Philippians -2

Theme of Chapter 2 per Scofield: “Christ, the believer’s pattern (mind), rejoicing in lowly service.

Before we get too deep into chapter 2, we should simply read it over first so we don’t get lost in the details.

(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?

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

·       Paul’s call for unity is set against the background of two quarreling women in the church at Philippi (4:2).

(3) Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be *humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

• *humble:
• Acts 20:19: I have done the Lord’s work humbly and with many tears. I have endured the trials that came to me from the plots of the Jews.
• How does one develop humility? C. S. Lewis says that the first step is to admit that you are a proud person. C. S. Lewis made this insightful  comment: "We say that people are proud of being rich, or clever, or good-looking, but they are not. They are proud of being richer, or cleverer, or better looking than others. If everyone else became equally rich, or clever, or good-looking, there would be nothing to be proud about."
• “If I consider you above me and you consider me above you, then a marvelous thing happens: we have a community where everyone is looked up to, and no one is looked down on.” - David Guzik

(4) Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

• The spirit that wins the prize is not concern for ourselves, but first of all for the needs of others.

Verses 5-11 may have been an early hymn. This passage, known among scholars as the Kenosis, is among the most glorious sections of the New Testament. These few verses teach the divinity of Christ, His preexistence, His equality with God the Father and His incarnation and true humanity.

Believer's Study Bible, p. 1688: 2:6-11 "These verses known as the kenosis (Gk.) passage, are the text of one of the four great Christological  passages in the N.T. (cf. Also John 1:1-19; Col. 1:15-23; 9, 10, and Heb. 1:1-4) The passage was probably an early church hymn, which divides naturally into two stanzas: (1) Christ's humiliation (vv., 6-8), and (2) Christ's exaltation (vv. 9-11).  Here Paul gives a strong assertion of the deity of Christ. The word kenosis, meaning ‘to empty', as used here speaks of the self-emptying of the Son of God as He became incarnate (John 1:14). NKJV translates this word ‘made Himself of no reputation' (v. 7). Christ existed in the ‘form of God' (morphe, Gk. V. 6) which signifies the nature of God. His character, the very essence of His deity, "Did not consider it robbery to be equal with God' (v. 6) it is an expression which means ‘did not think it necessary to grasp at deity.' No ambition to become God could plague Christ since He was in fact God!  He, therefore did not give up His deity, but He did, for a time surrender His heavenly glory. The Lord Jesus as the possessor of divine essence takes the ‘form of a bondservant' (v. 7) (morphen doulou, Gk. Lit. ‘the nature or essence of a slave'). He sets aside His divine glory, but not His divine nature, and takes upon Himself the true attributes of man.  As Christ preexisted in the ‘form of God,' He then took upon Himself the ‘likeness of men.' His humanity is real; yet His being is still that of deity. The incarnation was not a subtraction of deity, but an addition of humanity. Christ sets aside the outward expression of His deity when expressing Himself as a bond-servant. The purpose for this obedience and emptying is stated with clarity.  Jesus humbled Himself to become obedient unto the death of the cross. Once again the preeminence of the atonement and consequent salvation is emphasized by the Scriptures (cf. John 1:1, John 17:5, 24, Heb. 2:14-18,5:8, 7:1-3,10:5)."

(5) You must have the *same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

• *same attitude: In the next several verses, Paul exemplifies what he means by Christ’s attitude that they (and we) were to emulate.

(6) Though *he was God he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.

• *he was God:
• Isaiah 9:6: For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
• John 1:1,14: In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God… So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
• John 5:18: So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him. For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God.
• John 8:58: Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!”
• John 10:33: … “We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.”
• John 17:5: Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.
• John 20:28: “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.
• Colossians 1:15: Christ is the visible image of the invisible God…
• Colossians 2:9: For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.
• 2 Corinthians 4:4: …Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
• Titus 2:13: while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.
• 2 Corinthians 8:9: You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.
• Hebrews 1:8-9: But to the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice.
• Hebrews 2:9: What we do see is Jesus, who was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone.
• 2 Peter 1:1: …This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior.
• Cyril of Alexandria (376 - 444 AD) says, ‘Indeed, the mystery of Christ runs the risk of being disbelieved precisely because it is so incredibly wonderful. For God was in humanity. He who was above all creation was in our human condition; the invisible one was made visible in the flesh; he who is from the heavens and from on high was in the likeness of earthly things; the immaterial one could be touched; he who is free in his own nature came in the form of a slave; he who blesses all creation became accursed; he who is all righteousness was numbered among the transgressors; life itself came in the appearance of death. All this followed because the body, which tasted death, belonged to no other but to him who is the Son by nature,’ [On the Unity of Christ]
• This is not what is taught in most churches and seminaries! The Methodist Church we used to go to taught that Jesus was just a great teacher, like Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi! Even the Methodist pamphlets for the children taught that. No wonder they keep losing membership. The religion class I took at Butler University by a minister in the so-called Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) taught that the Bible was a collection of myths and that Jesus may not have even ever existed. It should be no surprise that now this country’s government and legal system denies Christ and wants Him out of all schools and government.

(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,

·       *gave up his divine privileges: Greek - kenoo: he emptied himself.

·       **humble position of a slave: Or the form of a slave.

·       ***appeared in human form:

o      Hebrews 10:5: That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer.

o      Romans 8:3: The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.

