The Exegetical Anatomy of Disobedient Thinking
Exegetical Psychology │Christ Assembly
If you do not recall a day in your life when you received eternal life as a free gift from Jesus, then this article will not make sense to you. Please click the eternal life button now and learn more about finding peace with God and being born again today. Eternal Life
Does God care what we are thinking about at any given time? Yes, God commands us to think His thoughts and follow the thinking of Jesus Christ. When we think about earthly things, and our personal things, God commands us to think about the call of Christ Jesus upon our lives. As we focus upon our calling, we become united in our thinking about others first. As God joins our thinking together in Him, as one group we pursue thinking the same thoughts about God. God also promised to reveal to us thinking not in keeping with His commands to think His thoughts. We can have closer look at the Exegetical Anatomy of Disobedient Thinking.
Full Joy Commanded
Paul commanded the Philippians to make his joy full by taking several actions, with each further action a further command. 1Paul wrote: “πληρώσατέ μου τὴν χαρὰν ἵνα τὸ αὐτὸ φρονῆτε, τὴν αὐτὴν ἀγάπην ἔχοντες, σύμψυχοι, τὸ ἓν φρονοῦντες.” Please notice the command of make full, followed by the verb φρονῆτε in the subjunctive mood, describing the future. Then Paul used two present active participles related to the verbs, and used the plural noun σύμψυχοι to relate the souls to the actions. Taken together, Paul provided a careful description of how a fellowship of believers may increase their joy by increasing Paul’s joy. So the Philippians can make Paul’s joy full by obeying commands related to their actions. Those commands from God demand obedience and yield fuller joy. As born-again believers, we have a duty to make other believers happy by joining in thinking the same thoughts from God. Therefore, The Exegetical Anatomy of Disobedient Thinking starts with a command to think God’s thoughts, not ours.
Same Thinking
Paul commanded the Philippians to think the same thing. 2Paul used the word ἵνα followed by the phrase τὸ αὐτὸ φρονῆτε. The subjunctive mood here discloses Paul’s view of his intended future for the Philippians and himself. Not only does God expect each Philippian to think God’s thoughts, but God also expects all the Philippians to think the same thought. 3Some people translate words like φρόνημα, φρονεῖς and related words without sufficient care for keeping nouns as nouns and verbs and verbs. God inspired the words in the original texts, including their verbal aspects such as mood, tense, number, voice, etc. Without careful attention to detail in the translations, we may miss the connections God provided in understanding how “thought” (φρόνημα) relates to think (φρονεῖς) and similar connections. In Philippians 2:2, Paul used the related terms φρονῆτε (verb subjunctive mood) and φρονοῦντες (present active participle) to emphasize correct and continuous thinking. The Exegetical Anatomy of Disobedient Thinking means that God commands correct and continuous united thinking and His thoughts.
Same Love
Unity among the Philippians also required having the same love. 4Paul wrote τὴν αὐτὴν ἀγάπην ἔχοντες, using the present active participle working with the present subjunctive φρονῆτε. As Paul looked into the future of full joy, he understood that the same love would be essential for the Philippians. Paul linked joy with same thinking and same love. What we think affects our love for one another. The Exegetical Anatomy of Disobedient Thinking means that we have the same love that God has for people, and when we do not think the same thoughts as God thinks, then we do not have God’s love flowing through us.
Joined Souls
Paul also used the word joined-soul. 5I avoided the word “same” (αὐτὴν) to clarify that Paul was talking about the souls of the Philippians united. Modern translators come up with many different English words to translate the work ψυχοι, and often confuse the term for soul with mind, spirit, or other English words which do not capture the essence of the Greek word. I urge you to review The Exegetical Anatomy of the Soul and the Meta-Analysis of those terms. Paul linked being joined in souls with the same love and same thinking. The Exegetical Anatomy of Disobedient Thinking means that when our souls are no longer united in the same thinking, then we become disobedient and no longer joined in souls.
The One Thinking
Paul described the one thinking necessary to filling him with joy. 6Paul used the phrase τὸ ἓν φρονοῦντες, with the present active participle. Joined to the main subjunctive verb, Paul described a continuing future condition of same thinking about one thing. Paul wanted the Philippians to be joined together not only in their thinking, love and souls, but he wanted them to continue in one thinking. The Exegetical Anatomy of Disobedient Thinking means that God wants us to continue to think His thoughts all the time; thinking our thoughts leads to disobedience.
