1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.
Webster’s dictionary defines consolation as “the comfort received by a person after a loss or disappointment.” In the KJV, consolation is translated in the place of encouragement. Although the translations of KJV and NIV differ in word choice, combining of the two gives us a more solid picture of what Paul is saying. The consolation (comfort) and the encouragement (in the (relationship) helps us to realize that Christ’s comfort is an attribute important to understand and lean towards in the midst of our troubles in this world. The consolation of Israel, as Simeon refers to in Luke 2:25, was the name given to the Messiah, the person who would rise up and bring Israel back into its splendor.
The questions in Paul’s opening statement are all rhetorical and all meant for us to understand the depth of Christ’s love. As a Christian, we should move forward with an ever-expanding understanding of Christ’s consolation (his redeeming of the individual) and His comfort (the love from which the comfort is derived), and the sharing in the spirit (fellowship). This fellowship is the part implanted into us, the Holy Spirit, who guides us and reforms us into the new self.
Tenderness and compassion (mercy), the final rhetorical question posed by Paul. As a Christian follower, we should all have a desire to emulate Christ’s love and mercy through the teaching of the spirit and through the example of others. These gifts are from Christ to the authentic follower.
Paul’s mission here is clear: if you understand these concepts, then live them out both internally and externally. We can’t continue on a selfish path if we are in community with the spirit and with others.
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
Paul lays out a stepped process for finding a deeper understanding of how to develop the spirit and mind that God desires. It is easy to say “I follow God and all His tenants” without really doing so. In this verse, Paul shows us a way to test our own pride.
First, he says to do nothing out of selfish ambition. Not all ambition is selfish, but when we begin to analyze not only the things we do but why we do them, it brings us to a new introspection that can be very helpful in tearing down the constructs we have built over the years. How much do we do out of selfish ambition? Selfish ambition is simply those things that we do for our own benefit. We want something so we develop an agenda to get it. Is someone in the way of it? Move them out of the way. Do we need to get around the correct way to get to what we want? Find a new route. This can be very destructive for us.
The second item he tackles is vain conceit. Conceit is when we think highly of ourselves. It is another way that pride manifests itself. Do we do things out of the belief that we are right and others are wrong? If we are the smartest guy in the room, then where does that put everyone else? Our selfishness and vanity are great thwarts to us an our relationship with Christ.
But how do we conduct ourselves? It’s through the counter-intuitive practice of humility. The world tells us that we’re number one, we have to look out for ourselves find a way to the top, create our own world. But that isn’t how God views it. Remember that Christ took the place of the servant (John 13:1-17). In Jesus’s washing of the disciples feet, the most humbling job of the old world, Jesus displays to us that humility, not thinking too highly of one’s self, has more value in eternity than does the ambition and self-assuredness the world values. That development of humility becomes the cornerstone of how we treat others, for if we value others ahead of ourself, we it turn are following the very principles of Jesus Christ (Matthew 22:37-40).
The next verse is an eloquent passage in which Paul helps us to understand the mind of Christ. Why should we study such a thing? Because we must know Christ in order to emulate Christ. So, when we deal with other people, it is important to emulate Christ so that those people we interact with get a taste of who Christ is through our example.
The question becomes this: do we have a choice in allowing Christ into our lives in order to emulate Him? Yes, of course we have a choice. Life, and our relationship with God, is nothing more than a series of choices. 1 Corinthians 2:16 says this: For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ (KJV). When we make the choice to enter into a relationship with Christ, we have been given the tools to understand who Christ is and to develop our understanding, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, of what is important to God through Christ.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Once we understand the importance of knowing who Christ is, then we can understand what is important to Christ. This is the idea of understanding Christ’s mind.
