Read Philippians 2:1-11.

Introduction⤒🔗

One Sunday morning, Sharon Beth heard a sermon that challenged her down in the very deepest part of her inner being. That Sunday morning the pastor preached on the incident of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet.

On that occasion in the life of our Lord, the mind of Christ was vividly displayed in action before the wide-eyed astonishment of His disciples as they witnessed their Lord assuming the lowly role of the most menial servant, stooping down and washing their dirty, dusty feet. The passage concludes with Jesus’ challenging words: “I have given you an example, you also should do as I have done to you” (Jn. 13:15).

That message on the subject of Jesus’ foot washing caused Sharon Beth to ask herself the question, “When have I washed someone’s feet?”

As she pondered that question and examined her own life, she confessed, “In all honesty I was not pleased with what I saw. I had been programmed constantly to ‘Watch out for Number One,’ and to ‘Take care of yourself;’ programmed to ‘Be successful.’ and ‘Don’t be a doormat.’ My mind so easily fell into the pattern of thinking, ‘How does this affect me? Does this improve my image? Watch out for yourself, no one else will.’”

Sharon Beth relates, “This period of introspection was the beginning of a change in my life.”

Here are some of the lessons Sharon Beth has learned since she has become an active “foot washer:”

• living for herself and her self-image left her with a deep emptiness; “the sheer emptiness of that way of life demands that I change” she says
   
• “washing feet,” (as in scrubbing a bathroom floor, for instance), “was not fun, but all the time my heart was singing with joy because God had shown me a special way to serve.”
   
• “washing feet sometimes hurts,” (as when her friend faithfully cares for her aged mother who no longer recognizes her)
   
• “washing feet” has given her a way to express her commitment to Christ “in understandable language through my relationships with people,” Sharon says
   
• “washing feet” has brought a fresh perspective and a new purpose to her life: “I find myself seeing people and their circumstances in a different light. Their needs become in a sense my needs.”

Sharon states, “The wonder of it all is that in my obedience to wash feet, my joy breaks forth, and I hunger more to be used by the Lord.”¹

It is interesting, though not surprising, that much of what Sharon Beth did and learned are the very things that are brought to our attention in Philippians 2:1-4.

The mind of Christ is not something to be merely admired as it was displayed by our Lord Himself in His ministry; on the contrary, we, as His disciples, are called to put into practice the mind of Christ in our relationship with others, especially with fellow Christians.

Put into Practice the Mind of Christ, by Seeking to Preserve and Promote Christian Unity←⤒🔗

The Apostle Paul has several requests he must make of the Philippians, several exhortations he must address to them, which he will present in vs. 2. But before doing so, he begins by presenting the grounds for these requests:

If there is any exhortation in Christ... Paul appears to be alluding to the exhortation Christ gave to His apostles, and to the church, recorded in Jn. 13:34a, “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another...”

...if [there is] any incentive of love... What incentive did Christ provide, and what model did He present, that would stimulate and direct His church to obedience to the new commandment He gave? That incentive, too, is found in Jn. 13:34b, “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

...if there is any spiritual fellowship... There, indeed, is spiritual fellowship within the body of Christ, the fellowship with Christ experienced through the Person of the Holy Spirit: Indeed, by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether [we were] Jews or Greeks, whether [we were] slaves or freemen, and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. (1 Cor. 12:13). Note, also, Eph. 4:2-3, “[walk] with all humility and meekness... ³making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit by the bond of peace.”

...if any affection and compassion... The Apostle Peter addresses the reality of these attributes existing within Christ’s body, the church: Since you have, by obedience to the truth, purified your souls for a sincere love of [your] brothers, earnestly love one another from the heart, ²³having been born again. (1 Pet. 1:22-23a)

Notice that in presenting these grounds upon which he will base his requests, the Apostle facetiously questions the reality of these things: If there is any exhortation in Christ... Why does he do so? What would cause him to question their existence within the Philippian congregation? The answer: When one considers the church’s present condition, characterized by two prominent sisters in conflict with one another, note Phil. 4:2, I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord, the Philippians are showing no indication that they are acquainted with the spiritual grounds upon which Paul will base his requests.

