Several years ago our family experienced two different graduations. The first was my daughter’s graduation from preschool. Each spring the school held a commencement for the kids leaving preschool to start Kindergarten. The children wore robes and caps. They were even presented with a diploma.
The second ceremony was my graduation from the Doctor of Ministry program at Harding School of Theology. After completing my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, this was the last degree I would ever earn.
One ceremony—mine—was the end of a journey. It celebrated the conclusion of my formal education. The other ceremony—my daughter’s—was the beginning of a journey. It celebrated the start of her formal education.
These two ceremonies illustrate the two sides of “salvation”:
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Phil. 2:12-13 ESV)
On the one hand, salvation is the end of a journey. These Christians in Philippi have already been saved. It’s something that’s already completed. For example, when Paul spoke to a jailer in the city of Philippi, Paul told him, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31 ESV). These Philippians have believed in the Lord Jesus and have been saved. Paul will write later in Phil. 3 that there’s nothing left for them to do for salvation. It’s finished.
On the other hand, salvation is also beginning of a journey. Paul urges these saved Philippians to “work out your own salvation.” There is something about salvation which needs further “work.” It sounds as if there’s part of a journey still to finish. [1]
Paul is revealing that salvation marks the beginning of a journey not just the end of a journey. Like my graduation, salvation is the completion of something. Everything needed to secure a home with God has already been accomplished by Jesus.
But like my daughter’s graduation, salvation is also the beginning of something. The beginning of what? I think we can put it this way: it’s the beginning of the pursuit of spiritual health. The word “salvation” can refer to health. For example, in Acts 27:34 Paul urges hungry soldiers to eat so that they might “survive,” or, literally, “be saved.” In Acts 4:9 the word “saved” is translated “healed” when Peter describes how he “healed” a lame man. The word “salvation” can refer to being spiritually healthy. And in this text Paul is urging us to make progress on our journey toward spiritual health.
His specific phrase for the goal of this journey is found in this phrase: “for his good pleasure.” In other words, there are certain types of lives that fill God with pleasure. Just as a doctor is thrilled to see a patient gaining greater physical health, so God is thrilled to see us gaining greater spiritual health.[2] What God celebrates is not just the person who is baptized into Christ and saved from their sins. He also celebrates the person who then begins to make progress toward greater spiritual health.
What does spiritual health look like? That’s really the focus on Phil. 2:1-11. Paul’s hymn reveals the most mature, the most healthy individual ever–Jesus Christ. And what distinguished Jesus was his willingness to empty himself out in service for others. That’s the ultimate standard–the willingness to empty ourselves out in service to God and others.
This progress is something God works at within us. Paul writes that God “works in you, both to will and to work…” (2:13). God works in us for our spiritual health. And, as Paul illustrates in 1:6, God’s work within us is relentless.[3] God keeps working until “the day of Jesus Christ.” It is this work Paul points to in 1:19 when he remembers “the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” who is working within Paul during his dark time in prison.[4] And this relentless work of God’s is comprehensive. God works in us so that we might both “will” and “work”: we might have the desire to do what is right and the power to do what is right. [5]
There is absolutely no work we can do to contribute to the salvation that centers on our spiritual home with God. Jesus has done it all. But there is plenty we can do to contribute to the salvation that centers on our spiritual health.[6] God, by his Spirit, is laboring non-stop to move us toward greater degrees of spiritual maturity. That’s what Paul means when he writes of the “God who works in you, both to will and to work.”
Yet we, too, are called to partner with God in that progress. We are also called to a relentless effort. Paul urges us to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” The phrase “fear and trembling” is used throughout the Bible to refer to the way humans respond to God’s supernatural work. Paul isn’t calling us to be afraid.[7] He’s saying that our response to God’s supernatural work within us is to soberly participate with God in that work. The knowledge that God is doing what only he can to help us progress in spiritual maturity should lead us to do what only we can to partner with God in our spiritual maturity.
And this phrase “work out” can be translated “work at.” Paul is urging us to “work at” our spiritual health along with God. For example, a few years ago my wife’s father had knee surgery. The surgery was successful. But even though the doctors had done what Ken could never do, Ken still had a part to play. For the next few months, Ken had to “work at” his knee-health. He had to do exercises to stretch and strengthen the tendons and muscles.
