Paul s Letter to the Philippians 2013 Interlaken Study Lorin L Cranford cranfordville.com

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1 Paul s Letter to the Philippians 2013 Interlaken Study Lorin L Cranford cranfordville.com lorin@cranfordville.com SESSION TWO: 1:12-2:18 the several thousand additional Bible study files on the web page. All I ask is that if the material is cited in some kind of publication, either electronic or hard copy print, that proper credit be given in the bibliographic reference to sources Welcome to this second session of our study of Philippians. I hope that you are ready to launch into a detailed look at the beginning sections of the body of this letter in the New Testament. A quick commercial before we get started. These studies -- both a pdf copy of the presentation slides and also this text presentation that is synchronized to the presentation slides -- are available at cranfordville.com. Just go the Paul page in the Biblical Insights Commentary section and look for volume 14 on Philippians. These files are in the Adobe pdf format and can be downloaded on to your computer for viewing and printing. Or, they can be viewed online with your computer monitor at the website. These are furnished free of charge as a ministry of cranfordville.com, along with used. Now let s get our bearings straight by a quick look at the literary setting for our passage this morning of 1:12-2:18. Ancient letters typically contained four sections with the first two functioning in an introductory manner. The heart of the letter was the body proper and always was the longest section. In the way that the apostle Paul used and expanded these four sections, the first two parts -- Praescriptio and Proem -- often served to signal topics to be discussed at length in the letter body. These signals come through expansions of the standard core elements in these first sections. Consequently from a modern reader s viewpoint, it becomes very important to identify these expansion elements and then to see how they are developed in the letter body. Of course, Paul was not the only ancient writer to do this, but it was his custom much more often than for any other letter writers inside the New Testament. To some extent, he anticipates a modern basic principle of giving speeches: Tell them what you are going to say, then tell them, and finally conclude by telling them what you said. The literary genre building blocks for the body proper of the letters inside the New Testament are very diverse and do not often repeat themselves sufficiently to be labeled a genre form. Paul has a tendency to develop this section of his letters around chunks of teaching material and narrative biographical materials. Some of his letters reflect dominance Page 1

2 of teaching materials, e.g., Romans, while most will reflect a mixture of both types of writing. With the teaching materials, Paul will frequently utilize fixed forms of early Christian tradition, mostly developed and passed on in oral form. But much of the teaching material is spontaneously developed by the apostle as he dictates the letter to the writing secretary. The narrative segments typically revolve around references to past times when Paul was visiting the city in ministry toward establishing the church or else in strengthening it. Occasionally the narrative material will focus on the activity of one of his assistants, usually who had a special relationship with the church the letter was being sent to. In Philippians, we find a diverse mixture of a high number of these kinds of teaching and narrative materials. 1 The biographical section in 1:12-26 is followed with some teaching materials in 1:27-2:18. The narrative emphasis returns in 2:19-30 with information about the activities of Timothy and Epaphroditus. This in tern is followed with teaching materials Chapter three (vv. 1-21) is an interlaced blending of biography and teaching focused on Paul s example as a worthy model for the Philippians to follow. The body proper is concluded in 4:1-20 with first teaching material (VV. 1-9) and narrative reflection on the financial gift of the Philippians to Paul s ministry (vv ). Paul begins the body proper with a rather lengthy account of his circumstance in the imperial capital at Rome at the time of the writing of the letter (vv ). We will look at this in small chunks in order to better understand what he is saying. Paul begins his personal circumstance depiction with 1 Interestingly -- and understandably -- in the letters to churches where Paul had not been prior to the letter, the arrangement of materials in the letter body tends to favor teaching material almost to the exclusion of narrative material. Romans and Colossians would exemplify this kind of arrangement. Some biographical segments will be found, but not to the extent found in the other letters to churches. In the letters to individuals -- Philemon, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus -- the reverse tends to be true. Narrative materials dominate, and often as the basis for teaching materials. a topic sentence that lays out the spiritual principle to be followed in recounting what was taking place in Rome in the early 60s. The core expression is Γινώσκειν δὲ ὑμᾶς βούλομαι, ἀδελφοί, ὅτι..., Now, brothers, I want you to know that... One needs to pay attention to signals such as ἀδελφοί, brothers. These vocative case nouns in the Greek often indicate a change in topic for the apostle, in addition to adding a personal touch to the letter. Paul s use of βούλομαι, rather than the milder θε λω, reflects his determination to share rather personal details with the Philippians that were not very complementary