The Downward Ascent: The Mind of Christ Text: Philippians 2:1-11
Introduction: The War on the Self
We live in an age that has declared the self to be sovereign. Our entire culture is a massive, sprawling cathedral built for the worship of self. We have self-esteem, self-care, self-expression, self-discovery, and the ubiquitous selfie. The modern man's highest ambition is to "be true to himself," which is simply a politer way of saying he intends to be his own god, thank you very much. He wants to invent his own reality, define his own morality, and be the hero of his own story. This is the native language of the fallen heart, and our world speaks it fluently.
Into this cacophony of self-worship, the Apostle Paul drops a bomb. This passage in Philippians is not a gentle suggestion for better teamwork. It is a radical, counter-cultural manifesto that wages total war on the tyrannical reign of the self. It presents a vision for human community so alien to our modern sensibilities that it can only be understood as a supernatural reality. The unity Paul calls for is not the result of a team-building workshop or a shared mission statement. It is the fruit of a shared death.
The "therefore" that kicks off our text connects us back to the end of chapter one. Paul has just called the Philippians to stand firm in one spirit, striving together for the gospel, unafraid of their opponents, and willing to suffer for Christ. Here in chapter two, he explains the internal mechanics of that kind of unified, courageous stand. The foundation of our external witness is our internal humility. And the foundation of our humility is not our own grit and determination, but a profound and continuous gaze upon the ultimate humility of Jesus Christ.
What Paul does here is absolutely critical. He grounds the imperative, what we must do, in the indicative, what Christ has already done. Our ethics are not suspended in mid-air; they are anchored to the bedrock of Christ's own life, death, and resurrection. We are not called to invent humility, but to imitate it. We are called to have the very mind of Christ. And as we shall see, that mind leads us down a path that our self-worshipping age considers utter madness: the path downward, which is the only path to true glory.
The Text
Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, fulfill my joy, that you think the same way, by maintaining the same love, being united in spirit, thinking on one purpose, doing nothing from selfish ambition or vain glory, but with humility of mind regarding one another as more important than yourselves, not merely looking out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this way of thinking in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God also highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that EVERY TONGUE WILL CONFESS that Jesus Christ is LORD, to the glory of God the Father.
(Philippians 2:1-11 LSB)
The Unquestionable Foundation (vv. 1-2)
Paul begins with a series of conditional clauses that are not conditional at all.
"Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, fulfill my joy, that you think the same way..." (Philippians 2:1-2a)
These four "ifs" are rhetorical. Paul is not questioning whether these things exist. He is saying, "Since these things are most certainly true, then..." It is like a father saying to his son, "If I am your father, take out the trash." He is grounding his command in an established reality. What is this reality? It is the sum total of our experience in the gospel.
First, there is "encouragement in Christ." This is the bedrock. The gospel itself encourages, exhorts, and motivates us. Second, there is "consolation of love." This is the comfort that comes from God's love for us and our shared love for one another. Third, there is "fellowship of the Spirit," the koinonia, the shared life we have because the same Holy Spirit indwells all of us. And fourth, there is "affection and compassion," the tenderhearted mercy that flows from knowing how much mercy we ourselves have received. Paul is saying that the Philippians are swimming in an ocean of Trinitarian grace. The Father's love, the Son's encouragement, the Spirit's fellowship. Since this is your environment, he says, since this is the air you breathe, then "fulfill my joy."
And what will complete Paul's joy? A fourfold unity: thinking the same way, maintaining the same love, being united in spirit, and thinking on one purpose. This is not a call for monotonous uniformity, where everyone has the same opinion about the color of the church carpet. This is a call for a deep, symphonic unity of mind, heart, and will, all centered on the purpose of the gospel. It is a unity that can only be produced by the gospel realities he just listed.
The Twin Cancers of Community (vv. 3-4)
Next, Paul identifies the two diseases that will kill this unity dead.
"...doing nothing from selfish ambition or vain glory, but with humility of mind regarding one another as more important than yourselves, not merely looking out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." (Philippians 2:3-4 LSB)
Here are the enemies: "selfish ambition" and "vain glory." The Greek for selfish ambition is `eritheia`. It originally referred to work done for hire, but it came to mean a self-seeking, partisan spirit. It is the attitude of a political operative, always maneuvering for position, building factions, and seeking personal advantage. It is a desire to win, not for the sake of the truth, but for the sake of being the winner. The second enemy is `kenodoxia`, which literally means "empty glory." It is a thirst for the applause of men. It is being more concerned with your reputation, your brand, your image, than with the glory of God or the good of your brother. It is hot air and vanity.
