[Therefore, if you ….make my joy complete by being like-minded]… having the same love…
Summary: Having the “same love” as Christ is a challenge. Understanding why helps us to focus our efforts on serving God’s will.
Paul’s sentences are famously long and convoluted. In this passage, he begins with a series of “if’s,” and then, when he reaches his “then,” he asks his readers to “make my joy complete by being like-minded.”
“Like-mindedness” is followed by three qualifiers. The first of these is love.
Not just any kind of love, of course. The word Paul uses for “love’ is “agapē,” the Greek word for godly love.
Interestingly, the Greek language divides the concept of love into two general categories. One is the type of love that is concerned for others. The other is the type of love that is concerned for “me.”
When I say “me” in this context, I am not talking about the spiritual “me,” but rather the “me” that is associated with what the Bible calls the “flesh.”
This is not an easy concept to understand. In Genesis, we see God make Adam out of “dust” (atoms) and “breath” (spirit) [Genesis 2:7]. Then the serpent comes along and deceives Eve, causing her to defy God and eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:1-7). God had already warned that there would be consequences, and the consequence would be “death” (Genesis 2:17).
Centuries later, Jesus (God) would explain the meaning of life and death with a parable about the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). When the son leaves his father, his is “dead,” and when he returns, his father rejoices because he is “alive again.”
The point of the story, as I see it, is that life is being in relationship with God. Jesus seals the deal by putting his Spirit in us (John 14:26) to keep us connected to God. In short, to keep us alive.
Unfortunately, for as long as we live in the flesh, we are caught up in a war between the desires of the flesh and our new life in God. Like the two types of love, they pull us in two directions. Agapē is godly love, reflecting God’s grace and mercy to all of mankind. The flesh wants only what is gratifying for itself (2 Timothy 3:2).
To be like-minded in Christ is to share Christ’s love for others.
Application: Love others as God loves you.
Food for Thought: What can people do to strengthen their like-mindedness in love (agapē)?
I think if we can keep the greatest commandment to love God and others as ourselves (Matthew 22: 37 – 40) we will have the same love and be operating by the same standard the Lord wants for all of us. Such a simple request. So hard to do. It is so hard to subjugate our wants and desires to that of the Lord’s or others. That is why it is a daily battle.
Luke 9: 23 – 24: Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.
Luke 14: 26 – 27: Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Rich,
“It is so hard to subjugate our wants and desires to that of the Lord’s or others.”
You said a mouthful, brother! 🙂
I reckon if I want to strengthen myself, I have to exercise.
Sounds a bit strange to put love in that context, but I believe that in order to move from knowing about the love of God to knowing the love of God, I must open my heart to Him and act in love. Sometimes that means using my hands and provisions for others, and sometimes that means forgiving, changing my attitude, and not giving resentment a space in my life.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
Also, I believe we must communicate with one another in love. It can be as simple as just discussing the Bible, but even that moves us toward unity. It can also mean confessing to one another, sharing our burdens, and sharing our praise! That definitely strengthens our like-mindedness in love. Remembering that if we sow love, we reap love.
Galatians 6:7-10 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Thank you, Chris!
Oh .. and welcome back! 🙂
“…knowing about the love of God to knowing the love of God…”
These are two very different things and I’m glad you pointed them out. You also mention discussing the Bible together. That is so important!
What can people do to strengthen their like-mindedness in love (Agapē)?
Do we find ourselves attempting to serve God according to our standards of righteousness as we interact with others. Or as new creations do we seek to serve others as we are led and empowered by Christ?
2 Corinthians 5:17, Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
As new believer, getting dressed up, going to church each Sunday was the good life of a Christian, it’s what I saw everyone else doing and they appeared to be very happy. As time passed , in my mind, I knew why I was there, but I wondered why they were. God led me to intensive bible studies and in time I was leading bible studies at church on Sunday, as well as private homes each week.
The closer I grew to Jesus, the more love I felt toward these people I was interacting with. A love, not the result of my power, but a gift from God, in the power of His Holy Spirit. He is the power of His love for others being made real to us.
Don’t avoid others we have trouble loving. Pray and allow God to bring us closer to them, give us the strength to initiate conversations with them as we get to know one another better. In time we will find our differences will disappear as fellowship grows. And we will know our increased unity is by the power of the Holy Spirit working through us.
Galatians 5:16-18, So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Romans 8:26, In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
Galatians 6:2, 1 Peter 4:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Colossians 3:16
Thank you, Ron!
I love the portrait you paint of love transforming people.