short essays on the letter to the philippians

7/31/2019 Short Essays on the Letter to the Philippians

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Short Essays on the Letter to the Philippians

October 30, 2012


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Introduction

Pauls letter to the brothers at Philippi offers a glimpse beneath the thick skin of the apostle. When reading his

other letters one comes away marveling at not only his mind but his strength of faith and character. In the

face of incredible adversity Paul stood as a staunch defender of the faith. He is the model of the Ephesians

man of armor who always stands, and who, when done standing, stands again. At the time of this writing Paul

was in prison and hurting from the effects of it upon his body and spirit. In this letter we glimpse a Paul who

admits to feeling the pain of his own suffering but who is not weakened; we see his strength in his words of

encouragement to the believers about how even his own pain is bringing the light of the gospel to the

household of his oppressor. Paul also shows us his amazing ability to rejoice. He emphasizes this word and his

own thanksgiving for the cause of Christ and for the fruits that have been grown from it. He thanks the

Philippians over and over again for their help in his time of trouble and he rejoices with them over their own

display of heart and faith and love. In this letter we also see into the business of the young church as Paul

writes to explain the itinerary of two of its travelling ministers and encourage unity among two sisters. We see

that Paul often acted as overseer as well as teacher over a body that was growing increasingly diverse. And

lastly, in this letter Paul refers to the peace of God that comes when one is steadfast in love to Him. This

acknowledgement of the suffering of the Philippians and their only true help in their time of trouble is a great

help to us as well. We too live in a crooked and twisted generation and we too need to keep our eyes on the

only One who can bring lasting peace to our troubled hearts.


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Philippians: Chapter 1

Philippians 1: 1-2 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the

overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Servant: Paul uses this term to describe his brothers and sisters in Christ. It is a metaphor for our relationship to our

Lord. Just as a slave is subject to his master, just as a bond-servant is bound to obey the one he is indebted to, so must

we consider ourselves as bound, if not by chains of steel, then with chains of the spirit to the One who has purchased

our very souls from certain destruction. Paul uses a term that we would never wish to put upon ourselves to purposely

remind the believers of their complete and total indebtedness to the King. Later in his letter Paul exhorts his readers to

be as humble in heart as Christ our Lord was in His. Paul suggests that the relationship Jesus chose, on our behalf, is one

of slave to the desires of His Father in the salvation of mankind. The term slave is not one of doom and hopelessness,

but one that is transformed by the miracle of our salvation into a term of honor. It is the only term suitable for the

believer. No more can we hold ourselves as better than any other man upon the earth. No more does our position or ou

experience gain us a pedestal above men. If we wish to be true, if we wish to be honest we must call ourselves Slave.

It has occurred to me that this term is applied to us by the Lord but it must also be applied willingly to oneself by the

believer in Him. We must choose the life of bond-servant to our King. We must acknowledge the debt that we owe and

willingly pledge ourselves to Gods service, not as repayment of the debt, but in gratitude for it. This term is used almost

in an opposite fashion by Jesus as it has been used by men. Men have always been slaves in resistance and with

resentment. We, however, are slaves willingly and with gratitude.

Philippians 1: 3-11 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my

prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who

began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you

all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the

defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may

approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that

comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Paul uses the phrase you all four times in this passage. He uses the word translated all even more often. His concern

for these people is all-inclusive. His prayer is for every single one of them- for all of the believers in Philippi. This opening

prayer of thanksgiving is dripping with kindness and love from the apostle to this church. His heart is practically pouring

out love toward these believers. And whats more, he appears to be sincere! What would it be like to love in this

manner? to hold in your heart a yearning for the best of Gods love for everybody in your church? I carry this yearning

for my wife and children to a great extent but it rarely manifests outward to others in my body of believers. How can we

cultivate this type of expression of heartfelt affection? Probably in the same way we do anything that is in opposition to

our sinfully inclined hearts, by simply stepping out in obedience and doing that which our Lord has commanded us to do

Jesus gave us two great commands that He taught summed up the entire will of God in Law. He taught us to Love God

first and foremost, and then to Love others. Doing the first can only be achieved by doing the second for Jesus also

taught us that if we are to truly love Him we will be found doing that which He has commanded us to do- which is to

love our neighbors as ourselves. So the two great commands can really be summed up even further by simply loving

others. This love is not a feeling. Paul was not simply feeling great affection for these believers but he was actively doing

that which they needed done for them. He was praying for their walk with God, he was sending them helpful ministers


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to teach them further, and he was giving them instruction on how to behave in every situation. These people occupied

the mind of Paul and he was devoted to helping them in any way that he could. That is what we can try to do- it may be

the easiest to do within the walls of the family but it must be extended outward to include our physical neighbors and

then our neighbors in the rest of our communities and the world. To the extent we are able to cultivate this within

ourselves may be the fruit of the extent to which we have loved our Lord and our God.

Philippians 1: 3-4 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my

prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

Paul is thankful for the partnership of the Philippians with him in the gospel. As we saw in chapter 16 of the book of Acts

Philippi was the first recorded city to begin a church. These believers were the first church plant outside of Jerusalem.

They were the first fruits of the work of Paul and as such must have held a very special place in his heart. According to

Acts they had seen him through his imprisonment with Silas in Philippi and they had helped consequently when he was

in need in Thessalonica, when no one else had done so (4:16).

The gospel that they partake in could be the very fact of their salvation through the Lord Jesus; it could mean the good

news in the traditional sense of the word that they are no longer doomed to destruction but are now partakers in the

Light of the World. It could also be used here to mean that they have shared with Paul in the preaching of this good

news to the whole of Europe. Pauls primary objective was to spread this gospel to the entire gentile world. His

continued journeys back and forth across the continent were to spread the news of Jesus to as many people as possible

and to see that the churches grew mature and flourished wherever they had been planted. The Philippians were early

stakeholders in Pauls ministry and he thanks them again and again for their faithfulness to him and to the gospel of

Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1: 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus

Christ.

The work of salvation is an excellent beginning for any man but as good as that gift is it is only a beginning. The work of

completion in the life of a believer must still be accomplished. God begins the work in man, be that man a child when

first saved, and therefore relatively unstained by the snares and pits of the world, or be that man grown and covered in

the mire and filth of life in the world of men. The gift takes the holiness of Jesus Christ and imparts it to the life of a

sinful man and covers that man from the punishment due him for his sinfulness. The man is now clean forever and again

in the eyes of his loving Father but his heart is still capable of inclining toward evil. The gift of Jesus is that His death paid

for us the price due our EVERY sin, even the ones yet to be committed. The death of Jesus was enormous in scope; the

death of God covered all of it, for all of mankind, past, present and future. Those of us who receive the benefit of that

gift receive our share of His payment applied to our account and we are free of our debt. We willingly become Hisbondservants, knowing that we have been given a gift that can never be repaid and that we now belong to a family that

is larger than we could possibly imagine. Our continuing inclination toward evil and our ability to be deceived by the

world and the flesh and the devil are still works that need to be finished before we can truly live as God intends his

creation to live. Paul writes that he is sure that that work will be completed in the lives of every believer when the day o

Jesus Christ arrives. This day, I can only hazard a guess, will be the day when this world is wrapped up like an old blanket

and thrown away. On that day a new creation will be revealed and our hearts will truly be prepared for it. On that day

we will begin the new era of the life of man, living in true harmony with the will and the love of God.