Think This
Paul commanded the Philippians: “Think this” (Philippians 2:5). 7Paul used the phrase τοῦτο φρονεῖτε. The plural imperative commanded the Philippians to think this. Notice that God commanded the thinking of an entire group. Groups can unify in thinking, by thinking like Jesus thought. The Exegetical Anatomy of Disobedient Thinking involves disobeying the command of God to think the same thoughts.
In Christ Jesus
Paul linked the command to think the same as Jesus thought. Jesus continues to think each day. Therefore, we must careful to understand that Paul did not make a purely historical statement about Jesus, but a truly present active meaning with Jesus still thinking today. The unification of same thinking links up with the historical thinking of Jesus in the Bible, but also with the present thinking of Jesus. In the context of Philippians 2, Paul focused upon looking after the interests of others, more than our own interests. Jesus embodied the ultimate in selfless love by laying down His divine life for sinners. The Exegetical Anatomy of Disobedient Thinking means that we no longer think about the interests of the people, but we think about our own interests first and foremost.
We May Be Thinking
Paul addressed a group of perfect ones at Philippi. He focused upon what they may be thinking, but used the phrase what “we may be thinking.” 8Paul used the subjunctive verb φρονῶμεν (subjunctive first person plural). With the use of the first person, Paul included himself with group of perfect ones, thinking the same. The Exegetical Anatomy of Disobedient Thinking means that we as a group of believers unite in thinking God’s thoughts, but we become disobedient when we start thinking our own thoughts instead.
God Will Reveal To You
Paul also focused upon the activity of God in revealing different thinking. 9Paul used the phrase εἴ τι ἑτέρως φρονεῖτε. Therefore, not only does God command the same thinking, He also reveals different thinking. The Exegetical Anatomy of Disobedient Thinking means that God will reveal to us that we are not thinking His thoughts and our disobdience.
Conclusion
This short note about same thinking emphasized the importance of having the same thinking in the local assembly. Our thinking must be obedient to God, and display the continuous thinking of Jesus. We must share the thoughts of Jesus and His thoughts will unite us. God will also reveal different thinking, meaning that if we are not thinking what Jesus is thinking, then we need change our thinking to be like Jesus in His thinking. So, God seeks to build our joy by having us think the thoughts of Jesus together, and we will be one in our love, with souls joined together, serving God in all we do.
HALLELUJAH !
| Verse | Text | Translation | Notes | Point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew 7:24 | Πᾶς οὖν ὅστις ἀκούει μου τοὺς λόγους τούτους καὶ ποιεῖ αὐτούς, ὁμοιωθήσεται ἀνδρὶ φρονίμῳ, ὅστις ᾠκοδόμησεν αὐτοῦ τὴν οἰκίαν ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν· | “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a thoughtful man who built his house on the rock. | The thoughtful man builds upon the rock | The thoughtful man builds upon the rock |
| Matthew 10:16 | Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω ὑμᾶς ὡς πρόβατα ἐν μέσῳ λύκων· γίνεσθε οὖν φρόνιμοι ὡς οἱ ὄφεις καὶ ἀκέραιοι ὡς αἱ περιστεραί. | “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so become thoughtful as the serpents and innocent as doves. | Become thoughtful as serpents in the midst of wolves | Become thoughtful as serpents in the midst of wolves |
| Matthew 16:23; Mark 8:33 | ὁ δὲ στραφεὶς εἶπεν τῷ Πέτρῳ, Υπαγε ὀπίσω μου, Σατανᾶ: σκάνδαλον εἶ ἐμοῦ, ὅτι οὐ φρονεῖς τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀλλὰ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων | But He turned and said to Peter, Get behind me, satan; you are a stumbling block to Me; for not you think the things of the God but the things of men | People can think the things of God or the things of man | People think things, sometimes the things of God and sometimes the things of men; notice that thinking satan using the stumbling blocks of thinking the things of man, not the things of God |
