The mind of Christ is one of great humility. This is not natural to sinful man because he is filled with the pride of life. By man’s own efforts or sheer willpower, it is impossible to get rid of pride and put on the mind of humility. Even for believers, the pride of life cannot be eradicated. It continues to dominate. King David, a believer, is an example. At the end of his life, his final sin, as recorded in the Bible, was the result of the pride of life. He numbered the people that he might boast of himself.

1)  We Must Put on the Mind of Christ (Phil 2:5)
As children of God, we already have the mind of Christ. But we must be conscious of putting on the mind of Christ. We must constantly exercise the strength to put it on so as to overcome (with the help of the Holy Spirit) the sin of the pride of life. The mind of Christ must be part of our affection and thinking.

Let us watch our reactions and responses to others and to situations, for they will reveal whether we have put on the mind of Christ or the mind of the world. We have been blessed with the mind of Christ. Let us continue to exercise and use it.

2)  The Aspect Emphasised is Humility (Phil 2:6-8)
Humility is the aspect of the mind of Christ that Paul emphasised here. The context here is where some Philippian believers (with the mind of the world, and led by the pride of life) sought after the fame that Paul had.

As we shine for Christ in this world, we may achieve success and receive much praises from man. It becomes more and more challenging for us to remain humble. It is easy for the pride of life to dominate us. We must always remember that the mind of Christ our Saviour is a mind of humility. He (the Son of God) humbled Himself to take on human form, the form of a servant. He did not hold tightly to, but gave up, the external glory of His godhead while He was on earth. He humbled Himself because of His love for us. Throughout His life on earth, His humility was genuine and sincere.

We need Christ’s help for us to be truly humble. Remember that we are nobodies. Without Christ, we would be heading towards condemnation. We are to redirect to Christ every praise that comes our way. May we always have the desire to be humble, for the mind of Christ is a mind of humility. Every time we sin, we must humbly confess and repent, thus putting on the mind of Christ, and we have the mind of humility again. This will protect us from the sin of the pride of life.