Worship, Thought and Genuine Humanness

One of the most interesting things about the Apostle Paul, both in terms of the Jewish tradition he inhabited as well as the larger Greco-Roman (Greek and Roman influence) world within which he spread the gospel, was his emphasis on “thinking.”

“Have this mind among yourselves which was also in Messiah Jesus…” (Phil. 2:5)

“But those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.” (Rom. 8:5)

“Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewal of your minds…” (Rom. 12:2)

Many more verses could be added to this list.

This is the point. From his letters, it is clear that Paul remained a first-century Jew in so many particulars. On the other hand, it is also clear that Paul had been deeply influenced, particularly during his missionary travels across the ancient mediterranean, by some of the popular philosophical traditions.

It is this confluence, this rich coming together of all his Jewish hopes with the best of Greco-Roman philosophy, which convinced Paul that “right thinking” stood at the very heart of genuine humanness.

That is, after all, what early Christianity was all about. There is one God, the maker of heaven and earth, and one Son, Jesus Messiah, and one Spirit through whom God renews human beings according to the pattern of the Son.

Being Christian, therefore, is simply about being genuinely human.

At the heart of being human, however, as Paul would discover at the confluence of three different ancient traditions—Jewish, Greek and Roman—was good thinking. And good thinking, moreover, as far as Paul was concerned, was dependent upon good worship—that is, the constant, loving, probing and prayerful engagement with the God who created the world which He so loves.

In other words, as Paul would say, “Have this mind among yourselves which was in Messiah Jesus”… or, to put it another way, “Worship the true God and so become genuinely human.”