What did Jesus do? Humility and purity

To this point the characteristics of the mind of Christ have been inward, applying to self and the development of Christian character. Now, like Jesus did, we reach outward with a characteristic that governs our relationships with each other, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves,” Philippians 2:3.

According to Paul, in this passage in Philippians, humility is a state of mind that puts others first. He says to “count” others, which speaks of a choice we make in how we will think about others. The way we are to think about others is to consider them and their needs to be more important than our own. Instead of pushing self and what we want or desire we put others first and think of them first before we think of self. In context Paul is pleading for unity in the church. He pleads with them to, “…complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind,” verse 2. The only way to experience that unity is for people to set self aside and to put aside their own agendas and to stop thinking of self and to act to meet the needs of others in the church.  

The mind of Christ is humble and doesn’t think about unmet personal needs. The mind of Christ puts those things aside and thinks only about others and trusts God to meet their needs in His time and in His way.  

When self is on the throne we have strife and unrest and people look out for themselves and seek to have their own needs met. When God is on the throne and we think with the mind of Christ we find peace and unity because we care more for others than we do ourselves. That’s the attitude that led Jesus to the Cross.

Along with that we find that Jesus chose to be pure. Listen to these words from the study, “The Mind of Christ”:

“The natural spiritual state – one that is filled with God’s Spirit and growing in Christ – is difficult to maintain.  One reason is the constant assault of information on our senses. Tempters have opportunities to take us into realms of thought never known before. Television, for example, can channel impurities right into the privacy of our homes. Lust is grander. Jealousy is more treacherous. Greed is simply the road to an important position, and anxiety is more fashionable. Sin is everywhere.”

They wrote that before the internet became such a huge part of our lives. Here is what Paul said about that in Titus 1:15, “To the pure all things are pure: but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.”  

Paul presents purity as the natural state of the Christian. To be pure we have to want to be pure. The desire for purity has to become our passion. When that becomes our overwhelming desirea God provides the strength. I Corinthians 10:13 tells us that God is faithful and with temptation provides a way of escape.  

We choose what our minds will be set on. The mind of Christ is solidly set on humility and purity. That is how others know that we have the mind of Christ in us. Live for Christ.