Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
– Romans 12:16
Anytime you or I gather with other people, there will always be a “smartest person in the room.” By whatever measurement we want to use (and assuming there is not a tie), someone will be the smartest in the room. Logic would seem to demand this conclusion. Sometimes that person will be you. Many times it will be someone else. Regardless, it will be somebody in the room. Aside from this objective reality is a dynamic that is very subjective; it is our opinion of who is the smartest person in the room. You or I could reach the conclusion that we are the smartest person in the room. We might be correct. We might also be incorrect. When it comes to factors that create dissension in the Body of Christ, it is this subjective dynamic that is much more important to address.
Paul hinted in this direction back in verse three of the chapter when he says to the Christian “not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think.” While the charge categorically fits with our discussion here, Paul continued at that point with observations about the various spiritual gifts that are manifest among believers. Naturally the gifts are different, and are allotted in accordance with the Spirit’s will. The ultimate goal of the conversation then was to guard against any attitudes that could cause division in the church. Paul’s goal is the same here. He understands that the Body of Christ is comprised of a variety of people from different backgrounds, different levels of education, and different places along the social hierarchy. Division is ever-looming in such a situation. While the world often fosters such division, the church must be different.
When Paul says to “be of the same mind” toward one another, he is making a statement about how our thoughts are oriented in regard to those within our fellowship. You may recall how Jesus challenged Peter’s thinking (see Matthew 16:23) when he said, “Get behind me, Satan, for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Peter didn’t mean any harm, but he was in a bad position by virtue of his mind being incorrectly oriented. Regarding the way Christians view their fellowship, Paul wants an agreement of mind. And by virtue of what he adds to the statement, he not only wants us to have the same mind as our brother and sister in Christ, he wants us to have the same mind as Christ.
Think about it. Will Paul be content if the entire membership of the church is looking down upon each other out of arrogance? Of course not. What Paul wants is for us to view one another the same way that Jesus views us. This is why he adds qualifications like, “don’t be haughty in your mind,” “associate with the lowly,” “don’t be wise in your own estimation.” Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase called The Message makes the language more accessible: “Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.” The dynamic that matters within the Body of Christ is not intelligence, ability, or status; what matters is having an attitude that creates unity. To that end, allow me to share a personal story.
Around 20 years ago I had the opportunity to attend a training seminar in Hollywood. Another clergy and I were sent by our annual conference for about three days of training for an initiative that was being developed. All I knew before going, other than the general nature of the training, was that the event was being held at a church. This led me to make an assumption that proved to be seriously incorrect. When I thought “church in Hollywood” I pictured in my mind something along the line of the Crystal Cathedral. I was way off base. The church facility was unimpressive, at least in regard to what I had pictured in my mind. However, it was well-kept and wonderfully designed for the ministry of the congregation.
What I didn’t know until I went there is that Hollywood is a community of stark contrasts. The “red carpet” scenes we see on television are often situated immediately beside businesses that look very slum-like. Homelessness, at least at that time, was widespread in Hollywood. If a church there were to look for an outreach need, they would not have to look far. This was the case with the church that hosted our training. We got to see the impact these believers were having on the lives of people living in serious need. And that impact was not just physical; it was spiritual. The worshipping congregation there involved many from the homeless community. However (and this is the point of the story), that worshipping community also included people whose incomes, shall we say, included lots of commas and zeros. On the social status scale, you would be hard pressed to find a more diverse group of people worshipping Jesus together. Further (and this is the part I think is really cool), you would have to work hard to figure out which ones were which when they gathered. On the outside in Hollywood it is easy to distinguish the stars from the “nobodies.” In the church, though, the distinctions faded away.
You would never convince me that what I saw in that church is not beautiful in the eyes of Jesus. We might rightly ask what creates a culture where such diversity can thrive. While there surely are several contributing factors, it is hard to discount the power of a humble attitude. “With humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3b). When this is our concern, it really won’t matter who the smartest person in the room is.
See you along the Winding Path.