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Hebrews 1:10-12 And You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work

of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them

up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.

It might be good to think about how we might prepare for that day by trying our best to love God and others,

thereby completing ourselves as much as possible before that day comes. It rests with Gods power to grant us

the strength to overcome our own sinfulness but it rests with us to act out the demands of love. Love is a verb

and it requires us to step out in faith with action.

Philippians 1: 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers

with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

Paul is making a case for his love of the brethren in Philippi. It seems unnecessary for him to have to do so because it is

obvious for many reasons why he loves them. They were his first church. They helped him when no one else would. The

were the fruit of his evangelism and prayer. He was led to them by the Holy Spirit. But Paul offers an additional reason,

perhaps the most important one, for his love, that they are partakers of grace with him. The word grace is used in

several different ways in Scripture. The attitude of one who has received favor can be called one of grace if that person

is thankful and of a friendly disposition. The act of bestowing favor upon another is also considered grace. In this

passage Paul seems to be referring to the benefit that they together have received from God in their walking together a

believers through his imprisonment and his work spreading the gospel, even in the face of opposition. They share a

fellowship of grace, a partnership which has developed in their shared work and hard times. It may go without saying

but it seems that we often think of grace as simply the blessing upon us at salvation. It is the tremendous gift of an

eternity with God when what we naturally deserved was an eternity apart from Him. This most certainly is grace but

grace appears to be so much more. Grace is the forever gift of life and it is the daily gift of opportunity to work for God

and to stand strong in the face of difficulty. Here is our elder in the church suffering at the hands of enemies of the

gospel at one moment and then suffering in a prison the next. The Philippians were found to be loyal to Paul and stood

with him in these difficulties. They shared in his work and in his pain and came alongside with their support. Throughthis fellowship these believers shared the grace of God in the strength He gave and they learned grace, the thankfulness

that comes with struggle and victory.

Philippians 1: 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers

with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

[The gospel that Paul mentions originates from Jesus Christ. Paul is so enamored with his savior that he cannot stop

mentioning the name of Christ; seven times in these first 11 verses alone (and thats not even counting the times he

mentions God)!]

As I said above the gospel is salvation; it is the good news (literally) that God so loved the world that He sent His only

Son, Jesus, that whoever believed in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). This means of course, if you

read John further, that those who do not believe are doomed to destruction. The world is already condemned to be

destroyed and it is only because of Jesus Christ that anyone is saved from that. Think about that for a moment and try to

get yourself in such a frame of mind as Paul so obviously had. Try to conjure up the kind of fierce devotion that would

make you willing to undergo any amount of persecution and suffering in order to see the name of your Lord believed in.

Pauls mission must not have been merely to see others saved, although that is the gospel as well; Paulwas intent on

seeing His savior magnified upon the earth! Oh to have such devotion- to not cringe from it when I see it; to love the


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Lord as Paul and these early believers did- to defend and confirm the gospel with all my heart and soul and strength.

Amen?

Philippians 1: 12-14 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the

gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for

Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak

the word without fear.

As I said earlier, Pauls situation was not pleasant for him and yet he still found the good that could come from it and

took the opportunity that was before him. Because of his chains Paul saw the gospel advance into areas that otherwise

may have remained un-evangelized for a very long time. The very fact that it was known throughout that the prisoner

named Paul was being held due to his strong belief in Jesus Christ is enough reason, in Pauls mind, for his suffering. But

in addition to that Paul also saw the effect that his own boldness to continue preaching, even after being locked up for

doing that very thing, was having on the younger believers in the surrounding areas. They too were becoming bolder

and gaining confidence from his example.

It always gives a lift to ones own faith when one sees the gospel preached with courage and conviction. The world is

filled with motivational speakers whose purpose is to encourage and drive people toward whatever belief or system

they happen to be selling. With Pauls example we have the ultimate case of motivation for the ultimate cause being

Jesus Christ and salvation through Him. What we need more of in our time are people who boldly proclaim the name of

Jesus Christ with courage and conviction and without apology. We are very apprehensive to share our faith or to even

declare it because the devil has won a great victory in placing a barrier between faith and society. The spiritual has been

relegated to the confines of the church and is grossly out of place in the secular world. The very fact that we speak in

terms of the secular and the sacred is evidence of this grand failure on the part of the Christian church to overcome the

devil in this battle. What would it take to transform us back into the kind of believers that would forsake everything in

order to see the name of Jesus Christ lifted high?

2 Timothy 2:8-Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for

which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!

The NASB translates that last part as the word of God is not imprisoned. Another aspect of what Paul is saying

here is that nothing prevented the word of God from going forth. Paul was chained as a criminal; he was denied

a speedy trial as we now so carefully afford our prisoners, he had no assurance of the outcome or if there even

would be one save his own death in chains. As a result of this situation Paul battled the desire to leave the body

and to go to Jesus in heaven. He must have battled despair and loneliness and depression at times. He might

have struggled with his own anger. Because of his human failings and the harsh conditions of his captivity it

would make sense to consider that his impact as an evangelist would be limited. But here in 2 Timothy and in

our passage in Philippians Paul declares the opposite. He says that the gospel has reached those around him,

that it has emboldened the believers in the churches, and that it has in no way been imprisoned or bound. The

Word of God is active and once it goes out it will return fruitful.

Isaiah 55:10-11 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the

earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that

goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall

succeed in the thing for which I sent it.


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Philippians 1:15-18 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of

love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but

thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is

proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Yet another example of Paul making sweet, sweet lemonade out of bitter, bitter lemons. This passage seems a little odd

to me because at first I couldnt really figure how the gospel of Jesus Christ could be preached in any way except in love.

How can the story of the love of God be perverted to serve such a purpose as Paul describes?

It would seem that at the time of his captivity there were those in the church who did not love Paul as deeply as Paul

loved them. That Paul had enemies would seem obvious, given that he was a converted Pharisee and was preaching the

very heresy that he once led the persecution of. But the enemies Paul writes of here come from those who should have

been on his side and in his camp. As I said, this confused me at first until I started to think of the situations that my

church has gone through and how even in the best of places with the best of people that wicked little sin of pride can

grow into a powerful force for evil. Given the right circumstances and the wrong priorities set by those in leadership

pride can make believers do all kind of foolishly wicked things in the name of Jesus Christ. Thinking about it a little more

and you start to remember how atrocities like slavery have been defended as biblically mandated, how the repression o

women has been seen as the rightful order of things, and how something as wicked as the Holocaust could be

marginalized as due punishment for the people that crucified the Lord. Pride in place and pride in spirit can lead men to

all kinds of sinful conclusions; and so it would seem in Pauls case where there were certain men who sought to rid

themselves of the oversight of Paul by adding to his burdens while in prison.