The antidote to these poisons is a single virtue: "humility of mind." And notice how Paul defines it. It is not thinking less of yourself, as in having a poor self-image. It is thinking of yourself less. It is the spiritual freedom to regard others as more important than yourselves. This is not a mathematical statement, as though you must pretend a foolish man's opinion is wiser than a wise man's. It is a disposition of the heart that actively seeks the good and honor of others ahead of your own. It is looking out for their interests, not just your own. This is the death of the sovereign self.
The Ultimate Blueprint (vv. 5-8)
But this kind of humility is not natural to us. It is not something we can gin up on our own. So Paul gives us the blueprint, the source code.
"Have this way of thinking in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself..." (Philippians 2:5-7a LSB)
The mindset, the "way of thinking" we are to have, is the very one that was in Christ Jesus. This brings us to what is likely an early Christian hymn, a magnificent summary of the gospel. It begins with Christ's pre-incarnate glory. He was "existing in the form of God." The word for form is `morphe`, which refers to the essential nature or character of a thing. He possessed the very essence of deity. He was and is God. Therefore, "equality with God" was not something He needed to grasp for or seize (`harpagmos`). It was His by right.
But He did not use this divine status for His own advantage. He did not cling to its privileges. Instead, He "emptied Himself." This is the famous `kenosis`. What did He empty Himself of? Not His deity, that is impossible. The text tells us precisely how He emptied Himself: "by taking the form (`morphe` again) of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men." He did not subtract His divinity; He added humanity. He veiled His glory. He laid aside the prerogatives of His station and took on the very nature of a servant.
And the descent did not stop there.
"Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:8 LSB)
This humility was a continuous, voluntary act. He humbled Himself. And the ultimate expression of this humble obedience was His death. Not just any death, but "death on a cross," the most shameful, excruciating, and cursed form of execution in the ancient world. This was the bottom. The Creator of the universe, executed as a criminal slave. This is the mind of Christ. This is the pattern we are to follow.
The Great Reversal (vv. 9-11)
But the bottom is never the end of the story in God's economy. Humiliation is the pathway to exaltation.
"Therefore, God also highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name..." (Philippians 2:9 LSB)
The "therefore" is one of the most glorious in all of Scripture. Because of Christ's willing descent, because of His perfect, humble obedience, God the Father reversed the trajectory. He "highly exalted Him." The way down is the way up. God gave the man Jesus the name that is above every name. This is the bestowal of the covenant name of God, YHWH, upon Jesus. He is Lord.
And the result of this exaltation is universal and cosmic in scope.
"...so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that EVERY TONGUE WILL CONFESS that Jesus Christ is LORD, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:10-11 LSB)
Paul is quoting Isaiah 45, where YHWH Himself declares that every knee will bow to Him. Paul applies this directly and unapologetically to Jesus. This is a declaration of His absolute sovereignty. Every created being, angels in heaven, men on earth, and demons under the earth, will one day acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord. For believers, this will be a confession of rapturous joy. For the unrepentant, it will be the terrified, compelled admission of the conquered rebel before the rightful King. But make no mistake, every knee will bow.
And what is the ultimate end of all this? It is not simply Christ's glory, as magnificent as that is. It is all "to the glory of God the Father." The exaltation of the Son brings glory to the Father. Their glory is not in competition; it is a shared, Trinitarian glory. The entire breathtaking drama of redemption, from the heights of heaven to the depths of the cross and back again, serves this one ultimate purpose.
Conclusion: The Gospel's Gravity
So we bring it all back to the church in Philippi, and to us. How are we to do nothing from selfish ambition? How can we possibly regard others as more important than ourselves? We cannot do it by trying harder. We can only do it by being overwhelmed by the gospel.
The gospel has a spiritual gravity to it. When you truly see the Son of God taking the form of a slave for you, when you see the Lord of glory obedient to a cross for you, it simply demolishes your pathetic little kingdoms of self. It exposes your `eritheia` and your `kenodoxia` for the cheap plastic toys they are. You cannot stare at the cross and remain proud. You cannot comprehend the mind of Christ and remain self-absorbed.
To have the mind of Christ is to let the logic of the gospel reshape your every thought and motivation. It is to understand that in the kingdom of God, the way to be first is to be last, the way to be great is to be a servant, and the way to life is through death. The world tells you to climb, to promote yourself, to make a name for yourself. The gospel shows us a Lord who descended, who humbled Himself, and who was therefore given the Name above all names. This is the downward ascent, the great reversal, and it is the only path to joy, to unity, and to glory.