| Matthew 24:45 | Τίς ἄρα ἐστὶν ὁ πιστὸς δοῦλος καὶ φρόνιμος ὃν κατέστησεν ὁ κύριος ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκετείας αὐτοῦ τοῦ δοῦναι αὐτοῖς τὴν τροφὴν ἐν καιρῷ; | Who then is the faithful slave and thoughtful whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? | Thoughtful slaves plan for the future | Thoughtful slaves plan for the future |
| Matthew 25:2 | πέντε δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἦσαν μωραὶ καὶ πέντε φρόνιμοι. | Five of them were foolish, and five were thoughtful | Foolish were not thoughtful | Foolish were not thoughtful |
| Matthew 25:4 | αἱ δὲ φρόνιμοι ἔλαβον ἔλαιον ἐν τοῖς ἀγγείοις μετὰ τῶν λαμπάδων ἑαυτῶν. | but the thoughtful virgins took oil in flasks along with their lamps. | Thoughtful virgins prepared for delays and were ready | Thoughtful virgins prepared for delays and were ready |
| Matthew 25:8 | αἱ δὲ μωραὶ ταῖς φρονίμοις εἶπαν· δότε ἡμῖν ἐκ τοῦ ἐλαίου ὑμῶν, ὅτι αἱ λαμπάδες ἡμῶν σβέννυνται. | The foolish said to the thoughtful, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ | The thoughtful virgins did not deplete their resources | The thoughtful virgins did not deplete their resources |
| Luke 1:17 | καὶ αὐτὸς προελεύσεται ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ἐν πνεύματι καὶ δυνάμει Ἠλίου, ἐπιστρέψαι καρδίας πατέρων ἐπὶ τέκνα καὶ ἀπειθεῖς ἐν φρονήσει δικαίων, ἑτοιμάσαι κυρίῳ λαὸν κατεσκευασμένον. | It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to righteous thinkers, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. | John would turn the disobedient to righteous thinkers | John would turn the disobedient to righteous thinkers |
| Luke 12:42 | καὶ εἶπεν ὁ κύριος· τίς ἄρα ἐστὶν ὁ πιστὸς οἰκονόμος ὁ φρόνιμος, ὃν καταστήσει ὁ κύριος ἐπὶ τῆς θεραπείας αὐτοῦ τοῦ διδόναι ἐν καιρῷ [τὸ] σιτομέτριον; | And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and thoughtful steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? | Stewards can be faithful and thoughtful | Stewards can be faithful and thoughtful |
| Luke 16:8 | καὶ ἐπῄνεσεν ὁ κύριος τὸν οἰκονόμον τῆς ἀδικίας ὅτι φρονίμως ἐποίησεν· ὅτι οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου φρονιμώτεροι ὑπὲρ τοὺς υἱοὺς τοῦ φωτὸς εἰς τὴν γενεὰν τὴν ἑαυτῶν εἰσιν. | And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted thoughtfully; for the sons of this age do more thoughtfully in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. | The unrighteous can act thoughtfully | The unrighteous can act thoughtfully |
| Acts 28:22 | ἀξιοῦμεν δὲ παρὰ σοῦ ἀκοῦσαι ἃ φρονεῖς, περὶ μὲν γὰρ τῆς αἱρέσεως ταύτης γνωστὸν ἡμῖν ἐστιν ὅτι πανταχοῦ ἀντιλέγεται | But we consider worthy from you to hear what you think | People like to hear what some people think | People want to hear what others think |
| Romans 8:5 | οἱ γὰρ κατὰ σάρκα ὄντες τὰ τῆς σαρκὸς φρονοῦσιν, οἱ δὲ κατὰ πνεῦμα τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος. | For the ones who are according to the flesh think the the things of the flesh, but the ones according to the spirit the things of the flesh | According to the flesh people think the things of the flesh, but the according to the spirit people the things of the spirit | Flesh people think the things of flesh and spirit people think the things of the spirit |
| Romans 8:27 | ὁ δὲ ἐραυνῶν τὰς καρδίας οἶδεν τί τὸ φρόνημα τοῦ πνεύματος, ὅτι κατὰ θεὸν ἐντυγχάνει ὑπὲρ ἁγίων | but the One who searches the hearts knows what the thought of the Spirit, because according to God He intercedes for saints | God searches the hearts and knows the thoughts of the Holy Spirit , Who intercedes for saints according to God | God searched the hearts and know the thoughts; thoughts and heart go together |
