Philippians 2:4–5

Now we come to two other appeals that also hit most of us very hard: "Not each having the eye on the interests of themselves, but each on the interests of others also." The Authorised Version reads: "Look not every man on his own things," and so on. The word translated "look" does have that meaning. But it is not the ordinary word for "look." It comes from a word meaning a mark on which to fix the eye. In chapter 3 of this letter we get the same word translated "mark" (v. 14).

In the Greek Testament there is no word for "interests" in either place. There is only the article "the," in the plural. We have to fill in what the Spirit means us to understand, and that may have a very wide application. The Authorised Version uses "things." Mr. Darby uses "qualities," or, in a note, "advantages." I take "interests" to mean the things that interest us.

The next statement in verse 4 does mean that. It could be rendered, "Look not every man on his own qualities, but every man also on the qualities of others." If we fixed our eyes on the spiritual qualities of a person — Christ shining out in that vessel — it would then become fairly easy to esteem another as better than oneself.

Empty pride lies at the root of a large part of the strife and division that is distracting Christians, even those who are otherwise spiritually minded. The opposite of empty pride is that lowliness of mind that leads us to esteem others better than ourselves. Lowliness of mind also leads to that largeness of mind that verse 4 points to. If I am self-centred, aiming only at my own interests and glory, I consider only my own things. If instead I am Christ-centred, aiming at His interests and glory, I look also on the things of others. And if the things of others are really more for Christ's glory than my things are, I shall look more on the things of others than on my own.

We all know that we tend to value the qualities we have ourselves and to look down on the qualities of others. That is our nature left unjudged. Where the power of love is at work, it works in quite the opposite direction. We would be aware of how weak and unworthy we are, and how little use we make of what God gives us. And we would value what we see in another that we do not have ourselves.

Verse 4 takes us a step further. It asks for a very real concern for the well-being of others — a happy mark of Christianity in a world that is so selfish. We cannot suppose, however, that all Christians really practise this virtue.

The Apostle does not speak merely of the "lowly word," which a person can use even to magnify self. He speaks of the lowly mind, which forgets self altogether and thinks only of others and their good.

Man's motto is, "Mind yourself." His selfishness shows the uncleanness of his nature. Jesus was not like this, for "He did not please Himself." He went about doing good. His heart was set on blessing others… So the teaching of the Holy Spirit is, "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."

We will certainly reach the 'one mind' of verse 2 if the lowly mind of verse 3 takes shape in us all. But we would still find it hard if that lowly mind were only an abstract idea to us. We want it to be a living reality before our eyes, and we have it in Christ Jesus. If there is to be only one mind, whose mind is that one mind to be? — 'Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus' (v. 5).

'Let this mind be in you' or, Have this for your mind — your principle of thought and feeling — 'which (was, and is,) also in Christ Jesus'. There is no verb in the second half of the verse, but English needs one. We usually use the word 'was'. Yet nothing in the Greek limits the meaning to past or present. Even now, exalted to the highest glory, He is 'this same Jesus' (Acts 1:11)… And what was 'this mind'? Was it not an utter and absolute self-forgetfulness? Here is the cure for all our quarrels and divisions, our misunderstandings and difficulties with one another.

In chapter 2 you do not get Christ in glory as the One the believer runs after. You get Christ coming down, not Christ gone up. He is the One I am to be like in the grace of the walk He showed. And that walk is always going down — from the form of God down to death… Paul is taking up the truth of lowliness, but the moment he begins he must bring out Christ.

He has been urging them to humility and self-denial. Now he sets before them, and before us, the pattern of what we are called to copy — though not the measure of it. The pattern: as children of the Father we are to aim at nothing short of His perfection, and since we share the Spirit of Christ His ways should be ours too. Not the measure: the very first step of His humility was one that only His equal by nature could have taken, if such a person existed.

We know how we feel when someone says an unkind word to us. We know how we feel when someone denies us our rights, tramples on us, or will not treat us fairly. We know how upset our spirits get at such times, do we not? But it was never so with the Son of God's love. The apostle says, let His mind be in you. Do not let the sun go down on your anger; do not quarrel among yourselves; do not let your angry feelings rise.

The Apostle goes on to urge lowliness in love, by setting the way of the Lord Himself before their eyes. Since Christ appeared, this is the true "rule of life" for the believer. It is not even the whole written Word by itself, but that Word seen alive in Christ. And the Holy Spirit makes Christ a spring of power to the soul that stays occupied with Him.