Journal: Faith and Mission
Volume: FM 01:1 (Fall 1983)
Article: To Think The Way God Thinks: Philippians 2:1–18
Author: Stephen Neill

FM 1:1 (Fall 1983) p. 71

To Think The Way God Thinks:
Philippians 2:1–18

Bishop Stephen Neill

Resident Scholar,
Wycliffe Hall, Oxford

One of the advantages of being an Episcopalian is that we have a lectionary: A Psalm, an Old Testament reading and a New Testament reading for every morning and evening on every day of the year. If I am asked to speak and do not have a special burden laid on my heart, I often look at the lectionary to see what the readings are that may be suitable to use on that occasion. As I turned to the lectionary for today, I-found my researches at first not very encouraging. I find that in our morning reading we are still plowing through the book of Leviticus, perhaps not the most exciting book of the Old Testament. The next line is even worse: the fourth chapter of the first book of the Maccabees. As Southern Baptists do not read the Apocrypha anyhow, or if they do, they do it surreptitiously with a certain feeling of guilt, let us go one more line down: Philippians chapter 2, verses 1–18.

There are certain passages in Scripture that the preacher longs to preach about because of the tremendous power of revelation contained in that particular section of the Bible. The preacher also dreads to speak for fear that what he says will be so utterly inadequate and unworthy of the splendor of the passage under consideration. The wealth of revelation in these verses is far too great to be dealt with in one single short address. All we can do is to alight on some of the high points of these verses, try to illuminate them, and leave very much for our further meditation on other occasions.

You know that passage, no doubt, “Let that mind be in you which is also in Christ Jesus.” This is the rendering in the King James Version and I am certain that it is correct. Unfortunately some scholars have tried to make it mean, “Have this mind among yourselves which you have also in Christ Jesus.” This has found its way, unfortunately, into a number of the modern translations. I am convinced that the Greek words cannot possibly be twisted to bear this meaning. I am quite certain that Paul, with his theology of our being in Christ, could not possibly have made this distinction: one mind which you have among yourselves and another mind which you have in Christ Jesus; it just does not fit.

“Have this mind in you.” This word,, is an interesting word. You can follow up the intricacies of the usage of it in your beloved Arndt-Gingrich, that father of a thousand sermons, and see how it was used in different passages of scripture. It comes in that crucial scene of Peter’s confession. The King James Version here in Matthew is a little quaint, Pe...