1 Corinthians 1:10-13 10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and

that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has

been reported to me by Chloes people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that

each one of you says, I follow Paul, or I follow Apollos, or I follow Cephas, or I follow Christ.Is Christ

divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

Another example of a similar though possibly not as grievous sin. Here the believers were arguing amongstthemselves, much in the way the disciples had, about who was baptized by the greater man. They were

apparently taking pride in the form of their baptism rather than in the Man in whose name they were being

baptized. They were letting the trivialities of the sinful heart become major stumbling blocks in the fellowship.

We do the same kind of thing today when we argue about the mode of baptism, the type and frequency of the

celebration of the Lords Table, the accepted forms of worship, the proper amount of attention to pay to the Old

Testament laws, the doctrines of justification and sanctification, and the list could go on and on. Since that very

first split between the Temple and Christian worship the Church of Jesus Christ has been fractured time and time

again. Due to what I mistakenly called a wicked little sin earlier Pride has time and again been allowed to destroy

more of the church than Love has been able to build. Here in the 1 Corinthians passage as well as in our

Philippians passage the only remedy is to fix ones eyes firmly upon the cross of Christ. It is not to man that weshould look for accolades or ultimate standing before God, it is not for position that we should be working when

we open Gods word to study or to preach. It is only to Jesus that we must continue to look in order to receive

the grace that He so freely offers, in order that we might pass that grace on to others, and in order that we

might ever continue to grow as believers and to work our salvation and sanctification to completion.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every

weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to

Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising

the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.


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From Matthew Henry: Now this would be a stumbling-block and discouragement to some, that there were

those who envied Pauls reputation in the churches, and the interest he had among the Christians, and

endeavoured to supplant and undermine him. They were secretly pleased when he was laid up in prison, that

they might have the better opportunity to steal away the peoples affections; and they laid themselves out the

more in preaching, that they might gain to themselves the reputation they envied him

And in verse 18 we read the words of a true Christian. He does not lash out at his enemies but acknowledges their evil

intentions and then reminds his readers that their wicked endeavors will ultimately serve the same purpose as his own.

As long as Christ is being preached, which has been shown to be Pauls primary objective, than there is really nothing to

complain about.

Ive considered this during the period when my own church was undergoing an internal struggle of sorts. I noticed that

while many members left the fellowship, myself included, and for good reasons no doubt, there were others who were

coming to the church as brand new attendees. I thought, How can this be? Surely this church was going to fail due to

their arrogance of leadership, their refusal to listen to words of advice from within the body. I thought that after all of

the leaders themselves finally left the church then I would see the church fail. The pastor was left with a remnant of

what used to be a vibrant community but still the church did not fail, it is there to this day. And it attracted a community

of Nepalese believers who were moving into the neighborhood and it now houses a Nepalese church, within the larger

one, which welcomes immigrants and shares the good news of Christ.

So what happened here? I discovered, and was humbled by my discovery, that the Church of Christ is not ever going to

fail. It cannot be stopped. It may be hindered and its truest form may never be realized because its members continually

fall into the trap that Paul just wrote about (pride), but it will not fail. My church failed in its service to its own members.

It failed to rise above personal desire and serve the cause of Christ. Nevertheless it continued to preach the word, if with

less than pure motive, and it survives, and the Word of God goes out and is fruitful. We sometimes get hung up on the

here and now and focus our energies on what are largely temporal concerns. It is an easy trap to fall into but it really

only serves one purpose and that is to limit the effect of the gospel. Instead we must always endeavor to take a long

view of the Church and of Jesus and keep our temporal struggles, no matter how severe, in their proper places. In this

way we will be more like Paul and less like his enemies.

Philippians 1:18-26 Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ

this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that

with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ,

and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am

hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh

is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your

progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to

you again.

With his focus solely on Jesus, Paul acknowledges his struggle and tells his readers his desire. He tells them that he

wants very badly to go and be with the Lord, and we cannot help but imagine that his suffering in captivity has reached a

critical level. Paul feels as if he were going to die and very bluntly states that he would prefer death because it means

that he would finally get to be with the Lord. But again, Paul gives us an example to follow in suffering which is to focus

on the work that the Lord has given us to do, namely loving our neighbors, and we must resolve to do that very thing, no

matter the obstacles that get in the way. Even in the face of death this man has shown us that it is possible to be like

Christ in this regard; like the One who faced torture and ridicule and was ultimately destroyed at the hands of those He


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loved dearly, without saying a word in His own defense, but only asking His Father to forgive an ignorant people. Paul

chooses to remain with his children because he knows that they need him. We too must remain in order to complete

the task that we have been given. We each have someone that can use our help. Find that someone, do that work, live

another day, and rejoice with Paul that when your time is truly come, Jesus will take you home to live in peace forever.

Philippians 1:19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my

deliverance

Paul acknowledges prayer in this verse as a component of his own deliverance. He is trusting partly in the prayers of the

believers in Philippi to bring about the completion of his ordeal. Prayer is that grand mystery of the faith. It begs the

questions, Why does an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent God need the prayers of His people in order to bring

about His will upon the earth? Does God actually allow His will to be thwarted when His people do not pray?

I am not sure where to go to find the answers to these questions except to my own experience and to scripture. My own

experience tells me that I can feel when others pray for me; that I know in the midst of a troubling time or immediately

after that I have been remembered before God. My experience tells me that when I myself pray for others I often can

see the working of God in those others seemingly in answer to my prayer. Scripture tells me that men have prayed sincethe beginning of the bibles recorded history. Scripture tells me that prayer needs an intermediary, that Moses acted as

that intermediary in the wilderness and that Jesus acts as ours in the present. Scripture tells me that the Holy Spirit can

hear the words of my own heart and will deliver them to God in words that I can never express. And Jesus told us that

whatever we desire we can bring to the Lord in prayer. So I can say that I know what prayer is and that it is a real

transaction between our mortal world and Gods immortal and everlasting heaven. But to answer the questions offered

above?

One obvious answer is that an omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent God does not need anything, that much is

clear. He does not need for us to pray to Him because He is sufficient for Himself and lacking nothing. He existed before

everything that is made had been made and He existed in perfect harmony with Himself. He needs nothing, lacks

nothing, and requires nothing from anything that He has made. But He does have desires. God desires for a creation tha

responds to him in love and out of a willing heart and mind. God does desire for His children to love Him and to seek

Him out to honor and glorify Him. God does desire a relationship with us. Because of this, and because of the physical

nature of God, prayer is the vehicle that God devised for that communion. Instead of asking why God needs the prayers

of His children we might instead ask, Why does God allowthe prayers of His children? Our God is so holy that when He

first instituted His covenant with the children of Israel He set up very carefully defined conditions surrounding His

presence among them. The tabernacle, and later the temple, had layers of protection for the people from the holiness o

God and strict regulations concerning which people and at what times could even enter into the innermost areas to

serve the Lord. So why would a holy God, One so far above us in nature that we are inconsequential to His very being,

allow us to pray to Him, as if we had anything to offer Him, or any way of gaining His favor? The answer, simply enough,

is that He desires it! He actually wants to live with us in communion with Him. He is such an embodiment of love that it

had to spread, and so he made a people that would further embody His love. He loves us enough to suffer our existence

even at its worst, and He loves us enough to redeem that existence, even at the cost of His very own Son. His love is why

we are allowed to pray.

