Philippians 2:5

‘Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus,'

We may translate more literally, ‘Be thus minded (phroneite) in/among yourselves which also in Christ Jesus'. The thought here is not simply that they were to see what Jesus Christ did as an example which they were to follow, although it included that, but that they were to see it as something into which they were to actually enter by experience. This is made clear in Philippians 3:15 where Paul speaks of entering into the resurrection and suffering of Jesus Christ, and calls on them to be ‘thus minded'. This was thus a call to have the mind of Christ and as a result to set their minds so as to enter into His death and resurrection by experience, something which above all would foster oneness among them. We can compare how in Romans 8:5 Paul speaks of those who live according to the Spirit as  having the mind of the Spirit, and adds that to have the mind of the Spirit is life and peace', where the idea of having the mind of the Spirit is that they fully enter into the experience of the Spirit at work within them and thus let the Spirit be active through them. In consequence he could similarly say, ‘with the mind I serve the law of God' (Romans 7:25), indicating that his mind, heart and will were continually set to do the will of God. In other words, with his mind he was committed to God's principle of direction because he was in Christ, reckoning himself to be dead to sin but alive to God through Jesus Christ his Lord (Romans 6:11).

A further example of this can be found in Colossians 3:2 where Paul declared, ‘if then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things which are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds (phroneite) on things above, and not on things on the earth, for you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ Who is our life appears, than shall we also appear with Him in glory.' Once again the thought was of entering by commitment and experience into the resurrection of Christ and its consequence, having first entered into His death. This was to have the mind that was in Christ Jesus.

Here then was the call to deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24), in such a way as to be empowered by His resurrection life, after having submitted themselves to death with Him (compare Philippians 3:10; Romans 6:3; Galatians 2:20), the final consequence being that they would share the glory of Christ. Indeed as Ephesians 1:19 to Ephesians 2:10 makes clear, there was a sense in which they already shared in that glory, for in the spiritual realm (the heavenlies) they had already been raised and seated with Christ. But the assurance here was that one day it would come to full fruit in body as well as in spirit.