Work out your salvation (Philippians 2.12-30)

Work out your salvation (Philippians 2.12-30)

God and us (2.12-16a)

Jesus “became obedient to death” (2.8), so his followers may be called to follow in his footsteps. Paul therefore starts this passage by praising the Philippians that they “have always obeyed” the Lord – the word for ‘obey’ which is used here relates particularly to obedience to the Lord, not just to any human being. Our salvation gives us tremendous cause for rejoicing and thankfulness, but it needs also to lead on to obedience and therefore a godly life. We can trust God that he will work in and through us, so that we may gain a burning desire to “work according to his good pleasure” (2.13). Paul’s threefold ‘work’ here underlines the need for real determination, but also reassures us that God himself initiates and energises our ‘will and work’.

Jesus’ obedience issued in death on the cross. Our obedience may also lead to real suffering, so “fear and trembling” may accompany it as we face the harsh realities of the consequences of our faith and obedience. But we are commanded to follow the Lord’s path “without complaining or questioning” (2.14). The Greek word for ‘questioning’ (dialogismon – hence the English ‘dialogue’) is used in the Gospels for all uncertain questioning, but after Pentecost such uncertainty yields to the more assured non-monologue ‘dialegomai’ (cf. my book “What about other Faiths?”). ‘Holding fast to God’s word’ (2.16), we are to live ‘blameless and pure’ lives as God’s children. It is not easy to remain ‘without fault’ when facing the pressures of a “crooked and depraved” society around us. And, in our modern world, the anti-Christian bombardment of the media demands strong biblical assurance, if we are to stand firm in God’s ways and “shine like stars” (2.15). Let us therefore determine to hold fast to God’s biblical “word of life” as we resist the world’s pressures!

Paul (2.16b-18)

Paul looks forward to the Day of Judgment (2.16) when he hopes to be able to boast that his ministry among the Philippians had indeed born good spiritual fruit. Meanwhile he uses Old Testament sacrifice language to describe his ministry among them. Remembering all his apostolic sufferings and writing from prison with the customary shackles on his feet, he sees himself as a sacrificial offering to the Lord in “the service of your faith” (NIV adds “coming from” before ‘your faith’). But Paul is not deterred by his experience of such suffering. Rather, he is ‘glad and rejoices’ with all the Philippian believers, urging them also to be glad and rejoice with him. Paul had evidently learned to rejoice in spite of his fearful sufferings for the spread of the Gospel of Christ. In today’s more comfortable world we find it hard to rejoice in the midst of real suffering. Many of our African, Latin American, Chinese and ex-Muslim fellow-believers carry on Paul’s example in this and can be an encouragement to us.

Timothy (2.19-24)

Determined to keep the lines of communication open, Paul plans to send Timothy and Epaphroditus to Philippi. Paul so loves the Philippian Christians that he longs for more news of their spiritual welfare – and he also wants Epaphroditus to bring back to him their gifts (4.18).

How very loving and positive Paul is when writing about his fellow Christians! He could so easily have apologised to the Philippians that he was only sending someone reckoned to be an immature and inexperienced young man!  But Paul’s love for his fellow-believers does not allow anything less than positive. What an example and challenge for us in our churches today!

Paul particularly picks out two virtues in Timothy. Firstly, he says that Timothy has a genuine concern for the welfare of others. He does not just ‘look out for his own interest’ (2.20/21) like so many others. These verses seem almost to equate ‘the interests of Jesus Christ’ with “a genuine interest” in other Christians’ welfare. Love for the Lord and for our sisters and brothers should always go hand in hand together.

In commending Timothy as one who has “served” (2.22) together with him, Paul uses the verbal form of ‘slave’. Jesus gave us this model, ‘making himself nothing, taking the nature of a slave’ (2.7). This resulted in him living a life of obedience to his heavenly Father and dying on the cross for us all. We are now called to follow in his footsteps as slaves of God, bringing his saving work on the cross to our needy world.

Epaphroditus (2.25-30)

Epaphroditus is never mentioned in the New Testament except in these verses and Philippians 4.18, but Paul still describes him as his ‘brother, fellow-worker and fellow-soldier’ (2.25) – as so often, Paul adds the prefix ‘co-/with (Greek sun-)‘ to underline the fellowship they enjoy together. Paul goes on to describe Epaphroditus as an ‘apostle’ and a ‘minister’ (2.25, cf. 2.17, 30: Greek leitourgon’, from which English has the word ‘liturgy’). ‘Apostle’ particularly describes someone who serves as an evangelist, sent to preach the Gospel and plant new churches. ‘Leitourgos’ was used in secular contexts for someone who voluntarily without payment serves a community. In the church it does not describe the service of paid ministers, but of lay people involved in active, but unpaid service for the Gospel.