Prayer is a sign of our relationship with God. It builds that relationship and it is the vehicle through which we become

aligned and attuned to Gods will. Like talking to your father and learning about the world and about things too complex

to understand yourself prayer is the means through which we gain insight into Gods kingdom and His will for us.


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Gods ways are so far above our own that we often fail in our attempts to understand them. We apply linear thinking in

our discovery of His word and in our travel through our lives. We assume simple cause and effect relationships between

our actions and perceived results. We see events unfold and we look to the past to understand why they occurred in the

manner they did. But we fail sometimes to take into account Gods plan as it must truly exist, as different from the linear

as a simple circle is from a sphere. Gods plan for our salvation, for the larger goal of creating a loving body of believers,

must be anything but linear. He must have figured into His equation every variable that could ever possibly occur and

still worked the equation so that his desired outcome is guaranteed. That is why, as scripture states, the word of God

will always come back bearing fruit. It is inevitable, regardless of how we fall off the path He has so laboriously placed uson; His ultimate plan for us will be completed.

Philippians 1:19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my

deliverance

My first question is whether this is the Holy Spirit that is being referred to or if it is a reference to the power of Jesus

Christ; my guess is that it is the former. There are several occurrences in the New Testament of the words Spirit of Christ

or Spirit of Jesus. In these instances the words Spirit, Spirit of God and Spirit of Christ are used interchangeably (Romans

8:9); the Spirit of the Son causes the believer to cry out Abba! (Galatians 4:6); and the Spirit of Christ caused theprophets of old to prophecy of things they had not yet seen (1 Peter 1:11). My understanding of the Trinity is that the

Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three distinct persons of the Godhead but yet are somehow mysteriously and

fabulously one God. They each have their separate roles, roles which changed drastically in the creation and salvation of

man. The Holy Spirit is the counselor and teacher in the ages living after the cross and we each carry Him in our own

spirit where He guides us and teaches us when we are still enough to listen and abide. The Holy Spirit is and has been

sent to man by both the Father and the Son throughout recorded scripture. In this last role the Spirit may be called the

Spirit of Jesus if in these passages He has been sent by Jesus with these messages and these motivations. But how do we

know for sure?

From R.A. Torrey, The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

The subordination of the Holy Spirit to the Father and the Son comes out also in the fact that He derives some

of His names from the Father and from the Son. We read in Rom. 8:9, But ye are not in the flesh, but in the

Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.

Here we have two names of the Spirit, one derived from His relation to the Father, the Spirit of God, and the

other derived from His relation to the Son, the Spirit of Christ.

From D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Great Doctrines of the Bible: Volume II

The best way to approach the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is to start by noticing the names or the descriptive

titles that are given to this blessed person. First of all, there are the many names that relate Him to the Father;let me enumerate some of them: the Spirit of God (Gen. 1:2); the Spirit of the Lord (Luke 4:18); the Spirit of our

God (1 Cor. 6:11). Then another is, the Spirit of the Lord God, which is in Isaiah 61:1. Our Lord speaks, in

Matthew 10:20, of the Spirit of your Father, while Paul refers to the Spirit of the living God (2 Cor. 3:3). My

Spirit, says God, in Genesis 6:3, and the psalmist asks, Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? (Ps. 139:7). He is

referred to as his SpiritGods Spiritin Numbers 11:29; and Paul, in Romans 8:11, uses the phrase the Spirit of

him [God the Father] that raised up Jesus from the dead. All these are descriptive titles referring to the Holy

Spirit in terms of His relationship to the Father.


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In the second group are the titles that relate the Holy Spirit to the Son. First, If any man have not the Spirit of

Christ he is none of his (Rom. 8:9), which is a most important phrase. The word Spirit here refers to the Holy

Spirit.1 In Philippians 1:19, Paul speaks about the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and in Galatians 4:6 he says, God hath

sent forth the Spirit of his Son. Finally He is referred to as the Spirit of the Lord (Acts 5:9).

Im sure that this is way off base but I have to admit that I wonder sometimes about the doctrine of the Holy Spirit- As I

sit here thinking about this I could almost convince myself that we have it all wrong- that there is no Trinity but just the

Father and the Son and their relationship. But then I start to remember scripture; and the most important thing to do

when studying scripture is to do your best not to make it say what you want it to say, as if you had the answer that

everyone else somehow missed. The verse that I just remembered was the one where Jesus teaches about the

unforgiveable sin, the sin against the Spirit that must not occur. Jesus was very jealous for the holiness of the Spirit, as it

was Him that gave Jesus strength in His time on the earth.

Luke 12:10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who

blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

Paul was personally acquainted with the Spirit in some fashion that even we who are blessed to have Him indwell in us

are not. I am of the mind that Paul must have interacted with the Spirit directly as it hints at in Acts 16: 6-7 where Luke

says that they could not go where they had intended because the Spirit of Jesus did not allow it. Also in Acts 20: 22-23when Paul gives his farewell to the believers he speaks of the Spirit testifying to him that certain imprisonments and

chains await him. This is only intimation but in Pauls case it seems pretty clear that he had more of a direct line to God

than we do. Paul was one of the only ones to ever hear the voice of Jesus after His ascension. Paul spoke of being taken

to the third heaven while in the body and seeing and hearing things that he wasnt allowed to repeat. Yes, Paul had

Gods ear and God had Pauls undivided attention. We can only wish that God would speak to us in the same manner as

he did to Paul and His chosen instruments; but if He were to speak to us in that manner would we be willing to assume

the struggle that each of those men and women faced in order to serve our great and mighty God?

Hebrews 11: 32-38 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson,

Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice,obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword,

were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back

their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a

better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they

were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute,

afflicted, mistreated of whom the world was not worthywandering about in deserts and mountains, and in

dens and caves of the earth.

Philippians 1:20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with fullcourage now

as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.

Here is one of the places in this letter where I think we see the heart of Paul more intimately. We can read into his

words his acknowledgement that he is at times frightened that he will not stand up under the strain of his

imprisonment. He desires to do the very thing that he so often encourages us to do in his letters but he knows that it is

possible that he might fail. And we know that for him to fail would have been devastating because of his very deep and

sincere love for Jesus. It is his one overarching wish that at each moment of his life and at the end of it too, the record

would show that he had stayed the course, had remained upright and facing forward and that he had not done anything

to detract from the gospel of Jesus Christ.


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Ephesians 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day,

and having done all, to stand firm.

