk? We walk with the mind of Christ, described as humble, gentle, patient, loving, and with unity.^[1]

When we have the mind of Christ, believers will not (1) assert their own virtues; (2) defend their own rights; (3) promote their own selfish issues; or (4) live for themselves.^[2]

We will now continue in the description and course of study that Paul outlines for us to understand the humility and exaltation of Jesus Christ – the mind of Christ. Paul outlines seven steps downward in Christ’s humiliation and seven steps upward for the exaltation of Christ. The downward discloses the mind of Christ, the upward the mind of God.

“You belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.” (1 Cor. 3:23) Theologian C. F. Kling makes this comment about the apostle’s words:

It is shown that by belonging to Christ we indirectly belong to God, and are planted upon an immovable basis of independence and power (comp. John 10:28–30). And so, on the one hand, we see our union to God to be mediated by Christ, and, on the other, that Christ is subordinated to the Father, as shown in 11:3. To consider this subordination, however as belonging solely to His human nature, would not accord with a correct view of the whole subject. It is the whole Christ that is here spoken of, and that too not simply as in His state of humiliation, but also in His state of glory (comp. 15:28; Phil. 2:9).[3]

Have this mind in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus. The apostle Paul’s objective here to Jesus Christ as the example is to impose on the readers the importance of humility. No great example could ever be given, which illuminated and established all the apostle had said of this high moral standard. Therefore, we are to use Jesus as our standard that is to be followed closely as we walk through this life, as best as we can. What Jesus left us is indescribable, unspeakable, and overwhelming, as he assumed the most humble act by coming as a human, that he might help us.

[1] One must be careful in applying doctrine from the Bible. For a teaching to be true, one must find it in two or more places in the Scriptures. Cults and erroneous teachings come from those who take a verse, or part of a verse, alone to build a doctrine. God will always reinforce what he declares in his Word. The best way to interpret Scripture is with Scripture.

[2] Jerry Falwell, Edward E. Hindson and Woodrow Michael Kroll, , Liberty Bible Commentary, ed. Jerry Falwell, Edward E. Hindson and Woodrow Michael Kroll (Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers, 1983). Page 2438

[3] John Peter Lange et al., A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: 1 Corinthians (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2008), 84.