| Romans 8:6 | τὸ γὰρ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς θάνατος, τὸ δὲ φρόνημα τοῦ πνεύματος ζωὴ καὶ εἰρήνη | For the thought of the flesh death, but the thought of the spirit life and peace | The thought of the flesh is death; the thought of the spirit is life and peace | The flesh mindset is death; the spirit mindset is life and peace |
| Romans 8:7 | διότι τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς ἔχθρα εἰς θεόν, τῷ γὰρ νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐχ ὑποτάσσεται, οὐδὲ γὰρ δύναται | because the thought of the flesh hostile to God, for to the law of God not is subjected, for not able | The thought of the flesh is hostile toward God, and does not subject itself to the law of God and is not even able to do so | The thought of the flesh is not able to subject itself to the law of God |
| Romans 11:20 | καλῶς: τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ ἐξεκλάσθησαν, σὺ δὲ τῇ πίστει ἕστηκας. μὴ ὑψηλὰ φρόνει, ἀλλὰ φοβοῦ: | good. In unbelief they were broken off, but you in faith you have stood. Think not high, but fear | Believers should not think proud, but fear | Thinking proud should be replaced with fear |
| Romans 11:25 | Οὐ γὰρ θέλω ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοί, τὸ μυστήριον τοῦτο, ἵνα μὴ ἦτε [παρ’] ἑαυτοῖς φρόνιμοι, ὅτι πώρωσις ἀπὸ μέρους τῷ Ἰσραὴλ γέγονεν ἄχρι οὗ τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσέλθῃ | For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery–so that you will not be thoughtful in your own estimation–that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; | Do not be thoughtful in your own estimation | Do not be thoughtful in your own estimation |
| Romans 12:3 | Λέγω γὰρ διὰ τῆς χάριτος τῆς δοθείσης μοι παντὶ τῷ ὄντι ἐν ὑμῖν μὴ ὑπερφρονεῖν παρ’ ὃ δεῖ φρονεῖν, ἀλλὰ φρονεῖν εἰς τὸ σωφρονεῖν, ἑκάστῳ ὡς ὁ θεὸς ἐμέρισεν μέτρον πίστεως | For I say through the grace the one given to me all to all the ones being with you not to think uppity than he should think but to think to the sound-think, to each as the God apportioned a measure of faith | Some people think uppity, and not as God apportioned to each a measure of faith | People should not think uppity, but to think sensibly |
| Romans 12:16 | τὸ αὐτὸ εἰς ἀλλήλους φρονοῦντες, μὴ τὰ ὑψηλὰ φρονοῦντες ἀλλὰ τοῖς ταπεινοῖς συναπαγόμενοι. μὴ γίνεσθε φρόνιμοι παρ’ ἑαυτοῖς. | The same things with one another thinking; not the high things thinking, but the lowly go together. Do not be thinking for yourself | Paul commanded the Romans not to be high, but to go with the lowly; never be prudent for yourself | Believers must not be high thinking or only thinking for themselves |
| Romans 14:6 | ὁ φρονῶν τὴν ἡμέραν κυρίῳ φρονεῖ: καὶ ὁ ἐσθίων κυρίῳ ἐσθίει, εὐχαριστεῖ γὰρ τῷ θεῷ: καὶ ὁ μὴ ἐσθίων κυρίῳ οὐκ ἐσθίει, καὶ εὐχαριστεῖ τῷ θεῷ | The thinking one the day to the Lord thinks; and the one who eats, to the Lord eats, for he gives thanks to the God and the one who not eats to Lord not eats and thanks to the God | Some people think of some days as the Lord they think | People think about days to the Lord think |
| Romans 15:5 | ὁ δὲ θεὸς τῆς ὑπομονῆς καὶ τῆς παρακλήσεως δῴη ὑμῖν τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖν ἐν ἀλλήλοις κατὰ Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν | But the God of perseverance and encouragement may give to you the same things to think | God want believers to think the same with one another according to Christ Jesus | Paul prayed for people to be of the same thinking with one another |
| 1 Corinthians 4:10 | ἡμεῖς μωροὶ διὰ Χριστόν, ὑμεῖς δὲ φρόνιμοι ἐν Χριστῷ· ἡμεῖς ἀσθενεῖς, ὑμεῖς δὲ ἰσχυροί· ὑμεῖς ἔνδοξοι, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἄτιμοι. | We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are thoughtful in Christ; we are weaklings, but you are strong ones; you are glorious, but we dishonored. | Paul said the Corinthians were thoughtful, but the ministers were fools | Paul said the Corinthians were thoughtful, but the ministers were fools |
| 1 Corinthian 10:15 | ὡς φρονίμοις λέγω· κρίνατε ὑμεῖς ὅ φημι. | I speak as to thoughtful–you judge what I say. | Paul spoke to thoughtful people at Corinth | Paul spoke to thoughtful people at Corinth |
