Deeper Commentary
CHAPTER 2
2:1 Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, if any
consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender
mercies and compassions- The preceding chapter has spoken of the one
mind and spirit which they had, and the unity of suffering experienced by
them in Philippi and Paul in Rome. But the receipt of the Spirit, the gift
of the Spirit of Christ in the heart of every baptized believer, needs to
be realized in practice. That one mind must be put on, and the fellowship
of it experienced. "If there is any..." suggests Paul is quoting the great
claims made about the Christian faith; and indeed they are true. But he is
saying that the Spirit is not going to just zap people with spirituality;
there must be moves from our side too. If there is any consolation of
love- then we are to have the same love as the Lord has (:2). If there is
fellowship from sharing the same one Spirit of Christ- then we are to be
of one accord and mind with each other (:2). "Encouragement" and
"consolation" translate words from the parakleo family, the very
term used for the Comforter which is the Holy Spirit which shall be within
us who believe. But we can receive that Spirit at conversion and yet not
be spiritual (1 Cor. 3:1). The Philippians are therefore being urged to
live in practice as they were potentially enabled to by the Spirit. We
noted on 1:8 that the very inward 'spleen' of Paul was filled with the
Spirit of Christ, and he believed that was how it was with the
Philippians; and therefore they had such close fellowship. But now he is
arguing that if this is true, then they must act accordingly; for the same
word is here translated "tender mercies".
2:2- see on 1:27.
Make my joy full by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one
accord, of one mind-
As noted on :1, they were to think and be in practice how they potentially
were. The one mind he goes on to define as the mind of Christ. This is the
one mind, the point at which we are "like-minded". Paul exhorts preachers
to be “with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel”, and
then goes on to define that “one mind” as the mind that was in Christ
Jesus in His time of dying. Having outlined the mind of Christ at this
time, Paul then returns to his theme of preaching, by saying that the
Lord’s death was so that each of us should be inspired to humbly confess
him as Lord to the world (Phil. 1:27; 2:2,5,11).
2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself- In chapter 1, Paul notes that some preach Christ from the wrong motives. Although he rejoiced Christ was preached, he urges the Corinthians to not be wrongly motivated. The idea here is that we are to have the attitude of the Lord Jesus to others and their sins and spiritual needs. For that is the surrounding immediate context. "Conceit" translates keno-doxia, literally 'empty glorying'. The argument goes on to play with this idea by saying that the mind of the Lord Jesus on the cross emptied itself (:7 kenoo) of all human glory and thereby He received the highest glory. Seeking our own glory is not therefore having the mind of the crucified Christ. And "lowliness of mind" is the basic word used of how the Lord there "humbled Himself" (:8), allowed Himself to be brought down, that He might be exalted in due time and not right away. The idea is not that we think others are better than us, for that would mean doing ourselves down in an unrealistic and psychologically unhealthy way. Rather the idea is that we should be secure in our own salvation, so that we focus upon others' needs for salvation. The Greek for 'Esteeming others better' doesn't have to mean that we think we are worse than others, and they are better. Rather, the idea is that we focus on them more than on ourselves; because we are already secure in Jesus. The whole idea in this section is that we should have the mind of the Lord Jesus on the cross, which was totally focused on saving others rather than Himself. For, in that sense, He needed no salvation from sin, He was secure in His relationship with the Father. And we likewise can be secure in that same relationship, knowing that we are forgiven, our sin is dealt with, and our focus is therefore on saving others.
Another view is that for the believer, that means so
realizing our own sins that we hegeomai, place others in a
hegemony, higher than ourselves. The idea is not that we think others are
better than us, for that would mean doing ourselves down in an unrealistic
and psychologically unhealthy way. Rather is the nuance of meaning that in
any hierarchy or hegemony, we consider ourselves on the lowest level. Paul
was secure in himself, confident of his salvation, satisfied with the
fight he had fought and the race he had run; but he also considered
himself the least of the believers (Eph. 3:8) and the worst of sinners. We
are all as the beggars in the parable, who quite undeservedly are invited
to the banquet, and so should take the lowest seat- that they might be
invited up to a higher seat in the hegemony or ranking when the Lord
comes, and not now.
2:4 Each of you not looking to his own things, but each of you to the
things of others- If we are to consider ourselves as appropriate only
to the lowest station in God's household, we will be as a servant of all,
the lowest of the slaves, just as the Lord was on the cross. We will as
the lowest slave be looking to serve the "others" of :3 within the
household. Perhaps Paul is thinking of the Lord's comment about how a
slave will not think of his own things, preparing his own supper, but of
preparing the supper for others (Lk. 17:7-9).
We should be ever “looking to” the best interests of others- the Greek
word skopos is the one used in “telescope” or “microscope”. Our
focus must be upon what is their best interest spiritually. Not upon
anything else. Condemning, belittling, comparing, labelling, insulting,
condescending, being sarcastic... have absolutely no place in a life
driven by this purpose. For we are to have the mind of the Lord as He
died, which was so focused upon us and our needs. When we were so immature
and only rarely ever seem to 'get it'.
If we are to live lives devoted to the rest of the brotherhood, we need a
motivation more powerful than just steel will-power. The constant
out-giving of the cross, in the face of the most studied rejection and
lack of appreciation, can be the only motivation that time and again,
without fail, will revive our flagging will. Paul paints a powerful
picture of the Lord's progressive self-humbling in service to others,
culminating in “the death of the cross"; and with this in mind, he asks
us: "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the
things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ...".
The Mosaic command to give, every man according to the blessing with which
God had blessed him (Dt. 16:17), is purposely similar in phrasing to the
command to eat of the Passover lamb, every man according to his need; and
to partake of the manna (cp. the Lord Jesus), every man according to his
need (Ex. 12:4; 16:6,16). According to the desperation of our need, so we
partake of Christ; and in response, according to our blessing, we give, in
response to the grace of His giving.
2:5 Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus-
This is the "one mind" and 'like mind' which Paul has earlier asked us to
have. The mind is the spirit; the gift of the Spirit of Christ enables us
to have His mind or Spirit. And Paul now argues that the quintessence of
the Lord's mind was seen in Him as He died. This is an extremely high
calling- to have the mind which the Lord had as He died. The context
of this passage must be carefully considered. Paul does not just start
talking about Jesus ‘out of the blue’. He refers to the mind of Jesus in
Phil. 2:5. Back in Phil. 1:27 Paul starts to speak of the importance of
our state of mind. This is developed in the early verses of chapter 2:
“Being of one accord, of one mind... in lowliness of mind... look not
every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus...” (Phil. 2:2-5).
Paul is therefore speaking of the importance of having a mind like that of
Jesus, which is devoted to the humble service of others. The verses which
follow are therefore commenting upon the humility of mind which Jesus
demonstrated, rather than speaking of any change of nature. Just as Jesus
was a servant, so earlier Paul had introduced himself with the same word
(Phil. 1:1 cp. 2:7). The attitude of Jesus is set up as our example, and
we are urged to join Paul in sharing it. We're not asked to change
natures; we're asked to have the mind of Jesus- so that we may know the
"fellowship of sharing in his [Christ's] sufferings, becoming like him in
his death and so to attain to the resurrection from the dead" (Phil.
