HAVING THE “MIND OF CHRIST”

Philippians 2:5
Bob Bonner
April 13, 2008

This morning as we return to our study of the Apostle Paul’s letter to his deeply beloved Christian friends at the church in Philippi, we will barely get started before we find ourselves forced to take an important rabbit trail in order to fully appreciate Paul’s words written in Philippians 2:5-11. These verses stand out as one of the most magnificent passages in all of Scripture, extolling the greatest of our beloved Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Before we jump into examining them, it is most important that we first grasp the context and then get a quick “birds-eye” view of the passage.

First of all, it is important to note that Paul’s words here were written openly, as to friends, and not in a controversial way, as if Paul were trying to correct some form of false teaching that was going on in the church at Philippi. Nor did Paul’s words take on a scolding tone toward those who might be rebellious or stubborn, like the believers at Corinth. The tone is one of wanting to be helpful by reminding his friends of what is true and most important.

The truths expressed in these verses were settled-upon doctrines and held as common certainties among the whole Christian community at Philippi. Yet they were included here for practical reasons, because some things that were going on in the church at Philippi were not healthy. The church had been in existence for ten to twelve years and was one of the most mature church families at the time. Yet the individuals within, leaders and non-leaders alike, were wrestling with being unloving, displaying a spirit of ambition, and thinking themselves as better than others. They were divisive, selfish, arrogant, and concerned about their own rights and points of view. Their actions were affecting the work of Christ among them.

In the previous verses, 2:1-4, Paul challenged the Philippians to take on a proper attitude. In a word, that attitude is stated in verse 3-- “humility.” Now, in Philippians 2:5-11, Paul reminded them of their Master and Savior’s lifestyle and told them that Jesus should be their example. If they would imitate Christ’s humility, their problems with disunity and disharmony would be resolved.

Something very unique about this passage is that it is a rare occurrence in Paul’s writings of a poem or a hymn. Because of the rhythmical quality, rare words, phrases, and motifs in these verses, almost all Greek scholars agree that these verses were a hymn. Who authored the hymn, no one knows.  Personally, I believe that because this poem is found nowhere else in Greek, Paul was probably the author.

As today, hymns were used to instruct or teach lessons. They were sung in private as well as used in public worship. I am convinced that Paul encouraged the use of this hymn because he knew that a result of singing such central Christian truths would bring about change in the personal attitudes of those who sang them. Truth, through song, would make its way from their minds to their hearts, from their attitudes to their actions.

Before we read this hymn together in its entirety, allow me to give you first an overview of the hymn by way of an outline, and then let’s read these words out loud together.

First, there is Paul’s introduction in verse 5. Then, in verses 6-8 we have the first stanza in the hymn portraying Christ’s humility. In verse 6, we see the pre-incarnate Christ’s attitude.  These verses remind us that Jesus has always been God’s equal. Christ possesses all of God’s attributes.

Then, as a natural outgrowth of his attitude, the pre-incarnate Christ takes on actions to become the incarnate Christ.  You will notice that in His condescension, there is no display of glory, no pomp, no marching of the feet of heavenly legions! Instead Christ lays his robes aside, the glory that was his from eternity. He steps down from the heavenly throne and becomes a baby in the arms of a mother in a far eastern colony of the Roman Empire, under disgraceful and suspicions conditions. Please note the cause and effect here: First the attitude of the pre-incarnate Christ leads to the action of the incarnate Christ. Attitude always precedes action. That’s the first stanza in the hymn.

The second stanza is covered in verses 9-11. In response to Christ’s humility, we see God’s exaltation of Christ, reminding the reader/singer of this hymn that Christ’s humility led to his present position of glory. Let’s read this passage together: 

“⁵Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

⁶Who, although He existed in the form of God,

   did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

⁷but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant,

   and being made in the likeness of men. 

⁸Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming   

   obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

⁹For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the    

   name which is above every name,

¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in

   heaven and on earth and under the earth,

¹¹and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of    God the Father.”

In Paul’s introduction to this hymn, the attitude of Christ that he has in mind is that of humility. Paul’s use of the plural “yourselves” is intentional. These verses are not directed so much to the individual believer but to the local church family as a whole. This is a family issue, because division and strife, driven by pride and self interest, threatens the health of the family.

In addition, Paul’s opening words, “Have this attitude in yourselves” more literally means, “Think this in yourselves” or even more accurately, “Keep on thinking this way about yourselves.”  In other words, God’s word is instructing us to do something that obviously we don’t do naturally, because being humble is not a natural virtue even for believers. 

Furthermore, it is not something God develops within the lives of Christians without their knowledge or permission. It requires not only our desire for it, but our willingness to so position ourselves before God so that He can transform our hearts, that we might not be so self-centered and arrogant. 

Finally, becoming humble is not the result of learning a one-time lesson, or a one-time positioning of yourself, or a one-time exercise. It requires a continuous seeking of the Lord’s work in our lives to remove prideful attitudes and ways. God’s work won’t be finished in you until you arrive safely in heaven.