to the Christian community at Rome. But this he will do within the framework laid out in the ὅτιclause in v. 12. The guiding principle in this personal sharing is ὅτι τὰ κατʼ ἐμὲ μᾶλλον εἰς προκοπὴν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἐλήλυθεν, that the things regarding me have rather come about for the advancement of the Gospel. Thus Paul strikes a positive note as the tone for his sharing. God has used every event connected to Paul s imprisonment to move the cause of spreading the Gospel in Rome forward. In the remainder of this sentence in vv he mentions two positive consequences that have taken place. First, ὥστε τοὺς δεσμούς μου φανεροὺς ἐν Χριστῷ γενέσθαι ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ πραιτωρίῳ καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς πᾶσιν. His chains -- a symbol for imprisonment -- although very negative humanly speaking, have instead been used to gain a hearing and an awareness of the Gospel otherwise impossible. Among those in the imperial palace there has come about awareness that is Roman citizen Paul is under guard because of his commitment to Jesus Christ. Paul specifically mentions the palace guard called the πραιτω ριον. This term could either designate a headquarters building where the emperor or provincial governor lived and ruled, or -- as here -- the specially trained soldiers charged with protecting either the emperor or governor. They would have had the responsibility for maintaining all prisoners awaiting trial before the emperor, and included the soldiers mentioned by Luke in Acts 28:16. But not only the soldiers became aware of Christ through Paul s imprisonment, but he asserts also καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς πᾶσιν, and to all the rest. Both references need to be taken generally and not absolutely, since there were some 9,000 Praetorini in Rome, and all the rest is best understood as referring to a general awareness in the city of why Paul was under arrest. Second, καὶ τοὺς πλείονας τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐν κυρίῳ πεποιθότας τοῖς δεσμοῖς μου περισσοτέρως τολμᾶν ἀφόβως τὸν λόγον λαλεῖν. Not only were lots of people becoming aware of Christianity through Paul s imprisonment, but large numbers of believers in Rome became more confident to share their faith with non-believers. The τὸν λόγον is a synonym for Gospel. Thus in an amazing manner Paul s imprisonment was used of God for good both inside and outside the community of believers in Rome. Page 2

3 The second set of depictions in vv a puts a different light on the matter. These reveal an unbelieveably tolerant apostle toward his opponents. In order to understand Paul s words here, one should recognize a literary device being used by the apostle in structuring his thoughts. Prof. Gerald Hawthorne in the Word Biblical Commentary (vol. 43) has correctly identified a double chiasmus pattern, as charted above. Here Paul s speaks of two groups in the Roman church motivated to preach the Gospel due to Paul s imprisonment in the city. Negative Group: Positive Group: v. 15 Some proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry τινὲς μὲν καὶ διὰ φθόνον καὶ ἔριν but others from goodwill τινὲς δὲ καὶ διʼ εὐδοκίαν vv These proclaim Christ out of love οἱ μὲν ἐξ ἀγάπης, he others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment. οἱ δὲ ἐξ ἐριθείας τὸν Χριστὸν καταγγέλλουσιν, οὐχ ἁγνῶς, οἰόμενοι θλῖψιν ἐγείρειν τοῖς δεσμοῖς μου. v. 18 whether out of false motives εἴτε προφάσει or true εἴτε ἀληθείᾳ What surfaces here seems incredible in many ways. The activity described is τὸν Χριστὸν κηρύσσουσιν (preaching Christ, v. 15c) and Χριστὸς καταγγέλλεται (Christ is being proclaimed, v. 18a). From the terminology Paul uses it clearly is a public preaching of Christ in the marketplaces and other locations to a non-christian audience. That this is being done leads Paul to say, καὶ ἐν τούτῳ χαίρω, and in this I am rejoicing (v. 18a). The positive motivation for this by some in the Roman church is defined as διʼ εὐδοκίαν, because of good will, (v. 15b); ἐξ ἀγάπης, εἰδότες ὅτι εἰς ἀπολογίαν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου κεῖμαι, from love and knowing that I am set for the defense of the Gospel, v. 16); and ἀληθείᾳ, in truth (v. 18a). Such motivation to preach the Gospel is easily understandable. These believers in the church at Rome were inspired by the example of Paul in seeking to share the Gospel every way possible. The motivation of the other group in the church there is the problem for us today. Paul describes it as διὰ φθόνον καὶ ἔριν, because of envy and rivalry (v. 15a); ἐξ ἐριθείας τὸν Χριστὸν καταγγέλλουσιν, οὐχ ἁγνῶς, οἰόμενοι θλῖψιν ἐγείρειν τοῖς δεσμοῖς μου, out of selfish ambition, not sincerely hoping to raise up afflictions on top of my imprisonment (v. 17); and by false motives (v. 18a). At the core of this motivation was the hope that their preaching activities would substantially increase the problems on Paul in making his defense of the Gospel. The most natural implication of this depiction, especially in verse 17, is that their actions would lead to Paul s execution at the hands of the Romans. That fellow Christians would so despise a brother being persecuted already for preaching the Gospel that they would not only want him executed but would take concrete actions to make such more likely -- such motivation is barely conceivable! Equally amazing is Paul s response in v. 18: καὶ ἐν τούτῳ χαίρω. Ἀλλὰ καὶ χαρήσομαι, and in this I am rejoicing, and furthermore I will also continue rejoicing. This is Christian love in its fullest expression. It came -- as we will see further into the letter -- from one so committed to spreading the Gospel that any such efforts prompted joy. Added to that was a total surrender to the will of God, whether that meant continued ministry or whether it meant death by execution. Paul saw both options as a win / win situation for him. Paul continues to focus on his imprisonment situation in the second set of depictions in vv. 18b-20. He begins with Ἀλλὰ καὶ χαρήσομαι, Furthermore I will also continue rejoicing. That the Gospel was being proclaimed brought him joy. Additionally the other basis for this rejoicing is found in the sentence in vv The core part is οἶδα γὰρ ὅτι τοῦτό μοι ἀποβήσεται εἰς σωτηρίαν διὰ τῆς ὑμῶν δεήσεως καὶ Page 3