Having secured the church’s attention, and having found it necessary to do so by shaming this otherwise mature congregation by means of his facetious language, Paul is now ready to present his requests:

...make my joy complete by having the same mind, the same love, [being] united in spirit, [living] in harmony. vs. 2

When requesting that the congregation “have the same mind,” Paul is not asking that they have a unity of outlook, he will make that request later in this same verse. What he is requesting is that this body of believers have the same mind as was exhibited by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself: Have this mind in you that was also in Christ Jesus (vs. 5). The mind of Christ was that of the servant, existing in the form of God, he did not regard his being on an equality with God as a thing to be exploited; ⁷on the contrary, he emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men (vs. 6-7). Rather than insisting on His own rights and prerogatives, our Lord humbled Himself to accept His Father’s will as the faithful Servant of the LORD.

When requesting that the congregation “have the same love,” Paul is requesting that, in reliance upon the Holy Spirit, this body of believers not only exhibit the “mind of Christ,” but that they do so with the same love that motivated Christ to exhibit that servant mindset. It was out of love for His Father, and love for those whom the Father gave Him, that the Son humbled Himself by taking the form of a servant. The Apostle John testifies, “having loved his own who were in the world, [Jesus now] loved them to the fullest extent” (Jn. 13:1b). This unfathomably deep love for His own stems from His unfathomably deep love for His Father. What the Apostle John writes about the believer’s relationship to God the Father and to his fellow believers in Christ, may also be applied to our Lord Jesus Christ Himself: ...everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. (1 Jn. 5:1) Thus, in a very real sense, our Lord’s love for His own, those whom the Father has given Him (Jn. 6:37), stems from His love for the Father.

Our Lord’s unfathomably deep love for His Father is a love that expresses itself in complete devotion to His Father: Jesus therefore responded to them by saying, I tell you the truth, The Son can do nothing by himself, but [only] what he sees the Father doing; for whatever [the Father] does, the Son also does in the same way (Jn. 5:19.) The reason the Son can do nothing by himself is not that He does not have the ability; rather, it is because it is totally contrary to His nature to be anything other than in complete harmony with the Father.

So it is that the Apostle Paul now proceeds to request that the Philippian congregation be united in spirit, [living] in harmony. Literally, Paul exhorts them to have the one [or, the same] mind; by which he seems to mean that they live in harmony. A harmony that is patterned after that of the Father and the Son, which is expressed in total self-giving (the Father loves the Son and [therefore] shows him everything that he is doing, Jn. 5:20) and loving submission (the Son can do nothing by himself, but [only] what he sees the Father doing).

We are called to put into practice the mind of Christ, doing so by exhibiting the love that enabled Him to entertain the mind of a humble servant. In the following verses (vs. 3-4), Paul will explain in very practical terms how that mind will express itself in the fellowship of Christ’s church.

Put into Practice the Mind of Christ, by Assuming the Role of a Servant←⤒🔗

The Apostle Paul exhorts the church, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.” The Greek word (εριθεια) translated, “selfish ambition,” originally referred to the self-seeking pursuit of public office by unscrupulous means. What is in view here, is the lust to have the pre-eminence at any cost; an attitude of total self-centeredness. “Selfish ambition,” (in the sense of a pre-occupation with one’s own status and advancement, especially at the expense of other people), is one of “the works of the sinful nature,” (i.e. the old sinful nature that dominated our lives before our conversion), listed in Galatians 5:19-21,

Now the works of the sinful nature are well known, [such as]: sexual immorality, moral impurity, debauchery, ²⁰idolatry, witchcraft, hatreds, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, ²¹envy, drunkenness, orgies, and other such things. I warn you [again], just as I [previously] warned you, that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

