Commentary on Philippians 2:5-11

This passage raises several questions: What does it mean for a community to be “of the same mind”? More pointedly, what does it mean for a community to be “of the same mind that was in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5)? 

In light of those first two questions, does Paul’s use of the Christ Hymn (verses 6–11) aim at clarifying the nature of Christ for the sake of future systematic theologies and competing doctrinal statements, or does it aim at clarifying how far our own humility and obedience to God might lead us to empty ourselves in our own faith journeys? 

Let the same mind be in you … 

Five times in this letter, Paul tells the Philippians to be of one mind (1:27), of the same mind (2:2; 3:15), of the same mind as Jesus (2:5), or of the same mind in Jesus (4:2). It is helpful to note that the Greek word for “mind” (nous) never occurs in these passages. Philippians 1:27, somewhat unusually, translates psychē (soul, animating life force, center of one’s being) as “mind.” The other four passages, including today’s reading, use the verb phroneō, which generally signifies thinking as it relates to action—setting one’s mind to something, having a tendency or disposition to do something.

The verb phroneō occurs 10 times in Philippians. Many New Testament scholars see its use here (and in other New Testament writings) as influenced by the Greco-Roman philosophical category, “Phronesis.” Phronesis did not refer simply to the act of thinking in general. It addressed one’s practical moral or ethical reasoning, the thought processes or underlying worldview that guides one toward acting in virtuous—or in this letter’s case, faithful—ways that are good for the community.  

When Paul tells the Philippians to be of the same mind, he is not saying that everyone should think the same thoughts, have the same ideas, or be mental clones of one another. He’s telling them to have the same motivations, to draw from the same animating life force. He doesn’t necessarily want them all to have identical thoughts and beliefs. He wants them to embody and be guided by the kind of decision-making that leads one into the ways of Jesus, opens one up to God’s life-giving power that permeates all of creation. 

Phronesis is a skill that can be developed. But it’s not just about knowing and memorizing things. Memorizing traffic laws and the directions from your house to a friend’s house 500 miles away is different from driving with family or friends through 500 miles of weather, traffic, and road conditions to get from door to door. It takes a group phronesis for you and your passengers to make countless wise, thoughtful, and caring decisions as you travel so that when you reach your destination, you’re all glad you made the trip. 

Knowing how to describe humility and faithfulness is different from actually being humble and faithful. Knowing the best things to do is different from doing the best things. What Paul says here about “having the same mind” elaborates on what he said earlier in the letter: “This is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best” (1:9–10). Paul’s admonition for the Philippians to have the same mind essentially means, “Have the same mindset connected with the right skill sets so that God can move you forward for the good of others.” This raises the question of what that mindset might be.

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.

Again, having the same mind as Christ does not mean having the same thoughts as Christ, but the same intentions, the same acceptance of God’s call. It means following Jesus’ mindset in Gethsemane: “Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:41–42, in this week’s Gospel text).

Paul’s use of the (probably preexisting) Christ Hymn (verses 6–11) raises longstanding theological questions: Does Jesus’ “equality with God” mean he was divine, or was he only “in the form of God” (whatever that might mean)? Why say he was “in the form of” God, slave, and human (verses 6–7) rather than saying he simply “was” all those things?  

Those questions might be tantalizing, but in this letter, the hymn does not primarily serve to point us toward doctrines about Jesus but to point us toward Jesus. Christ’s willingness to humble himself and die serves as the touchstone for discerning our own willingness as individuals and as communities, if called by God to do that, to do that. 

And most importantly, the point is not simply, “Jesus did that, so you should, must, do that.” The point is not that God sent Jesus, and Jesus died on the cross, so, therefore, at the name of Jesus, “every knee should bend” (verse 10) and “every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (verse 10)—or else! This is not about compelling the world to bow down to Christ but about God empowering those who follow Christ to live up to whatever Christ calls them to do. 

God’s desire for our fullness of life in Christ can be seen more easily by connecting this passage to the letter’s beginning, which assures the Philippians that “the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ” (1:6). And right after this pericope, Paul further assures, “It is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for [God’s] good pleasure” (2:13). Jesus serves as a model for humility and faithfulness, but he is not just a model. We’re not left to our own devices when seeking to “have the same mind as Christ” in order to rise to whatever calling Christ sets before us.