Paul is suggesting something similar regarding spiritual health. God is doing things to help us progress in maturity that we could never do. But we still have a part to play. We have things to work at if we want to experience greater spiritual health. Paul will comment on this again in 3:12-14 when he writes about his relentless effort to “press on” (2X) and “strain forward” toward greater knowledge of Jesus and maturity in Jesus. This is the language of effort. Intense effort. Sweat-dropping-from-your-head effort.
But while God is opposed to earning he is not opposed to effort. Effort is not the same as earning. Here is how Dallas Willard explains it: [8]
While it is true that we are saved by grace, that God alone is the author of our salvation, and it is impossible to change our wayward hearts on our own, it is also true that we have important responsibilities in this journey of discipleship. We must understand the critical truth that God is not opposed to people making an effort, but that God is opposed to using our effort to earn salvation. So God is not opposed to effort but to earning. While God’s grace birthed us into the kingdom, our continued cooperation with that grace grows us in the life of the kingdom.
God is opposed to earning—that posture which proposes “I can save myself.” But God is not opposed to effort—the actions we undertake to become more and more spiritually healthy. And if we want to experience more than superficial improvements in our spiritual maturity, it will require intense effort.
But this effort done in partnership with God. John Ortberg uses a raft, a rowboat, and a sailboat to illustrate.[9] Imagine that the shoreline on the opposite side of a lake represents where you dream of living. That shore is you experiencing full spiritual health; full spiritual maturity. How do you get to that shore? You could jump onto a raft and assume that God’s going to do all the work for you. But you’d just end up drifting aimlessly. Alternatively, you could jump into a rowboat and assume that you along must do all the work. So you row and row, but eventually you burn out. What you need is a sailboat. Sailing is not easy. It still requires intense effort. But ultimately, the wind carries you to the other shore. You and the wind co-labor. In the same way, you and God will co-labor to achieve true life-change.
One way of summarizing salvation is this: the emptying of our hands.
In my parent’s neighborhood in New Mexico, there are a lot of neighbors who regularly walk their dogs. One dog always catches their attention. He struts through the neighborhood with two Frisbees in his mouth. Most mornings you can see him padding down the sidewalk with two Frisbees in his mouth. One’s just not enough. He’s got to have two. He used to carry three. But I guess that was just too much. So he carries two.
What’s a dog need with two Frisbees? Seems a little overboard to me. To my parents. Probably to many of us. Wouldn’t he be fine with just one?
But there’s something in us, isn’t there, that prefers to have the cup filled as close to the top as possible rather than having an empty cup. There’s a sense in which these two images sort of summarize two fundamental approaches to life. On the one hand, there’s the empty cup. And for most, that’s the state in life to most be avoided. That’s the state in life most feared. Above all, we don’t want empty cups. On the other hand, there’s the full cup. And for most of us, that’s the state in life to be most pursued. That’s the state in life most desired. Above all, we want a full cup. When it comes down to it, we’re all a bit like that dog. We’re all two Frisbee folks.
John Ortberg writes about how this happens even when we are young: “When our kids were little, we put them on the envelope system. When we gave them an allowance, they would put it in envelopes labeled “Give,” “Save,” “Gifts,” “Spend,” and so on. I thought it was working until one day I had a Band-Aid on my arm, and my daughter, who at that time was about six, asked, “Why?” I explained I had gotten a medical exam that day to get life insurance. She asked, “What’s that?” I explained, “Well, Daddy loves you so much and loves the family so much, so if anything were to happen to Daddy (which of course it won’t, but if it would), it would provide for $250,000.” Her eyes got really wide. She has a tender heart, and I knew she’d be worried. She looked up at me and said, “Apiece?” I thought, I’m not sure the right lesson is getting communicated.
The thought of filling her cup with $250,000 was enough to make her overcome even her normal squeamishness of thinking about her Daddy passing away.
When it comes down to it, most of us prefer to fill our cups. We want out cups full, not empty. We want them filled as much as possible financially, emotionally, spiritually, relationally, and academically.
