Philippians

Philippians 2:1-4

This section starts with a ‘therefore.’  It is a conclusion drawn from the proceeding idea, which is:

Our conduct is to be worthy: single minded, steadfast in the Spirit, striving together.  None of this is based on Circumstances.  We’ve been granted belief, but also suffering.

The Philippians were suffering for the Lord’s sake.  This suffering they were experiencing was of the ‘same conflict’ they saw in Paul.  This was division and strife of which Paul spoke of in chapter one.  This was to be overcome by recognizing that consolation, comfort of love, fellowship of the Spirit, affection and mercy all came by way of Christ, not other people.  If there is any…

Consolation in Christ

• • ‘Consolation’ is the word paraklesis.  Did they find consoling in Christ?  Did they find solace?  Peace?

Comfort of love

• • Did they find any consoling during times of disappointment from the sacrificial love of Jesus?  Could they look at what Jesus did and find comfort within their circumstances, no matter how bad they might be?

Fellowship of the Spirit

• • This is koinonia.  The act of sharing life together, through joy or strife.   Believers have a common fellowship with the Holy Spirit.  We share together with Him, therefore with each other.

Affection and mercy

• • This word affection speaks of compassion coming from the bowels (deep inside).  Mercy is compassion when we see another suffer.

Paul is not questioning if these things existed among Philippians.  It was a rhetorical expression to bring to the surface of their thinking these important ideas.  And, since they existed, there is a unity among them.

In Christ, believers ought to find common ground, being of one accord, one mind and thus like-minded.  It’s when our prideful mind enters the picture, we have problems.  When our selfish ambition or conceit enters in that our unity is damaged.  Paul then exhorts them to esteem others better than himself; not looking at your own interest but looking out for the interest of others.

We are to 'let' this mind be in us.  It's not forced on us, we can reject it, and sadly many do.  This was likely the source of some of the problems in Philippi just as it is a big problem in many churches today.  Paul asked them to be unselfish and caring for others in a world that teaches ‘it’s all about you’.  We’ve almost come to the point where we feel we have a legal right to never be offended.  Paul commanded:

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit

Let each of you look out for the interest of others.

These things take a conscious and determined effort on our part.  It is laying aside our concerns, cares, offenses, feelings and rights; all to benefit another.  This is totally counter to what comes natural to us as well as being counter to the thinking of the world.

Philippians 2:5-8

Paul gave us further insight into this idea of worthy conduct by looking to Jesus.  It is Christ’s mind to which we ought to pattern or model our mind.  This will be a transformation - a renewed mind like that of the mind of Christ.  Paul gave first looked at Jesus and then showed us some Christlike examples.  He first held up the mind of Christ.   Humility was a virtue of Christ and ought to be a Christian virtue.  In Jesus’ day, humility was an utter contradiction to the world’s values.  I think it’s safe to say the same for our world today.  Our humility identifies us with Christ.

Humility is not self-deprecation.  It is not being a victim of sin.  It is having a proper estimation of oneself in relation to our stance before the Creator.  We are utterly dependent and trusting in Him.  Someone once defined humility as not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less (and others more).

Jesus, being in the form of God; this 'being' speaks of the unchanging nature of Jesus.  He is one third of the Trinity and nothing could change that.  He was from the beginning, was the same when He went to the cross and is so today.  Some teach that Jesus laid aside that which made Him God.  But that’s not possible, He couldn't change who He was.  That would go against His nature; a violation of his immutability.

Jesus didn’t see His divine nature as something that He had to pursue or hold tightly to as a robber might hold to a treasure.  He didn't have to do that to be equal with God.  Instead, He humbled Himself, stepped from the glory of God to a human body.  This is God, taking the form of a slave; relinquishing His rights and will to that of the Father.  He didn’t stop being God, but He chose to live as a man.  Jesus joined us in our predicament; humanity. 

In human flesh, he lived a sinless life, this qualified Him to be a substitute for our death and pay for our sin.  This is why He is The Way; no other could qualify.  No other human has lived a sinless life.  Any person who has sinned is marked for death, for the penalty of sin is death.   

