All about Attitude

I am amazed at with all the books I have read, all the academic discussions participated in, and all the Sunday School lessons and sermons I have heard on our text, very little of it is focused on the practical reason why Paul even brought up the topic. The focus of our discussions is usually on what is meant by Christ’s “emptying himself”, otherwise known as the kenosis doctrine. But even with that discussion laid aside, the text of Philippians 2:5-11 still has a very useful and practical purpose for us to consider. First, a quotation of the text from the NASV:

5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Consider our discussion on the quest for significance and ask yourself, does the quest for significance characterize Jesus’ life? If I may, allow me to reword verses six and seven to help us see what is happening in this text:

…who, although he by nature was God, did not regard significance a thing meant to be a chief pursuit, but emptied himself of that demand for significance and took upon himself the least significant form in all of creation – a mere human servant.

Now I will be the first to say that this is by no means a translation, nor does it convey the full meaning of the text, but it does emphasize one significant purpose of the text. The “emptying” of Christ is much more than just a desire for significance, and we can leave that to theologians smarter than I to figure that one out, but here this seems to be a major point Paul is trying to make. And not only did Jesus take on the least significant form when he came to Earth, but he also died in the most humiliating (non-significant by human standards) manner. After all, consider what Paul said in Galatians 3:13;

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"

How could someone who took on a curse for us be considered significant? Yet, the renunciation of his achievable quest for significance is what made him significant as noted in Philippians 2:9. Rather than take the significant position he deserved simply based on who he was, he instead earned the highest position of significance in all of creation by humbling himself.

And that is precisely the same attitude we are called to have.

Rather than continually pressing for significance, we should instead press for lifting up others. Jesus modeled the attitude which verse 5 refers to, the attitude found in verse 4 – look out for the interests of others. Christ, in looking out for his own interests was looking out for the interest of others, a particular interest they never even understood till in his divine wisdom he was able to reveal it.

So this is truly the highest calling. Is this what Euodia and Syntyche were doing? Far from it. They were only looking out for their own interests. What is it we are doing? Looking out for the interests of others as Christ did for us, or only looking to our own quest for significance?

Rivalry and Selfish Ambition

With every letter in the New Testament, there is always an occasion for writing. Given the themes and discourses in Philippians, it would seem the purpose for writing this letter centers on one particular problem taking place in the church; a battle between two members named Euodia and Syntyche. Even though Paul’s mention of them is brief (4:2), comparing what he says regarding them and what the theme of the letter focuses on bears strong evidence that the fighting of these two were what Paul had in mind when he put pen to paper. The strongest argument for this centers on a particular Greek word Paul chose when writing.

4:2 I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord.

The word I am focusing on is the word translated “to agree.” This word is elsewhere translated in Philippians as “being of the same mind” or “being like-minded”. It seems these two women had such an argument, such a disagreement that it was affecting the Church. This was no small dispute either, for it reached the ears of Paul who was miles away in a prison. These two women were butting heads, and their dispute was such that it required Paul to even tell the rest of the church to step in and assist them in reconciling their differences in 4:3.

But back to this word. Consider the other passages where Paul uses it.

1:7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

2:2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

2:5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

3:5 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.

3:19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.

4:10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.

These verses show a great concern for the church to have a deep consideration of one another, but to go deeper, I want to quote extensively from Philippians 2 and then make some observations about the text. Here I shall depart from my normal usage of the ESV and quote from the NASV.

2:1 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,
2:2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
2:3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
2:4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,…

Notice the four “if” clauses in verse one. These clauses are presented as “ifs” for the purpose of making a point. Of course these things should be true of a church. Paul is wanting to emphasize these aspects of the Christian life in order to make his point in the next verse. It is because of the existence of these four “ifs” that not only is Paul’s request in verse 2 possible, but is even expected. There is a missing word in verse 2, which is understood, it is the completion of the “ifs” in verse one and the word is “then.” Paul is saying “if these things exist (which they should and do), then make my joy complete.”