| 1 Corinthians 13:11 | ὅτε ἤμην νήπιος, ⸂ἐλάλουν ὡς νήπιος, ἐφρόνουν ὡς νήπιος, ἐλογιζόμην ὡς νήπιος⸃· ⸀ὅτε γέγονα ἀνήρ, κατήργηκα τὰ τοῦ νηπίου. | When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I thought as a child, I reasoned as a child; when I became a man, I put away the things of the child | Children think like children, but adult put away such thinking | Thinking changes with age |
| 2 Corinthians 11:19 | ἡδέως γὰρ ἀνέχεσθε τῶν ἀφρόνων φρόνιμοι ὄντες· | For you, being so thoughtful, tolerate the unthoughtful ones gladly. | The thoughtful Corinthians tolerated the unthoughtful gladly | The thoughtful Corinthians tolerated the unthoughtful gla |
| 2 Corinthians 13:11 | Λοιπόν, ἀδελφοί, χαίρετε, καταρτίζεσθε, παρακαλεῖσθε, τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖτε, εἰρηνεύετε, καὶ ὁ θεὸς τῆς ἀγάπης καὶ εἰρήνης ἔσται μεθ’ ὑμῶν | Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be exhorted, think the same, be peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. | Paul exhorted people to think the same | Believers must think the same |
| Galatians 5:10 | ἐγὼ πέποιθα εἰς ὑμᾶς ἐν κυρίῳ ὅτι οὐδὲν ἄλλο φρονήσετε· ὁ δὲ ταράσσων ὑμᾶς βαστάσει τὸ κρίμα, ὅστις ἐὰν ᾖ. | I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will will think; but the one who is disturbing you will bear his judgment, whoever he is. | Confidence in the Lord to think | Confidence in the Lord to think |
| Philippians 1:7 | καθώς ἐστιν δίκαιον ἐμοὶ τοῦτο φρονεῖν ὑπὲρ πάντων ὑμῶν, διὰ τὸ ἔχειν με ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμᾶς, ἔν τε τοῖς δεσμοῖς μου καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀπολογίᾳ καὶ βεβαιώσει τοῦ εὐαγγελίου συγκοινωνούς μου τῆς χάριτος πάντας ὑμᾶς ὄντας. | As it is right to this to think about all of you, the thing to have me in the hear of you, in not only the bonds of me and in the apology and confirmation of the gospel sharers of me the grace all you continue. | It was right for Paul to think that God would perfect His good work in them | Paul thought highly of the Philippians because they kept him in their hearts |
| Philippians 4:2 | Εὐοδίαν παρακαλῶ καὶ Συντύχην παρακαλῶ τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖν ἐν κυρίῳ | I exhort Euodia and Syntyche to think the same in Lord | People overcome differences by thinking the same in Lord | Paul exhorted people to think the same in Lord to overcome differences |
| Philippians 4:10 | Ἐχάρην δὲ ἐν κυρίῳ μεγάλως ὅτι ἤδη ποτὲ ἀνεθάλετε τὸ ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ φρονεῖν, ἐφ’ ᾧ καὶ ἐφρονεῖτε ἠκαιρεῖσθε δέ | But I rejoiced greatly in Lord you revived the things concerning me to think, as before you also thought, but lacked opportunity | Paul rejoiced when people revived their thoughts concerning him. | People can revive their thoughts concerning you |
| Ephesians 1:8 | ἧς ἐπερίσσευσεν εἰς ἡμᾶς, ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ καὶ φρονήσει, | which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and thought | Wisdom and thought are not the same things | Wisdom and thought are not the same things |
| Philippians 2:2 | πληρώσατέ μου τὴν χαρὰν ἵνα τὸ αὐτὸ φρονῆτε, τὴν αὐτὴν ἀγάπην ἔχοντες, σύμψυχοι, τὸ ἓν φρονοῦντες, | Make full the joy of me, that the same thing you think, the same love having, joined souls, the one thinking | Paul commanded the Philippians to make his joy complete, by thinking the same, having the same love, same souls, thinking the same things | Joy may be commanded and produced by the same thinking |
| Philippians 2:5 | τοῦτο φρονεῖτε ἐν ὑμῖν ὃ καὶ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, | Think this in you which also in Christ Jesus | Paul commanded the Philippians to think the same as Christ Jesus, particularly about the interests of others | God commands us to think about the interests of others, just as Christ Jesus thought about others |
