Philippians Sermon Notes - Week 4
Outline
Thoughts
First Glance
Phil 2:1-4
Phil 2:1 - The Blessings in Christ
Again these terms refer to the mercies shown them by the Lord. These statements make a strong emotional appeal.
The church had a common experience of grace, and Paul built upon that in his exhortation. Since the other three of these qualities seem to be spiritual in nature, it is best to take this as a fellowship the Holy Spirit provides.
Phil 2:2
Paul’s joy would be complete when they stood together in unity.
. It incorporates the will and emotions into a comprehensive outlook which affects the attitude. With this word and the contexts in which it occurs, Paul spoke of the values and ambitions which surface through the mind. This is unity. It is not found in an identical life-style or personality. It occurs when Christian people have the same values and loves. Paul sought that in this church.
Christ’s actions provided the necessary motivation. Christ’s humility is the standard for evaluating the worth of others and actions toward them.
The Hymn
The way in which the passage makes these statements, moreover, has led most scholars to believe that it is an early Christian hymn, taken over and perhaps modified by Paul at this point in his argument. If that is true, then the hymn provides a window into the shadowy but critical period of Christian history between the resurrection of Jesus and the composition of Paul’s letters. It provides a glimpse of the earliest Christians at worship and tells us what they thought about Jesus.
Is it a hymn?
(1) The section has certain poetic characteristics
Finally, despite the few unusual terms, the passage is intricately woven into its surrounding context. In 2:1–4 Paul tells the Philippians to be “like-minded” (phronete) and united “in purpose” (phronountes, v. 2), just as he says in verses 5–11 that they should have the same “attitude” (phronete) as Christ (v. 5). He urges them to “consider” others better than themselves “in humility” (v. 3), just as he says that Christ did not “consider” equality with God something to be exploited (v. 6) but “humbled himself” (v. 8). He also connects verses 5–11 with his argument in verses 12–18 by the strong connective word “therefore” (v. 12) and echoes the reference to Christ’s obedience (v. 8) when he speaks of the Philippians’ obedience (v. 12).
Two Views:
(2) How should verse 5 be translated? A literal translation demonstrates the problem: “Have this attitude among yourselves which also in Christ Jesus.” The confusion about how to understand this verse arises from the absence of a verb in the second clause (“which also in Christ Jesus”). Did Paul intend for the reader to supply the same verb in this clause that appeared in the first clause (“Have this attitude among yourselves which you also have in Christ Jesus”)?
Significance
In view of the myriad theological questions that arise in these verses, it is critical to keep two things in mind: (1) these verses were written not to spur Christians to theological debate but to encourage greater humility and love;
Verses:
“adopt the same attitude as that of Christ jesus”
That means that the Philippians were exhorted to think properly as Christians, as those “in Christ Jesus.” The translation has much to commend it. Immediately, however, Paul appealed to the attitude of Christ, and the most natural reading is to understand Paul to say, “Think this in you which Christ thought in him.”
“who, existing in the form of God”
The word “form” means an outward appearance consistent with what is true. The form perfectly expresses the inner reality.
“equality with God”
“Form” here means the true and exact nature of something, possessing all the characteristics and qualities of something. Therefore having the “form of God” is roughly equivalent to having equality with God (Gk. isa theō), and it is directly contrasted with having the “form of a servant” (Phil. 2:7). The Son of God is and always has been God.
The description “very nature of God” parallels “equality with God.” “Equality with God” is, therefore, another explanation of Jesus’ nature.
“not a thing to be exploited”
The passage may mean, therefore, that Christ did not think of his equality as “something to use for his own advantage.”
Phil 2:7 — The hymn moves from attitudes to Actions
“he emptied himself”
The “emptying” consisted of his becoming human, not of his giving up any part of his true deity.
Thus the emptying is that God became human, Lord became servant, and obedience took him to death.
This passage affirms simply that Christ left his position, rank, and privilege. They were “of no effect.”
“by assuming the form of a servant”
Paradoxically, being “made nothing” means adding humanity to deity rather than subtracting deity from his person.
He existed originally in the form of God; but at a specific point, he became human.