It was something even Jesus faced. The Gospels being by telling us that Jesus spent serious time in the desert being tested by the Devil himself. At one point the Devil took him up on a very high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and said, “This can all be yours if you’ll just bend your knee before me.” The Devil was trying to fill Jesus’ cup. He figured Jesus would be interested in having a cup that was so full politically, geographically, socially and governmentally that every single country and kingdom on the entire earth was in that cup—his to do whatever he wished with. The Devil knew that there was something about a full cup that might even tempt Jesus.
It’s this very tendency which Paul refers to in Phil. 2:1-11. Notice how it starts: “5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped…” (Phil. 2:5-6 ESV). The phrase “a thing to be grasped” is a translation of a single word. That word refers to something you could use to your advantage and exploit to your own profit. Here, it refers to the position and status which Jesus held before there was ever a Christmas. Before the Word became flesh and dwelled among us, Jesus existed in heaven with a status and position that could have leveraged for unimaginable profit and self-promotion.
The translation The Message puts it this way “Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what (Phil. 2:5-6 The Message).”
There’s a tendency in our culture in which you are encouraged to use power and position for self-gain. Once you get it, you should use it for yourself. And Jesus possessed the highest position and the greatest power. He was God. And he could have easily grabbed for the gusto, clung to that authority for all it was worth, and wring it dry of every drop it might afford him.
Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte was born in 1763, the son of a French government worker. As a young man he joined the army, and by the start of the French Revolution, he had risen to sergeant. Eventually, he became one of Napoleon’s first marshals. But in an odd twist of history, Bernadotte found favor in the eyes of the King of Sweden, Charles XIII, for his treatment of Swedish soldiers taken prisoner during a battle with Napoleon’s troops. When Sweden’s crown prince suddenly died in 1810, Sweden astonishingly offered to put Bernadotte next in line for the throne—the commander of a former enemy!
The son of a French government worker was renamed Charles John, the new Crown Prince of Sweden. In 1818, after the death of King Charles XIII, Bernadotte assumed the throne as King Charles XIV John. He was a popular but harsh monarch who reigned until his death in 1844 at the age of 81. It is said that during the embalming process they discovered an ironic secret: Years earlier, when the king was still simply Jean Baptiste, he had acquired a tattoo, obviously during the French Revolution. On his chest was a picture of a red cap, a symbol of liberation, with the French words “Mort aux rois!” or “Death to All Kings.” At one point, Baptiste had wanted death to all kings. Because all they did was use their power for themselves. The rest of humanity was neglected or abused. But then Baptiste became king. And he did the very thing for which he hated all kings. Everybody wants their cup full. And the bigger the cup, the more we want in it.
That’s the very thing faced by Jesus. He had the biggest cup in cosmic history. And he could have demanded it be filled for his pleasure and his fulfillment. After all, that’s what most of us would have done.
But while most of us prefer to fill our cups, Jesus emptied his cup. Jesus acted contrary to culture. Jesus responded in a reverse manner. Jesus had every right to fill his cup. Instead, he emptied his cup.
Here’s how Paul puts it: “6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross “ (Phil. 2:6-8 ESV). Jesus emptied himself. Where others fill, Jesus emptied.
Let’s be clear about the meaning. Jesus did not empty himself of his divinity and deity. He did not empty himself of anything. He emptied himself of himself. He emptied himself of his resources, rights and privileges and poured them all out for the benefit of others. Jesus emptied his cup in service. Jesus emptied himself all the way to death. He literally had nothing left to give. He gave even his life.
And this is the life to which we’ve all been called. When Paul writes in Phil. 2:5 “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” he’s saying, “I want you to think and act like Jesus did. Stop trying to fill your cups. Start trying to empty your cups.” This is the life to which we’ve all been called.
And what Paul does in the rest of this chapter is show what it looks like to empty the cup of our lives for others. Paul illustrates that it looks like in his life and the Philippians’ lives (2:17-18), what it looked like in Timothy’s life (2:19-24), and what it looked like in the life of Epaphroditus (2:25-30).
First, Paul illustrates the emptying life in himself and the Philippians. Regarding the Philippians, Paul writes that God’s relentless effort with them and their relentless partnership with God will eliminate “grumbling or disputing” (2:14).[10] Instead, it will result in them being “blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life” (2:15-16). [11] Paul is essentially calling them to pour themselves out in service to one another and to their community; to give up selfish interests and prerogatives for the good of God and others.