Therefore, Jesus is the ultimate example of self-emptying love.  This passage (5-11) is referred to as the kenosis, meaning ‘self-emptying’.  He was acting in obedience doing what He was called to do.  This is a sacrificial act of love, a selfless act of obedience and humility, it was volunteering to be nailed to a cross for those who were yet enemies.  This love and humility are beyond our comprehension.  We all understand obedience but can we imagine obedience that leads to death?  Who would you really die for?  Remember, this wasn't a quick and painless death, this was the most brutal and painful death imaginable.  The cross was a shameful way to die.  No one in those days would believe God would be found on a cross or even in the vicinity of a cross. 

This life and work of Jesus is what threw the religious folks of that time for a loop.  The Jews were waiting on their messiah.  They expected Him to be born in royalty, to rise to power, to come from privilege and live as a king.  Those were the plans of men and religions though, not the plans of God.  Instead, God came as a man and that was the greatest miracle of all.

Philippians 2:9-11

Paul draws another conclusion, this one based on verses 5-8.  Because of this act of humility and obedience of Jesus coming to earth as a man, an amazing work was done for us.  Because of this act of obedience, God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name.  There is no higher and no greater name, no name that wields a greater power than the name of Jesus.

Because He humbled Himself God raised Him up and continues to do so.  We live in a day when, at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow but many won't.  They remain unbowed in their pride flowing from the sinful nature we were all born under.  This pride is consistent with the enemy of our souls and not with our Lord and Savior.   

“ You were the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God;
Every precious stone was your covering:
The sardius, topaz, and diamond,
Beryl, onyx, and jasper,
Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold.
The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes
Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
“You were the anointed cherub who covers;
I established you;
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you.

NKJV; Ezekiel 28:11-19; 1982, Thomas Nelson

Satan was a once the seal of perfection but he found pride in his beauty and that was his downfall.  That was the iniquity for which he was cast from heaven. He began to think of himself as somehow special and thought he could be better than God.  He wanted to be like the Most High.  This attitude of Satan is the robbery spoken of in verse 6; Satan coveted that divinity.  He wanted to be God and in that he was no longer willing to bow to his creator.

In Satan we see selfishness, pride and arrogance; he exalts himself with hatred of the Most High of which he coveted.  This evil is in contrast with Jesus.  Jesus Himself taught that the greatest shall be the servant; “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”(Mt 23:12)  Satan wanted to exalt Himself and rule the world; we know he is humbled and will be cast into a lake of fire in the end. 

Jesus humbled Himself and God exalted Him and set the whole world before Him.   Paul writes of the fulfillment of Psalm 2.   The Father exalted the Son so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.   Paul is quoting from Isaiah 45:23. 

In heaven, on earth and under the earth all speak of an absolute and total submission.  It is all encompassing.  No being of any kind could escape this.  A day is coming when there will be no ignoring it.  No one will be able to say, ‘I'm an atheist and I just don't believe that.’  No one can claim to be searching and say I just don't see evidence of God.  A day is coming when it will become evident to every creature of any kind.  It will be so evident that every knee should bow and every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord.  When that happens, it brings glory to God the Father.  Everyone will understand His holiness and perfection.  All men will understand their fallen nature.  Men will fall on their face and those that had rejected God will know they deserve His wrath.  There is no other name that is as divisive as the name of Jesus Christ because that name is a name of Great power.

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ² has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; ³ who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴ having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

NKJV; Hebrews 1:1-4; 1982, Thomas Nelson

The laws of men and the ways of the world say, "You can't say that.  You can't place Jesus above other religions."  They say you shouldn't pray in the name of Jesus.  They say you can't bring His word to school.  You can't speak about him at work because your religion might offend someone.  What is it about the name Jesus that is so upsetting to man?  Why is it that those who deny Christ go to such great lengths in doing so?  If they don't believe it, why are they so militant about it?  Are they as militant about refuting Allah?  If they don't believe in Hinduism do they speak out against Brahman and the millions of other gods?  Why is it that those who are so tolerant of every religion are so intolerant of Christianity and the name of Jesus?  Why is it that those who say they are all-loving and accepting of all traditions are so adamantly opposed to everything Christian?  Why do they seethe at the name of Jesus? 