In verse two the first thing to notice is the goal of unity. Same mind, same love, united, and oneness of purpose are all geared toward a group who is functioning as a single unit or body. To use one of Paul’s illustrations – imagine two feet of the same body not working together with the same purpose – walking. Could that body ever get anywhere? Maybe if the hands dragged the body across the ground, but would that be the best way or the most appealing to those watching? The real question is how this is supposed to be accomplished and Paul is kind enough to give us a few clues in the next few verses.

Go back to our purpose for writing the letter – two women fighting. What they were fighting for is irrelevant, the fact is they were fighting and the nature of any fight is two or more people arguing for their own position or desires in regards to a particular issue. Neither is willing to give, neither is willing to consider the other person. Instead, they are only concerned for their own convictions and passions and quite possibly even blinded by those passions.

The ESV translates the verse as “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Rivalry, it could be argued, is one form of unchecked, selfish ambition. See how the quest for significance enters into this discussion? It is our own quest for significance that blinds us to the needs, desires, and passions of others around us.

This is why I like so much verse four. Read it carefully. It is not saying we cannot be concerned about our own desires and passions, our own ambitions, but we must keep them in check and also look out for the interests, desires, passions, and ambitions of others around us.

It would seem that if we could learn to champion this practical concern for not just our own ambitions, but also those of others, peace could truly be found in the church. Thankfully we are not without an example of just how this is done, and our next posting will look to unpack that example.

The Quest for Significance

Question: what is perhaps the single greatest value the human race has sought throughout all of history, that is arguably transcultural? You may argue with me on this point, but I am convinced our greatest value, our greatest desire is significance. Our pursuits for material wealth, a wide circle of friends, recognition for having done something great, awards, and pretty much everything else is all centered on this desire, this need for a sense of significance in life. We feel our lives must have purpose, a reason for existence beyond procreating more life as is the sole purpose of the animal kingdom. One might argue that this desire is what sets us apart from all other living creatures.

We even look for significance in death. When I was in a high school sociology class, we were doing a unit on the study of death in different cultures. Every culture may approach death differently, holding different ceremonies and disposing of their dead by different means, but all cultures do hold one thing in common, this sense of dying honorably or dishonorably. Even this it seems is because of our desire for significance. Also during this study one student commented that the thing which disturbed her most about death is that life goes on. Think about it; when we die, we may have a small number or for some a large number of people who gather to morn our death. But after a few years only a handful will still be in some degree of morning, and after a couple decades, rarely will someone even take the time to remember the person who died. Do you ever think about your relatives four or even five generations back? Life just goes on. Is there really any significance out there for us to grasp?

A missionary friend of mine once said “the biggest cause of the ego is the misplaced addiction to the quest for significance.” The argument I will be making is that achieving significance is not inherently wrong, but making it our goal is. There is a fine line to be walked here. Ambition and the quest for significance can look very similar, and in many ways are close relatives. Both can have positive effects on the way a person lives, but both can also be dangerous and sinful.

After recently performing a personal study of Philippians 2, I am convinced we can have a better balanced view of how to satisfy our thirst for significance in such manner that is honoring to Christ and honoring of ourselves as well. Interestingly, this study of the second chapter put me on an even greater study of the whole letter to the Philippians. I quickly realized that this desire for significance is one of if not the greatest theme in the letter.

A central encouragement as we enter this study is to consider just how you seek out significance in your own life. For some it may be easier than others; the need for popularity among friends, having the nicest house, car, garden, etc., on the block, maybe a zealous ambition for success at work… and thus a little recognition for that success, recognition for good deeds we may do in our church or community, or even recognition for evil which we may do. Think of it, there are many ways in which we seek to gain significance. Chances are we each can think of more than just one way in which we pursue it.

Now, while keeping that list in mind, take some time to sit and read through the letter to the Philippians. Warning: this reading may be convicting.