(8) he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

• Hebrews 12:2: 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. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
• Galatians 3:13: But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”


• In his book Dare To Believe, Dan Baumann shares some thoughts that can deepen our gratitude for what the Savior did for us. He wrote, "We have perhaps unwisely and sometimes unconsciously glamorized the cross. Jewelry and steeples alike are often ornamental and attractive but carry nothing of the real story of crucifixion. It was the most painful method of public death in the first century. The victim was placed on a wooden cross. Nails . . . were driven into the hands and feet of the victim, and then the cross was lifted and jarred into the ground, tearing the flesh of the crucified and racking his body with excruciating pain. Historians remind us that even the soldiers could not get used to the horrible sight, and often took strong drink to numb their senses."

(9) THEREFORE, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him *the name above all other names,

·       *the name: This not only gives Jesus the Divine name Yahweh, but also implies that God has declared that Jesus has the character and person above all others, when we consider the importance of the Hebrew concept of “the name”. There is no higher name than Yahweh, and Jesus has that name.

·       Every Jew reading this would know immediately what Paul meant, because in the Jewish scriptures there was a name that was never pronounced. They called him the Ineffable Tetragrammaton. Ineffable means unspeakable, unpronounceable. Tetragrammaton means four letters, YHWH . It was the name above all others, and they substituted another name when they came to it in the scriptures. It is the name we call "Jehovah". It is translated "Lord" in most of the English versions of the New Testament. That is exactly what Paul says of him: "and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord."

(10) that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

·       “Paul does not imply by this a universal salvation, but means that every personal being will ultimately confess Christ’s lordship, either with joyful faith or with resentment and despair.” (Kent).

(11) and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

• Isaiah 45:22-23: Let all the world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other. I have sworn by my own name; I have spoken the truth, and I will never go back on my word: Every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess allegiance to me.
• Notice that in Isaiah, it is to Yahweh that all knees bow and tongues confess. In Philippians it is to Jesus, showing that Jesus is Yahweh.
• Paul is deliberately calling Jesus Christ the Yahweh of the Old Testament.

(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.

• Ephesians 2:10: For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
• Philippians 2:12-13 (Amplified Bible): Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ). [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.

(14) Do everything without complaining and arguing,

• In verse 14, in view of what Christ did and His example, Paul brings the Philippians back to their one problem – division, party spirit, lack of unity, complaining – yet without directly criticizing them. This was also the problem of the Jews in the wilderness.

(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.

• Matthew 5:14: “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.
• Mark 4:21: Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine.
• Ephesians 5:8: For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!
• 1 Thessalonians 5:5: For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night.
• “Not lights merely, but luminaries, heavenly bodies. But this can hardly be satisfactorily given in an English version.” (Alford)
• May our lives and homes also shine in the darkness.

(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.

• *useless Galatians 4:11: I fear for you. Perhaps all my hard work with you was for nothing.

(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.

·       Greek: I will rejoice even if I am to be poured out as a liquid offering.

·       2 Timothy 4:6: As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near.

(18) Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.

(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.

• * he can cheer me up: We get a glimpse here of how Paul is really feeling deep inside – he needed some good news to cheer him up. Paul was vulnerable and human just like us.

(20) I have no one else *like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare.

·       *like Timothy: The Greek literally means “same-souled.” Timothy and Epaphroditus in verse 25 are presented as examples of what Paul is teaching here.

(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.

·       *help me in my need: This indicates that Epaphroditus brought a gift of financial support from the Philippians to Paul (Philippians 4:18).

(26) I am sending him because he has been longing to see you, and he was very distressed that you heard he was ill.

·       This undoubtedly means that Epaphroditus took this letter to the Philippians.

(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.

·       Traveling from Philippi to Rome wasn’t easy. It meant taking an 800-mile journey by boat across the Mediterranean Sea. When Epaphroditus got to Rome, he fell ill with a serious disease and nearly died. In those days, something called “Roman Fever” took many lives.

·       Why is Paul no longer able to heal? Has something changed since the close of the Book of Acts?:

o      Acts 19:11-12: God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled.

o      Acts 28:8-9: As it happened, Publius’s father was ill with fever and dysentery. Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, he healed him. Then all the other sick people on the island came and were healed.

o      2 Timothy 4:20: Erastus stayed at Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick at Miletus.

o      1 Timothy 5:23: Don’t drink only water. You ought to drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach because you are sick so often.

(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.

·       *with Christian love: Greek in the Lord.

(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.

·       *risked: William Barclay, p. 50: "There is a word in this passage which later had a famous usage.  The Authorized Version speaks of Epaphroditus not regarding his life; the Revised Standard Version uses risking his life. The word is the verb paraboleuesthai; it is a gambler's word and means to stake everything on a turn of the dice. Paul is saying that for the sake of Jesus Christ, Epaphroditus gambled his life. In the days of the Early Church there was an association of men and women called the parabolani, the gamblers. It was their aim to visit the prisoners and the sick, especially those who were ill with dangerous and infectious diseases. In A.D. 252, plague broke out in Carthage; the heathen threw out the bodies of their dead and fled in terror. Cyprian, the Christian bishop, gathered his congregation together and set them burying the dead and nursing the sick in that plague-stricken city; and by so doing they saved the city, at the risk of their lives, from destruction and desolation.  There should be in the Christian an almost reckless courage which makes him ready to gamble with his life to serve Christ and men."

NOTE:

Unless otherwise noted, the scripture version used is the New Living Translation.

Sources and References are on-line at:
http://philippians-study.blogspot.com/2011/06/philippians-sources.html