It would truly be unwise to go any further in studying this hymn until we take a beginning look at this issue of pride and humility. I say beginning, because once you start looking at the seriousness of this subject, I’m convinced you will conclude that this will be a lifelong and worthwhile subject of study for you on your own. To launch you on your way in this study, we are going to ask and answer four questions:

1. Why is humility such a worthwhile virtue?

2. What is biblical humility?

3. What difference will it make if I ignore God’s desire for me to be humble?

4. How do we position ourselves so that God can more easily conform us to the         humble image of His son?

Not only is humility a beautiful thing to observe in another, it is also a worthwhile virtue for each of us to possess. Notice what Isaiah 66:2 tells us about the benefit of becoming humble. God says, “This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” One motivating factor to seek out humility in one’s life is that humility draws the gaze of God. In context, God is addressing the Israelite nation who had been chosen of God. As His privileged chosen people, they possessed his law, the temple, and the Promised Land. They had every advantage a person could want. They had everything going for them except one thing. At the time of Isaiah’s recording God’s words, they did not take God’s word, His instructions, seriously. They lacked humility. So, God gently warns them in His merciful way to turn away from their prideful assumption that as His privileged children they could do whatever they wanted to, including ignoring His directives simply because He had chosen them. God tells them just the opposite. Even though they may be chosen, God will only turn His gaze toward them as a nation if they humbly seek His face. Humility is the key to experiencing His blessing, his unmerited kindness. 

Think about that for a moment. There is actually something you can do to attract more of God’s gracious, undeserved, supernatural strength and assistance. Seek after humility. In the New Testament, James tells us in 4:6, “God...gives grace to the humble.” Contrary to popular belief, God does not help those who help themselves, but those who humble themselves.

Before we go any further, it would be wise for us to define what biblical humility is. Biblical humility is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness. Here is Paul’s injunction in Romans 12:3, “...I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” 

Discovering true humility always begins with knowing God’s holiness first, then seeing ourselves in light of His holiness. And when each of us looks at ourselves in light of His holiness, what conclusion do we draw about ourselves? In comparison to God, we are sinners! The good news is that because of our holy God’s grace and mercy, we sinners have been forgiven, approved, accepted, and deeply loved, not because we deserve it, but because of Christ’s humble work on the cross. Hence, we have great value and worth because of Christ’s work on our behalf. In the end, this leaves no room for pride or boasting on our part. We need only to humbly accept that we have worth because we are His workmanship.

Thus far, we have seen that there is great value in looking closely at ourselves, seeking to rid ourselves from prideful, arrogant ways and to reach toward humility. What’s the downside if we choose not to root out our pride and arrogance and seek after humility? If we choose to ignore seeking after God and we choose to ignore God’s encouragement to seek after humility, what are the dangers? They are significant, but first we need to merely mention another very obvious, real issue.

Believe it or not, each of us would simply rather ignore the possibility that there may be pride in our lives. For some of us extroverts, we can easily point out our pride and arrogance. However, those of us who are introverts can just as easily presume that because we are more laid back and quiet, pride is not a serious issue for us. And that would be a fatal mistake. Though it shows up in different forms and to differing degrees, pride infects us all. The real issue for each of us is not if pride exists in our hearts, it is how and where pride exists and reveals itself in my life and yours.

John Stott, the retired pastor of All Souls Church in London, a deep thinking theologian, gentle godly man, and lover of God’s Word, wrote the following: “At every stage of our Christian development and in every sphere of our Christian discipleship, pride is the greatest enemy and humility our greatest friend.” Throughout our time here on earth, and as long as each of us live, we will never be fully rid of our common and greatest enemy, pride. 

I’m calling it our “common and greatest enemy” for I really believe it to be so. First of all, I believe that each of our lives contains many proofs that pride is our greatest enemy. For instance, what is at the root of our quick outbursts and short tempers? What is at the root of our insensitivities? What is at the root of our refusal to forgive or to ask for forgiveness? What is at the root of most of our demands to be heard or followed? What is at the root of an unwilling heart to reconcile with a parent, spouse, employee, employer, or friend? The answer is just one thing--pride! 

Pride was the very first sin recorded in the Bible. We find this record not in Genesis but in Isaiah 14, which describes what caused Satan, an angel of God, to fall. This was long before Adam and Eve.

Futhermore, from God’s perspective, pride seems to be the most serious sin. There is nothing more that God hates than pride, and Biblical evidence abounds to support this. Look with me at Proverbs 6:16-19. It reads in the New King James translation, “These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.” Here it is in the Message, which I believe catches the force of the Hebrew a little better:  “Here are six things God hates, and one more that he loathes with a passion: (and it is my sense that the one more is the most hideous of all and thus the one God’s Spirit chooses to list first) eyes that are arrogant, a tongue that lies, hands that murder the innocent, a heart that hatches evil plots, feet that race down a wicked track, a mouth that lies under oath, and a troublemaker in the family.”

Here is another passage. This time, speaking for God, Solomon writes to his son in Proverbs 8:13, “To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.”

As Christians, you and I might hate certain evils in our world. We may hate abortion, child abuse, racism, and the ruthless attacks upon our environment for purposes of self greed. But I can assure you that these verses inform us that we hate nothing to the degree to which God hates pride. His hatred for pride is pure, and His hatred is holy. 