The other term Paul uses, “vain conceit,” is referring to the effort to gain or maintain self-image, social status, and respectability in the sight of the world. Note some examples of vain conceit presented by our Lord Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount:

²So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full... ⁵And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. Matt. 6:2,5

In contrast to entertaining an attitude of self-ambition and vain conceit, we are exhorted: “with a humble mind, let each one consider others as occupying a higher position than himself.” The Greek usage of the term “humility” originally had a negative connotation, for it speaks of putting others first and assuming the role of a servant. Jesus taught His disciples that the attitude expressed by the men of the world and admired by the world, is something they must not emulate: “Jesus called them to himself and said to them, You know that those who are recognized as rulers among the Gentiles lord it over their subjects; and their high officials rule over them [with tyranny], ⁴³yet it shall not be so among you” (Mk. 10:42-43a).

What our Lord described was and still is the world’s ideal of the leader and the successful man; he is one who exercises dominion over others, they being in subservience to him to do his will. But in contrast to the mind and attitude of the world, Jesus exhorts His disciples to practice humility, even as He exemplified it in His own life and ministry: “whoever desires to be great among you, shall be your minister [i.e. the one who ministers to his brethren]; ⁴⁴and whoever desires to be first among you, shall be servant of all; ⁴⁵for, indeed, the Son of man came not to receive ministry, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mk. 10:43-45).

As Christians, we are to regard our brothers and sisters in Christ as “occupying a higher position” than ourselves. The Greek word (υπερεXω) usually translated, “better,” actually has the meaning, “higher.” We are to view our brethren as being in the place of Christ, as our Lord taught His disciples:

Then the king will say to those on his right hand, Come, you who are blessed by my Father; receive your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world; ³⁵for I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger, and you took me in, ³⁶I was naked, and you clothed me, I was sick, and you cared for me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. ³⁷Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? ⁴⁰Then the king will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did unto me. Matt. 25:34-40

Viewed in another way, we are to assume the role of Christ in His role as the One who came to minister rather than to receive ministry: “indeed, the Son of man came not to receive ministry, but to minister” (Mk. 10:45). As we resist the attitude of self-ambition and vain conceit, and as we assume the attitude of humility and servanthood, it becomes so much easier to carry out such a ministry to each other and thereby fulfill the admonition of Scripture: “You were called for freedom, brothers, only do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the sinful nature to express itself; rather, serve one another with love” (Gal. 5:13).

The Apostle Paul goes on to exhort the Philippians, “Let each one be concerned not only about his own interests, but also about the interests of others' (vs. 4). We are not to be self-absorbed with our own life, our own problems, our own ambitions; but rather, we are to be sensitive to the needs and concerns of others. By way of example, consider Sharon Beth’s ministry:

A librarian at the school where Sharon Beth taught, was taken ill quite suddenly. For days she lay in bed, racked with searing pain. Sharon Beth called her one afternoon to comfort, encourage, and inquire, 'Is there anything I can do for you?'

Although the woman politely responded, 'No, there’s nothing I can think of,' an idea came to Sharon.

'June,' she said, 'I would be glad to come over and clean your bathroom.'

'That would be wonderful!' Sharon heard her say with a choked voice.

A few hours later, Sharon Beth arrived with buckets, scrub brushes and disinfectants; she got down on her knees, scrubbing and cleaning.

Since the time she asked the Lord to show her some “feet to wash,” He has opened Sharon’s eyes to see other opportunities where she can put the mind of Christ into practice: putting an arm around someone who is ready to call it quits; writing a note to someone who has undergone a severe loss; suggesting another pianist be given the opportunity to play for a special occasion, (Sharon was often asked to play, this other woman was rarely asked, even though she, too, was an accomplished pianist).

Bear in mind Sharon Beth’s observation noted earlier: “’Washing feet’ has brought a fresh perspective and a new purpose to my life. I find myself seeing people and their circumstances in a different light. Their needs become in a sense my needs.”