There are thousands of gods and thousands of religions but only One God deals with sin and has the audacity to say, I AM the way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through me.  The bible alone says, God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.  The word of God has the audacity to say these things and them back them up.  The word became flesh and dwelt among us.  His name was Jesus.  All other gods are counterfeit and lead people astray.  It's even important to make sure you have the right Jesus and the right understanding of Jesus because there are many who have him wrong.  We know a day is coming when everyone will recognize Him as Lord whether they ever trusted in Him or not.

Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently;

He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.

¹⁴Just as many were astonished at you,

So His visage was marred more than any man,

And His form more than the sons of men;

¹⁵So shall He sprinkle many nations.

Kings shall shut their mouths at Him;

For what had not been told them they shall see,

And what they had not heard they shall consider.

(NKJV; Isaiah 52:13-15; 1982, Thomas Nelson)

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.  Jesus, our perfect and holy God, stepped down off the throne and humbled himself.  He did that because he loved us.  He humbled himself not just to die but to die a horrible death that would be considered shameful to any other man.  He was stripped and beat and nailed to a cross.  He was mocked and spit on.  The entire time that these awful things were being done to him, He possessed the power over every circumstance.  With a word he could have overcome every circumstance and every person opposing Him.  This is the meekness of Jesus; it was power under control.  He was single-minded in His purpose.  Let this mind be in you, Paul said.  It's a godly humility that puts his brother above himself.  It's a godly humility that keeps a man from turning his back and ignoring a need.  It's a godly humility that silences a man when he could speak and verbally destroy another human.  Let this mind be in you.

Philippians 2:12-13

Paul continues in Verse 12.  Now, knowing that we need to have the mind of Christ, we know we are expected to live lives that are marked with humility and obedience.  We can conclude...  Paul hits us with another ‘therefore.’

Jesus is held up as the perfect model of humility.  Therefore, it should bring a response from every believer.  This response was obedience and humility and to live each and every day in a way that bore fruit.  This was putting their salvation into practice in their everyday life.  And this wasn’t just about each individual doing this, but about the church being a unified body of believers that was vibrant, alive and on fire for Christ.  Each believer can know that God saved you and set you on a path of sanctification.  Part of that process is the body of believers he put you in fellowship with.  He called you and saved you and now is sanctifying you.  You need to live out that sanctification; you need to welcome that change God is working in you.  That's what it means to work out your salvation.  This "working out" is an ongoing, never-ending process.  It's living a life on the outside that looks like the change that occurred, and are happening, on the inside of you.

Just to be very clear on this, Paul didn't mean to find your own path or you own way to God as if there were many ways to walk.  Working out your salvation is an everyday action.  It is both intentional and purposeful.  Before your feet hit the floor in the morning you have it determined within yourself to live that day for Jesus Christ.  And then it's putting your feet on the floor in whatever God brings your way, knowing that He is with you.  He has ordained your path and your steps.  Then we walk and live out that life that Christ purchased with His shed blood.

When we were saved, God gave us a new heart and new desires.  Our old desires and our old ways quickly pass away.  Our sanctification is the outworking of these changes because as verse 13 says, God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.  He gives us that ‘will’ and then empowers us to ‘do’ for Him.  God is working his change in us, growing us, stretching us.  He is renewing and transforming us.  He is helping us to make the internal changes visible externally.

Before we move on, we have to touch on one more thing.  This is one of those passages that gets abused.  Paul is talking to believers in Jesus Christ.  He is talking in context of living a life of obedience.  There is no mistaking that.  People will take this one verse completely out of context and say, I have to work out my salvation in my own way.  They think they have to find their path to God.  They use this as a license to create their own salvation out of what makes them feel good.  This lines up with one of Satan's greatest lies, that there are many paths.  There is only one way; The Way.  It is salvation by grace, not by works.  Working out  your salvation is not talking about doing some work to make yourself appealing to God and winning Him over so He will save you.  There is nothing a man can do to win God over.  No human can be so good as to impress God.  Working out your salvation isn't a path to salvation; it is the path after salvation.  It is walking it, talking it, living it, breathing it and bleeding it. 

