Philippians – Thinking
16/12/22 07:54
The verb translated ‘to set the mind’ (ESV) occurs eleven times in this short letter, of the 26 instances in the New Testament (ten times in Romans). It is having a mindset, thinking. It is more than philosophical thinking, more than considering. It has to do with lifestyle and disposition.
This exhortation to change our mindset may sound too practical, too ethical, too rational. There is indeed a tension between what we may expect the Lord to do in us and what the Lord may expect us to do. It may even lead to confusion and frustration. And it has lead to debates among Christians. The best thing we can do is not to become dogmatic about it but see how this issue is dealt with in the New Testament contextually.
In this letter we find Paul exhorting his brothers and sisters to act and behave in a certain manner, to do so increasingly and to stand firm in the Lord, very much so in the light of the day of Christ’s return. To ‘work out your own salvation with fear and trembling’ (2:12) may sound harsh, but straight after that Paul says, ‘… for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.’ The emphasis here lies on who God is, not on what He does (‘works’ is a participle, as to say, ‘God is the working One’, or ‘the One working’). So here Paul is not explaining how living the Christian life works, but pleading for due respect towards God, on His behalf. There is no specific allusion to the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer. That is presupposed. What Paul wants to say here is that his own presence or absence should in fact not make any difference, as to say, ‘Philippians, you are not accountable to me, but to God. He is your motivation, not I. It is His work, not mine.’ It is the good work that God began in and/or among them and that He will bring to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (1:6). And it is because of that fact that obedience may be expected from them, in response to God’s faithfulness. ‘Practice these things’, Paul says in 4:9. There is no ambiguity about who should do what, God or themselves. A certain behaviour is expected from them.
‘But we cannot do it in our own strength’, is what we hear Christians say sometimes. To me that sounds too complicated. It is a phraseology that is far removed from what Paul says about ‘not having a righteousness of my own’. We obey, we ‘work out our own salvation with fear and trembling’, indeed, not in order to become righteous, but because of the righteousness that is ours in Christ. I cannot see how ‘our own strength’ or ‘our own efforts’ could be a snare in this matter. It is because we have become children of God, by His grace, that we should walk as children of God. ‘Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.’ That is having the mind of Christ.
This exhortation to change our mindset may sound too practical, too ethical, too rational. There is indeed a tension between what we may expect the Lord to do in us and what the Lord may expect us to do. It may even lead to confusion and frustration. And it has lead to debates among Christians. The best thing we can do is not to become dogmatic about it but see how this issue is dealt with in the New Testament contextually.
In this letter we find Paul exhorting his brothers and sisters to act and behave in a certain manner, to do so increasingly and to stand firm in the Lord, very much so in the light of the day of Christ’s return. To ‘work out your own salvation with fear and trembling’ (2:12) may sound harsh, but straight after that Paul says, ‘… for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.’ The emphasis here lies on who God is, not on what He does (‘works’ is a participle, as to say, ‘God is the working One’, or ‘the One working’). So here Paul is not explaining how living the Christian life works, but pleading for due respect towards God, on His behalf. There is no specific allusion to the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer. That is presupposed. What Paul wants to say here is that his own presence or absence should in fact not make any difference, as to say, ‘Philippians, you are not accountable to me, but to God. He is your motivation, not I. It is His work, not mine.’ It is the good work that God began in and/or among them and that He will bring to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (1:6). And it is because of that fact that obedience may be expected from them, in response to God’s faithfulness. ‘Practice these things’, Paul says in 4:9. There is no ambiguity about who should do what, God or themselves. A certain behaviour is expected from them.
‘But we cannot do it in our own strength’, is what we hear Christians say sometimes. To me that sounds too complicated. It is a phraseology that is far removed from what Paul says about ‘not having a righteousness of my own’. We obey, we ‘work out our own salvation with fear and trembling’, indeed, not in order to become righteous, but because of the righteousness that is ours in Christ. I cannot see how ‘our own strength’ or ‘our own efforts’ could be a snare in this matter. It is because we have become children of God, by His grace, that we should walk as children of God. ‘Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.’ That is having the mind of Christ.