We must remember that the second great commandment is, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself'' (Matt 22:39).

We must put into practice the mind of Christ by assuming the role of a servant.

Conclusion←⤒🔗

The mind of Christ must not merely be something we admire; it must be something we emulate. It must not be something that is merely theoretical, it must become very practical; it must be applied to our relationship with fellow Christians at home and at church.

By the grace of God ministered to us by His Holy Spirit, let us put into practice the mind of Christ, bearing in mind that by so doing we shall bring glory to God and receive blessing from Him.

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. What four aspects of Christ’s ministry does the Apostle Paul mention in Philippians 2:1? Why does he introduce each one with the phrase, “if there is any'? What would cause him to facetiously question whether the Philippians were acquainted with Christ’s ministry? Note Phil. 4:2. If he were to observe your congregation, would the presence of divisions and strife cause Paul to question your personal acquaintance with the ministry of Christ our Lord?

So then, if there is any exhortation in Christ, if any incentive of love, if any spiritual fellowship, if any affection and compassion, ²make my joy complete by having the same mind, the same love, [being] united in spirit, [living] in harmony. Phil. 2:1-2

I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord.Phil. 4:2

2. What does the Apostle Paul exhort the Philippians to do? See Phil. 2:2a. What is “the mind,” or outlook, that each of us as a Christian is to have? See Phil. 2:5. How does Paul describe the mind of Christ? See Phil. 2:6-8. Are you exhibiting “the mind of Christ” in your congregation? In your home?

So then, if there is any exhortation in Christ, if any incentive of love, if any spiritual fellowship, if any affection and compassion, ²make my joy complete by having the same mind... Phil. 2:1­ 2a

Have this mind in you that was also in Christ Jesus... Phil. 2:5

...existing in the form of God, he did not regard his being on an equality with God as a thing to be exploited; on the contrary, he emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. Being found as a man in appearance, ⁸he humbled himself by becoming obedient unto death, even death on the cross. Phil. 2:6-8

3. What does Paul further exhort the congregation to do, or to exhibit? Phil. 2:2b, c. What love does he have in mind? Note Jn. 15:12-13. By the grace of Christ, are you expressing this self-giving love to your brethren in Christ? What are some ways in which we are to express that love? See 1 Jn. 3:16-17; Col. 3:12-13,

...make my joy complete by having...the same love, [being] united in spirit, [living] in harmony. Phil. 2:2b, c

My commandment is that you love one another, just as I have loved you. ¹³No one has any greater love than to lay down his life for his friends.Jn. 15:12-13

By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us; and we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. ¹⁷But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 1 Jn. 3:16-17

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; ¹³bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so also must you do. Col. 3:12-13

4. Negatively, what are we as Christians to avoid? See Phil. 2:3a. What might cause us to entertain such an attitude? Note 1 Cor. 4:7. How does such behavior and such an attitude compare with that of Christ our Lord? See Phil. 2:6. What is the consequence of exhibiting such behavior? See Gal. 5:26,

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but with a humble mind let each one consider others as occupying a higher position than himself. Phil. 2:3

What makes you superior? And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you received it, why do you boast as if it had not been given to you? 1 Cor. 4:7

...existing in the form of God, he did not regard his being on an equality with God as a thing to be exploited... Phil. 2:6

Let us not become conceited, provoking each other, envying each other. Gal. 5:26

5. Positively, how are we to view each of our fellow believers? In other words, how are we to view ourselves in relation to our fellow Christians? See Phil. 2:3b. What position did our Lord assume in His incarnation? See Phil. 2:7a; Matt. 20:28. How will this servant mentality and attitude express itself in practical terms? See Phil. 2:4,

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but with a humble mind let each one consider others as occupying a higher position than himself.Phil. 2:3

...he emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. Being found as a man in appearance... Phil. 2:7

...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.Matt. 20:28

Let each one be concerned not only about his own interests, but also about the interests of others. Phil. 2:4