“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves.” Philippians 2:3
In the letter of Paul to the believers in Philippi, he spoke of the mind of Christ. This was not just a cursory issue to the apostle. It was the expressed outworking of a life lived by the Spirit, according to the truth in Christ, knowing the power of His indestructible life. Why is it that, in speaking of humility, and lowliness of mind, that the believer is called upon to have such, and to live in this perspective? It is because of a higher wisdom, a perfect knowledge, but one that is holy, true, and good. Scripture tells us that the believer has been put into Christ Jesus by the Father. In that blessed union with the Son of God, the Lord Jesus becomes one’s wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. (1 Cor. 1:30) Christ, as our wisdom, reveals to us what true wisdom is, and this according to the unveiling of His mind. Not only are we to grasp the concepts and truths of what the mind of Christ is, but we are to know, live, and be witnesses to that mind. Where do we begin to understand the mind of Christ, the mind of God, in order that it should be our own on a daily basis?
It begins before the world began in the heart of God, who through the prophets in history, unveiled to us that this Savior of the world who has already come, this Messiah, would be born in Bethlehem of Judea, at a time when one of the world’s most wicked tyrants ruled. His birth was totally other than anyone could have imagined, and one must ask the question, “Why?” The answer lies in the mind of God, in Christ. “Meekness and lowliness” which would characterize the Lord Jesus throughout his ministry on earth, was the outward demonstration of the mind of God. How did it manifest itself? First of all, by the birth of Jesus, the very Son of God, there was a bypassing of all that men, in particular sinful men, would consider great, noble, high, and elevated. That which God sees as such is a contradition to the world and its standards. Again, “Why?” It is because the knowledge of God is higher than all the knowledge of men. True value and worth in the eyes of God is that which is of Him, either by His words declaring it, or by the very essence and nature of it. The Bible speaks of the value of silver and gold, and yet it is God who possess all the gold and silver, for He created it. How much more is the value of God Himself? As Jesus made so very clear in His discourses, one may have all of the riches of this world, its gold and silver, and still lose one’s soul. That which is of highest value is not the physical but that which is spiritual, the eternal Life of God in Christ by the Spirit.
But how does this mind of Christ work out in the life of the believer? Where does one begin in order to understand, and then, to grasp the significance of the mind of Christ? When Jesus began His ministry, after His baptism, and His victorious confrontation with Satan in the wilderness, He came in such a way, with such a disposition of heart, that all men could come to Him, from the noble Nicodemus to the lowly leper. He refused none who would sincerely come, even to just inquire of Him the truth. His appeal was simple: “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28) Christ would stoop lower than the lowiest, in order to give all eternal life.
The man in whom God is working, both to will and do of His good pleasure, is that one who comes to esteem others better than himself, looking to the needs and concerns of others.
Dear Father, Give us Thy wisdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.