3:10,11).
Trinitarian theology sees God's salvation of humanity as being on account
of His supposed 'incarnation' in Christ, and His sending of the
[supposedly] pre-existent Christ into the world. But the New Testament
emphasis is upon the death of Christ, His victory within Himself
and subsequent resurrection, as the crucial means by which our redemption
was enabled. And further, how He saved us through the cross and through
His own self-debasement is held up as our very real example in passages
like Phil. 2 and 2 Cor. 8:8-10. We are not pre-existent gods in Heaven
awaiting an incarnation on earth. We are very real, human guys and gals.
His pattern can mean nothing for us if it was all about saving others
through submitting to some kind of 'incarnation'. But the Biblical
emphasis makes His sufferings, death and victory in resurrection our very
real pattern, so real that we are to be baptized into it (Rom. 6:3-5) and
live according to this as a pattern for human life every moment.
2:6- see on 1 Cor. 15:45.
Who, though being-
The Greek word translated “being” here does not mean ‘being originally,
from eternity’. Acts 7:55 speaks of Stephen “being full of the Holy
Spirit”. He was full of the Holy Spirit then and had been for some time
before; but he had not always been full of it. Other examples will be
found in Lk. 16:23; Acts 2:30; Gal. 2:14. Christ “being in the form of
God” therefore just means that he was in God’s form (mentally); it does
not imply that he was in that form from the beginning of time.
In the mental image of God-
Jesus was “in the form of God”. That “form” (Greek morphe) cannot
refer to essential nature is proved by Phil. 2:7 speaking of Christ taking
on “the form of a servant”. He had the form of God, but he took on the
form of a servant. The essential nature of a servant is no different to
that of any other man. In harmony with the context, we can safely
interpret this as meaning that although Jesus was perfect, He had a
totally God-like mind, yet He was willing to take on the demeanour of a
servant. Some verses later Paul encourages us to become “conformable unto
(Christ’s) death” (Phil. 3:10). We are to share the morphe, the
form of Christ which he showed in his death. This cannot mean that we are
to share the nature which He had then, because we have human nature
already. We do not have to change ourselves to have human nature, but we
need to change our way of thinking, so that we can have the morphe
or mental image which the Lord had in His death. The Greek word morphe
means an image, impress or resemblance. Human beings can have a morphe.
Gal. 4:19 speaks of “Christ (being) formed in” believers. Because He had a
perfect character, a perfectly God-like way of thinking, the Lord Jesus
was “in the form of God”. Because of this, He did not consider equality
with God “something to be grasped at”. This totally disproves the theory
that Jesus was God. Even according to the N.I.V. translation, the Lord did
not for a moment entertain the idea of being equal with God; He knew that
He was subject to God, and not co-equal with Him. There are many examples
in the Greek Old Testament of the Greek word morphe being used to
mean 'outward form' rather than 'essential nature'- e.g. Jud. 8:18 [men
had the morphe , the outward appearance, of a king's sons]; Job
4:16 ; Is. 44:13 [a carpenter makes an idol in the morphe or
outward appearance of a human being- but not in the very nature of a human
being!]; Dan 3:19 [the king's morphe or appearance changed because
he got angry; his essential nature remained the same]. And likewise in the
Apocrypha: Tobit 1:13; Wis. 18:1; 4 Macc. 15:4. If Paul meant nature or
essence he would have used the word ousia or physis- as he
does in Gal. 2:16 where he speaks of "We who are Jews by nature [physis]...".
We should remember that Philippi was in Macedonia, it was named after
Philip, the father of Alexander the Great. Alexander was some sort of hero
there. He was held to be successful in his exploits because after
conquering a people, he did not have a policy of ruling by suppression
but instead made all attempts to befriend them by making himself a servant
to the people. Alexander was perceived to have an hypostasis (the
substantial quality) of both master and servant. It seems that Paul may be
making a conscious connection between the Lord Jesus, and Alexander the
Great. But the Lord Jesus went so much further. He emptied Himself of all
pride and became a servant to all. In our context, the point I take from
this is that Alexander didn't change natures when he, the master, became a
servant to his people; and the same is true of the Lord Jesus. His
humiliation and self-deprecation was specifically upon the cross; and as
such He is our example. We too are to have His spirit. We are unable to
change natures; the challenge rather is to change our minds. Peter says
the same, perhaps alluding to Paul's words here: "Humble yourselves,
therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time".
Did not consider grasping at being equal with God- The essence of the temptation in Eden was to think
that the tree of knowledge could bring salvation; it was an attempt to
grasp at equality with God, according to Phil. 2, it was a vain belief
that possession of knowledge / truth enables us to play God. And we, with
our emphasis on the need for truth, for correct understanding, are
especially prone to this major temptation. He did not conceive the
equality with God with which He would be rewarded as "booty" (Gk.),
something to be grasped for: instead, He concentrated on being a humble
servant, working to bring about the salvation of others (Phil. 2). This
sense of working for God's glory must really permeate our thinking.
Vincent Taylor analyses Paul’s hymn of praise to the Lord Jesus in Phil.
2:6-11 and concludes that it is an adaptation of a Jewish hymn which spoke
of “the appearance of the Heavenly Man on earth”. Paul was writing under
inspiration, but it seems he purposefully adapted a Jewish hymn and
applied it to Jesus- to indicate the status which should truly be ascribed
to the Lord Jesus. See on Col. 1:15. The lowest of the 30 aeons, Sophia,
"yielded to an ungovernable desire to apprehend [God's] nature". And Paul
alludes to this in Phil. 2:6 by saying that Jesus by contrast didn't even
consider apprehending God's nature, but instead made Himself a servant of
all. As more and more is known of the literature and ideas which were
extant in the first century, it becomes the more evident that Paul's
writings are full of allusions to it- allusions which seek to deconstruct
these ideas, replacing them with the true; and by doing so, presenting the
Truth of the Gospel in the terms and language of the day, just as we seek
to. See on Col. 2:9.
It has been shown that the hymn of Phil. 2:6-11 is alluding to various
Gnostic myths about a redeemer, the son and image of the "highest God",
who comes down to earth, hides himself as a man so as not to be recognized
by demons, shares human sufferings, and then disappears to Heaven having
redeemed them (Documented in Rudolf Bultmann, Theology Of The New
Testament (London: S.C.M., 1955) p. 166. Bultmann showed that many of
the 'difficult passages' in John have similar connections (ibid p.