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
This is about the divinity of Christ. First, if Christ is the very nature of God, that nature did not change when was born in human form; it always existed. So, Jesus existed in human form yet retained all of the spiritual divinity of God. Secondly, when Jesus came to earth it wasn’t for the purpose of gaining equality with God; he already had that. He wasn’t on a mission to be worshipped in addition or instead of God, but he came here to reveal God’s heart to us. Up until this time God was viewed harshly in many circles, a cruel and vindictive God. The people of Israel, under the religious rule of the Pharisees, could see God as hypocritical, unjust and uncaring to their daily plight. But Jesus came to reveal to Jews and Gentiles alike that God was a God of mercy, love and righteousness. 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Jesus made himself a servant to others. Through the story of Jesus’ ministry, he never seeks fame or fortune for what he accomplishes. Instead it is a steady ramp up to showing God’s love to others through humility. He didn’t relinquish His powers of deity but added humanness to them.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
Jesus humbled himself in order to understand the human condition. Through this humbling, or obedience, He had to succumb to the authority of His times, of His government and world, even to the authority of death, even though He was sinless. This sacrifice showed God’s love for us, in that Jesus was used as a sacrifice for our sins.
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
As a header for the next three verses, we learn that God exalted Jesus. God brought Jesus to that place of kingship. Jesus did not do it Himself. His character, and person, rises above all else.
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
God has exalted the son. The son brings the world under submission to Him. All creation (Heaven and Earth and under the Earth) is in submission to Christ.
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
All creation must come to this conclusion: that Jesus is the Lord over all and their submission to Him is essential for their salvation. God reflects light through the son. That is how we understand the heart of God. By understanding who Jesus is.
Do Everything Without Grumbling 12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
In the above verses we see that Jesus was submissive to God and to His earthly appointment. Jesus obeyed the father. In the same way we must understand that we too are expected to obey and submit to the father.
Next, Paul says to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. It is very important to understand what Paul is saying here. He is not telling us to collect a life of works to present to God as good deeds. What Paul is saying is this: continue to work hard at your Christian lives. This speaks to effort.
Some Christians believe that once they accept Christ, it is a done deal. They are saved and God will give them grace when they sin and they can put their life on cruise control. They don’t have to think too deeply about God or about anything remotely Christian. But this is a fallacy. The Christian life is a difficult one. It is about introspection, about diligent work about recognizing flaws and working them out of your life. It is about constant change and growth, about repentance and prayer and yearning to understand who God is.
When Paul says to work out our salvation, it is a call to use each day as a stepping stone to better understand who God is and who we are in God. It is about bringing God into the central part of your life, instead to keeping Him at the periphery. Too many of us compartmentalize God, make Him an element instead of the core. Remember, salvation is a gift if we are willing to take it, and it is the beginning of the journey, not the end.
God started a work in you. He began this during your life, perhaps brought you out of a life of sin to show you a better path. In that, God began to work inside you for His purpose. He wants you to take the culmination of your experience, your location, your talents and gifts and work for Him in a grand way for others. God does have a long-range plan for you, and to see it, you must first engage God in a relationship.
14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. 17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
It seems natural for some to complain. The world certainly accepts it and it becomes a core tenant for most. What Paul explains here is to take a completely different outlook. Complaining and disputing things adds to a spirit of impurity. If we are to shine like lights to the world, then we must stand in opposition to what everyone does.
If we believe that God is providential (God is in charge of everything and knows what He is doing), then who are we to complain about how life unfolds for us and others? Do we really believe God is in charge and know we will be protected? These verses strike us at the heart of our faith and trust. If we are complaining and grumbling about situations, or each other, we are forgetting about the providential nature of God.
Grumbling against God: When we do this, we are saying to ourselves that we don’t trust the care and protection God gives us. A good to examine this is to think back in your life of four or five times you thought you weren’t gong to make it out of a situation. Maybe it was physical or emotional at its base, or financial. But if you recall, you survived it. Perhaps not unscathed, but you are here today as proof that you were provided for, by God, in a variety of ways. If you continue to think about these close calls and how God provided for you, you will begin to see a roadmap of how God has provided. We may not like the situation or the time it took to resolve, but each of these moments taught us something. God is 100% accurate in providing and teaching us as we wander through life.
Now, in each of these circumstances, you did not know when the end was or how the end would come. But it did come, perhaps not how you thought. In that, God has a perfect way of protecting us in the way we need protection in the moment. To grumble as we go through the training isn’t proper, for it shows our unfaithfulness. Our lack of trust, even when we can see God’s track record in our life. Our lack of grumbling shows a deeper trust in God’s plan, and ultimately how we trust.