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

It is the unique nature of our religion that we are equipped to do the right things; we have been given great

power to draw from, but by nature we are so terribly sinful that when confronted by our own lusts and passions

in addition to the temptations delivered us by evil, we often fail to stand as strongly as we know we ought. At

times it can even appear to us that it is impossible to stay on the right course, that somehow we are doomed to

failure and our cause for Christ is hopeless.

Romans 7: 15-20 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I

hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but

sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to

do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is

what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

Pauls confession of his own sin is terribly encouraging to those of us who also struggle to remain doing those

very things that we know we ought to do. Here is the great apostle writing that he too struggles to stay on

course, for which he has been specially chosen, to lay out for the entire church to come. Here is the church

planter that started the first churches! And he is the one admitting to this great struggle that the lowest of us

can so identify with. But do not miss his point- it is not us that do these things any longer, for the us in us- if you

catch my meaning- has been transformed. We are now sons of the Father and we carry His Spirit in our hearts.

We are now empowered by the Lord to do that which Paul reminded us earlier in Philippians would one day be

made perfect. It is the sin in us that still causes us to fail. It is sin that entangles us and although we are not

guiltless in this we are no longer held accountable to it and in some respects we are powerless to change it.

Change will come, one day. In that day the Lord will finish what He began so long ago in Eden and carried

throughout history. We will be made new in His holy image and in that day we will no longer be troubled by this

failure. We will be perfect and utterly holy. Amen?

From Matthew Henry: It is much for the glory of Christ that we should serve him boldly and not be ashamed of

him, with freedom and liberty of mind, and without discouragement: That in nothing I shall be ashamed, but

that with all boldness Christ may be magnified. The boldness of Christians is the honour of Christ.

Henry references Pauls statement in Romans 1:16 where he declares that he is not ashamed of the

gospel because it represents the power of God in man. To shrink from that power in shame makes no

sense although doing so out of fear during persecution makes sense and happens frequently. Henry is

saying that Paul does not desire to ever be seen as ashamed of the gospel- everything Paul does is for

the glory of Christ and the cause of the gospel. Even his death he desires to serve that end.

From the Life Application Bible Commentary: Paul hoped and expected to not be put to shame in any way. He

was not worried about his own humiliation, but he prayed for courage to present the gospel. When standing

trial, Paul wanted to speak Gods truth courageously and not be timid or ashamed.

Philippians 1:21-26 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for

me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ,

for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will


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remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory

in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

An admission of a desire for the end of things. We hope for the return of Christ for many reasons but I would guess that

primarily among those reasons is a desire to be free from the trouble and turmoil of our day to day existence. This is a

selfish desire no doubt but it is one that Paul appears to admit to. Imagine being in Pauls place, having spoken directly

to the Lord, having seen heaven with your own eyes and heard the majestic sounds there, having felt the power of God

course through you in healing and in vision and speech. Who wouldnt want to go to be with the Lord more than one

who had firsthand knowledge of how incredibly wonderful it would be? And yet even in this desire Paul shows incredible

restraint and discipline. He knows that it would not be a better thing if God does not desire it for him. And so Paul

concludes that to stay would be the better desire (he does desire that as well) because he knows that he will be able to

serve his children that much longer and that through their watching him tolerate and excel in his struggle they

themselves would grow in faith and courage. And one day Paul knows that he will see them again and then their joy and

his own will be complete.

Philippians 1:21 for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Paul was nothing without Christ. He had rid himself of every other notion except his service to the Lord. We are made

new when we come to Jesus. We are rid of our old selves and we put on the new of Christ. The old is gone, the new has

come. Paul is a great example of that truth lived to its fullest. To live is Christ- what a statement! What a transformation

that would make in a life if it were lived to its fullest!

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life

I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

From Matthew Henry: Some read the whole expression thus: To me, living and dying, Christ is gain; that is, I

desire no more, neither while I live nor when I die, but to win Christ and be found in him.

Philippians 1:27-30 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or

am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of

the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your

salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him

but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

For Paul to be satisfied completely he must be assured that the Philippians will conduct themselves as Christians ought,

more so that he is away from them and unable to instruct them directly or tend to their needs. He expects them to grow

up and care for themselves in his absence. He is like the parent leaving the kids at home for a night. He tells them to begood, to not fight with their brothers and sisters, and to make him proud. He wants them to remain strong even when it

gets dark outside and things get scary in the shadows. To leave my analogy, Paul tells them to face their struggles as he

has, to stand up to their enemies and respond to every opportunity in the way that best serves the gospel.

But what is it to be worthy of the Gospel?

Ephesians 4:1-6 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with

which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in

love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just


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as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all

who is over all and through all and in all.

Unity abounds in this passage- a life worthy of the gospel, to which we have been called to represent and

proclaim, is a life that preserves the unity of the Spirit in the body of Christ. We are to get along with each other

We are to care for each other by being kind, gentle, patient, and above all humble. There is only one gospel;

there is only one body of Christ; there is only one Jesus and one Father and one Holy Spirit- we represent that

unity on the earth through our thoughts, our speech and our actions.

Colossians 1:9-10 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask

that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will

walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and

increasing in the knowledge of God;

Philippians 1:27-28 I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the

faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but

of your salvation, and that from God.

Unity. This has been the identifying characteristic of the people of God. At least, that is Gods desire for His people. We

are supposed to show the world our city on a hill (Matthew 5:14). Our light is supposed to shine upon the world and

cause mankind to look to the source, God (Matthew 5:16). When we live in unity and do our works before men people

will ask how it is we have the will and the power to do such things. Our answer can be a simple word, God. Our lives of

morality and good works will cause men to glorify our God, who alone deserves that glory.

1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that

there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Alas, too often we live our lives before other men as if we were no different than other men. The only difference

they may see in our divisions compared to their own is that we call ours denominational. And that is the Church

Even more, men can often see that there really is no great difference between those who claim to be Christian

and themselves, who do not. We live in the same places, we frequent the same sorts of entertainment, we use

the same language, we work with the same ethic; we even argue and libel and complain with the same intensity

In the above passage from 1 Corinthians Paul was rebuking the Church for arguing over whose baptism was

greater. They brought division into their church over the importance of the person who had baptized them into

the name of Christ! Later, in the same letter, Paul redresses them for pushing and shoving before eating the

Lords Supper. Imagine, coming together to remember that you, a sinner, one with no chance of redemption,

was purchased by the blood of a holy God, and you are arguing over which man is important in your church and

who gets the best seat and the food at the table. And this behavior was in the church two thousand years ago!What is it like today?

Man is very much the same today. Our sins are no less and probably no greater. We are saved by the same

blood, and we all begin our walk to heaven at the foot of the same cross. And unfortunately, our churches are

still riddled with politicking and backstabbing in order that a few may control the purse or the glory that comes

from doing good deeds. Then to make it worse, we take our behavior out into the streets where the nations

gather and we display it before them so they can mock our religion and our God for being no different than their

own. We enter the same courtrooms and are just as petty as everyone else. We marry our wives and then leave

them with just as much frequency as the rest of the world. We father children and then leave them orphaned


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just as the unwashed do. We lie and steal and cheat, murder, abort, and slander just as often as the unsaved do

If this is the case, then how is God glorified? How does He look any different than the myriad of impotent wood

and stone idols that people set up in their backyards as gods? How can our light shine if we snuff out the flame

ourselves? How can our city on the hill be seen if we build it in the valley?