Check out another proverb involving pride. Proverbs 16:5 states, “Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.” Note, will you, he isn’t even talking about the obvious actions of the arrogant, but the quiet, hidden arrogance of heart. God sees it all and hates it all; it is an abomination to Him, and He promises to punish it! Stronger language for sin simply cannot be found elsewhere in Scripture.

A little while ago, when I was talking about the opposite of pride, humility, I mentioned just a portion of what James says in 4:6. Now let’s read the whole statement. “God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble.” God, by nature, wants to give grace and does so for those who are humble. But notice how this statement begins in contrast to humility. It states, “God is opposed to the proud.” The verb “opposed” is a military term that describes putting your army hostilely against another to resist them. Here, this verb is an active, present-tense verb in the Greek showing us that God’s opposition to pride is an immediate, constant, and ever ongoing activity. God doesn’t just dislike the proud. He hostilely, like an armed guard, stands against it, and if necessary He will destroy the proud. Often, God out of His mercy and longsuffering will not discipline prideful actions. But this verse declares that you can be sure that the proud will not indefinitely escape God’s discipline.

Wow! What danger lies ahead for those who do not take seriously what God hates most--our pride. What foolishness is in the heart of one who becomes unaffected by the reality of pride in one’s life. You and I might be willing to admit that it exists and even confess this reality before God, but are we willing to attack this issue so that it won’t bring harm to us, to others, and to the unified work of God? That is the real question. It is not that we prideful and willing to admit it, but are we ready to seek God’s help to root it out of our lives? These warnings of God against pride are sobering. And they are an expression of God’s mercy, intended for our good, that we might enjoy the fruits of humility.

Let me presume that at least some of you desire to be conformed to the image of God’s Son, especially in the area of humility. And with that presumption, allow me to briefly explain how to position yourself so that God can come alongside and root out your arrogance, transforming you into a more humble person by causing Jesus to live through you. I have three suggestions. The first comes from Philippians 2:5. We are told to “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus...” Well, if I am going to have this attitude of humility, I need to learn what it looks like by studying humility in the life of Christ. What better place to begin than with Paul’s words in Philippians 2:6-11. Take time to consider them thoughtfully. Don’t sprint through this hymn; rather, stop and rest awhile over each word. Meditate on each descriptive phrase and seek to imitate Christ.

But to stop there would be dangerous. Ironically, if you, on your own, in the flesh, independent of God, work hard at becoming more humble, more than likely you will become more prideful at how humble you have become! To avoid this hurdle of self-righteousness, get on your knees before God and ask Him to do the supernatural work of changing your prideful heart into a truly humble heart. And since you know that this request is in line with God’s will, you can rest assured that He will do His work in your life. 

But I have one warning that comes from experience. The removal of pride with the supernatural replacement of Christ’s humility can and probably will be painful. When God, through the Holy Spirit’s conviction, motivated by your prayer request to cut pride out of your life, begins to operate, there is going to be some pain. You will be shown areas of pride in your life that you never knew existed before. If that is not enough, you may even experience shameful situations that you never thought possible in route to God’s simply revealing how deeply rooted pride is in your life. Should that happen, just remember in the midst of your shame that He loves you and will never reject you. 

Here are some scriptures that should prepare you for the possible uncomfortable spiritual surgery you can look forward to, if you are serious about rooting out pride. James 1:2-4 applies well here. “Consider it all joy my brethren, when you encounter various trials (testings and revelations of pride spots in your life), knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect (more mature, like Christ) lacking in nothing.”  Here is another. Hebrews 12:5-6 says, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline (instruction) of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.” Expect pain in the process of God’s spiritual scourging to transplant your pride with Christ’s humility. But trust me, even in the pain-filled process, you will realize the benefits. So I encourage you to ask God to do supernatural surgery in your life to replace your pride with Christ’s humility.

My final suggestion comes from one who believes in education. What I mean is that if I value something greatly, then I am going to study the experts who can show me how to best take care of an issue. Whether it is how to build up a retirement portfolio, how to add on an addition to a house, how to prepare an expensive food dish, or how to continue to build a strong marriage, I am going to read the experts who have done so. Hence, read biblically based books on humility. You will find great insights in them. There is one I can highly recommend, because I have read it and found it helpful. In addition, those who know the author will tell you that he is a genuinely humble man. The author would disagree, but that is what you would expect from a humble man. It’s entitled Humility, True Greatness, by C. J. Mahaney.

The following are some questions you might want to consider either alone or with a close friend(s), who can maybe give you some guidance or hold you accountable for some needed action steps.

1. Since God’s word teaches that He gives grace to the humble and stands opposed to the proud, where would you like to see God’s enablement and blessing in your life? 

2. Is there any area of your life where you have seen God’s blessing this past week, but have failed to give Him credit or thanks? What might this reveal? What should you do about it?

3. Is there any area of your life during this past week in which you felt opposition from somewhere? In what arena of life was it? Your marriage or other significant relationships? At work? Within a ministry? Concerning a legal matter? Could it be the Lord’s discipline showing you an area of pride that needs dealing with?

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