Christ’s death on the cross and his universal Lordship are not abstract theological concepts far removed from the nitty-gritty problems of everyday life. Reflection on the cross of Christ, the exaltation of Christ, and the universal worship of Christ leads to reconciliation in the community of those who confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Hansen, G. W. (2009). The Letter to the Philippians (p. 170)

Philippians 2:14-16

Paul seems to be talking right to us here.  It takes a strong faith and a Christ-like attitude to stand in this crooked and perverse generation with no complaint and dispute.  Are we shining as lights in this dark world?  Are we holding fast to the word of life?

Paul is sympathizing with the Philippians saying, I know it's tough and it seems virtually impossible at times but stay focused on having that mind of Christ and being filled with His word and then we can all rejoice together in the Day of Christ. 

The race we run isn't run in vain regardless of how it appears.  The path we walk in life, the things we deal with and the obstacles we have to overcome all have purpose and meaning.  Don't lose heart, it's not in vain.  We will sit at the marriage supper of the lamb and this life will be a distant memory, a vapor that has passed.

Complaining and disputing look back to the Israelites in the wilderness.  The crooked and perverse generation are borrowed from Moses in Deuteronomy 32:5 as he spoke of a foolish and unwise people.  The contrast then is those in Christ that are instead blameless, harmless and without fault.  They stand in the midst of the perverse and crooked and shine as lights, holding fast to the word of life (gospel).

Philippians 2:17-18

As Paul is working out his salvation, he finds himself possibly facing death.  In the ancient world, a drink offering could be poured out as an offering to God.  Paul, being an example of a living sacrifice, uses the analogy of being poured out as an offering for the service of their faith.  If Paul was approaching death, then they should rejoice with him.  This was a call for unity, even in the face of suffering.  The Philippians were to be strengthened by Paul’s obedience and humility.   In Paul, we see the mind of Christ.

Philippians 2:19-24

The Philippians sent Epaphroditus to Paul, he was sending Timothy to them.  Timothy was another example of humble obedience to God.  It was a common complaint among philosophers in that age – very few people are fully committed to what they believe.  Paul held Timothy up as an exception in the crowd.  He put Christ and others ahead of himself. 

Timothy’s character was known to the Philippians.  Paul would send him when it was safe to do so.  In addition, Paul hoped to be coming also.

Philippians 2:25-30

Paul gives us yet another example of a man with the mind of Christ.  Epaphroditus went to Paul and ministered to him.  While there, he became sick and nearly died.  The Philippians heard he was sick and were worried about him.  So, Paul sent this man home with a testimony and news from Rome and a witness regarding Paul and the life he was leading.  Paul instructed them to receive him with all gladness.  They needed to hold such men in esteem.  Paul saw a selfishness and self-centeredness that was prominent among many Christians.  That made it all the more important they esteem men like Timothy and Epaphroditus.  It makes it important for us to do the same.

Paul spoke highly of Timothy often.  He spoke highly of Epaphroditus.  With all of Paul's writings you get the impression that Paul didn't just say these things about anyone.  He wasn't easily impressed but acknowledged men of humility, sacrifice and those putting others before himself.

Let's ask ourselves, what would Paul say about me?  If you were with Paul on the other side of the world and he wrote your church a letter about you, what would he say?  Would he speak of your mindset as one who lives in humility, not seeing yourself as more than you are, setting others before yourself, loving, giving, merciful, emanating grace?

Now, turn things around.  Look at those around you.  Not just in your church but in your life, among your entire circle of influence.  Who do you see around you that have that heart and mind?  Who would you honor in testimony before other Christians and why?  Do we give our honor to the right people for the right reasons?  Do we hold the wrong folks in high esteem sometimes?  Paul told the Philippians to honor the ones who gave their lives to Christ.

© 2017, 2023 Doug Ford