He makes this clear here: “17 Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.18 Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me (Phil. 2:17-18 ESV).”[12]
Paul is thinking here of his service to the Philippians and to his service in the wider kingdom—for which he has now been placed in prison. And, he’s thinking of the Philippian’s service to him in the form of gifts they sent to him with a representative from the church named Epaphroditus. With no Fed-Ex or UPS, the only way the Philippians could get some supplies to Paul was to send them in person.
And to describe both of these acts of service, Paul uses images of sacrifice. (In 4:18 Paul will call the supplies from the Philippians a “sacrifice” and a “fragrant offering.”) Paul focuses on the Levitical priesthood (Exod 29: 38– 42; Num 28: 1– 8), thinking of sacrifice at the Jerusalem temple. Paul states that he is as a drink offering (2: 17), and their service to the Lord is as a sacrifice and an offering to God. The picture is of complementary acts of worship, a sacrifice and a drink offering poured out.
Specifically, Paul is referring to the sacrifice of liquid, called a libation. Libations were, along with livestock, grain, and oil, part of the regular offerings of the various classes of food products made by the Israelites every day and in larger quantities on fast days (Num. 28–29). “Strong (or intoxicating) drink” was to be poured out as an offering in the “holy place” (28:7). Libations were the normal accompaniment of any offering of animals or grain (e.g., 6:15, 17; 1 Chr. 29:21; 2 Chr. 29:35; Ezra 7:17); the quantity was in proportion to the size of the animal offered (Num. 28:14).
Paul says that he and the Philippians have so emptied themselves out for others and the Kingdom it’s like they are making an animal sacrifice accompanied by a drink offering. Paul, specifically, is pouring himself out like that drink offering.
Then, Paul uses Timothy and Ephaphroditus to illustrate. Regarding Timothy[13], Paul envisions Timothy traveling to Philippi to report on Paul and returning to Paul to report on Philippi. [14] Timothy is distinguished (“I have no one like him” (2:20)) by the fact that, in contrast to people who “seek their own interests” (2:21-this may be a reference to others inside or outside the church (e.g., 1:15ff)), Timothy “will be genuinely concerned for your welfare” (2:20). Timothy demonstrates the self-less nature of Christ.
Finally, regarding Epaphroditus (known only here in Philippians) [15], Paul describes him as one who “nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me” (2:30). Epaphroditus has been chosen by the church in Philippi to carry their gifts (4:18) to Paul. Epaphroditus had fallen “ill, near to death” (2:27). Either he became ill on the way to bring the supplies to Paul, or he got sick once he arrived at Paul’s cell. Either way, the illness nearly took his life. Like Jesus, like Paul, like the Philippians, and like Timothy, Epaphroditus poured out his cup in service to others. He literally had nothing left to pour out.
And this is the life to which we’ve all been called. We’ve all been called not to fill our cups, but to empty our cups. To lay down ourselves and all we have in service to God and to others.
And Paul says that when we do, one result is joy. When describing he and the Philippians pouring themselves out, twice Paul talks about the joy such as lifestyle will lead to (Phil. 2:17-18): “I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.” It’s in emptying ourselves not filling ourselves that we find joy.
Kevin Harney tells the following story in his book, Seismic Shifts:
“A little boy sat on the floor of the church nursery with a red rubber ball in each arm and three Nerf balls clenched on the floor between his pudgy little knees. He was trying to protect all five from the other children in the nursery. The problem was, he could not hold all five at once, and the ball nearest to his feet was particularly vulnerable to being stolen. So, whenever another child showed an interest in playing with one of the balls, he snarled to make it clear these toys were not for sharing.
I suppose I should have stepped in and made the little guy give up one or two of the balls, but I was too wrapped up in the drama of it all. For about five minutes, this little guy growled, postured, and kept the other children away from the balls. Like a hyena hunched over the last scraps of a carcass, this snarling little canine was not in the mood for sharing. The other kids circled like vultures around the kill, looking for a way to jump in and snatch a ball without being attacked and bitten. I honestly did not know whether to laugh or cry as I watched.
