Chapter 2
Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.
Just read this chapter →Scripture
KJV1If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
2Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
3Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
4Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
5Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
14Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
15That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
16Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
17Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.
18For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.
19But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.
20For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.
21For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.
22But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel.
23Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me.
24But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly.
25Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.
26For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been sick.
27For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
28I sent him therefore the more carefully, that, when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.
29Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation:
30Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me.
“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
Overview
Paul makes his great appeal for humility and unity by pointing to the supreme example of Christ Jesus, who though He existed in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied Himself, took the form of a servant, was made in the likeness of men, and humbled Himself unto death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name above every name. Paul then calls the Philippians to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, knowing it is God who works in them.
Key Themes
The Mind of Christ: Humility
Paul calls believers to have the same mind that was in Christ Jesus — setting aside privilege, embracing servanthood, and considering others better than themselves.
The Kenosis: Christ's Self-Emptying
Christ, who was in the form of God, emptied Himself of His divine prerogatives, took on human nature as a servant, and humbled Himself to the point of the most shameful death — crucifixion.
Exaltation After Humiliation
Because Christ humbled Himself, God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name above every name, so that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Study Questions
What does it practically mean to 'let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves' (v. 3)?
How did Christ 'empty himself' (v. 7) without ceasing to be God, and what does this teach us about true humility?
Why is the fact that Jesus humbled Himself 'even the death of the cross' (v. 8) especially significant?
What does it mean to 'work out your own salvation with fear and trembling' (v. 12) if salvation is by grace through faith?
How does the promise that 'every knee should bow' and 'every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord' (vv. 10-11) shape our confidence in the gospel?
Connection to Christ
This chapter contains one of the most exalted Christological passages in all of Scripture. Jesus Christ, fully God, voluntarily descended to become a servant, suffered the cross, and was exalted to the highest place. His humiliation and exaltation form the pattern for all Christian living and the foundation of all Christian hope.
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Philippians 2. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?