Being Like-minded
Sermon Series: Philippians
Message By Eddie DSouza on May 31, 2026
Passage: Philippians 2:1-11
I plan to preach through Philippians 2:1–11 over five sermons. This passage has three exhortations and one illustration to make a point. Instead of zooming past these exhortations and illustration, I plan to preach each exhortation as a standalone sermon each week. In the fourth week, I plan to preach the illustration. Finally, I will preach the passage in its entirety in the fifth week.
Before we proceed, let me show you the components. The first exhortation is in vv. 1–2. The second is in v. 3. The third is in v. 4. The illustration is found in vv. 5–11. So today, let us focus on the first exhortation.
Listen to this translation of the first two verses: Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit, any affection or mercy, complete my joy by thinking the same thing, having the same love, united of soul, minding the one thing.
Paul’s point and the point of my sermon are simple: be like-minded. The obvious theme that would come to one’s mind is that of unity. Disunity has been a problem in the church since the early days. In fact, the Philippian church is no different. Paul addresses two arguing ladies in chapter 4 and asks them to get along. However, I observe that most Christians do not understand what it means to be like-minded. There is confusion about unity. In fact, we get our ideas of Christian unity from non-Christians. We feel uneasy when they point out that we have many denominations, and so we they assert that we are not one church. So, naïve Christians assume that an ecumenical fellowship is what unity implies. They confuse uniformity for unity.
Other Christians think of like-mindedness as mindlessness. They simply choose to blindly follow their leaders. They do not search the Scriptures. Some would believe nonsensical teaching despite their better judgment. But it is not them that I address. While such a person may be here, I do not think that is a majority problem. I venture to guess that we might assume that the way to be like-minded is to agree on all decisions, at all times, in every matter. Christians may feel uneasy when they learn of differences between themselves and a trusted Christian, or, even worse, one of their elders. To some, it is scandalous that all the elders in their church have differing opinions on certain matters.
This makes it hard for Christians to develop friendships with other Christians in their church because they are not sure how Christian this other person is, given that they have a different opinion about what the Bible says about creation, or the last days, or tongues, or whether or not children must be spanked. Yes, some of these items are more important than others, but can Christians be friends despite these differences?
At this point, some of you might be saying, Eddie, what has that got to do with our passage? In fact, our passage tells us to be like-minded; to have the same mind. Then does that not mean that we must seek to be similar in our beliefs and convictions on all matters?
I hear you. And it is precisely why I have opted to slow down in this passage and talk about what it means to be like-minded or be thinking about the same thing. And I hope by the end of this sermon you will, by God’s grace, experience a sense of freedom in your soul because you understand what being like-minded means, and more than experience a sense of freedom, develop a deeper desire for like-mindedness with your fellow believers.
But I am also concerned about another group of Christians. These may not be the majority. There are those who struggle with same issue—other Christians do not have the same convictions as they do. Instead of seeing the other as the problem, they see themselves as the problem. They think of themselves as those who are not like-minded or as the ones who are a reason for disunity. They are pained that they have a different opinion on certain matters and feel the pressure to conform on the one hand. On the other hand, they also see the need to obey their understanding of the Bible. This makes them despair and assume that they have misunderstood the Bible.
I hope you understand the complexities here. I do not suggest that every interpretation of the Bible is right. I do not mean that all interpretations must be equally respected, even. I do think there are sincere Christians who are plainly wrong about how they understand a certain matter. However, there are also differing opinions that can both be possible, both be glorious, and yet it can only be one or the other. For all purposes, we cannot know which one is the right interpretation on this side of eternity. So, we will have to learn to respect other possible views on a matter.
But what does this have to do with like-mindedness? Is it not the case that we must agree on all these matters to be like-minded?
So here is how this sermon will flow. First, we will look at the fourfold motivation for like-mindedness. Second, we will consider the fourfold description of like-mindedness. Third, we will consider the object of the single-mindedness. A simple outline: the motivation, the description, the object.
The Motivation
First, let us consider the fourfold motivation for like-mindedness. You will find these in the first verse. Here is a helpful paraphrase: “If, then, as we assume, comfort and exhortation in Christ amount to something, if consolation and encouragement from love amount to something, if sharing in the Spirit and the fellowship brought about by the Spirit amount to something, if affections and mercies amount to something…”[1]
The ESV says “if there is any…” It may lead one to think that this is a conditional statement requiring us to verify whether there is indeed any comfort or encouragement in Christ. That is not a helpful way to understand how the Greek language works. While indeed the words must literally be translated as “if there is any,” word-for-word translations sometimes miss the meaning of the thought in the original language.
When I was an undergraduate, our college had a professor who had not studied in a school where English was the medium of instruction. Hence, he always translated word-for-word from his language. Anyone in his class, that is, anyone who spoke English better than he did, would remember his poor translations, if not the subject he taught. For example, he once told some students that he saw them circling in town, pulling cigarettes. Some of you might think that it is an absurd statement, while others will immediately understand what he means. In many South Indian languages, you do not roam about, but you “circle”; likewise, you do not smoke a cigarette, but you pull the cigarette as in: pulling the smoke from the cigarette. What is “to smoke” a cigarette anyway? Does not one inhale the smoke from a burning cigarette? My point is that every language has idiomatic ways of saying something. Fluency in a language is not merely about understanding the meaning of words but also their idiomatic uses.
