A Mind For Christ

Title: A Mind For Christ

The book of Philippians is a letter written by the apostle Paul to the church in Philippi, a church that he founded and a church that loved and supported his ministry. In this letter, Paul expresses his joy, gratitude, and affection for the Philippians, and encourages them to stand firm in their faith, to rejoice in the Lord, and to imitate his example. He also challenges them to deal with some issues that threatened their unity and witness, such as false teachers, persecution, and selfishness.

One of the key verses in this letter is Philippians 2:5, where Paul says: "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus." (NIV) This verse introduces a beautiful and powerful passage that describes the mind of Christ, his humility, obedience, sacrifice, and exaltation. It also serves as a model and a motivation for us to have the same attitude and perspective as Jesus in our relationships with God and with each other.

In this study, we will explore what it means to have the mind of Christ, and how it affects our character, our choices, our actions, and our interactions. We will also learn from the examples of Paul, Timothy, Epaphroditus, and the Philippians themselves, how they applied the mind of Christ in their lives and ministries. We will discover the benefits and blessings of having the mind of Christ, such as joy, peace, unity, love, and reward.

Let us also pray that God will help us to apply what we learn in our daily lives and share it with others. Are you ready? Let's begin! Let us start by praying (claiming) the prayer that Paul prays for Saints at Philippi (Phil 1:9-11).

Phil 1:9-11 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; [10] That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ;[11] Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

The answer to that prayer is summarized by the command: Phil 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (Phil 2:5)

Bible scholars are split on the main theme of Philippians between the following two:

1. The Joy of Christ 2. The Mind of Christ

It is my belief that it is both, the "Mind of Christ" that produces "The Joy of Christ". The goal of this study is for us to understand that "let" is a command and "IF" we will "OBEY" God will provide!

Many see that the above verse is not only the theme verse for the book of Philippians, but the KEY that produces the desired results of Paul's prayer above. The first step in the process is to realize that "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" is not a suggestion, but a command. We will also discover the "Joy of Christ" will be experienced as we develop the "Mind of Christ".

"Let this mind be in you". An initial step is a look at the definition of "let" which means "do not prevent". "Let" is a willful decision to allow the activity to take place! In other words, God's Word is saying that "let" is an act of our will. It is similar to the word "set" in Col 3:2 "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth". Just as "let" is an action of our will, so is "set" which means put or bring something into a specific state. Just as "let" is an act of our will, so is "set". Neither is passive, but a conscious decision to act. We are to place our attention/affection on Christ (things of heaven). We have the God-granted ability to "let" or "set" as well as to "not let" or "not set"!

At creation, God gave mankind "dominion" over the earth. Stated another way, when you are in charge of something or rule it, you have dominion over it. By giving Adam dominion implies many things, specifically Adam had responsibility and could make decisions and take actions. God's follow with the command not to eat from the "Tree of Knowledge" implies again that Adam had the granted freedom to choose to do so. Adam and Eve had the freedom to choose to disobey God's command.

Every Biblical principle/doctrine has its beginning in the book of Genesis and most can find their basis in the simple creation story and Adam's choice to disobey God in Genesis chapters 1-3. Not only did God grant Adam the freedom to choose Life (Tree of Life") or Death (Eat of the Tree of Knowledge), but also the nation of Israel had the choice of life or death. God told Israel, I lay before you life or death, choose life. The same is true for all mankind since Adam as the book of Romans states "The wages of sin is death" and all have chosen to sin. Like Adam all of mankind has willfully doubted and disobeyed God which is a sin!