The Greek verb phroneo means to think, be minded, or have a settled mental orientation. It appears about 26 times in the New Testament and is especially prominent in Paul's letters, where the transformed mind is a central theme of sanctification. It denotes not a single thought but a consistent mental disposition.
Phroneo is Paul's word for the orientation of the renewed mind. Romans 8 contrasts two fundamental mindsets: 'The mind governed by the flesh (phronema tes sarkos) is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit (phronema tou pneumatos) is life and peace' (v. 6). These are not two opinions to balance but two fundamentally different orientations — one toward God, one away. Philippians 2:5 contains one of the most important commands in the New Testament: 'Have this mind (phroneite) among yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus' — the mindset of servant humility and self-emptying (kenosis). The context is church unity: what destroys Christian community is not doctrinal error but self-interest and pride. The antidote is Christ's own mindset. Colossians 3:2 gives the clearest spatial direction: 'Set your minds (phroneite) on things above, not on earthly things.' Phroneo is not passive but active — a daily discipline of orienting the mind toward the kingdom of God, the coming resurrection, and the priorities of Christ.