Some English translations translate ‘apostle’ as ‘messenger’ and replace ‘leitourgos’ with an explanatory phrase (e.g. NIV ‘sent to take care of my needs’), thus avoiding the issue of someone being a lay ‘leitourgos’ and yet also an apostle. Paul is not particularly interested in status titles or ecclesiastical positions, but in ministry functions in the active mission of the church.

Epaphroditus had evidently nearly died when suffering severe illness (2.26/27) which he incurred “for the work of Christ” “, but wonderfully “God had mercy”.  What love they all had for each other! Paul was evidently distressed at Epaphroditus’ illness and would have had “sorrow upon sorrow” if he had died (2.27); Epaphroditus was distressed because the Philippians had heard of his illness and would therefore have been worried for him; and the Philippians were indeed troubled when they heard of his illness. We may observe that Paul doesn’t here mention that he himself is still suffering in prison.                                        

Chapter 2 ends with a typical Pauline emphasis on ‘joy’ and ‘gladness’ (2.28/29). Even while suffering severely in prison, Paul was ‘glad and rejoiced’ , urging the Philippians also to “be glad and rejoice” (2.17/18). Now he urges them to be glad and rejoice as they welcome Epaphroditus (2.28/29). Dedicated mission workers, who have risked their lives for the Gospel’s sake, should indeed be honoured and welcomed with great joy (2.29/30). May joy fill our hearts as we relate with each other in the church and family of Christ!

Jesus’ Incarnation – our Model (Philippians 2.5-11)

How can we put into practice Paul’s strong exhortation to form truly loving unity and fellowship in the church? The only effective solution lies in us following the life pattern of Jesus as our model and example – “our mind-set should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (2.5). In explaining what that ‘mind-set’ is, Paul may perhaps be quoting an old Christian hymn to give us a profound and carefully-worded explanation of Jesus Christ’s incarnation (2.6-8) and future glorification (2.9-11). This passage has been used by some more liberal Christians to support heretical views of Jesus’ incarnation, so it is important for us to look carefully at the meaning of its key words. Our whole Christian faith may hang on our understanding of Jesus’ incarnation. And we shall be encouraged in our faith and witness for Christ by the assurance of his future exaltation.

The Incarnation (2.6-8)

From all eternity Jesus was “in the form of God” (KJV). NIV translates this as  “in very nature” (Greek: morphe). As Gifford proves in his superb book “The Incarnation”, morphe means the fundamental nature and being, which continues from the past, through the present and into the future. It does not refer to the characteristics which adhere to that basic nature, as the word ‘form’ implies. Before his incarnation Jesus was divine, being the very Son of God; in his years as a human on earth he remained divine in his nature and that continues eternally in glory after his ascension.

In his incarnation Jesus also took to himself “the form of a servant” (Greek: morphe again). In his fundamental being he was God and also at the same time he became perfectly and entirely human. Our Christian creeds therefore state carefully that Jesus was and is one person with two ‘natures’. He is fully human, but also fully divine throughout his time on earth and still now in glory. In his very nature he has determined in humility to be a servant/slave (2.7) on behalf of his people.

While, in his essential nature, Jesus is fully divine and fully human, in his incarnation he didn’t consider equality with God in the outward characteristics of divinity  “something to be grasped” (NIV 2.6).  Indeed, he willingly “emptied himself” (Greek: ekenose; NIV ‘made himself nothing’) of the glory and kingly splendour which characterise divinity, but he did not renounce his fundamental divine nature. So, he adopted external human forms, even the forms of a servant. In writing this, did Paul have in mind Isaiah’s prophecies of the Messiah coming as a suffering servant? Was this also in Jesus’ mind? Certainly, Jesus came with humility and in obedience to his Heavenly Father to suffer death, even “death on a cross” (2.8)  Was John also thinking of this in his description of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem? The crowds welcomed Jesus triumphantly with royal palms and cries of ‘Hosanna’, “but Jesus found a young donkey” (John 12.14); NIV strangely omits the ‘but’ and thus loses the contrast. By riding humbly on a mere donkey, Jesus adds a strong note of servanthood to correct any sense of triumphalism in his entry into Jerusalem.  