God wants for us, in the body of Christ, to be unified as one people. He has broken down the barriers between

all men and Himself, so that all men may come to Him without fear. He wants for us to remember from where

we came and Who it was that worked that salvation. He then wants us to take that symbol of love into our

fellowships and then into the world so that it can be seen for the beautiful and glorious thing that it is. We carry

the gift of Gods love in our very spirits; we ought to act like it!

Paul offers a reason for their disunity: fear. These believers were being harassed, just as Paul was, for their faith and

display of faith in Jesus Christ. They were tempted to play down their faith in the community in order to lessen the

persecution they received from those not willing to suffer their beliefs. This abuse may have come from the pagans or

more likely it came from the Jews or judaizers within the church. Paul encourages the faithful to remain faithful; to stand

together in one spirit and to resist these temptations and these evil men.

Again, to stand publicly and show your faith like a light onto the world is to show the glory of God and His love. At worst,

this will get you suffering from the persecutorial actions of Gods enemies. But from an eternal perspective this will be abeacon signaling to that very same world its own destruction for refusing the Word of the Lord. Our stance, from a

unified Church, shows our salvation and the worlds ultimate destruction.

Philippians 1:29-30 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also

suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

There it is; proof from scripture that a life lived in faith to the Son of God will not be an easy one. We must expect to

suffer for our faith. We must expect ridicule and persecution for claiming and daring to proclaim the name of Christ.

Matthew 5:11-12 Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you andutter all kinds of evil against

you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the

prophets who were before you.

And, as odd as it sounds, when this happens we are to consider ourselves blessed, because God indeed blesses

us for this. Actually, this reads more as if the persecution itself is a blessing, as if suffering is somehow a thing to

make us happyupon the earth. Paul, in another letter, writes how he suffers gladly for the name of Christ; that

the suffering he underwent was worth it, for the sake of Christ. Walking in the shoes of the Lord and being

considered worthy to suffer in the same manner was an honorable thing to which he felt himself unworthy.

Tradition holds that Peter took this sentiment so far that when they crucified him he requested to be crucified

upside down because he felt unworthy to die in the same manner as the Lord. All of this points to a condition of

the heart that is utterly sold out to Christ. I can only make sense of this if I think of a man who lives for Christ

and is willing to die for his love of Christ. That, I believe is what Paul is striving to convey here in these verses,

that is what Jesus was striving to convey in the verses above, and that is what we are being asked to attain to

now. It has been granted to us, given to us, to suffer for the sake of Jesus. The question is, will we accept that

suffering by intentionally proclaiming Him through our lives and our actions or will we shirk that blessing as too

hard? Who will win over us? our enemies or our Savior?


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Philippians: Chapter 2

Philippians 2:1-11 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any

affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of

one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of

you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is

yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but

made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form,he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted

him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in

heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the

Father.

I love this passage! And I love the way that Paul sets up the argument. The man who just wrote that to live is Christ asks

a series of rhetorical questions: Is there any encouragement in Christ? Do you get comfort from love? Do you enjoy

fellowship in the Spirit and its attendant affection and sympathy with other believers?

This is from the man who suffered gladly for the cause of Christ. He willingly went into the arena of persecution in order

to see men saved and the name of Jesus lifted up. This is the man who at the time of this writing was sitting in prison

and was unsure whether or not he was going to survive. This man suffered all of that willingly and, I think, considered it

an honor to do so for the sake of the gospel. He knew the answer to each of those questions. He himself answered each

with a resounding, Yes!

Here we come to the rhetorical answer, so to speak, the logical response to those questions. Since all of that is true,

since Pauls life so clearly showed that only through the encouragement of Jesus; and the help of the Spirit; and the

fellowship of the Church could he hold up under the pressures that he was constantly under; there is only one way to

respond. And Paul lays that way out in the next verses. The rhetorical answer, which sinful man must have spelled out

for him, is simply humility. A man who lives a life worthy of the gospel (1:27) is a man who knows that his strength and

endurance come from God and what God has so graciously provided. A man who knows this must assume a position of

humility, just as Christ did, and live as if others were more important than himself. That is the rhetorical answer, the

one that should not need to be said, but one that is repeated often throughout scripture. Mans ears are sometimes not

ready to hear!

Romans 15:1-3 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please

ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but

as it is written, The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.

1 Corinthians 10:24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.

1 Corinthians 10:33- 11:1 Just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but

that of many, that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let

each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Rivalry or Conceit- in the NASB this is selfishness or empty conceit. According to Strongs the word translated rivalry

seems to connote a seeking of office without regard for the method of attaining it. It is a willingness to use low means to

gain ones own desired end. The word translated empty conceit connotes an empty pride- a pride without merit; vain

glory.


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This is a little more selfish than ordinary selfishness because it requires one to seek ones own benefit without

consideration of the ethics involved. Children will often be selfish, refusing to share, grabbing the best piece first, but

they do not ordinarily plot how to achieve that best piece or horde their belongings. A child that would do this would

have to be watched very closely as they grew up! Adults on the other hand will often plan their next move in order to

gain an objective. A person without Christ may do this as a matter of course and call it good business or simply the

politics of life. But here in this passage Paul reminds the Christian that he is no longer allowed to act that way. There is a

different standard now that we have been saved and it precludes this type of self-seeking.

The believer is now expected to follow the example set for him by Jesus Christ. Paul reminds us that Jesus had no inkling

of self-seeking in the work that He accomplished on the earth. He did not do the things that He did in order to better His

own position or to exalt Himself in the eyes of men or even His own Father. Paul tells us that Jesus did not even have

Himself in mind when He came. Jesus made himself nothing in order to serve the One who had sent Him. Jesus made

Himself man, He gave up the deity He had known forever and entered time as a mortal man. Jesus placed all of His hope

in His Father and willingly followed the course He had been asked to follow, trusting that his Father would save Him in

the end. This is what we are being asked to do as well. The way of the world is to get yours as fast as you can so that

others wont get the benefits while you are left in the cold. The way of the world is to position yourself in such a way

that you get the notice and can work your way to the top of whatever ladder you find yourself on and that sometimes it

is necessary to step on people on the way up. What if Jesus had this type of thinking in mind when He came to the

earth? What if our God was this way and only used us in order to achieve whatever end He desired to achieve?

We can thank Him that that type of thinking is as far from His thinking as the east is from the west! We have a God who

thinks of self-sacrifice as a means to His ends. We have a God who condescends to meet us where we are and promises

better things for us and then makes sure that those things find their way to us. We have a God who wanted to

tabernacle with us so badly that He gave His own Son to be the bridge that we can now cross to live with Him forever.