4 ἐπιχορηγίας τοῦ πνεύματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, for I know that this will turn out for me as deliverance through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Paul was convinced that which every direction his case before the emperor went -- either execution or release from imprisonment -- it would mean his σωτηρίαν. There is a double play on this Greek word that is almost impossible to communicate in English translation. His salvation (σωτηρίαν), if by execution, would mean to immediate enter into the full presence of Christ in eternity (cf. vv ). But if that σωτηρίαν meant release from imprisonment, he would get to continue preaching Christ and serving God s people a while longer. Either option was a σωτηρίαν for Paul. Two sources of this σωτηρίαν are expressed by Paul. God would work out the situation using both the prayers of the Philippian church (τῆς ὑμῶν δεήσεως) and the assistance of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (καὶ ἐπιχορηγίας τοῦ πνεύματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ). One should note that the grammar structure here (article Noun and Noun; τῆς...δεήσεως καὶ ἐπιχορηγίας) views both these not as two separate entities but as a single reality. That is, the ability of the Holy Spirit to work is closely linked to the prayers of God s people -- a profoundly important spiritual insight. Paul believed deeply in the essential role of intercessory prayer by God s people. The most important aspect of his situation that gave him the greatest concern was not what might happen. Rather, it was how well he would handle it: κατὰ τὴν ἀποκαραδοκίαν καὶ ἐλπίδα μου, ὅτι ἐν οὐδενὶ αἰσχυνθήσομαι ἀλλʼ ἐν πάσῃ παρρησίᾳ ὡς πάντοτε καὶ νῦν μεγαλυνθήσεται Χριστὸς ἐν τῷ σώματί μου, εἴτε διὰ ζωῆς εἴτε διὰ θανάτου (v. 20). Paul s overriding objective was clearly that μεγαλυνθήσεται Χριστὸς ἐν τῷ σώματί μου, Christ may be magnified in my body. The sense of enlarging Christ is of Him becoming better known by others through what happened to Paul physically. And as he qualifies it, εἴτε διὰ ζωῆς εἴτε διὰ θανάτου, whether through living or whether through death. Paul elevates both options to the same level of importance. In the fourth part of amplification in vv , Paul shifts to a very personal and also theological expression. He begins with a foundational spiritual principle undergirding what he has just said about his σωτηρίαν (v. 19): Ἐμοὶ γὰρ τὸ ζῆν Χριστὸς καὶ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν κέρδος, for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain (v. 21). For the Christian Paul, living or dying as options balanced themselves out as equally desirable. 2 To continue living Paul says is Χριστὸς, Christ. What he means by this abbreviated statement is explained in vv. 22 and 24 (also vv ) as continued opportunities to serve the Philippians. But the meaning of dying as a Christian is κέρδος, gain, which then is explained in v. 23 to mean being immediately with Christ in eternity in a profoundly deeper spiritual union with the resurrected Christ. In prayerfully weighing out these options, Paul comes to the conviction (καὶ τοῦτο πεποιθὼς οἶδα ὅτι, and having been persuaded of this, I know that...(v. 25a) that μενῶ καὶ παραμενῶ πᾶσιν ὑμῖν εἰς τὴν ὑμῶν προκοπὴν καὶ χαρὰν τῆς πίστεως, I will remain (alive) and continue on for all of you for the advancement and enjoyment of your faith (v. 25b). God has persuaded Paul that it is not yet his time to die, in spite of the human efforts to cause this to happen. Rather, the divine will is for Paul to continue on in active Christian service. And notice how he focuses that service on his readers at Philippi. The prisoner Paul would face severe limitations in doing this, but the freed from prison Paul would be able to do this. An ultimate objective in resuming his ministry is stated in verse 26: ἵνα τὸ καύχημα ὑμῶν περισσεύῃ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἐν ἐμοὶ διὰ τῆς ἐμῆς παρουσίας πάλιν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again. When Paul last visited Philippi at the end 2 He speaks of dying and being with Christ as πολλῷ [γὰρ] μᾶλλον κρεῖσσον, for this is far better (v. 23b). But then he characterizes living and thus continued service as ἀναγκαιότερον διʼ ὑμᾶς, the far more necessary thing for your sake (v. 24b). The resolution of both options being equal is simply that for Paul personally dying and being with Christ was better, but this was counter balanced completely by the reality that Christianity is foremost service to others. Thus continuing to live and being able to serve others was equally important for Paul, i.e., τοῦτό μοι καρπὸς ἔργου, this is to me fruitful labor (v. 22a). Page 4