Exalted by God (2.9-11)

What a brilliant future! Our Lord’s humility and obedience move God the Father to “highly exalt him” (KJV 2.9). Jesus has been raised from the dead, has ascended and is seated at the right hand of the Father, the place of supreme honour. His name stands above all other names and at the name of Jesus ‘every knee will bow’ and ‘every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord’ (2.11). What a day that will be when all over the world, in every town and village, everybody will bow in honour of Jesus! At present they may be following other gods and prophets or just seeking their own welfare in their own strength, but finally they will have to confess that the Lord of all is actually Jesus Christ (2.10/11).

I well remember working as a young pioneer missionary among Muslims in South Thailand. At that time there were no known Christians in that area from a Muslim background. Even today there are only a very small number. What a prospect that everyone in South Thailand will confess that Jesus is Lord! What an encouragement for the few Christians there! And now for many years we have lived in Stanstead Abbotts in England. Our village church only has a congregation of about 25 from a population of some 2.500 people. It is a rare joy when someone shows personal interest in the Gospel of Jesus. It is a real encouragement to think ahead to that great day when everyone in our village will confess Jesus as the Lord.

As usual, Paul’s ultimate concern remains “the glory of God the Father” (2.11). In his life and mission his great desire and purpose is that the Father should be honoured and glorified. May that be our goal too!

P.S. For those of us who want to study this passage more carefully in order to understand better the incarnation of Jesus Christ, in addition to more recent academic writings I would heartily recommend E. Gifford’s brilliant old book “The Incarnation: a study of Philippians 2.5-11” (1897) and A. Motyer’s “The Message of Philippians” (1984) and “The Richness of Christ” (1966).

United in the mind of Christ (Philippians 2.1-5)

Like-minded (2.1-4)

Paul now develops the theme of unity and oneness of heart in 1.27, which means so much in his love for his fellow-believers in Philippi and elsewhere. These initial verses in Philippians 2 lack precise grammar and thus present translators with severe difficulty. But the carefully crafted use of words makes Paul’s passionate concern for the church’s loving fellowship abundantly clear. As Hawthorne rightly states, “Unity is essential for the spiritual growth of the church, the progress of the gospel and the victory of believers over their adversaries”.

2.1.  These verses start with the four-fold use of “if any” without any verb (2.1) – “if any encouragement (Greek: paraklesis, as in the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit) in Christ”, “if any comfort of love”, “if any fellowship (Greek: koinonia) of the Spirit”, “if any tendernesses and compassions”. The use of “if” in no way indicates any doubt. Rather, it strongly assumes that his readers have experienced and are experiencing God’s tender love in their fellowship together.

2.2.  “If any” leads on to the appeal to make Paul’s joy full by being of like mind in fellowship with each other. We may notice again Paul’s emphasis on ‘joy/rejoice’ (e.g. 1.18, 25). Fervent seriousness concerning a situation should not exclude radiant joy and rejoicing. Paul’s fear of divisions in the church and his desire for unity is shown by his emphasis on the Christians having the same mind and the same love, being of ‘one soul’ (cf.1.27; NIV “one spirit”).

2.3/4.  With the use of “not . . . but”, Paul now contrasts selfish desire and vain-glory with such humility that we consider others superior to ourselves. How easily in a church we allow our likes and dislikes to reign supreme – “I like this sort of Sunday service”, “I like this sort of music” rather than asking what is best for the glory of the Lord and the growth of the church! Under Jesus Christ as its one head, the body of Christ functions well if we all esteem others more than ourselves – whatever training, educational background or gifting we may have.

Paul here emphasizes ‘each person’ and ‘others’. As we relate closely together in loving fellowship, each of us is called to interact with the other members of Christ’s body. In his letters he often underlines that we should be teaching each other, caring for each other pastorally, worshipping and praying for each other, serving the Lord in the various ministries of the church with each other (e.g. Ephesians 5.19). In our physical body, the whole can only flourish if each part works together with other parts – the arm with the heart, the leg with the brain, the ear with the eye etc.

In these verses Paul picks up on the verb (Greek: phroneo) translated by NIV as “feel” in 1.7 and “become clear” in 1.13. Hawthorne describes it as “a total inward attitude of mind or disposition of will”. Christians should strive to be “like-minded” (2.2) and “humble-minded” (2.3), leading to us ‘having the same mind as Christ also has’ (2.5). Calvin says that we are invited “to imitate Christ because this is the rule of life” and Paul encourages us to this fundamental life-style and mind-set. Calvin adds, “this is the road by which we attain true glory”. The way we think and our minds are set will determine the way we are and the way we act.

Challenges:

1. Let us each consider: what lies at the heart of our own mind-set and life-style?
2.  How would you describe the fellowship and unity within your church?