Philippians, Chapter 2

The first part of this letter (v 1-11) addresses the attitude that Paul wanted the church at Philippi (and us) to adopt and to model their lives around.

1 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 

• These rhetorical questions serve to remind the reader of the truths they had learned, and of the fruit they had borne in their growth as Christians, and set the context for the following passages.

2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

• 2 - The first three instructions are part of the "one another" commands scattered throughout the scriptures. It is critically important that we see each other as part of the bigger picture, not as isolated islands unto ourselves.
• 3 - Selfishness is the polar opposite of the love and compassion that we are called to live out toward others. Rather, true humility manifests itself in considering others as "better than yourselves".
• 4 - We're not to deny our own needs, but to keep them in balance with helping to meet the needs of others. Remember, verses like these are not only instructions to you as to how you are to treat others; they are also instructions to others as to how to treat you. Again we see the recurring theme of "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." This command is not conditional, however, but we are required to live out this kind of love even if it is not reciprocated.
• Verses 5-11 are thought to be adapted from an early Christian hymn, and serves as a powerful doctrinal statement on Christ, as well as a model of the sort of attitude we must strive for. There is no denying the proclamation of deity declared within these seven verses.

6 Though he was God,
      he did not think of equality with God
      as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
      he took the humble position of a slave
      and was born as a human being.
   When he appeared in human form,
    8 he humbled himself in obedience to God
      and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
      and gave him the name above all other names,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
      in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
      to the glory of God the Father.

• This is a beautiful fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy concerning the future Messiah (Isaiah 53).
• If this is God's attitude toward us as manifested in the person of Jesus Christ, should it be so difficult for us to be able to humble ourselves in relation to others?

12 Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

• 13 - Where do we derive the desire and power to do what pleases God? This passage tells us that God Himself works within us to give us these things. Hebrews 3:7-8 reads, "That is why the Holy Spirit says, 'Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness.'"

14 Do everything without complaining and arguing, 15 so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. 16 Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.

• These three verses provide additional instruction on the Christian life.
• 16 - As is the case elsewhere in Scripture, we are exhorted to take action to "hold fast" or to "cling to" the knowledge and faith we have gained.
• Paul compares his life to a race, not a competition, but a marathon, one in which all who reach the finish line win. His goal is Christ, but also to present others to Christ as well. He gladly endured his sufferings for the sake of the lives he was ministering to. The author of Hebrews also made this comparison: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame (Hebrews 12:1-2)."

17 But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. 18 Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.

• 17 - A liquid offering was typically a measure of wine poured out to accompany the other sacrifices to God, as a sweet aroma to Him. Paul saw his life, as well as the lives of other Christians, as not being contained, but as being poured out, or emptied, as a living sacrifice to God. In the previous passages, he clearly portrayed Christ's incarnation and subsequent death as the ultimate expression of this. As he would write to Timothy during a later, and final, imprisonment, "As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near.  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful (2 Timothy 4:6-7)."
• Psalm 51:16-17 "You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God."
• Romans 12:1 "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him."

19 If the Lord Jesus is willing, I hope to send Timothy to you soon for a visit. Then he can cheer me up by telling me how you are getting along. 20 I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare. 21 All the others care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ. 22 But you know how Timothy has proved himself. Like a son with his father, he has served with me in preaching the Good News. 23 I hope to send him to you just as soon as I find out what is going to happen to me here. 24 And I have confidence from the Lord that I myself will come to see you soon.

25 Meanwhile, I thought I should send Epaphroditus back to you. He is a true brother, co-worker, and fellow soldier. And he was your messenger to help me in my need. 26 I am sending him because he has been longing to see you, and he was very distressed that you heard he was ill. 27 And he certainly was ill; in fact, he almost died. But God had mercy on him—and also on me, so that I would not have one sorrow after another.

28 So I am all the more anxious to send him back to you, for I know you will be glad to see him, and then I will not be so worried about you.  29 Welcome him with Christian love and with great joy, and give him the honor that people like him deserve. 30 For he risked his life for the work of Christ, and he was at the point of death while doing for me what you couldn’t do from far away.

• Timothy and Epaphroditus were both important not only to Paul, but also to the spread of the Gospel.
• We may not be called to a ministry like Paul's, having so great an impact, paying the price of such suffering and score, but like Timothy and Epaphroditus, we can serve God in so many different capacities.
• The common denominator among the three of these men, however, is their attitudes of deep love and commitment to God and to others. Timothy "genuinely cares about your welfare," and Epaphroditus "has been longing to see you, and he was very distressed that you heard he was ill."

Close with a proposition of walking a narrow beam between two tall buildings. How much would you be willing to risk your life for? A dollar? A hundred? A thousand? A million? What about if your child's life was at stake? Suddenly, the money and the potential risks no longer matter. This is the attitude of Christ as described in this chapter, as well as the attitude of Paul as he progressed throughout his missionary call, and as Christians, it needs to be our attitude as well.

We may not be at that place just yet, but God is doing the work within us. Fix your eyes upon Jesus, and run the race with perseverance. "So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up (Galatians 6:9)."