5 of the third missionary journey in the middle 50s, he presumably told them the same thing as what he said to the Ephesian elders at Melitus, that is, that he did not expect to ever see them again in this life (cf. Acts 20:1-2; 20:25. But now several years later, God had given Paul conviction that he would be able to see them again in spite of his Roman imprisonment. What a glorious day of celebration that must have been when the apostle once more traveled to Philippi after being released from prison by Nero in the early 60s. The idea of τὸ καύχημα ὑμῶν is almost impossible to easily express in English. It is not really the idea of boasting even though many English translations use this word. It is rather a sense of profoundly deep sense of well being and happiness that bubbles to the surface in joyous expression. Foundational to this idea is Paul s expression to the Galatian Christians made many years before his word here to the Philippians in 6:14. Ἐμοὶ δὲ μὴ γένοιτο καυχᾶσθαι εἰ μὴ ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, διʼ οὗ ἐμοὶ κόσμος ἐσταύρωται κἀγὼ κόσμῳ. May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Gospel of Christ. The Philippians with their city s rich Greek heritage, along with the special relationship to Rome that it enjoyed as a major military garrison for the Roman army, provided a clear background image for these initial readers. As believers the Gospel is our defining city that provides us with status, life meaning, and privileges before God. We thus hold citizenship in this special city, and therefore are obligated by Christ to conduct ourselves accordingly. The objective that Paul envisions behind this admonition is seen in the lengthy purpose clause (vv. 27b-28) ἵνα εἴτε ἐλθὼν καὶ ἰδὼν ὑμᾶς εἴτε ἀπὼν ἀκούω τὰ περὶ ὑμῶν, ὅτι στήκετε ἐν ἑνὶ πνεύματι, μιᾷ ψυχῇ συναθλοῦντες τῇ πίστει τοῦ εὐαγγελίου καὶ μὴ πτυρόμενοι ἐν μηδενὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀντικειμένων, ἥτις ἐστὶν αὐτοῖς ἔνδειξις ἀπωλείας, ὑμῶν δὲ σωτηρίας, καὶ τοῦτο ἀπὸ θεοῦ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents, which is for them evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation, and this is God s doing. The heart of his goal is to know that the church is working together in deeply unified commitment to advance faith commitment in the Gospel. This should not be impacted by whether Paul gets to return to Philippi or not. That is, their service is to Christ and must not be motivated by the presence or absence of the founding missionary. Neither should it be impacted by hostility from non-believers in Philippi. The founding of the church was in an atmosphere of hostility from non-believers. This negative attitude still existed several years later, but Paul s goal was their consistent advancement of the Gospel message undeterred by this hostility. Such hostility Paul believed to be an indication of their coming eternal damnation. But for believers such hostility was a confirmation of the correctness of their faith commitment to God through Christ that would bring them eternal salvation. Growing out of his thoughts in v. 26 about τὸ καύχημα ὑμῶν περισσεύῃ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ comes then the admonitions and affirmations in vv His narration with teaching materials in vv launch him into a teaching section beginning in 1:27. First comes the graphically rich admonition in v. 27: Μόνον ἀξίως τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τοῦ Χριστοῦ πολιτεύεσθε. The present imperative verb πολιτεύεσθε has no equivalent form in English. Literally it is citizionize yourselves worthily of the Gospel of Christ. In the ancient Greco-Roman world being a citizen of a major city, and especially of the city of Rome, was a terrible important matter. Along with such high privilege was the obligation as a citizen to conduct oneself in such a way as to bring honor to that city for having outstanding citizens. Paul lays this obligation on the Philippian believers, not as citizens of Philippi, but as citizens of the The rationale (ὅτι) for this admonition is provided in vv But not in a way that modern Christians expect Page 5

6 to hear. The beginning core part, yes: ὅτι ὑμῖν ἐχαρίσθη τὸ ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ, because it have been granted to you as a divine favor in behalf of Christ. The hostility of non-believers toward the believers at Philippi was ἔνδειξις, evidence, that they would indeed be saved eternally (v. 28). Now states that they were being granted a huge favor from God (ἐχαρίσθη) due to their relationship to Christ (τὸ ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ). What was this favor? Eternal life? No! Not at all! Rather it was οὐ μόνον τὸ εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύειν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ πάσχειν, not only to believe in Him but also to suffer in His behalf. The eternal God had favored (ἐχαρίσθη) the Philippian believers with faith surrender to Christ for salvation. But with that faith surrender come the equally significant divine favor of being privileged to suffer in Christ s behalf. This privileged suffering for Christ was paralleled by Paul s own experience: τὸν αὐτὸν ἀγῶνα ἔχοντες, οἷον εἴδετε ἐν ἐμοὶ καὶ νῦν ἀκούετε ἐν ἐμοί, since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. What the apostle picks up on here is that they were experiencing persecution from the authorities similar to that which had typified Paul s entire ministry and was now being experienced at Rome. One would need to remember the negative tones of facing government hostility as well as hostility from fellow residents in a city of the ancient world. In the eyes of the surrounding world Paul and the Philippian believers were considered as criminals and thus worthless people. But that didn t matter because the deeper spiritual reality was that this very hostility come as a divine favor from Heaven as proof that they indeed were the