We have a God who does not look to His own interests, as we so often do, but He looks to ours.

Paul is telling us to have this same mind. We are to have this mind of Christ in our thinking and in our relationships with

others. What a world it would be if everyone in it simply followed this one rule- to think of others before they thought o

themselves. What would it be like if everyone else was thinking of your needs and desires and trying to meet them?

I saw a girl in a store the other day while I was waiting in line. While I was standing in the line trying to exhibit Christian

patience this girl, who was waiting in the same long line, first asked another customer if she could help organize the

many purchases that she was juggling, then bagged the items that her mother had purchased in order to free up the

cashier, put away two shopping carts that had been left, hung up some empty hangars on a rack, and then picked up all

of her moms bags while her mother finished paying. As I was standing there watching her I was struck by how simple

her actions were and how simply she busied herself. Not to make too much of this, but trying to illustrate the point,

waiting in line was not a hassle for this girl, it was an opportunity. She busied herself helping others while I stood by

feeling patient. Who was the selfless one? It certainly as not me for I was thinking primarily of my own desire to leave

while this girl used her time to get a few more good deeds performed. What if we all were this way?

Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This is the reward that Jesus received for His act of selflessness. By no means would I say that the reward was an

enticement to Jesus to obedience to the Father. The reward was not positive reinforcement, a divine sticker, in order to

bless Jesus for His work. That kind of thinking is from our perspective in the world. Consider that a truly selfless person


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would not even consider that there would even be a consequence to their actions other than for the person they had

loved upon. A truly selfless person acts out of love for another and works to fill needs that have been observed. Conside

that Jesus did what his Father had asked simply because His Father had asked; and Jesus entire mission in life was to do

that which His Father asked of him.

Seeing then his own Son, doing everything that He had desired, God then bestowed upon Him the magnificence of His

love. God blessed Jesus by removing the crown from His own head and placing it upon His Son and commanded all of

creation, from the depths of the waters to the heights of the heavens, to praise and honor and give glory to Jesus, who

was and is, and is yet to come. From selfless act to selfless act our triune God gives us plenty of examples to consider

when we think about these verses.

Philippians 2: 10 At the name of Jesus every knee will bow

Throughout history men have called on the name of God and have been saved (we can leave it to the big-head

theologians to work out how salvation was accomplished before the time of Christ). At the same time, throughout the

same history there have been men who have refused to call on the name of God, and sadly have not been saved. What

is astonishing in this verse is that there will be a day when all men will bow the knee before this newly crowned king and

victor of death. It has never been a question of choice after all, or even of free will- in the end the choice will have

already been made; glory and honor will be given to the Son of God. The question is whether you will bow your knee in

reverence to the King or in abject fear. That choice has to be made today.

Philippians 2:12-13 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, for it is God who works in you, both to will

and to work for his good pleasure.

Therefore, work out your salvation in fear and trembling- I remember when it first occurred to me that salvation was

not merely a one-time deal, that is, it is not something that happens to a person once and then is completed. In my

experience my personal journey as a Christian has been anything but complete. I have rarely felt as if I was under contro

of myself or my surroundings. I have rarely felt that I was accomplishing all that I should be for the Lord. I have rarely felt

as if I was as perfect as my heavenly Father is perfect, and at the time I wondered greatly why I could not do the things

that Paul and Jesus so readily commanded me to do. Why could I not obey completely? Why could I not resist the devil

more resolutely? Why was my battle with the flesh such a dismal failure more often than not? It finally occurred to me

that my journey as a Christian began with my salvation but then continues on as I move from that beginning to my

ultimate end. I began to look at my life as a series of battles waged on the field between holiness and sinfulness and tha

I would not always be the victor in those engagements. I began to see that God was not presiding over that field as my

judge but as my King; and that when the battle went awry He would be back at the castle waiting to send His ministersto patch me up. I began to see that some of my battles were planned by my King simply to test my progress as a warrior

and that sometimes I emerged from the din unscathed and victorious. On those days I saw that I had gained some

ground for myself and that my salvation had been advanced.

I am literallyworking out the salvation that has been won for me by Christ in my day to day battles against sin and my

own proclivity to it. I am growing in my understanding of the Lord and His way and will for me. I am growing as I engage

in my Christian life and try to obey as best I am able. As Paul says, I am working it out as God works within me toward Hi

own good pleasure.


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From Matthew Henry: We are required to work out our salvation, katergazesthe. The word signifies working

thoroughly at a thing, and taking true pains. Observe, we must be diligent in the use of all the means which

conduce to our salvation. We must not only work at our salvation, by doing something now and then about it;

but we must work out our salvation, by doing all that is to be done, and persevering therein to the end.

Salvation is the great thing we should mind, and set our hearts upon; and we cannot attain salvation without the

utmost care and diligence. He adds, With fear and trembling, that is, with great care and circumspection:

"Trembling for fear lest you miscarry and come short. Be careful to do every thing in religion in the best manner,

and fear lest under all your advantages you should so much as seem to come short, Heb. 4:1. Fear is a greatguard and preservative from evil.

Philippians 2:14-18 Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 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,

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. 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.

Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

Matthew 5:13-16 13 You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness berestored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under peoples feet. You are the

light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but

on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they

may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

The words of Paul echo the words of Jesus. Paul says in verse 12, therefore. Therefore, because of all that I have

written of the glory of Christ and His sacrifice on your behalf, do all of these things. Paul wraps up his instruction in this

first half of his letter by reminding the believers of what Jesus expected His children to become. We are to be the lights

that shine His gospel into the darkness of the world around us. Without that light how will men see the glory of the

Lord? We are to work ourselves into our culture as a preservative for its salvation from its own wickedness. In additionto that we are to remain without blemish so that no one will be able to say that our God was not able to save us. We

must not be contaminated by our world; we ourselves must be the agent of holy contamination.

Paul felt this so strongly that he gave his entire life toward that end. His words here, even if I am poured out, declare

that he was willing to give it all for the sake of the gospel. He was holding nothing back. His only apprehension was that

his work could possibly have been done in vain. And what might bring that about? Only the selfishness and disobedience

of those he had worked so hard to save.

How often do we take a look at our own disobedience and ask ourselves whether we are putting to shame those who

have worked so hard to teach us a better way? Do we not owe something to those who have gone before us to show us

the way? To a greater extent should we not be ashamed when we sin that we take for granted the sacrifice of God on

our behalf? Wasnt He strong enough to save us? Shouldnt we make every effort then to make every ounce of that

salvation bear fruit?