175). I would argue that John likewise was alluding to these Gnostic [and
other] redeemer myths in order to deconstruct them.). I suggest that these
allusions are in order to deconstruct those myths. Paul's point is that
the redemption of humanity was achieved by the human Jesus, through His
death on the cross, and not through some nebulous mythical figure
supposedly taking a trip to earth for a few years. The hymn also alludes
to the many wrong ideas floating around Judaism at the time concerning
Adam. Messiah was not Adam; Adam is compared and contrasted with
Jesus in Phil. 2:6-11- he like Jesus was made in the image of God, yet he
grasped at equality with God ("you will be like God", Gen. 3:5), which
Jesus didn't do. The description of Jesus "being in the form of God" was
therefore to highlight the similarities between Him and Adam, who was also
made in the form of God. The choice Jesus faced was to die on the cross or
not, and it is this choice which Phil. 2:6-11 glorifies. The context of
Phil. 2 shows that it was in this that He was and is our abiding example
in the daily choices we face. If His choice was merely to come to earth or
stay in Heaven, then there is nothing much to praise Him for and He is not
our example in this at all.
2:7 But poured himself out- Christ “made himself of no reputation”,
or “emptied himself” (R.V.), alluding to the prophecy of his crucifixion
in Is. 53:12: “He poured out his soul unto death”. He “took upon himself
the form (demeanour) of a servant” by his servant-like attitude to his
followers (Jn. 13:14), demonstrated supremely by his death on the cross
(Mt. 20:28). Is. 52:14 prophesied concerning Christ’s sufferings that on
the cross “his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more
than the sons of men”. This progressive humbling of himself “unto death,
even the death of the cross” was something which occurred during his life
and death, not at his birth. We have shown the context of this passage to
relate to the mind of Jesus, the humility of which is being held up to us
as an example to copy. These verses must therefore speak of Jesus’ life on
earth, in our human nature, and how he humbled himself, despite having a
mind totally in tune with God, to consider our needs.
Taking the mental attitude of a servant, and was the made just the same as
all ordinary men-
Trinitarians please note that Phil. 2 was written by Paul with his mind on
the death not birth of Christ, as their false theology
requires (Phil. 2:7 = Mt. 10:28; and note the connections with Is. 53).
The mixture of the Divine and human in the Lord Jesus is what makes Him so
compelling and motivational. He was like us in that He had our nature and
temptations; and yet despite that, He was different from us in that He
didn't sin. Phil. 2 explains how on the cross, the Lord Jesus was so
supremely "in the likeness of men"; and yet the same 'suffering servant'
prophecy which Phil. 2 alludes to also makes the point that on the cross,
"his appearance was so unlike the sons of Adam" (Is. 52:14). There was
something both human and non-human in His manifestation of the Father upon
the cross. Never before nor since has such supreme God-likeness,
'Divinity' , if you like, been displayed in such an extremely human form-
a naked, weak, mortal man in His final death throes.
The Lord taking upon himself the form of a servant is to be
connected with how at the Last Supper, He took (s.w.) a towel and
girded Himself for service (Jn. 13:4). The connection between the Last
Supper and Phil. 2, which describes the Lord's death on the cross, would
suggest that the Lord's washing the disciples' feet was an epitome of His
whole sacrifice on the cross. The passage describing the Last Supper
begins with the statement that the Lord "loved us unto the end" (Jn.
13:1). This is an evident description of the cross itself; and yet His
service of His followers at the Last Supper was therefore an epitome of
the cross. As that Supper was "prepared" (Mt. 26:17,19), so the Lord on
the cross "prepared" a place for us in the Kingdom (Jn. 14:1 s.w.). As the
observing disciples didn't understand what the Lord was doing by washing
their feet, so they didn't understand the way to the cross (Jn. 13:7 cp.
36). There is thus a parallel between the feet washing and His death. But
in both cases, the Lord Jesus promised them that there was coming a time
when they would understand His washing of their feet; and then they would
know the way to the cross, and follow Him. John describes the Lord
laying aside His clothes in order to wash the feet of His followers
with the same word he frequently employs to describe how Christ of His own
volition laid down His life on the cross, as an act of the will
(Jn. 10:11,15,17,18); and how later His sacrificed body was laid aside
(19:41,42; 20:2,13,15). As the Lord laid Himself down for us, epitomized
by that deft laying aside of His clothes, so, John reasons, we must
likewise purposefully lay down our lives for our brethren (1 Jn. 3:16). As
He did at the last supper, so He bids us do for each other. John uses the
same word for Christ's "garments" in his records of both the last supper
and the crucifixion (13:4,12 cp. 19:23). It could be noted that the man at
the supper without garments was seen by the Lord as a symbol of the
unworthy (Mt. 22:11 cp. Lk. 14:16,17). He humbled Himself to the level of
a sinner; He created the story of the sinful man who could not lift up His
eyes to Heaven to illustrate what He meant by a man humbling himself so
that he might be exalted (Lk. 18:14). And He humbled Himself (Phil. 2:9),
He took upon Himself the form of a servant and of a sinner, both in the
last supper and the final crucifixion which it epitomized. As the Lord
Jesus laid aside His garments and then washed the disciples' feet with
only a towel around His waist, so at the crucifixion He laid aside His
clothes and perhaps with a like nakedness, served us unto the end: the
betrayers and the indifferent and the cautiously believing alike.
Throughout the record of the Last Supper, there is ample evidence on the
Lord's awareness of Judas' betrayal (Jn. 13:10,11,18,21,25). The account
in 1 Cor. 11:23 likewise stresses how the Supper was performed with the
Lord's full awareness of Judas' betrayal. It is perhaps therefore
inevitable that we in some ways struggle with the problems of rejection,
of betrayal, of being misunderstood and not appreciated by our brethren.
For these were all essential parts of the Lord's passion, which He asks us
to share with Him.
The Lord in His time of dying was and is the definition of self-humbling:
“But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever
shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself
shall be exalted” (Mt 23:11-12). Being a servant to others is the
‘abasing’ or [s.w.] humbling that will lead to exaltation. The Lord became
a servant of all in His death (Mk. 10: 44,45). These things are brought
together in Phil. 2:5-11, where we are invited to have nothing less than
the mind of Christ in the self-humbling of the cross: “Let this mind be in
you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who…thought it not robbery to be
equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the
form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men…he humbled himself,
and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God
also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name…”. The seven stages of
the Lord’s self-humiliation are matched by seven stages of the Father’s
exaltation of Him (read on in Phil. 2 and note them!). And this pattern is
to be ours. This mind is to be in us. Because of this, “Let nothing be
done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem
other… look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the
things of others” (Phil 2:3-4). Every time we look on the things of others
rather than just our own, not seeking our own glory but esteeming others
enough to see them as worth suffering for…we have achieved the spirit of
the cross, we have reached self-humbling. As the Lord died for Himself and
others, so we are to look on the things of our salvation as well as
those of others. This must be the foundation principle of all aspirations
to preach or strengthen our brethren: esteeming others, thinking they are
worth the effort, seeking their salvation.
"In the likeness of man... in human form" doesn't mean that the Lord Jesus
only appeared as a man, when He was in fact something else. Rather the
emphasis is upon the fact that He truly was like us. Going deeper, F.F.
Bruce has suggested that these terms "represent alternative Greek
renderings of the Aramaic phrase kebar-'enash ("like a son of man")
in Daniel 7:13" (F.F. Bruce, Paul And Jesus (London: S.P.C.K.,
1977) p. 77).
2:8- see on Heb. 2:3.
And being perceived as a normal man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient
unto death-
“Became obedient”
suggests that in His mind the Lord worked down and down, until He came to
the final humility of the cross. Likewise Heb. 2:9 describes how Christ
was "made lower" than Angels- the same Greek word is translated
"decrease”. He was decreased lower than the Angels "by the suffering of
death"; perhaps because previously the Angels had been subject to Him, but
in His time of dying he was 'decreased' to a lower position?
He wasn’t a God who came down to us and became human; rather is He the
ordinary, very human guy who rose up to become the Man with the face of
God, ascended the huge distance to Heaven, and received the very nature of
God. It’s actually the very opposite to what human theology has supposed,
fearful as they were of what the pattern of this Man meant for them. The
pre-existent view of Jesus makes Him some kind of Divine comet which came
to earth, very briefly, and then sped off again, to return at the second
coming. Instead we see a man from amongst men, arising to Divine status,
and opening a way for us His brethren to share His victory; and coming
back to establish His eternal Kingdom with us on this earth, His earth,
where He came from and had His human roots. Take a passage must beloved of
Trinitarians, Phil. 2. We read that Jesus was found (heuretheis) in
fashion (schemati) as a man, and He humiliated Himself (tapeinoseos),
and thereby was exalted. But in the next chapter, Paul speaks of
himself in that very language. He speaks of how he, too, would be
“found” (heuretho) con-formed to the example of Jesus in His death,
and would have his body of humiliation (tapeinoseos) changed into
one like that of Jesus, “the body of his glory”. We aren’t asked to follow
the pattern or schema of a supposed incarnation of a God as man.
We’re asked to follow in the path of the Lord Jesus, the Son of man, in
His path to glory. Repeatedly, we are promised that His glory is
what we will ultimately share, at the end of our path of humiliation and
sharing in His cross (Rom. 8:17; 2 Cor. 3:18; Jn. 17:22,24). The more we
think about it, the idea of Jesus as a Divine comet sent to earth chimes
in with some of the most popular movies. Think of Superman and
Star Trek- the hero descends to earth in order to save us. Or take the
"Lone Ranger" type Westerns, set in some wicked, sinful, hopeless town in
the [mythical] American West... and in rides the outsider, the heroic
cowboy, and redeems the situation. The huge success of these kinds of
story lines suggests that we like to think we are powerless to change,
that our situation is hopeless and beyond human salvation... an outsider
is needed to save us, as we look on as spectators, feeling mere pawns in a
cosmic drama. And this may explain the attraction of trinitarianism and a
Divine comet-like Christ who hit earth for 33 years. It breeds painless
spectator religion... go to church, hear the Preacher, watch the show,
come home and spend another rainy Sunday afternoon wondering quite what to
do with your life. Yet the idea of a human Saviour, one of us
rising up above our own humanity to save us... this demands so much more
of us, for it implies that we're not mere spectators at the show, but
rather can really get involved ourselves.
Even the death of the cross-
Our Lord Jesus seems to have gone through seven stages of progressive
humbling of himself, rungs up (down) the ladder, before He was made
perfect (complete) by His sufferings (Heb. 2:10); which equate with the
seven aspects of His glorification which this hymn goes on to list. The
climax of His humiliation was being obedient not only to death, but even
to the death of the cross. In our Lord's progression towards that ultimate
height, of laying down his life for others, we see our ultimate prototype.
He stepped progressively downwards in the flesh, that He might climb
upwards in the Spirit. So Philippians 2:6-9 describes the progressive
humiliation of the Lord Jesus on the cross (not in His birth, as
Trinitarian theology has mistakenly supposed. Note the allusions back to
Isaiah 53). There He was supremely "in the form of God", but
notwithstanding this He took even further the form of a servant. In that
blood and spittle covered humility and service, we see the very form and
essence of God. My understanding of Phil. 2:8 is that being in the form of
God, being the Son of God and having equality with God are parallel
statements. The Lord understood being 'equal with God' as some kind of
idiom for His Divine Sonship (Jn. 5:18; 10:33; 19:7). He was in God's
form, as His Son, and He therefore didn't consider equality with God
something to be snatched; He had it already, in that He was the Son of
God. In other words, "He considered it not robbery to be equal with God"
is to be read as a description of the exaltedness of His position as Son
of God; not as meaning that it never even occurred to Him to try to be
equal with God. He was equal with God in the sense that He and the Father
were one, spiritually, and on account of the fact that Jesus was the
begotten Son of the Father. This interpretation depends upon understanding
'being equal with God' as an idiom for being the Son of God; it doesn't,
of course, mean that 'Jesus is God' in the Trinitarian sense. There, on
the cross, the Lord Jesus was the form of God, equal with God in that
sense, the only begotten Son. And yet on the cross His form was marred
more than that of any man, He finally had no form that could be desired
(Is. 52:14; 53:2). And yet this was the form of God. He was
contorted and marred more than ever, there was no beauty in Him
that men should desire Him, in those hours in which His Son suffered
there. The Lord Jesus then had the form of God, although in His mind He
had taken the form of a servant. The Lord made Himself a servant in His
mind; He looked not on His own things, but on those of others (Phil.
2:4,7). This is the context of Philippians 2; that we should have the
mind of Christ, who disregarded His own status as Son of God and
humbled Himself, even to death on the cross, so that we might share His
status. His example really is ours, Paul is saying (which precludes this
passage describing any 'incarnation' at the birth of Christ). The Lord had
spoken about the crucial need for a man to humble himself if he is to be
exalted (Lk. 14:11); and this is evidently in Paul's mind when he writes
of Christ humbling Himself and then being exalted. He saw that the Lord
lived out on the cross what He had asked of us all. If that example must
be ours, we can't quit just because we feel rejected and misunderstood and
not appreciated by our brethren. For this is the very essence of the
cross we are asked to share. See on Jn. 19:19.
Trinitarian theology uses Phil. 2 to justify their 'V-pattern' view of
Christ- that He was high in glory in Heaven, then descended briefly to
earth, and then returned to high glory in Heaven. All such talk of a
V-pattern, albeit on the lips of eloquent churchmen and theologians, is
frankly a serious missing of the point. Phil. 2- and the whole teaching of
Jesus- is that the true greatness is in humility, the servant of all
becomes Lord of all. The pinnacle, the zenith, the acme- was in the
humility of the cross. The New Testament presents the death of Christ as
His final victory, the springboard to a J-curve growth, involving even
literal ascent into Heaven. What seemed to be defeat turned out to be the
ultimate victory.
2:9 Wherefore God highly exalted him- The Lord Jesus "humbled
himself", and was later "highly exalted" (Phil. 2:9), practising His
earlier teaching that he who would humble himself and take the lowest seat
at the meal would be exalted higher (Mt. 23:11,12; Lk. 14:10,11). The Lord
Jesus at the Last Supper humbled Himself from the seat of honour which He
had and took not only the lowest seat, but even lower than that: He washed
their feet as the servant who didn't even have a place at the meal. And
both James and Peter saw the Lord's humbling Himself at that supper and
His subsequent exaltation as a direct pattern for us to copy (James 4:10;
1 Peter 5:6). Paul takes things one stage even further. He speaks of how
he humbled himself, so that his hopelessly weak and ungrateful
brethren might be exalted (2 Cor. 11:7). He is evidently alluding to
the Gospel passages which speak of how we must humble ourselves so that
we may be exalted (Mt. 23:11,12; Lk. 14:10,11). But Paul sees his
exaltation, which his humbling would enable, as being identical to
theirs. He doesn't say: 'I humbled myself so that I may be exalted'.
He speaks of how he humbled himself so that they might be exalted.
We can understand 2 Cor. 8:9 in this same context- the choice of Jesus to
'become poor' for our sakes is held up as an example to the Corinthians,
to inspire their financial giving. The choice is whether or not to live
out the cross in our lives- rather than deciding whether or not to come
down from Heaven to earth. Jesus gave up the 'riches' of His relationship
with God, calling Him "abba", to the 'poverty' of the cross, in saying "My
God, Why have you forsaken me?" (Mt. 27:46). Poverty was associated with
crucifixion, rather than with a God coming from Heaven to earth: "Riches
buy off judgment, and the poor are condemned to the cross" (Quoted in
Martin Hengel, Crucifixion In The Ancient World (Philadelphia:
Fortress Press, 1977) p. 60 note 15. ). It is Christ's cross and
resurrection, and not this supposed 'incarnation', which is repeatedly
emphasized as being the source of our salvation (Rom. 5:15,21; Gal. 2:20;
3:13; Eph. 1:6; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 3:18). This is a far cry from the
teaching of Irenaeus, one of the so-called 'church fathers', that Christ
"attached man to God by his own incarnation" (Against Heresies
5.1.1). The New Testament emphasis is that we were reconciled to God by
the death of His Son. The whole of Phil. 2 is about the Lord's
attitude in His death and not at His birth. It was after
His birth but before His death that the Lord could talk of his
freedom of decision as to whether or not to lay down His life (Jn. 10:18)-
and it is this decision which Phil. 2:9-11 is glorifying.
And gave to him the name which is above every name- These verses are taken to mean that Jesus was God,
but at his birth he became a man. It is significant that this is almost
the only passage which can be brought forward to explain away the ‘missing
link’ in Trinitarian reasoning - how Jesus transferred himself from being
God in Heaven to being a baby in Mary’s womb. Yet “God also has highly
exalted” Jesus “and given him a name” (:9) shows that Jesus did not exalt
himself - God did it. It follows that he was not in a state of being
exalted before God did this to him, at his resurrection.
Jesus carried the name of Yahweh when on earth- He came in the Father's
Name (Jn. 5:43) and did and said many things which previously had been
specific to Yahweh. Thus He walked on the water and stilled the waves as
Yahweh was said to do (Ps. 107:29); yet Phil. 2:9 implies He was given the
Name at His ascension: "God also hath highly exalted Him and given Him the
Name which is above every name". Does this suggest there are degrees of
God manifestation and degrees of bearing His Name?
Peter preached in and about the name of Jesus- this is emphasized (Acts
2:31,38; 3:6,16; 4:10,12,17,18,30; 5:28,40,41; 10:43). The excellence of
knowing Him and His character and the wonder of the exalted Name given on
His ascension (Phil. 2:9; Rev. 3:12) lead Peter to witness. Because of His
exaltation, we confess Jesus as Lord to men, as we later will to God at
judgment (Phil. 2:9). According as we confess Him before men, so our
judgment will reflect this.
Phil. 2:9 in the AV says that the Lord Jesus has a name “above" every
name. Yet His Name surely cannot be “above" that of Yahweh. The Greek for
“above" is usually translated “for [the sake of]", and I would suggest we
read Phil. 2:9 as saying that the name of Jesus is for [the sake of] every
name, in that every man and woman was potentially comprehended in His
all-representative sacrifice. By baptism into the name of Jesus, they
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. There
was and is no other name given under Heaven by which men can be saved;
“every name" under the whole Heaven must take on the name of Jesus in
baptism. This is why Acts associates His exaltation (Acts 2:33; 5:31) and
His new name (Acts 2:21,38; 3:6,16; 4:10,12,18,30; 5:40) with an appeal
for men and women to be baptized into that Name. Realizing the meaning of
the Name of Jesus and the height of His exaltation meant that they
realized how “all men" could have their part in a sacrifice which
represented “all men". And thus they were motivated to preach to “all
men". And thus Paul’s whole preaching ministry was a bearing of the Name
of Jesus before the Gentiles (Acts 9:15).
Christ as our representative means that He is the representative of the
church as a whole, the entire body of persons who are “in Christ”, we each
have some unique contribution to His body upon earth. This is why He
suffered so much- so that He found a fellow feeling true with every
tempted mind which is in Him. In society and the workplace, nobody is
irreplaceable, no cog can somehow not be replicated albeit in a slightly
different form. But the part we have to play in Him is unique and in one
sense irreplaceable by anyone else. He has been highly exalted and given a
name huper every name, that each of us should bow our knees before
Him (Phil. 2:9). Huper here is usually translated “above”, but
perhaps the idea is rather that through His representative sufferings, the
Lord has now a Name for every one of our names / personalities /
histories / characters. He tasted death for every man (Heb. 2:9),
and we are therefore to be for Him and all that are in Him. His
whole suffering for us was to leave us an example, that we should
follow in His steps to the cross (1 Pet. 2:21). Forasmuch as He suffered
for us, we are to arm ourselves likewise with that same mind (1
Pet. 4:1- this is repeating the teaching and reasoning of Phil. 2, that we
should have the same mind in us which was in Jesus at the time of His
death). As He laid down His life for us, so we should lay down our
lives for our brethren (1 Jn. 3:16)- in all the myriad of large and
small sacrifices this requires, from phone calls through thoughtful
comments and cash generosity to literal death huper others if
that’s what’s required. His whole priestly, reconciliatory work is to be
ours. Not that we are Saviours of the world in ourselves, but we
are to do this work huper Him and huper this world.
2:10 That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in
heaven and those on earth and those under the earth- These words are
alluding to Is. 45:23,24: “...unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue
shall swear. Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and
strength". We all find humility difficult. But before the height of His
exaltation, a height which came as a result of the depth of the
degradation of the cross, we should bow our knees in an unfeigned humility
and realization of our sinfulness, and thankful recognition of the fact
that through Him we are counted righteous. The reference in Phil. 2:10,11
to every knee bowing and every tongue confessing the Lordship of Jesus is
perhaps a reference back to the great commission to take Him to all
peoples. That day when every knee would bow to the Lord Jesus will be the
result of the outcome of His exaltation. A grasp of who the Lord Jesus
really is and the height of His present exaltation will naturally result
in a confession of Him to the world, as well as a deep personal obedience
to His word and will (Heb. 2:1).
In Phil. 2:10, the Lord Jesus is said to have been given power over all
beings in heaven, earth and the nether–world. The Romans understood the
world to be divided into these three spheres of the cosmos. But this
passage is based upon Is. 45:23, which says that God has total supremacy –
and this has been granted to His Son. As I understand it, Paul is
reasoning that if God is all powerful, and if that power has been given to
the Lord Jesus, then whatever cosmology there is around, e.g. belief in a
nether–world, well, in that case, Jesus has all power over that as well.
The same argument applies to demons. If they exist, well the essence is
that they are well and truly under the Lord’s control and aren’t
essentially powerful. Paul doesn’t so much ridicule the idea of a
nether–world, rather he takes the view, as Jesus did in His dealings with
the demon issue, that God’s power is so great that their existence is
effectively not an issue.
2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the Father- The whole process of Christ’s humbling of
himself and subsequent exaltation by God was to be “to the glory of God
the Father”. God the Father is not, therefore, co-equal with the Son. Is.
45:20-24 speaks of how “all the ends of the earth" will look unto “a just
God and a Saviour [Jesus]" and be saved- evident reference back to the
brazen serpent lifted up for salvation. The result of this is that to Him
“every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess" his moral failures,
rejoicing that “in the Lord have I righteousness and strength...in the
Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory". These
words are quoted in Phil. 2:11 in description of the believer’s response
to the suffering Saviour. And yet they are quoted again in Rom. 14:10-12
regarding our confession of sin before the Lord at judgment day. The
connections mean simply this: before the Lord’s cross, we bow our knee and
confess our failures, knowing the imputation of His righteousness, in
anticipation of how we will bow before Him and give our miserable account
at the judgment. And both processes are wonderfully natural. We must
simply allow the power of a true faith in His cross to work out its own
way in us. At the judgment, no flesh will glory in himself, but only in
the Lord Jesus (1 Cor. 1:29). And even now, we glory in His cross (Gal.
6:14).
|
Is. 45:23-25 cp. Rom. 14:11,12, about our reaction at the judgment
seat |
Phil. 2, about our reaction to the cross of Christ today |
|
:23 every knee shall bow |
:10 every knee shall bow |
|
:23 every tongue shall swear |
:11 every tongue shall confess |
|
:24 in the Lord |
:11 Jesus Christ is Lord |
|
:25 shall glory |
:11 to the glory of God |
Clearly our response to the cross is a foretaste of our response to the
judgment experience.
2:12 So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not as in my
presence only, but now much more in my absence- The fact they needed
exhortation to be obedient when Paul was not present with them is another
hint that Paul's warm commendations of them in chapter 1 were how he
wished to see things, or because he as it were shared the Lord's approach
of imputing righteousness. We noted the same about his "confidence" in the
Corinthians, when he goes on to be far less than confident in them (see on
2 Cor. 7:16).
Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling- This exhortation is in the light of his preceding
poem about the Lord's total focus upon us on the cross. This should
motivate us to respond; His efforts for our salvation should elicit
similar from us. The "fear and trembling" would more speak of our deep
respect for what He has done for us, rather than any idea of our being
petrified as to the outcome of judgment day. The parable of the unjust
steward makes the point that in the Kingdom, the faithful will be given by
Christ "the true riches... that which is your (very) own" (Lk. 16:12). The
reward given will to some degree be totally personal. Each works out his
own salvation, such as it will be (Phil. 2:12)- not in the sense of
achieving it by works, but rather that the sort of spirituality we develop
now will be the essential person we are in the eternity of God's Kingdom.
Moses' last speeches are often referred to by Paul here (e.g. Phil. 2:15 =
Dt. 32:5; Phil. 2:28 = Dt. 31:16; Phil. 2:12 = Dt. 31:8,27,29). This could
be a hint that the suggestion on 1:1 was correct- that Paul wrote to the
Philippians at the very end of his life, facing death in prison.
2:13 For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work, for His
good pleasure- Christianity is meant to be lived in a community.
Indeed, God has created salvation in a community, in the body of Christ.
“Work out your [plural] salvation... for it is God who is working in your
midst [as a body]” (Phil. 2:12,13). But our working out (:12) is in
response to God's working within us, in our hearts. The initiative is His.
He works in us to work [s.w.] His will- this is fair emphasis on the fact
that God is really at work within us, in our hearts. And the will of God
is that none of His should perish, but we should all be saved. Eph. 1:11
likewise connects God's will with His working in us. Clearly enough, this
working is by the Spirit, which works [s.w.] in each believer (1 Cor.
12:6,11; Gal. 3:5). Eph. 3:18-20 states that this working [s.w.] is
through the gift of the Spirit "in the inner man". But we are to respond
to that working of God- just as Paul laboured according to God's working
which worked mightily within him (Col. 1:29).
2:14 Do all things without complaining and questionings- In the
preceding light of the Lord's death for us with a mind totally focused
upon our redemption, reflecting the will of God for our salvation, and His
continued working within us to that end... we should be focused on far
higher things than complaining and academic questions and the striving
which accompanies them. Our way of life will make an inevitable witness to
the world. Simply not moaning and groaning in the daily round will be a
holding out of the word of life to those with whom we trudge through this
life (Phil. 2:14 cp. 16). The allusion is to how Israel were saved with
such great salvation- but murmured and questioned instead of rejoicing in
it (1 Cor. 10:10).
2:15- see on Mt. 3:11; Jn. 3:18.
That you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without
blemish, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom you
shine as lights in the world-
"Blameless and harmless" alludes to Lk. 1:6 (as does 1 Thess. 3:13). We
are to have the serene spirituality, all down the years, of Zacharias and
Elizabeth. "Become..." continues the idea that the Philippians had been
given the Spirit, but had much growth left. Lights shining is alluding to
the Septuagint of Dan. 12:3, concerning the saints in the Kingdom shining
as the stars. Once it is appreciated that we are now in the spiritual
heavenlies (Eph. 2:6) then this makes sense. And Paul was using language
which Moses had earlier used of how apostate Israel were the "crooked and
perverse generation" (Dt. 32:5). The point of his allusion may have been
that despite the darkness and apostasy of the surrounding brotherhood, we
must all the same shine with the constancy of the stars. Those among God's
people who break their covenant with Him, He sees as the world. Thus Moses
prophesied of an apostate Israel: "They have dealt corruptly with [God],
they are no longer his children because of their blemish; they are a
perverse and crooked generation" (Dt. 32:5 RSV). These very words are used
by Paul here regarding the Gentile world. Apostate Israel are the pagan
world; and therefore the rejected at the day of judgment will be condemned
along with the world (1 Cor. 11:32). Likewise Is. 42:1,2 concerning
Christ's witness to the Gentiles is quoted in Mt. 12:19 regarding
His witness to an apostate Israel. Israel were to be made like “the tope
of a rock” just as Gentile Tyre would be (Ez. 24:7; 26:4). “Fill ye up
then the measure of your fathers”, the Lord said to Israel (Mt. 23:32)-
yet He was alluding to how the Gentile Amorites filled up the cup of God’s
judgments and then had to drink it. Pharaoh's heart was hardened to bring
about God's glory, but Paul uses the very same language, in the same
context, to describe what was happening to an apostate, Egypt-like Israel
(Rom. 9:17). Korah and his company were swallowed by the earth, using the
very language which Moses so recently had applied to how the Egyptians
were swallowed by the earth at the Red Sea (Ex. 15:12).
2:16 Holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of
Christ that I have not run in vain or laboured in vain- The context of
shining as lights in the world encourages me to translate "holding fast"
as in AV, "holding forth". The Lord Jesus was the light of the world; and
by doing “all things without murmuring and disputing… blameless and
harmless [as the Lamb]… you shine as lights in the world, holding
forth the word of life” [i.e. the Lord Jesus; Phil. 2:14-16]. Paul felt he
would have "run in vain" if his converts didn't in their turn preach. The
quality of our converts affects the nature of our final reward- for Paul
elsewhere uses the image of a race as a symbol for the Christian life
which ends in the victory of the Kingdom. But whether he won or lost, he
felt that the whole thing would be meaningless if they did not spiritually
develop. If as suggested on 1:1 and 2:12,17,23; 3:13,20; 4:1,13 Paul was
writing this at around the time he wrote 2 Tim. 4, his comment there that
he had run a good race in 2 Tim. 4:7 therefore meant that he was satisfied
with the fruit of his labours amongst his converts; for here in 2:16 he
says that his race would have been run in vain if they were not
spiritually fruitful. And yet all in Asia left him, and so many of his
converts clearly fell away, according to how he writes to the Galatians
and Corinthians. But some did not, especially some at Philippi, and so he
considered his race to have been successful. We too can follow his example
and see the glass half full rather than half empty. Paul's joy at the last
day was to be a function of the efforts he made in this very brief life
for others. And this is the thought which gives eternal significance to
our patient teaching and involvement with others who are on the path to
the Kingdom. Even a career helping unbelievers will not have the same
eternal result; for those folks shall be eternally dead. But life lived
for others in Christ shall have this eternal joy of fulfilment. Paul, like
us, therefore had a personal investment in the spiritual success of those
in his life.
2:17- see on 2 Tim. 4:6-8.
Yes, and if I am poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and
service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all- As noted on :16, the nature of our eternal
experience will be a reflection of what we have sacrificed for others in
this life. Paul saw his life as the drink offering which gave
acceptability and completeness to the sacrifice of those for whom he
laboured. The believer’s death is a pouring out of blood on the altar
(Phil. 2:17 Gk; Rev. 6:9), which is language highly appropriate to the
Lord’s death. It follows from this that the death of one in Christ is the
pinnacle of their spiritual maturity, as the Lord’s death was the pinnacle
of His. It is a spiritual victory, more than the temporal victory of the
flesh which it can appear. The only other time we encounter the Greek word
for 'poured out as a drink offering' is in 2 Tim. 4:6, where Paul felt he
was ready to be poured out. This is another reason for thinking that
Philippians was written at the very end of Paul's life; see on 1:1;
2:12,16,23.
Paul says that he saw his brethren as an altar, upon which he was being
offered up as a sacrifice. He saw his brethren as the means by which he
could serve God. And for us too, the community of believers, the ecclesia,
be they strong or weak, a pain in the neck or wonderful encouragement, are
simply the method God has chosen for us to offer ourselves to Him. Running
around for others, caring of others, patient sensitivity with our
brethren… these are but the altar provided by God, upon which we can serve
Him and give ourselves to Him.
"I am glad and rejoice" is in the present tense; Paul has said that their
final acceptance will be his eternal joy at the last day (:16). But we are
to live the Kingdom life now, for in this sense we "have eternal life" in
that we are living the kind of life which we shall eternally live. Paul
felt the Philippians were on track to the Kingdom; if the Lord came at
that moment, they would be accepted. And so he rejoiced for them right
now.
2:18 And in the same manner you also should be glad and rejoice with me-
As explained on :16 and :17, Paul would rejoice eternally at the last day
because of their salvation; but they were on track for salvation, and so
Paul rejoiced even now. And he asks them to share that joy, as if they
were in some unnecessary doubt about their salvation. There will be both
now and eternally a mutuality in our joy. Joy in its true sense is not
selfish; to rejoice regarding issues only pertinent to ourselves would
surely be selfish.
2:19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that
I may also be cheered by news of you- Paul's joy in their salvation
was because he believed they would be saved, just as we ought to believe
that others far away from us shall be saved. But he intended to send
Timothy to them to actually know the real state of their faith, so that
his joy could be based on reality rather than blind faith that they were
strong in the Lord and on track for salvation. Paul's "hope in the Lord
Jesus" indicates that he saw the Lord Jesus as the One who would decide
whether or not Timothy's visit would happen. The Lord is indeed so very
active, permitting or blocking various things in our lives, and certainly
not sitting idle in Heaven leaving us to our own devices. As noted on 1:1,
if this sending of Timothy to Philippi was at the time of 2 Timothy 4,
this was indeed a sacrifice. For Paul felt abandoned and forgotten by all,
and had begged Timothy to come to him in prison; and this letter to the
Philippians was written by Paul and Timothy together whilst Paul was
imprisoned (1:1).
2:20 For I have no one likeminded, who will truly care for your welfare-
Timothy's visit was so as to return to Paul with good news about their
spiritual state (:19), but this would perhaps be a result of Timothy's
true care for their spiritual welfare. The "care" of all the churches
daily pressed upon Paul, and had nobody else who had this same mind as he
did apart from Timothy.
2:21- see on 1 Cor. 13:5.
For they all seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ- Paul realized more
clearly the apostasy of the brotherhood; "all men seek their own" he
commented, in conscious allusion to his earlier words that such
self-seeking should not be the case amongst the ecclesia (1 Cor. 10:24).
Paul was clearly disappointed in how little care there was for the
spiritual welfare of others; he felt Timothy was the only one who 'got
it'. And yet he is so positive about his brethren, whilst seeing their
deep weaknesses. His 'cup half full' approach was therefore not the result
of some naive, Alice in wonderland optimism. It was the more notable
because he was not blind to the weaknesses of his brethren. He really
believed what he wrote about the imputation of righteousness.
2:22 But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father
he served as an apprentice with me in declaring the gospel- Paul has
been explaining that he feels Timothy is the only one who really 'got it'
about caring for the spiritual welfare of others (:20,21). But he partly
attributes this to how Paul had spiritually nurtured him, to the point
that although Paul had not baptized Timothy, he considered him his
spiritual son.
2:23 Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes
with me- This would suggest that Paul was at a critical point in his
imprisonment, as noted on chapter 1. He wanted Timothy with him if it came
to having to die. Paul is here apparently more realistic about his
situation; in 1:19 he had written of being confident of his release from
prison and his continued living in order to strengthen the Philippians.
But now he is more realistic, recognizing that he doesn't actually know
how things will turn out. There is no record of Paul revisiting Philippi,
and so we can assume that perhaps things did not turn out as Paul
confidently hoped, and he was executed. In this case this letter to the
Philippians was written at the end of Paul's life. His great theme of joy
was because he indeed was finishing his race with joy (Acts 20:24).
2:24 But I trust in the Lord that I myself also shall come shortly-
In 1:19-23 Paul speaks as if his desire to not die but continue living had
been accepted by the Lord, and so that was how it would be. But it was a
matter of trust / faith, although Paul speaks of what he prayed for as if
he had actually received it. As soon as his case was decided positively,
Paul would send Timothy to them, and then himself follow shortly
afterwards. These were his plans, but there is no record of them coming
true.
2:25- see on 1 Thess. 3:1.
But I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and
fellow-worker and fellow-soldier, and your messenger and minister to my
need- The "But..." suggests
that Paul knew there would still be some time before his case was decided,
and so he had sent Epaphroditus to them, even though this brother was the
one who was arranging for Pauls care whilst incarcerated. It was largely
over to relatives and friends to provide for the imprisoned, and so this
was a huge sacrifice. Especially as Paul writes in 2 Tim. 4 as if he
lacked even a cloak and writing equipment. We observe that the church in
Rome, who he had felt so warmly towards in his letter to them, were not
providing for him. This was indeed a sad way for such a great missionary
to meet his end- ignored or avoided by his local brethren. We may consider
Paul as the leading light of the early church, but that is not how he was
perceived at the time. All Asia turned away from him. He describes
Epaphroditus as the one "that ministered to my need". The Greek for
"ministered" is used in the LXX concerning the priests (and Joshua)
ministering to Moses in practical things; one of several examples of where
Paul saw himself as Moses.
2:26- see on Mk. 14:36.
Since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard
that he was sick-
His longing for them was the longing Paul had for them (1:8 s.w.). Like
Timothy, he shared Paul's care for them. This longing for other believers
is described with this same word in Rom. 1:11; 2 Cor. 9:14; 1 Thess. 3:6;
2 Tim. 1:4. It was a feature of the believers, and we must ask whether we
have that today. For we live in an age of isolationism as never before.
And in this connection we note how news of a brother's sickness in Rome
travelled as far as Philippi, and they were so concerned about the brother
that on his recovery, he wished to go visit them- in an age when
international travel was generally unheard of. This was the kind of unity
the Lord's death enabled, and which he foresaw in Jn. 17 as alone having
the power to convert the world. We live in the time of communication
revolution, whereby we can have unparalleled contact with each other. This
ought to be powerfully harnessed in the interests of the kind of unity
which we have a taste of here.
2:27 For indeed he was sick and near to death, but God had mercy on
him, and not on him only, but on me also, that I might not have sorrow
upon sorrow- Again we see the connection between brethren. The loss of
Epaphroditus would have been a loss to Paul too. Losing him would have
been a sorrow and loss- and yet Paul was prepared to lose him by sending
him to visit the Philippians. His recovery from the face of death was
being used for the Philippians, and in 1:19-23 Paul has said that this is
how he wishes to use his salvation from the death penalty and the
limitations of imprisonment. In this too we see the connection of spirit
between these two believers. And the same connections in the Spirit are
forged continually in the Lord's body today, if we are open to them.
Losing Epaphroditus in death would have been another "sorrow" for Paul;
and yet when he recovered, Paul wilfully lost him again by sending him to
the Philippians. And this resulted in sorrow for Paul (:28), which would
be compensated for if Epaphroditus were to find the Philippians as strong
in faith in reality as Paul imputed to them by faith in their status
before the Lord.
2:28 Therefore I have sent him more diligently, so that when you see
him again, you may rejoice and that I may be less sorrowful- Their joy
would reduce Paul's sorrow, because their joy was his joy; see on :27. 2
Cor. 2:3 speaks in similar terms of the joy of the Corinthians being
Paul's joy. This is the ideal of fellowship in the Spirit- our spirits are
connected if we both have the Spirit of Christ. If we are focused only
upon our own feelings then we will never achieve the joy which comes from
caring for others' spiritual progress.
2:29 Therefore receive him in the Lord with all joy and hold such in
honour- That Paul had to ask them to "receive him in the Lord" could
be another hint that the spirituality of the Philippians was not as great
as he had praised them for in chapter 1. We receive each other on the
basis that we are "in the Lord"; to refuse to accept those who are "in the
Lord" but who fail to meet some document based fellowship requirement is
wrong indeed. Epaphroditus was to be honoured by them because of his
labour in the Lord (:30). This respect of others for their labours is all
part of the general picture the New Testament gives, of the true church
being a place of respect and praise of its members.
2:30 Because for the work of Christ he came near to death, hazarding
his life to supply that which was lacking in your service toward me-
We have just read that Epaphroditus was near to death due to sickness. It
could be that this sickness referred to some physical result of
persecution he had endured in an incident in which he risked his life to
supply Paul's needs. Perhaps his identification with the imprisoned Paul
and attempts to provide for him had led to him being so physically beaten
up that he was sick and nearly died. Their ministry to Paul was "lacking";
and yet Paul speaks so positively of their great love for him in chapter
1. He later praises them for sending him material help when he was in
Thessalonica (Phil. 4:16), and they had also sent gifts for Paul with
Epaphroditus when he had previously visited them (Phil. 4:18). In Phil.
4:10 he writes of how their care for him had "revived", and excuses their
lack of service to him as not having had the opportunity to do so: "But I
rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now at length you have revived your
thought for me. I know you did indeed take thought for me, but you lacked
opportunity". The rebuke here in 2:30 stands as it does; but Paul
positively seeks to excuse them, whilst not turning a blind eye. Seeing
the cup half full is no call to naivety or pretending not to notice
things; for that is no basis for legitimate, authentic relationship. Just
as Paul praises the Corinthians for their love of him and then reveals
their lack of love and respect for him, so with the Philippians Paul is so
positive about their care and love for him, and yet is not blind to the
fact that their lack of service led to Epaphroditus nearly losing his
life. This is not merely seeing the cup half full rather than half empty;
this is the rightful praise of others for what devotion they do show, even
if it is lacking, insufficient (Gk.), more than half empty. Paul's
attitude was surely a reflection of how the Father sees us His wayward
children, focusing with joy upon what little obedience and devotion we do
show rather than overly lamenting 'that which is lacking in [our] service
toward Him'.
"The work of Christ" was done by caring for Paul in prison, and like Paul,
Epaphroditus did not consider his life worth holding on to if it meant not
doing "the work of Christ". He like Paul considered that "to live is
Christ"; and like Paul he did not count his life dear to himself for the
sake of the ministry (Acts 20:24). "The work of Christ" may not mean
simply 'work done for Christ', for in :12,13 we have read of how God works
through our works. So "the work of Christ" would then refer to the work
done by Christ through us. And we like Paul and Epaphroditus should be so
absorbed in being Him and letting Him work through us, that the
continuation of our lives is not significant; for after resurrection we
shall eternally continue this way of being.
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