children of God bound for Heaven. What hope and encouragement for persecuted believers! This admonition with its basis in 1:27-30 provides a launch pad into one of the most beautiful and profound passages in the entire Bible. Phil. 2:1-10 as the Christus Hymnus stands as a beautiful expression of Christian hope and inspiration to consistent service to Christ. The passage naturally divides into two parts: the definition of circumstance for commitment (vv. 1-4) and the poetic example of Christ as the model for commitment (vv. 5-10). First, the circumstances motivating commitment in vv These four verses stand as a single sentence with the main clause at the beginning of verse two providing the core idea: πληρώσατέ μου τὴν χαρὰν, make my joy complete. This emphasis continues the line of thinking begun in 1:27-30 with a teaching emphasis containing a personal touch from Paul. Additionally this long Greek sentence begins with a series of first class conditional proteases introduced by the conjunction εἴ. This construction assumes the reality of each of the four situations proposed in verse one. When the Philippians make Paul a very happy apostle the impact will be the achieving of an stated objective in the lengthy ἵνα clause contained in vv. 2b-4. Functionally, in this clause Paul spells out how the Philippians can make him very happy. First let s take a look at the four realities that exist and can motivate the Philippians to make Paul happy. Important is the word οὖν, therefore, in verse one. This inferential conjunction links vv. 1-4 (and 6-11) back to 1:27-30 as a implication in 1:27-30 that is now being expressed explicitly. That is, what follows grows out of what preceded. Each of the four if clauses identifies a possible spiritual reality that by the nature of the if-clause assumes the reality to be present in the experience of the Philippian believers. Additionally each clause is presented in ellipsis, i.e., without a directly stated but clearly implied verb. English translations uniformly supply a there is expression which English grammar rules mandate. Note the four conditions: Εἴ τις οὖν παράκλησις ἐν Χριστῷ, εἴ τι παραμύθιον ἀγάπης, εἴ τις κοινωνία πνεύματος, εἴ τις σπλάγχνα καὶ οἰκτιρμοί, The indefinite adjectival pronoun τις or τι carries the idea of some level of experience defined by the nouns assumed to be present among the Philippians. The four sets of nouns define different areas of Christian commitment and experience: παράκλησις ἐν Χριστῷ, encouragement found in Christ. That is, motivation from Christ to face life positively should prompt us to service. παραμύθιον ἀγάπης, consolation from love. That is, does divine ἀγάπη give you incentive to serve Him? κοινωνία πνεύματος, fellowship with the Spirit. That is, does you relationship with the Holy Spirit motivate you to service? σπλάγχνα καὶ οἰκτιρμοί, compassion and sympathy. That is, do concrete expressions of God s positive feelings and expressed compassion motivate you to service? Clearly these spiritual realities, which do exist in your lives as believers, should become incentives to give yourself in service and devotion to Christ through His church. How can Paul be made happy? The clause in vv. 2b- 4 spells out specific actions that will make him very happy. Foundational is the core expression to this ἵνα clause: τὸ Page 6

7 αὐτὸ φρονῆτε, let your minds be set on the same thing. The idea in the imperative, passive voice verb φρονῆτε is hard to translate clearly into English. The verb itself speaks of concentrated focus of attention on -- and thus commitment to -- something. The plural form directs this concentrated attention be made by the entire community of believers. The passive voice command is something that doesn t exist naturally in English. The sense of it is a command to all the Philippians believers to allow themselves to be brought into this single concentrated focus of attention. The passive voice highlights the role of God in producing this unity. Now what does that imply? The details of the something that the collection focus is to be made are spelled out in a series of quality character traits and actions that Paul expects the Philippians to engage in. 1) ὴν αὐτὴν ἀγάπην ἔχοντες, possessing a common love. All the Philippians are to come together in a common agape love commitment to Christ and to others. 2) σύμψυχοι, like-souled. The American English idiom of soul mates is essentially the point here. But in a spiritual togetherness. 3) τὸ ἓν φρονοῦντες, focusing attention on one thing. Posses together a common commitment to the one priority of serving God in Christ. The repeating of the verbal expression here but with a different object signals the end of the positive qualities, and sets up the following series of negatives to be avoided by the common focus of attention by the believers. 4) μηδὲν κατʼ ἐριθείαν μηδὲ κατὰ κενοδοξίαν, nothing from selfish ambition nor from vain glory. No believer in the community is to doing any service with this self centered focus as a way to gaining superiority in the community. Servant based service is the only legitimate way. 5) ἀλλὰ τῇ ταπεινοφροσύνῃ ἀλλήλους ἡγούμενοι ὑπερέχοντας ἑαυτῶν, instead in humility considering one another better than yourselves. Christianity is a focus on others to the sacrificing of one self. 6) μὴ τὰ ἑαυτῶν ἕκαστος σκοποῦντες ἀλλὰ [καὶ] τὰ ἑτέρων ἕκαστοι, not scoping out one s own things, but indeed each one the things of others. In Christian service the guiding interest is on what benefits others rather than on personal gain. What then does τὸ αὐτὸ φρονῆτε, you would set your minds on the same thing, mean? It means adopting the above stances! As the Philippian