“taking on the likeness of humanity”
It is remarkable enough that God the Son would take on human form (Gk. schēma, “outward appearance, form, shape,” a different term from morphē, used in vv. 6–7 for “form of God” and “form of a servant”) and thus enter into all the vicissitudes of a broken world.
First, it affirms Jesus’ preexistence. Before he came to earth, he existed fully as God, in essence and appearance. Second, he became human.
The hymn teaches that Jesus added servanthood to lordship as he added humanity to deity.
In so doing, he elevated humanity beyond what it had known before, as Heb 2:6–8 affirms (quoting a fulfillment of Ps 8:5–6, LXX). Paul easily affirmed both the deity and humanity of Jesus by using (and not correcting) this hymn.
Phil 2:8
Phil 2:9
. Surely God’s blessings took into account the attitude which prevailed in Jesus’ preexistent state. That is the primary point of the passage
Most agree the “name that is above every name” is the title “Lord.”
Now, since the ascension, all that God is comes to us through Jesus, and all who come to God do so through Jesus.
“every knee should bow, every tongue confess”
This astounding union of Jesus’ divine and human natures is reinforced by the allusion to Isa. 45:23 in the words every knee should bow … and every tongue confess, which in Isaiah refer exclusively to Yahweh (cf. Isa. 45:24: “Only in the LORD … are righteousness and strength”).
The fact that these words can now be applied to God’s messianic agent—Jesus Christ is Lord—shows that Jesus is fully divine.
Employing typical imagery of the part for the whole, the knee and the tongue stand for worship and confession that Jesus is Lord.
Wherever Jesus’ name (and character) has authority, he will be worshiped. Since he is authoritative everywhere, as the next phrase indicates, he will be worshiped everywhere. The emphasis of this text, however, is not directly on the worship of Jesus. The language is that of triumph. The bending of the knee was a posture of submission, as was confessing “Jesus Christ is Lord.” The hymn, therefore, speaks to Jesus as the conqueror of all and should be seen as parallel to such texts as 1 Cor 15:24–28. Thus the hymn points out that everyone will acknowledge the position of Jesus in the universe.
“in heaven and on the earth and under the earth”
Jesus’ lordship encompasses spiritual beings (those of “heaven”—good or evil), living human beings (those of “earth”), and dead persons as well (“under the earth”). Thus the hymn includes every conceivable habitation of personal beings.
That Jesus Christ is Lord”
The confession “Jesus Christ is Lord” encapsulates this aspect of the Christian faith and may well have been the earliest Christian confession.
ὅτι κύριος [T Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς
“To the glory of God the Father”
There is perfect unity in the Godhead. The actions of Jesus in his exaltation bring glory to the Father. Thus the Father honors the Son, and the Son honors the Father. In this dynamic, both display selflessness, and both receive honor.
Applications
. The church bears witness to Jesus’ lordship by confessing to the world “Jesus Christ is Lord” and offering salvation to those who accept that confession and make it the central part of their lives (Rom 10:9–10).
Paul recognized, therefore, that some people will voluntarily accept the reality that Jesus is Lord and participate in his reign of glory. Others will deny that lordship and, in the end, be conquered by the Lord himself. For them, it will be too late to participate in the glory, and they will be destined to the punishment appropriate for those who resist the Lord.
Conclusions
In using this hymn, Paul reminded the Philippians of the greatest example of servanthood. The first section, on selflessness, applied directly to them. They were to be like Christ, the chief servant. Christ’s attitude was to become theirs. They were to focus on giving rather than receiving. If God chose to exalt them, they would be truly exalted, but there were no guarantees of what that meant. True servanthood can never be perceived as simply an alternate route to the top, to exaltation.
Themes:
“Look out for others interests”
Paul realizes that everyone naturally looks out for his or her own interests. The key is to take that same level of concern and apply it also to the interests of others.
God’s Extravagant Love
Structure
Phil 2:1-4 (NAC)
Prayer
Words
Conceit
Humility
Before the New Testament era, the word “humility” had a negative connotation. The adjective related to it “was frequently employed, and especially so, to describe the mentality of a slave. It conveyed the ideas of being base, unfit, shabby, mean, of no account. Hence ‘humility’ could not have been regarded by the pagan as a virtue to be sought after.”