Philippians 2: 14 Do all things without grumbling or questioning

The first part of this command tells us to do this so that we may be blameless and innocent as children of God. One of

the things that is so amazing about Christianity, about Jesus Himself, is that we are children of God! Once we have


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believed that Jesus has truly saved us and suffered the penalty for our sin we are called Gods children. Not children by a

natural birth. Not children through the methods of man (John 1: 13) but children through the hand of God. That being

said it is imperative that we realize that being Gods children brings with it a certain amount of duty. I am ashamed to

say it but it is very easy for me to forego the duty and begin to live in my sin again. Paul is reminding us here that the

true child of God wants to rise above that inclination. The world has that behavior down pat; it can complain and moan

from now until the last person on earth tires of them! But we, we are called to something different. We are called

children of God and we are called to act like it! Like Jesus before us, our great example, we must endeavor to endure

whatever comes our way without opening our mouth in complaint (1 Peter 2:23,) or often times, even in our owndefense. We must shine as lights in this dark world; and we shine brightest when our energies are spent on making it a

brighter place, not in complaining about its darkness.

Philippians 2: 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.

A drink offering was used in the Old Testament in conjunction with the sin offering. In the OT the drink offering might

consist of oil, wine, or water, and could be offered along with the animal slain for the sin offering (Exodus 29:40). Here

Paul speaks of his own blood that very well might have been spilled because of his very firm stand for the gospel of JesusChrist. Paul wanted very much for that stand, and the work he performed in order to make it a strong one, to be worth

it. Paul wanted to have his lifes work amount to something- particularly he wanted the believers in the churches he had

planted to stand just as strong as he had. He tells the believers at Philippi to try to be without blemish, so that their faith

might be offered just as the perfect lamb was offered up to the Lord as a pleasing aroma. He wanted them to live as if

the gospel flowed through their veins and guided their every move. He wanted his own blood to be able to top that

perfect offering as the drink offerings of old had done. Paul was willing to add his own life as a sacrifice in order to see

the church of Christ please the Lord.

Again, we see the importance of living a life of worth before the Lord. A moments consideration of all the people that

have gone before us to make our life in Christ possible and one cannot help but realize the duty we must shoulder. Beblameless, Paul commands. Shine as lights in a darkened world. Let all men see your good works so that the Father may

be glorified, says Jesus (Matthew 5:16). This is our duty, how can we take it lightly?

Philippians 2: 18 Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

In my interlinear Greek bible this verse says something like rejoice, and rejoice with me. What is better when you are

happy than to have others share in your happiness? (I probably use that phrase, what is better too often- there are a

lot of things better than sharing joy, arent there? There is the fact that even though I am a terribly messed up individua

my God still loves me! To this I hold very dearly!) In this letter alone Paul tells the believers to rejoice eight times! This isobviously an important command- important to be reminded of, important to be engaged in, important to make a part

of your Christian life. What is it to rejoice?

Merriam-Websters defines rejoice as the feeling of joy or great delight and rejoicing as the expression of that

joy.

Paul rejoiced in the various hardships that he faced because he knew it would advance the gospel and save men, he

knew the faithful would rejoice at seeing Epaphroditus alive and well, and then three times he tells us to rejoice in the


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Lord. In everything it would seem the apostle found cause to feel joy and to express it to others. In like manner he tells

us to do the same.

It is so easy to forget what we have been given; even if we have been given little in terms of worldly gain we have been

given much in heaven. I am accustomed to feeling joy when I receive good news, such as a loved one being well when I

feared for their safety or health. I am familiar with feeling that sense of delight when I receive good news for myself or

my family. I am used to being made to feel happiness when someone remembers me with a gift or a good word.

Paul however touches upon two areas that I am very much less comfortable with the idea of relating with joy. The first is

when he expresses joy in his hardship. He was not only willing to be put in chains for Christ and to die if necessary but he

claims in this letter to feel joy in doing so. In a similar circumstance I know that I would feel fear and apprehension. My

stomach would be knotted up, I would panic, I would complain about the injustice of it. I know this because I have felt

those things with the problems that I have faced and they were in no way life threatening! One thing I have noticed

however is that in some things, I have learned to be able to hold back my fear in order to stand strong in my faith in God

What may have brought me low in the past is now easier to handle with a happy face. This minor growth on my part

shows me that what Paul is telling us here is truth. He did rejoice in his circumstances, a bitter as they were, because he

had grown in his faith to the extent where that was possible. He was able to look beyond himself to the others that were

to be affected by his suffering and to see the good that would result; and that good made him glad.

The other area in which Paul rejoices and tells us to do likewise is in the Lord. I imagine Paul reveling in the Lord Jesus

as I might over a good meal. Paul seems to have thoroughly enjoyed being an apostle of Christ and his communion with

Jesus. In this I wish I could say that I understand as well. I attribute Pauls love of God and Christ to his incredible faith

and the experiences that he had working it out on behalf of others. My faith is as nothing compared to this mans. I

believe and am saved but it still seems separate at times from my struggle through life. My faith in God is my only

lifeline, to it I cling wholeheartedly and without reservation, but I do not as yet feel what I sense from Paul in his letters.

I wonder if the believers in the churches wondered if they were lacking as well and held onto Paul as one who could

show them the way. I look for such a one in my church and in my circles and am impressed at times with how easily

some people speak of Jesus and declare their faith in Him. My purpose here is not to bemoan my feelings of inadequacy

or to complain that I cant seem to conjure up enough love for my Savior, my point here is to emphasize the greatness oPauls love for Jesus and the wonder that I feel when I encounter it in the world. I can only hope that my love will grow

and that I will one day rejoice in my Lord with the fervor of His most blessed saints.

On a side note- I also wonder to what extent our previous lives of sin impact our ability to grow in our faith and love. Are

there some things that we simply will not be able to do because of who we once were and what we have once done?

Like David who could not build the temple for God because of the blood on his hands, are some of us denied certain

blessings for a time in order to keep our stain from contaminating the holiness of the Lord and His church?

Philippians 2:19-24 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. For

I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own interests, not those

of Jesus Christ. But you know Timothys proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel. I

hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will

come also.

Philippians 2: 20 For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own

interests, not those of Jesus Christ.


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I wish that we knew who they were, these others who sought their own interests to such an extent that Paul counted

primarily on Timothy to carry his messages. Whoever theywere they were not of the mind of Paul when he wrote in this

letter (1:4) that one ought to think of others in addition to oneself; thinking less of self and more of others so that you

would be able to emulate Jesus in His servitude to others. This is an important concept to grasp. Too easily are we led

into selfish thinking, by our own sinful inclinations, but also from the habits of the world, that let us get away with

serving self-first and others as is convenient. The gospel brought to us by the Suffering Servant runs contrary to this type

of personal philosophy. The Way that Jesus brought to us, the Way that the Law pointed to, the Way of God in His very

first thought behind creation is to love. God loves us because He is Love itself and we in turn ought to love so that wecan become love ourselves.

The interests Paul is concerned about here are those of Jesus Christ. In this instance Paul would like to send Timothy to

Philippi in order to receive news of them. We know by this point that what he so longs to hear, his primary concern for

the believers, is that they are living the gospel, that they are conducting themselves so as to be a light in the world

instead of darkness, and that they are making themselves worthy of the greatness of the gift of life that they have

received.

Philippians 2: 22 But you know Timothys proven worth, how

short essays on the letter to the philippians

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