community heeded this call, Paul as their spiritual father would become indeed a happy person. What is the model to set the example for believers to follow here? In verses 6-11 Paul reaches out to an ancient Christian hymn or perhaps confession of faith already in existence and known to the Philippians. This beautiful poetic expression of Christ emptying Himself of the splendors of Heaven to come to earth in the Incarnation stand as the ultimate model of self giving for the sake of others. This poetic material falls into two thematic sections: humiliation (vv. 5-8) and exaltation (vv. 9-11). Humiliation, vv The initial statement in verse five functions to introduce the hymn material: Τοῦτο φρονεῖτε ἐν ὑμῖν ὃ καὶ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, set your minds on this thing among you which also was in Christ Jesus. Paul repeats the core expression in the ἵνα clause in v. 2, τὸ αὐτὸ φρονῆτε, with a present tense active voice imperative verb expression Τοῦτο φρονεῖτε, be setting your minds on this. What is meant by this (Τοῦτο) is defined by the relative clause ὃ καὶ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, which also was in Christ Jesus. Both of these elements then point to the strophes of the poem 3 describing Christ s humility in coming from Heaven to earth (vv. 6-8). 1st strophe in verse six: ὃς ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ ὑπάρχων οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα θεῷ, The poem begins with affirmation of the full deity of Christ in Heaven. The central emphasis is that Christ did not consider this divine status of equality with God the Father as something to be hoarded or used for personal advantage. 2nd strophe in verse seven: ἀλλʼ ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσεν μορφὴν δούλου λαβών, ἐν ὁμοιώματι ἀνθρώπων γενόμενος who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. What is meant by emptied himself remains something of a mystery even to this day. From the gospel accounts of the incarnation it would appear to specific a divesting himself 3 The poetic nature of vv reflect balanced meter and parallel lines typical of ancient Greek poetic expression. This poetry followed different grammar rules that will poetry in modern western languages. This poses substantial translation challenges to Bible translators in most every modern western language. How to set up the strophes in the Greek poem in proper modern western language structures, and at the same time to accurately translate the Greek text ideas. This is often reflected in poetic formating of the translation, but the translation itself doesn t sound very poetic. Page 7

8 of the privileges of τὸ εἶναι ἴσα θεῷ, equality with God, while in Heaven. The poetic nature of this expression certainly does not provide an adequate foundation for building entire systems of kenotic theology, as have been done over the centuries. The poem s point is to stress the incarnation from what Christ enjoy in Heaven to being born in human form to Mary in a stable in Bethlehem. 3rd strophe in verses seven b and eight: Although mostly ignored in English translations, the double καὶ conveys the sense of both exalted and favored him. This combination tends to be one method of highlighting emphaκαὶ σχήματι εὑρεθεὶς ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτὸν γενόμενος ὑπήκοος μέχρι θανάτου, θανάτου δὲ σταυροῦ. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death even death on a cross. The central point here is the self humbling of Christ. This came in His humanness, not in His divinity. The ultimate expression of this self humbling as a human was dying. And this dying came to execution as a criminal on a Roman cross. One important point to not over look is that the self emptying (ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσεν, v. 7) is now defined as self humbling (ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτὸν, v. 8). The functional emphasis is what dominates here. Not the anthropological theological point how He shifted from divine to human. The functional point is why the point is cited by Paul to show Christ s humility as the ultimate model for Christian humility. sis on a single point. Thus καὶ...ὑπερύψωσεν καὶ ἐχαρίσατο are stressing one action from two separate viewpoints. The Aorist tense forms of both verbs indicates that this exaltation and favoring took place earlier with the ascension of Jesus back to Heaven. The first verb ὑπερύψωσεν comes from υ περυψοώ, itself a compound form from ὑψόω. The core meaning is to cause someone to have high status [L-N, Greek Lexicon, 87.20]. This high status is then defined by ἐχαρίσατο, with the sense of granting a favor to someone. Inside the NT the root form of χαρι ζομαι from the same stem as χα ρις (grace) plays an important connection in defining an action of God to someone. This giving of a name to Christ was not compulsory, but was done freely out of the goodness of the Heavenly Father. The subject of these verbal actions is ὁ θεὸς, God. Humans could neither do these things, nor were they inclined to even try. What the exaltation of Christ meant in the ascension was simply the acquiring of a special τὸ ὄνομα, name. In verse 10 one might conclude that this name was Jesus, but the construction there more naturally means the name that Jesus has. The clearest signal of the identity of this name comes in verse 11 and is κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, Lord Jesus Christ. But this name is τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα, above every name (v. 9). That is, this special name is the most important name that anyone could possibly have. Here the idea of name is