Christ in Philippians

Christ Connection - The Source of Peace

Grace and peace flow "from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ." Christ stands alongside the Father as the source of these gifts. The same grace that comes from the Father comes from the Son, and peace is mediated through both. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you" (John 14:27). The peace Paul greets the Philippians with is Christ’s own peace.

Christ Connection - The Divine Descent

John opens his Gospel with the same truth: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word was made flesh" (John 1:1, 14). Philippians 2:6 is the doctrinal center of the incarnation. The divine nature did not change. But the divine person entered human life - finite, vulnerable, mortal. Hebrews says He "made himself of no reputation" and "took part of flesh and blood" (Heb. 2:14), "though he were a Son, yet learned obedience b…

Christ Connection - The Surpassing Treasure

Paul echoes Jesus’ parable of the treasure in the field: "The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field" (Matthew 13:44). The discovery of Christ is like finding hidden treasure. The response is joyful surrender. "For joy thereof" the man sells all. Paul sold all. He counted everything loss, with the joy of a man who knows he has found som…

Christ Connection - The Prince of Peace

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you” (John 14:27). He did not promise a trouble-free life. He promised a kind of peace that operates inside trouble, that does not depend on circumstances. Paul writes that this peace, Christ’s peace, will guard your hearts and minds. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul learns that Christ’s grace is sufficient in weakness. Here, Christ’s peace is sufficient in anxiety.