Then it struck me: This little boy was not having any fun at all. There was no cheer within ten yards of this kid. Not only was he unhappy, but all the other kids seemed sad as well. His selfishness created a black hole that sucked all of the joy out of that nursery.”
It’s only in emptying ourselves that we find joy.
And it’s when we empty ourselves that God is praised. Paul describes his service and the service of the Philippians using language about animal sacrifices and drink offerings from the Old Testament. Ultimately, both were forms of worship. Both resulted in praise to God. Paul is suggesting that as he and the Philippians pour themselves out, God is praised.
Paul writes something very similar in 2 Cor. 9. Paul is writing about what will happen if the Christians in Corinth will pour themselves out by giving to a financial campaign. Paul is trying to raise money to provide relief to people caught in a terrible drought. So he writes the Corinthians and asks them to donate money to this campaign. And if they’ll pour themselves out in this way, here’s what will happen: [PP text and ref.] “11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God (2 Cor. 9:11-12 ESV).” Paul envisions this process. Step one: God fills them up—God enriches them in every way… Step two: The Corinthians pour themselves out by giving to the campaign—to be generous in every way. This will “supply the needs of the saints” who are suffering from the drought. Step three: God will be praised and thanked—will produce thanksgiving to God; is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.
As we empty ourselves out in service to God and others, ironically, our own cup is filled back up with joy. And God’s cup is filled with praise and thanksgiving.
I recently read a book called Living by Dying by N. D. Wilson. The book is basically an extended reflection on the idea in this text in Philippians. It’s a call to empty ourselves for God and for others. Wilson writes this:
“Lay your life down. Your heartbeats cannot be hoarded. Your reservoir of breaths is draining away. You have hands, blister them while you can. You have bones, make them strain— they can carry nothing in the grave. You have lungs, let them spill with laughter…. I can be giving my fingers, my back, my mind, my words, my breaths, to my wife and my children and my neighbors, or I can grasp after the vapor and the vanity for myself, dragging my feet, afraid to die and therefore afraid to live. And, like Adam, I will still die in the end…In the ground, we all have empty hands…Be as empty as you can be when that clock winds down.
The reality is that when you die, your cup will be emptied for you. Everyone’s cup gets emptied. Either at death by force, or now by choice. God’s urging us to choose the latter. Run contrary to your culture which tells you to fill your cup. Instead, empty it. Empty it of every last drop, every single day. You’ll find yourself filled up with joy. And you’ll fill God’s cup with praise.
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[1] In this sense of ‘declare to be righteous’ or ‘declare to be not guilty’ Paul frequently uses the word to speak of God’s justification of us, his declaration that we, though guilty sinners, are nonetheless righteous in his sight. It is important to emphasize that this legal declaration in itself does not change our internal nature or character at all. In this sense of ‘justify,’ God issues a legal declaration about us. This is why theologians have also said that justification is forensic, where the word forensic means ‘having to do with legal proceedings.’ John Murray makes an important distinction between regeneration and justification: ‘Regeneration is an act of God in us; justification is a judgment of God with respect to us. The distinction is like that of the distinction between the act of a surgeon and the act of a judge. The surgeon, when he removes an inward cancer, does something in us. That is not what a judge does—he gives a verdict regarding our judicial status. If we are innocent he declares accordingly.'”Grudem, Wayne (2009-05-11). Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (p. 724). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
[2] God’s work has a good purpose to fulfill. The word “purpose” (eudoxia) can also be translated “pleasure” (see ESV). Why does God find pleasure in our works, which he strengthens us to do? As I was working on this passage, our daughter called me with news that she was accepted into medical school. Did she do the work to get in? Certainly. Did I find immense pleasure in seeing her achieve her dream? You bet. Was she excited to have earned a spot? Undoubtedly. Now what if I had paid off the admissions committee (not possible on my professor’s salary!), would she have the same sense of victory, and would I have the same feelings of deep joy? Not a bit. So too God could, with a snap of his fingers, so to speak, create all goodness and complete obedience in his people. But even as parents take great joy in their children’s hard work and successes, so too in a mysterious way, God also delights in our obedience. As Fee notes, “it delights God to delight his people.” Cohick, Lynn H. (2013-10-29). Philippians (The Story of God Bible Commentary) (Kindle Locations 3185-3193). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
