The mindset of Christ

"Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those 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 2:5–11)

This Christological hymn, embedded in Paul’s exhortation to the Philippians, is one of the most profound theological affirmations in all of Scripture, articulating the mystery of the Incarnation, the kenosis (self-emptying) of the Son of God, and the exaltation that follows His total obedience. It invites the Christian to adopt the mindset of Christ—not merely admiring His humility, but entering into it, conforming one’s life to the same logic of divine self-giving. The text moves in a sweeping arc from pre-existent divinity to the lowest depths of human suffering, and then to the highest glory, offering the believer a roadmap of discipleship marked by humility and obedience.

The passage begins by affirming the divinity of Christ: He was “in the form of God,” a phrase denoting His eternal nature. Yet He did not cling to this divine status as a possession to be used for His own advantage. Instead, He “emptied himself,” not of His divinity, but of divine prerogatives, assuming the vulnerability and limitations of human nature. This act of kenosis was not a subtraction but an addition—the fullness of divinity took on the fullness of humanity. In choosing the form of a slave and accepting death on a cross, Jesus reveals the radical depths of divine humility and love. This is no ordinary death; crucifixion was the most humiliating and brutal form of execution in the Roman world. Yet it is precisely through this descent that the path of salvation is opened.

Because of this radical obedience, “God greatly exalted him.” The exaltation is not a reward in a legalistic sense, but the divine glorification of the Son who has perfectly fulfilled the Father’s will. The “name above every name” bestowed on Jesus is none other than the divine name itself—Lord (Kyrios), the Greek rendering of the Tetragrammaton, the sacred name of God revealed in the Old Testament. Thus, in the person of Jesus, crucified and risen, the full identity of God is made manifest. The universal acclaim—every knee bending and every tongue confessing—marks the eschatological fulfillment of Isaiah’s vision (cf. Isaiah 45:23), now applied to the risen Lord.

Philippians 2:5-11 sets the standard for Christian conduct and ecclesial life. It challenges every believer to reject the spirit of pride, entitlement, and self-assertion. True greatness in the Kingdom of God is measured not by power or prestige, but by service, humility, and willingness to suffer for others. In community life, this hymn becomes a mirror: the attitude of Christ is the measure of relationships, leadership, and pastoral ministry. It forms the soul of Christian unity and charity, as Paul prefaces the hymn with the exhortation to be “of the same mind, with the same love.”

This passage reveals that the path to glory is the path of the Cross. Christ’s descent is not a detour but the very essence of divine revelation. The one who is highest becomes the lowest, so that all who are low may be lifted up. In contemplating this hymn, the Church is reminded of her identity: to live in the pattern of Christ’s humility, to suffer in hope, and to proclaim with one voice that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.