by Mark Rater
Philippians 2:1-30 (NASB)
1 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. 14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing; 15 so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. 17 But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. 18 You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me. 19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. 20 For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. 21 For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. 22 But you know of his proven worth, that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father. 23 Therefore I hope to send him immediately, as soon as I see how things go with me; 24 and I trust in the Lord that I myself also will be coming shortly. 25 But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need; 26 because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. 27 For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you. 29 Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard; 30 because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me.
Summary of Chapter 2
"The apostle beseeches them by various considerations, to live in unity and in the spirit of the Gospel, loving each other; and each to prefer his brother to himself, vv. 1-4. He exhorts them to be like-minded with Christ, who, though in the form of God, and equal with God, made himself of no reputation, and humbled himself to the death of the cross for the salvation of man; in consequence of which he was highly exalted, and had a name above every name; to whose authority every knee should bow, and whose glory every tongue should acknowledge, vv. 5-11. They are exhorted to work out their own salvation through his power who works in them, that they may be blameless, and that the apostle's labor may not be in vain, vv. 12-16. He expresses his readiness to offer his life for the Gospel, vv. 17-18. Intends to send Timothy to them, of whom he gives a very high character; yet hopes to see them himself shortly, vv. 19-24. In the meantime sends Epaphroditus, who had been near death, and whom he begs them to receive with especial tenderness, vv. 25-30." -Adam Clarke, Adam Clarke's Commentary, (New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1826), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "Philippians".
Outline of chapter 2:
1. Exhortation to Unity and Humility (2:1-4)
2. The Humble Example of Christ (2:5-11)
3. Diligence in the Affairs of Salvation, Be Light in a Dark World (2:12-18)
Opening Discussion Questions
When was the last time you had a squabble with someone?
How much of a peacemaker are you?
Exploring the Text
How can Christians show their unity in Christ in practical ways? (2:2)
What did Paul say about self-centeredness? (2:3-4)
What did Paul exhort believers to have? (2:5)
What did Christ, being fully God and fully man at the same time, willingly set aside when He became a man? (2:6-8)
How is Christ the best example of humility and unselfishness for us? (2:6-8)
Why did Christ take on the limitations of being human even though He was of the same nature as God? (2:7)
What confession will every person make? (2:11)
What were the Philippian believers to work out? (2:12-13)
Who is at work in us and for who's purpose and pleasure? (2:12-13)
What instructions did Paul give in relation to everyday Christian living and why? (2:14-16)
How did Paul view his own life? (2:17)
What did Paul want his friends at Philippi to experience? (2:18)
What was Paul’s opinion of Timothy and why did Timothy stand out? (2:21-22)
How did Epaphroditus feel about his friends in Philippi? (2:26)
What happened to Epaphroditus? (2:26-27)
Applying the Text
How does your life show that you rely upon Christ?
How do petty quarrels hold you back in your Christian walk?
What hinders unity in your church?
How does Christ’s example of humility challenge our natural self-centeredness?
What does it mean "to work out your salvation with fear and trembling"? (*see notes at the bottom of the page after contemplating your answer*)
What do you tend to complain and argue about?
What godly qualities make Christians a light to the world?
How does showing Christlike character in a crooked and perverse world encourage others to be drawn to Him?
In what situations this week do you need to make a conscious effort not to complain or argue?
What sacrifices can you make for the sake of others and how can you reflect the nature of Christ this week?
What reputation do you have in your church?
In what ways have you proved to be a reliable servant of God?
What risks are you willing to take for Christ/on behalf of other Christians?
In what ways can you be God’s "courier" to others?
Being Doers of the Word This Week
What practical steps can you take this week to demonstrate humility in your relationships?
For the sake of unity in Christ, what petty squabbles should you clear up right away? How?
Do your private thoughts and actions match your public ones? Do they match Christ's example?
How can you be a model of humility and service to other Christians and to the world this week?
This week, how can you look out for the interests of the Lord rather than your own interests?
*Working out salvation is vastly different from working for salvation. Salvation can be worked out only by those to whom God has first given it (Eph 2:8-10). Personal salvation is completed by God Himself – by faith apart from works. Working it out in daily experience is on the basis of obedience to God's Word, 12a, and by 'fear and trembling.' Fear is necessary because it is possible to fail to work out that which is inwrought by God. God works in us by the Spirit to enable us to work it out. -Merrill Frederick Unger and Gary N. Larson, The New Unger's Bible Handbook, Revised and Updated ed. (Chicago: Moody, 1966).
*work out—carry out to its full perfection. "Salvation" is "worked in" (Php 2:13; Eph 1:11) believers by the Spirit, who enables them through faith to be justified once for all; but it needs, as a progressive work, to be "worked out" by obedience, through the help of the same Spirit, unto perfection (2Pet 1:5-8). The sound Christian neither, like the formalist, rests in the means, without looking to the end, and to the Holy Spirit who alone can make the means effectual; nor, like the fanatic, hopes to attain the end without the means. -Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset, David Brown, A Commentary: Critical, Experimental, and Practical on the Old and New Testaments, (Toledo, OH: Jerome B. Names & Co., 1884).
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