THINK ON THESE THINGS
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Philippians 4:8)
Chapter 1
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What Are “These Things,” and
Why Think about Them?
In Philippians 4:8, the apostle Paul describes “things” a Christian should mentally dwell on, but he leaves it up to the reader to identify them. On first reading, he seems to say that we should dwell on anything that can be described as true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, or praiseworthy. In other words, test our thoughts with the eight descriptions in the verse on a regular basis. The problem with that understanding is that testing our thoughts in this manner would be an impossible task. We would constantly be bogged down by trying to determine if a thought met all the criteria in the verse. One Bible commentator concluded this verse is instructing Christians to become positive thinkers. “Positive thinking” is defined in society as putting a positive spin on everything. However, putting a positive spin on everything doesn’t require a relationship with God. In addition, “positive thinking” deifies man (makes him Godlike) by putting him in control of the outcomes in his life. Therefore, we know the apostle Paul is not teaching Christians to think in this manner. So, what are the “things” we should think on? I believe by looking at the following six Bible passages (there are more), the real picture of the “things” to think on described by the apostle Paul emerges: