Philippians 2 - Be Like Christ
Philippians 2 is another of the key chapters that all Christians must know well.
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Philippians 2 (ESV)
1 So if there is
any encouragement in Christ,
any comfort from love,
any participation in the Spirit,
any affection and sympathy,
2 complete my joy by
being of the same mind,
having the same love,
being
in full accord
and of one mind.
3 Do
nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,
but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
4 Let each of you
look not only to his own interests,
but also to the interests of others.
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in
Christ Jesus,
6 who,
though he was in the form of God,
did not count
equality with God
a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself,
by taking the form of a servant,
being born in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God has
highly exalted him
and bestowed on him
the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow,
in heaven
and on earth
and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
12 Therefore, my beloved,
as you have always obeyed,
so now,
not only as in my presence
but much more in my absence,
work out
your own salvation
with fear and trembling,
13 for it is God who works in you,
both to will
and to work
for his good pleasure.
14 Do all things
without grumbling or disputing,
15 that you may be
blameless and innocent,
children of God
without blemish
in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation,
among whom you shine as lights in the world,
16 holding fast to the word of life,
so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
17 Even if
I am to be poured out
as a drink offering
upon the sacrificial offering of your faith,
I am glad and rejoice with you all.
18 Likewise
you also should be glad
and rejoice with me.
19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon,
so that I too may be cheered by news of you.
20 For
I have no one like him,
who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.
21 For
they all seek their own interests,
not those of Jesus Christ.
22 But you know Timothy’s proven worth,
how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel.
23 I hope therefore
to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me,
24 and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.
25 I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need,
26 for he has been longing for you all
and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill.
27 Indeed he was ill, near to death.
But God had mercy on him,
and not only on him but on me also,
lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
28 I am the more eager to send him, therefore,
that you may rejoice at seeing him again,
and that I may be less anxious.
29 So receive him in the Lord with all joy,
and honor such men,
30 for he nearly died for the work of Christ,
risking his life to complete
what was lacking in your service to me.
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Philippians 2 Summary
You've gained so much from Jesus - encouragement, comfort, Spiritual fellowship, affection & sympathy. But all of these benefits come with an obligation: to love Christ and be in one accord, that is in full alignment with Christ and His Church.
In demonstrating what it means to have the same mindset of Christ, this passage is one of the Bible's clearest christologies; meaning it's a fantastic resource to understand who and what Jesus is:
He's by nature God, but He then also assumed the nature of man.
Having successfully completed His mission, God exalted Christ above all things.
Atheism is a temporary condition. So says v11 - every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord - even the atheists will need confess this truth.
But in order to gain the everlasting benefits that come from confessing Jesus as Lord, you need to confess it here and now.
Paul ends this chapter with some 'housekeeping' details regarding visits from Timothy & Epaphroditus and hopefully even Paul. Even though that doesn't seem relevant to those of us living 2000 years later, these seemingly mundane details show us the importance of fellowship with Godly people in the church.
Dig Deeper
After the beautiful hymn illustrating both the full humanity and deity that Jesus is, Paul writes out something totally unexpected:
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling... (v12)
Certainly Paul's not contradicting his very clear doctrines that Christians are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone! Rather it's because of that salvation that you are equipped to work it out in every facet of life!
In fact, the rest of that sentence explains that even your hard work is a product of God's sovereignty:
... for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure (v13).
AAA Prayer:
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: The one who is above all things and to whom all glory is due (v9 & 11)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask God to give you the same love and purpose that Jesus did because you are united to Him (v2)
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
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