like minded – Ministry of Grace Church

that with one mind and one mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Truth to Learn

God is worthy of praise from the entire body of Christ.

Behind the Words

The expression “like-minded” in verse five is from the Greek phrase to auto phronein. The word phronein is a form of phroneō, which we have seen before meaning “mindedness.” It refers to a state of being (action) as well as a state of mind (thought). Literally we could translate this as “to mind the same thing” or “to have the same thoughts.” So, literally Paul was praying that God would grant that all Christians would have the same thoughts toward one another.

The word translated “one mind” in this verse is homothumadon. This is a compound word made up of homo (from which we get our word homogenized), meaning “all the same” and a form of thumos, meaning “temperament” or “mind.” So we could translate this word as, “unanimous agreement of thought and attitude.”

“Glorify” is from the Greek verb doxadzō, which means “to render glorious.” That is, it means “give someone esteem or honor by putting him into an honorable position or by proclaiming the honor due to his position.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul prayed for the Christians at the church in Rome, and by application for all Christians, that they (we) might be like minded toward one another. This is precisely the type of attitude and action that Paul has been exhorting us to have toward one another.

Now, in the current verse he explains why he is requesting God to give us the ability to have the same thoughts toward one another: “that with one mind and one mouth you may glorify … God.” Paul knows that the church in which members are all minding the same thing with regard to each other (they are all considering the good of others more than self) will be able to glorify God with unanimous agreement. This type of praise is very pleasing to God.

There are four occurrences of the word “mouth” in the book of Romans. The first was in Romans 3:14 (whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness) referring to the mouth of sinful man which cannot praise God because it is controlled by the unrestrained sin nature. The second was in Romans 3:19 (that every mouth may be stopped) indicating the condemning effect of the Law. Realization that one is guilty before God causes even the most sin-hardened mouth to be silent. The third was in Romans 10:9 (that if you confess with your mouth), which indicates that salvation only comes from confession of the Lordship of Jesus Christ in a believer’s life. And, here, where the mouth is used for corporate praise and glory. The progression is startlingly dramatic as it metaphorically shows the change of a sinner from a self-serving individual into a God serving saint as an integrated member of the body of Christ.

Application

Even more than our individual praise, God is pleased with the corporate praise of a body of believers. Whereas, in the past our mouths brought forth only cursing and bitterness, now they are capable of glorious praise. Let’s give Him the kind of unanimous praise and glory He deserves!

In God's service, for His glory,

Finally, all of you be like minded, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;

Truth to Learn

God has specific expectations regarding how we are to treat each other.

Behind the Words

The construction of this verse is very interesting. He says “Finally,” summing up what he has been saying about how we are all to live in relation to one another. This is followed by a series of adjectives. There is no verb present. It is implied as a command “to be.” Thus, the translation “Finally, all of you be.”

“Like minded” is from homophrōn, made up of homo, meaning “all the same” and a form of phrēn, which specifically refers to the feelings, but by extension it refers to “the mind.” Hence, this means “the same mind” or “the same thinking.”

The word translated “having compassion for one another” is sumpatheis, from which we get out English word “sympathy.” It is made up of sun, meaning “together” and a form of pathos, meaning “strong feelings, either good or bad.” Hence, it literally means “feeling joys and sorrows with each other.”

The next word is philadelphos, which is made up of a form of philos, meaning “friend” and adelphos, meaning “brother.” Hence, it refers to being “brother friendly.” The noun form of this word is often translated as “brotherly love.”

The word translated “tenderhearted” is eusplangchnos, which is made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and splangchnos, which literally refers to “the intestines.” This may seem strange to us, but in the first century it was believed that emotional feelings came from the intestines. Hence this word refers to “good emotions” toward one another.

“Courteous” is translated from tapeinophrones, made up of tapeinos, meaning “low, particularly in attitude or social position” and a form of phrēn, referring to the mind. So this word literally means “humble minded.”

Meaning Explained

Peter now summarizes how we all are to behave in this life. A few verses back Peter said that Christ was our example of how we ought to suffer patiently when we suffer for doing good. He is, in fact, our ultimate example of living. Think of how Christ lived his life here on earth as you read this translation of today’s verse concerning how we are to live our lives:

And in conclusion, all of you be agreeable, be sympathetic, be a friend to your brothers, be compassionate, be humble minded.

The world will not treat you this way! In fact, if you behave this way you will probably suffer for it. Will you suffer patiently?

Whether He was a baby in a manger, a teacher, a healer or a savior on the cross, Jesus was always… agreeable, sympathetic, brotherly friendly, compassionate, and humble.

Application

Do these words describe you in your relationships with other Christians? If not, then pray to the Father to help you develop these attributes in your daily walk.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: like minded

Romans 15:6 – The Praising Body

1 Peter 3:8 – Christ-Like Attributes