Having the mind of Christ in the body of Christ

It is amusing to hear modern (not to mention, post-modern) interpreters attempting to dodge the obvious meaning of Paul's exhortation to the Philippians to "make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind" (Philippians 2.2). Surely, Paul does not mean to squelch diversity of opinion, does he?

In one very real sense, the answer is yes. If by "diversity of opinion" is meant disagreement over the Person of Jesus Christ and his authority in the church, there can be no such diversity. If the church is one the body of Christ, it must also have the mind of Christ. When there is disagreement over the nature of Christ, then the church has become merely a collection of flawed, opinionated individuals, not the body of Christ.

What, then, would a church that is truly "of one mind" look like? Paul, not surprisingly, points to the example of Christ.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2.5-8)

To be "of one mind" is to "have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus." It is a mind set not on selfish interests, but in laying aside the self in the interest of others. It is the mind which "in humility count[s] others more significant than yourself" (2.3). To be "of one mind," and that being the mind "which is yours in Christ Jesus," is to be trained on one purpose: to be Christ for the sake of others.

But that is not the end of the story. For his act of selflessness, humbling himself to the most humbling kind of death, Christ has been raised to the highest of heights.

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.(Philippians 2.9-11)

Those who share in Christ's self-giving will also share with him in the glory of his eternal kingdom, where he reigns at the Father's right hand. As Jesus himself said, everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.