close to our sense of title. Second strophe in vv ἵνα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ πᾶν γόνυ κάμψῃ ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ καταχθονίων καὶ πᾶσα γλῶσσα ἐξομολογήσηται ὅτι κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ πατρός. so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. How did the Heavenly Father respond to such humility by Christ? Verses 9-11 describe the exaltation of Christ in Heaven as the blessing of the Heavenly Father to Christ for such selfless giving of Himself. The conjunction διὸ links 9-11 back to 5-8 as a response. The poetic structures continue in this section as well, even with vv being just a single sentence. First Strophe in v. 9: διὸ καὶ ὁ θεὸς αὐτὸν ὑπερύψωσεν καὶ ἐχαρίσατο αὐτῷ τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα, Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, This extended ἵνα clause expresses the twin objectives of the pair of main clause verbs in a chiasmus. A ὁ θεὸς αὐτὸν ὑπερύψωσεν B ἐχαρίσατο αὐτῷ τὸ ὄνομα B ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ πᾶν γόνυ κάμψῃ A πᾶσα γλῶσσα ἐξομολογήσηται The ascension of Jesus brought about the exaltation and favoring by God. This sets up the eschatological day of Judgment when full acknowledgment of this high status will be given by every human being who has every lived. The bowing of the knee and the confession of the tongue represent complete acknowledgment of the high status of the name of Jesus Christ as indeed Lord over all. The conceptual starting point for this poem has been understood very differently, usually in terms of either Jewish or Greco-Roman sources. But a better approach is to see the origin in first century Christian perception of who Christ is and the efforts to celebrate that in poetic expression, that possibly was used as a hymn in worship. This Page 8

9 would not preclude utilizing some terminology and conceptualizations out of either Jewish or Greco-Roman sources. After all these were both Jewish and Gentile Christians celebrating Christ as Lord. The assumption generally is that the pre-formed structures of this poem suggest prior awareness of it by the Philippians and thus Paul s use of it here to re-enforce the role model of Christ for self-sacrificing service to others only enabled him to speak more persuasively. After Paul s appeal to the Philippians to make him a happy man by unified devotion to Christ, he then moves to conclude this first section of the letter body with a series of exhortations in vv The signaling of a conclusion comes with the conjunction Ὥστε, which denotes consequence or impact of something. This unit of material naturally divides into three segments of exhortations with expansion elements: vv , 14-16, The first segment is built around the core admonition τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν κατεργάζεσθε, work out your own salvation. At first glance the English translation appears to have Paul place the burden of salvation upon the individual s shoulders rather than in the initial of God providing for salvation. This seriously contradicts what he uniformly says elsewhere in his writings. But as Paul has already made clear the concept of σωτηρία in his thinking encompasses much more than eternal salvation in Heaven. In 1:19 σωτηρία refers to Paul s hoped for release from imprisonment, while in 1:28 it specifies eternal salvation. Here the idea coming out of the health background 4 of the Greek word seems to be focusing on bringing the spiritual deliverance accomplished within through God s grace to the surface of one s life so that spiritual health and deliverance is reflected in what we say and do as believers. The present tense imperative verb form along with 4 In the papyri and lxx, σωτηρία, salvation, is commonly used to convey the idea of health or well-being (MM, 622), ideas that are not unknown to the writers of the NT (Mark 3:4; Acts 4:9; 14:9; 27:34; cf. the Comment on Phil 1:19, 28). [Gerald Hawthorne, Phillippians, vol. 43 in the Word Biblical Commentary, revised (Dallas: Word, Inc., 2004.), 141] the several qualifying expansions added to the verb underscore the ongoing challenge that becomes. First, καθὼς πάντοτε ὑπηκούσατε, just as you have always obeyed. Here Paul alludes to his thankfulness for the Philippians in the Proem (cf. 1:3-11) to indicate that their past consistency of commitment beginning with conversion just needs to be continued into the future. Second, μὴ ὡς ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ μου μόνον ἀλλὰ νῦν πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐν τῇ ἀπουσίᾳ μου, not only in my presence but now much more in my absence. Paul saw the time of separation from the Philippians as a great opportunity for them to demonstrate that their faith commitment wasn t a preacher based faith. In his absence they needed to reach out directly to God and depend on the nourishment that He alone could provide. Third, μετὰ φόβου καὶ τρόμου, with fear and trembling. Transitioning their lifestyle from pagan to Christian needed profound reverence toward God in the realization that He alone come bring them through this radical change in the way they lived. The second part of this lengthy compound sentence in vv provides the basis (γάρ) for the admonition: θεὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ἐνεργῶν ἐν ὑμῖν καὶ τὸ θέλειν καὶ τὸ ἐνεργεῖν ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐδοκίας, for it is God who is working in you both to create the desire and to enable the spiritual dynamic for accomplishing His good pleasure. Living the Christian life properly is so much deeper than adhering to a set of rules. Our want to s have to be transformed; we need the spiritual umph to move us into the new lifestyle. God alone supplies these necessities. This is the difference between vibrant Christianity and Christian legalism. The first is energized by God; the latter is spiritually lifelessness. The second segment of 2:12-18 is found in vv The admonition which is foundational to all the subsequent expansion elements is found at the beginning: Πάντα ποιεῖτε χωρὶς γογγυσμῶν καὶ διαλογισμῶν, be doing everything without grumbling and complaining. In a society where often suspicion of others dominated the culture, Christians Page 9