| Philippians 3:15 | ὅσοι οὖν τέλειοι, τοῦτο φρονῶμεν· καὶ εἴ τι ἑτέρως φρονεῖτε, καὶ τοῦτο ὁ θεὸς ὑμῖν ἀποκαλύψει· | Therefore, as many as perfect ones, this we may be thinking; and if anything other you think, also this the God to you will reveal | Paul commanded the Philippians to press on toward the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Paul declared the perfect one would be thinking of that call; if not, God would reveal the other thinking | God commands us to press on towards His call and to think corporately about that call; God promised to reveal contrary thinking |
| Philippians 3:19 | ὅσοι οὖν τέλειοι, τοῦτο φρονῶμεν· καὶ εἴ τι ἑτέρως φρονεῖτε, καὶ τοῦτο ὁ θεὸς ὑμῖν ἀποκαλύψει· | whose the end destruction, who the God the appetite, and the glory in the shame of them, and they think things earthly | People now opposed to Christ think the things earthly. | What you think reveals where you are in your spiritual life; earthly things or spiritual things |
| Colossians 3:2 | τὰ ἄνω φρονεῖτε, μὴ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς | Think things above, not things on the earth | God commands us to think about things above, not earthly things | Until we obey God’s commands regarding what we think about, we will still disobey Him |
| Titus 3:8 | Πιστὸς ὁ λόγος· καὶ περὶ τούτων βούλομαί σε διαβεβαιοῦσθαι, ἵνα φροντίζωσιν καλῶν ἔργων προΐστασθαι οἱ πεπιστευκότες θεῷ· ταῦτά ἐστιν καλὰ καὶ ὠφέλιμα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. | The word is faithful; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God may be thoughtful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men. | Thoughtful to engage in good works | Thoughtful to engage in good works |
References
| ↑1 | Paul wrote: “πληρώσατέ μου τὴν χαρὰν ἵνα τὸ αὐτὸ φρονῆτε, τὴν αὐτὴν ἀγάπην ἔχοντες, σύμψυχοι, τὸ ἓν φρονοῦντες.” Please notice the command of make full, followed by the verb φρονῆτε in the subjunctive mood, describing the future. Then Paul used two present active participles related to the verbs, and used the plural noun σύμψυχοι to relate the souls to the actions. Taken together, Paul provided a careful description of how a fellowship of believers may increase their joy by increasing Paul’s joy. |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | Paul used the word ἵνα followed by the phrase τὸ αὐτὸ φρονῆτε. The subjunctive mood here discloses Paul’s view of his intended future for the Philippians and himself. |
| ↑3 | Some people translate words like φρόνημα, φρονεῖς and related words without sufficient care for keeping nouns as nouns and verbs and verbs. God inspired the words in the original texts, including their verbal aspects such as mood, tense, number, voice, etc. Without careful attention to detail in the translations, we may miss the connections God provided in understanding how “thought” (φρόνημα) relates to think (φρονεῖς) and similar connections. In Philippians 2:2, Paul used the related terms φρονῆτε (verb subjunctive mood) and φρονοῦντες (present active participle) to emphasize correct and continuous thinking. |
| ↑4 | Paul wrote τὴν αὐτὴν ἀγάπην ἔχοντες, using the present active participle working with the present subjunctive φρονῆτε. |
| ↑5 | I avoided the word “same” (αὐτὴν) to clarify that Paul was talking about the souls of the Philippians united. Modern translators come up with many different English words to translate the work ψυχοι, and often confuse the term for soul with mind, spirit, or other English words which do not capture the essence of the Greek word. I urge you to review The Exegetical Anatomy of the Soul and the Meta-Analysis of those terms. |
| ↑6 | Paul used the phrase τὸ ἓν φρονοῦντες, with the present active participle. Joined to the main subjunctive verb, Paul described a continuing future condition of same thinking about one thing. |
| ↑7 | Paul used the phrase τοῦτο φρονεῖτε. |
| ↑8 | Paul used the subjunctive verb φρονῶμεν (subjunctive first person plural). With the use of the first person, Paul included himself with group of perfect ones, thinking the same. |
| ↑9 | Paul used the phrase εἴ τι ἑτέρως φρονεῖτε. |