Painfully Radical

Being in Full Accord and of One Mind

…be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

— Philippians 2

I have read Philippians 2 many times, but I tend to hurry past these words on my way to what comes next. The famous passage about Christ’s humility feels like the prime rib; this sounds almost like the preamble. But what if it isn’t? What if Paul’s call to be of the same mind, with the same love, in full accord, is every bit as radical as it sounds?

We live comfortably in camps. Anger can even feel like certainty. If I am sufficiently outraged by the people on the other side, my outrage itself can begin to feel like evidence that I am right. Soon we are assigning labels, exchanging accusations and listening mostly for something to rebut. We may even begin to enjoy the feeling. To turn an old love song upside down: If hating you is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

Now imagine a church in which people with profoundly different political and social convictions continue worshiping together. Imagine progressives and conservatives, people wearing campaign hats and people marching in protests, all freely wrestling with where Scripture leads them—and refusing to purge one another from the family. Paul is not necessarily demanding uniform opinions. But he does seem to be asking for something much harder: the same love, humility toward one another, and a commitment to remain together even when disagreement hurts.

Yesterday we considered the importance of remaining teachable. Sometimes a difficult conversation changes when one person simply says, “Wait. Maybe I don’t understand what you mean.” Today Paul takes us farther. Listen carefully enough to discover the humanity of the person across from you, and disagreement need not disappear. Something else may disappear instead: the caricature. Perhaps being “of one mind” begins when winning becomes less important than understanding and loving.

Maybe that is why it is tempting to skim these words. The problem may not be that Paul is difficult to understand. The problem may be that we understand him rather well. Same mind. Same love. Full accord. One mind. In an age that teaches us how satisfying division can feel, that is painfully radical.

Reflectionary is an ongoing conversation with Scripture. If these reflections are meaningful to you, please subscribe and come back often. And by all means, join the conversation—your questions, disagreements, insights and reflections are always welcome.