10 were to serve God and others with a joyful and cheerful attitude. Servant ministry motivated by divine grace looks at opportunities to help others in the name of Christ with joy, and not with the drudgery of following rules in order to personally achieve requirements laid down by God. This kind of approach is essential for the single mindedness (τὸ αὐτὸ φρονῆτε) that Paul urged the Philippians to achieve in 2:2. But a more noble objective is in mind by Paul: ἵνα γένησθε ἄμεμπτοι καὶ ἀκέραιοι, τέκνα θεοῦ ἄμωμα μέσον γενεᾶς σκολιᾶς καὶ διεστραμμένης, ἐν οἷς φαίνεσθε ὡς φωστῆρες ἐν κόσμῳ, so that you may become blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as stars in the world. The Philippian believers had the chance to demonstrate to a spiritually darkened world that the grace of God can indeed transform one s life into something of beauty. Judaism laid claim to being God s children in this world, but Paul saw only a legitimate claim here coming from believers whose lives were being transformed. Against the Jewish background that the stars in the sky were windows opening up glances at the Glory of Almighty God who lived above the canopy of the sky, believers can shine like those stars so that the surrounding world can see the greatness of the true God of this universe. The ultimate impact of living like this? λόγον ζωῆς ἐπέχοντες, εἰς καύχημα ἐμοὶ εἰς ἡμέραν Χριστοῦ, ὅτι οὐκ εἰς κενὸν ἔδραμον οὐδὲ εἰς κενὸν ἐκοπίασα, as you are holding fast to the Word of life for me being able to rejoice profoundly on the Day of Christ that I did not run in vain nor work hard in vain. The Gospel message preached by Paul and others to them was life giving hope, that the Philippians must hold on to tightly. One ultimate consequence for Paul would be his watching these believers pass through final judgment by God with the profound sense of satisfaction that all his efforts to help them was paying off with the huge benefits of eternal life for these believers. Paul s final words in this series of exhortations is a personal one in vv He begins by setting up a possible scenario that he doesn t really expect to happen in the immediate future. 5 But were it to happen, then the main clause makes an important assertion. The unlikely scenario is stated simply as ἐπὶ τῇ θυσίᾳ καὶ λειτουργίᾳ τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν, upon the altar and sacrifice for your faith, I am being poured out as a libation. Against the backdrop of offerings made in the Jewish temple at Jerusalem -- and also possibly like somewhat similar procedures in the pagan temples at Philippi -- Paul sees his possible death at the hands of Nero as the holy water poured out over the faith commitment of the Philippians as their sacrifice placed on God s altar of dedication. Should that prove to be the case -- Paul says -- then he will rejoice and continue rejoicing with all of them: χαίρω καὶ συγχαίρω πᾶσιν ὑμῖν. He is gladly willing to give up his life to further the faith commitment of the Philippians. And (in v. 18) he wants them to feel the same way toward him: τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ ὑμεῖς χαίρετε καὶ συγχαίρετέ μοι. If his imprisonment at Rome should lead to execution, then the Philippians should rejoice with Paul that such a life has been offered up to God in unqualified commitment. This is the win / win situation that Paul early mentioned in 1:18b- 26. How relevant to us are these words of Paul? I trust that the interpretation of 1:12-2:18 has uncovered all kinds of connecting points to us as believers in the modern world. The kind of approach to both life and death that Paul reflects regarding his own life stands as a beautiful model of authentic commitment to Christ. Even in the hostility of fellow Christians inside the Roman church Paul found occasion to rejoice. The possibility of execution by Nero did not frighten him; rather, it would be the occasion for rejoicing. To see his beloved Philippian church continue to grow in its spiritual vibrancy -- that was a time to rejoice also. Does the picture start to become clear? One of the repeated words throughout this entire section is χαίρω, I am rejoicing. Companion concepts boosting this emphasis on joy are ἐν κυρίῳ πεποιθότας (having been made confident in the Lord, v. 14); τὴν ἀποκαραδοκίαν καὶ ἐλπίδα μου (my eager expectation and hope, v. 20); the fourfold incentives in 2:1-4 (παράκλησις, encouragement; παραμύθιον, motivation; κοινωνία, fellowship; σπλάγχνα καὶ οἰκτιρμοί, compassion and mercies); καύχημα ἐμοὶ εἰς ἡμέραν Χριστοῦ, my profound satisfaction at the Day of Christ, 2:16); χαίρω καὶ συγχαίρω πᾶσιν ὑμῖν, I am rejoicing and I rejoice with all of you; καὶ ὑμεῖς χαίρετε καὶ συγχαίρετέ μοι, you both rejoice and rejoice with me, 2:17-18). Surely we can find inspiration from this wonderful example to serve our Lord with joy and rejoicing! And that no matter what our circumstance may be. 5 The type of concessive protasis, used here with εἰ καὶ and the indicative mood verb σπένδομαι, assumes the scenario as unlikely to ever happen. Page 10