Grumbling against other people: This is very easy to do, but as Christians we need to look a little deeper into it. If we believe God is providential, then we must also believe that He has put people into our lives to grow and to help us grow. So if God (Providential) has allowed problems into our life, as well as opportunities, it is easy to believe that God has also allowed people into our life. If God is truly providential, then the people who have been brought into our life are also there for a reason, just like the trials, problems, and opportunities.
If God has allowed people into our life, then it is for a reason. Perhaps the reason is for us to grow them, but also for certain people to grow us. Whatever the reason a person is in our life, it is God-ordained. God is not coincidental, so someone doesn’t slip into our life as a mistake. God allows relationships to grow for mutual benefit. It is, however, up to us to see the potential in the relationship, and ultimately to learn and grow from it.
So when it comes to grumbling, or complaining about others, we are complaining about the very providence of God. We are in opposition to His plan for us. If we are in opposition to God’s plan, then how can we hope to understand the deeper nuances of what we are to learn? The “warped and crooked” generation Paul talks about is the world dynamic. Have you noticed that the world applauds a complainer? It is somehow deemed socially acceptable to grouse about our unfolding life, about our bosses, spouses, kids and government. The world will not hold you in contempt for this. If we buy into the world viewpoint, we become like the world.
Although we live in the world, the real struggle is to remain pure. To remain a shining light to the world. As it stands, the world is spinning toward destruction. It always has been. But part of that destruction is self-inflicted. When we buy into the ways the world, or temporal thinking asks us to act and conduct ourselves, we are no different from it. We cannot stand out. Paul is asking us to look at ourselves and understand that when we turn from the world dynamic, not just in the case of grumbling, but in many aspects, we will be different. We will appear different to those around us and we will be moving toward the purity that God desires in us.
Paul desperately wants to see this amongst the Philippians, as God wants to see this over the body of all Christians. He wants to take pride as a leader in that people listened, grew and moved toward the purity that Paul taught. Even though Paul understands that his life is ending (being poured out like a drink offering), the sacrifice is an acceptable one if it brings people to an understanding of who Christ is.
Timothy and Epaphroditus 19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20 I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. 21 For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. 23 I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. 24 And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.
Timothy was the one student of Paul who stands out as Paul’s prize student. Paul knows Timothy intimately and knows where Timothy’s heart is. He wants to send Timothy to the Philippians, but knows that God’s timing is not Paul’s. Timothy’s heart, and God’s timing, are in direct contrast to verse 21, which shows how the world dynamic often gets into the church, so much so that the heart turns away from God, turns toward the selfish heart. Paul knows the treachery of the heart, but he also knows that the remedy is found only in God’s timing, whether it brings Timothy to them or Paul himself.
25 But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. 26 For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. 29 So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, 30 because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me.
We don’t know a lot about Epaphroditus, but Paul does give us some clues about him. 1. He was a messenger: It is widely believed that Epaphroditus was the messenger who brought Paul’s message to the Philippians. Epaphroditus brought an offering to Paul to take care of his needs. In that, Paul wanted to return Epaphroditus to the Philippians due to the Philippians love for him and his love for them.
2. Brother, Co-Worker, Fellow Soldier: Brother is a term which endures him to Paul. He is a close relation, a fellow man for Christ who, shoulder to shoulder, meets the criteria for a believer in Christ. Co-worker: This is the day-to-day work that he and Paul did during their time together, the boots on the ground attitude as they worked to spread the word of God.
3. Fellow Soldier: This implies that there were stakes in the ministry they shared. Epaphroditus had to go to battle for the word of God and Paul recognized this.
4. Epaphroditus nearly died for the Gospel: Paul says that Epaphroditus was very ill. But Paul sees his illness and subsequent recovery as a subset of God’s mercy. In God’s mercy Epaphroditus was healed, and that mercy in turn helped ease the anxiety of not only the Philippians but of Paul too. His illness, whatever it may have been, was because of the gospel. This speaks to a reckless abandon. The help the Philippians gave Paul was of a monetary nature, but Epaphroditus gave the human element, the boots on the ground that Paul needed to secure more for Christ.