Coming back to our text: “If there is any” means: we all assume that these things amount to something. So these are not conditions to be satisfied but reasons for why one must be like-minded. Since we all assume that comfort and encouragement in Christ is something. Also, since we all assume that consolation in love is something. And since we all assume that fellowship in the Spirit amounts to something. And, fourth, since we all assume that affection and mercy amount to something. We have this in common and value these as important: we are comforted in Christ, loved by God, have fellowship in the Spirit, and receive mercy and affection. They are not conditions; we would answer each of those questions with “yes, there is!” These, then, become our motivation for like-mindedness.
The Description
Let us now turn our attention to the fourfold description of like-mindedness. I translate the second verse as: “complete my joy by thinking the same thing, having the same love, united of soul, minding the one thing.” Here is how a commentator translates it: “give me further joy in that you think the same thing, having the same love, together in soul, thinking one thing.”[2] So these are the four descriptions: think the same thing; have the same love; be united or together in soul; and think or mind one thing.
Some of you may be protesting quietly here, saying that Christians are supposed to think not just similarly but the same way about all things. If anything, this passage commands Christians to be like-minded in all matters.
Not so quickly, friend.
First, I would like to point out that the plural is not used here. Think the same thing, not things. Have the same love, not love the same things, or have the same loves. My point becomes clearer when you see that the last description says think or mind one thing.
Second, the language used in this fourfold description is one of friendship. The word that ESV translates as one accord, and I translated as united in soul is not common in the Bible. However, it has been used by Aristotle to describe friendship. In fact, all four of these descriptors actually fit with the theme of friendship described by Aristotle and Cicero.
I will deal more with the one thing in the third point, the object of single-mindedness. For now, let us consider the theme of friendship that this fourfold description alludes to. Aristotle describes three kinds of friendships. The first kind is a friendship of utility. These friendships are necessary for civility. I am friendly with my grocer, who is friendly with me, because we share an interest in grocery transactions. The motive of this friendship is mutual benefit or advantage.
The second kind of friendship is a friendship of pleasure. These friendships share a common interest. The motive of this friendship is the enjoyment of an object outside the persons involved. Such friendships require a common interest and, preferably, the same intensity. For example, Sam recently invited the men to play cricket. I assume that Sam is a normal person who invited people to share in the joy of cricket because he loves it himself. Now, I do not particularly care for cricket. My absence from the event has very little to do with Sam and much to do with cricket. Those who joined the event surely enjoyed the sport and had fun at the event. Now Sam might say to himself that he would like to play cricket every day or every week. But not everyone who had fun that day will prefer to play cricket at the same frequency. So, it is not possible for friendships of pleasure to develop among everyone who attended the first event. However, some might say, “I would love to do this at such-and-such a frequency.” And a few people might come together at that frequency and enjoy the game. They experience a friendship of pleasure. The object of friendship is not one another but a shared love for cricket shared at the same intensity.
The third kind of friendship is the friendship of virtue. Here, the object of the friendship is the other person. The motivation for the friendship is mutual goodness.
Nowadays, we have forgotten the importance of friendships. Sometimes we assume only the third category is real friendship. It may be helpful to label them differently. The first kind is civic friendship. Here, the use of friend is broad and is more clearly not an enemy. The third kind of friendship is an affection for the other. The care is clear and the bond is deep but different. However, the second category is not a friendship without a bond. It is the best kind of friendship because it has a bond and allows you to enjoy what you enjoy without having the burden of care for the needs of the other person. Do not mishear me. It does not mean that such friends do not care for the other person. But during a game of cricket, the players are not discussing how the family is doing; they are simply enjoying the pure pleasure of cricket, or chess, or building a wall, or conquering a city. The object of pleasure is not in the persons but outside the persons. And yet the object is only enjoyed with persons.
It is here that our passage means to lead us. To be like-minded is to have our minds, wills, hearts, and desires love the same object with the same intensity. Paul calls Christians to have a mind for the same thing, to have the same love, and to be one-souled, all on one thing. Another way of putting it is to have a friendship of pleasure among one another, not over cricket but over this one thing.
The Object
What is the one thing? What is the object of the single-mindedness? The answer is found in Phil 2:1 and Phil 1:27. The word “so” in the Phil 2:1 ESV connects the thought with Phil 1:27. Paul wants to see the Philippians fighting side-by-side for the sake of the gospel. The practical applications come in chapter 2. How do you fight side-by-side? First, develop a friendship of pleasure. Love Jesus; love the glory of God; love seeing the gospel advance. When you love these, find others who love these just as much. You then set out to do these together. This is being like-minded. This is a friendship of pleasure. The object of pleasure is the glory of God in the face of Jesus.
Second, when you love the glory of God in the face of Jesus and desire to advance the gospel, you are more interested in the gospel advancing and are not hung up on who else gets the glory. You are more interested in whether your fellow Christian loves advancing the gospel than whether they advance the gospel through street evangelism, regular pulpit ministry, youth discipleship, house-to-house visits, etc. Just as you don’t want your entire cricket team to be spin bowlers but desire a winning combination of batsmen, bowlers of various kinds, and a good wicket keeper, etc., so also you shouldn’t assume there is only one way to advance the gospel.
Thus, Christians can come in all stripes and colors. When we are united in the cause of the gospel, we are like-minded. Diversity of ministry or convictions does not hamper unity. Friend, I want to encourage you to be like-minded by loving Jesus and advancing the gospel in ways that God has made possible for you.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Reumann, John H. P. Philippians: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 33B of AYB. Yale University, 2008.
[1] John H. P. Reumann, Philippians: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, vol. 33B of AYB (Yale University, 2008), 297.
[2] Reumann, Philippians, 297.