[3] But, over against all that, there is the great, encouraging truth that God will never let his people go; he is always at work; he never sleeps; he is tirelessly active. We forget, he does not; we backslide, but we cannot halt, defer or deflect his work. He is the active indweller. Motyer, J. A. (1984). The message of Philippians (pp. 128–129). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[4] The verb “work out” is an imperative. Fee points to the opening conjunction (“ therefore”), which, when followed by an imperative, often indicates a locally focused argument geared at the church body. 3 Paul uses this verb twenty times (including Romans 7: 13, 15, 17 18, 20) as he describes sin’s hold on those still living in the flesh. In Romans 7, he highlights how important it is not only to agree that God’s will is good, but also to actually do that will. Romans 8: 2– 14 highlights the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (8: 2) that makes possible the doing of God’s good will. Thus working out one’s salvation is another way of saying, “Live in the Spirit” (8: 12– 14). But only in Philippians is the object of this verb “salvation.” Cohick, Lynn H. (2013-10-29). Philippians (The Story of God Bible Commentary) (Kindle Locations 3113-3119). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
[5] In every action there are two aspects to be considered: the will and the deed, and one or other of these is often our downfall. Either we cannot bring ourselves to choose what we know to be right, or else, having chosen it, we fail to do it. Sin has corrupted both the power to choose and the power to accomplish. But God is effectually and ceaselessly at work in you, both to will and to work—to recreate our wills and to impart to us his own capacity for effectual working. Motyer, J. A. (1984). The message of Philippians (p. 129). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[6] His is the basic activity; ours responds to what he is doing. His is the inner work of transformation and renewal; our obedience to him is how we enter into the benefit of his indwelling. Motyer, J. A. (1984). The message of Philippians (p. 128). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[7] This is not the fear of a lost sinner before the Holy One, but the fear of a true child before the most loving of all fathers; not a fear of what he might do to us, but of the hurt we might do to him. Motyer, J. A. (1984). The message of Philippians (p. 128). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[8] Dallas Willard, Jan Johnson, Keith Matthews, Dallas Willard’s Guide to The Divine Conspiracy (Harper Collins, 2001), 107.
[9] John Ortberg, “True (and False) Transformation,” Leadership (Summer 2002), 104.
[10] A ‘social’ interpretation of these verses is confirmed by the indictment of complaining or arguing, the sins which stained the shield of the people of God in the Old Testament (cf. Exod. 16:7; Num. 11:1). Not only did they complain about Moses; more seriously, they rebelled against God himself (see Exod. 16:8). The parallel, however, is not an exact one because it is more likely that the complaining or arguing of the Philippians was directed against one another than against God (against Beare, Caird). There is no suggestion of a break in the thought of the previous verses, and the apostle continues his warning against grumbling and wrangling in the church fellowship. Arguing, dialogismoi, may be taken in the manward, legal sense of ‘dissensions’, ‘litigation’, as the evidence of the papyri shows (see Moulton-Milligan, who suggest ‘outward disputing and discussion’). It is conceivable that the plague of settling quarrels at pagan law-courts had broken out at Philippi as at Corinth (see 1 Cor. 6:1–11). If so, this would represent an advanced stage of the petty rivalry and desire for ‘vain conceit’ (2:3) which was the root evil at the heart of the church. The other symptom is described as complaining, gongysmoi, an evil-sounding word, used also of a plague spot in the Corinthian community (1 Cor. 10:10). Martin, R. P. (1987). Philippians: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 11, pp. 121–122). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Our letter hints at the possibility that tensions surrounded leaders and perhaps their supporters. For example, in 1: 1, Paul addresses all the saints in Philippi and then adds, “with the overseers and deacons,” a curious phrase in Paul’s opening addresses. Does this signal an issue with the leadership, that perhaps the congregation is not walking with the leaders? Again, in 4: 2, Paul speaks directly to two leaders, coworkers with Paul in the gospel effort, Euodia and Syntyche. They are urged to “be of the same mind in the Lord,” the same phrase we saw in 2: 2. It is unusual for Paul to identify particular congregants as he does in 4: 2, so one must suppose the situation was serious. Were these leaders competing, much as Aaron and Miriam did in their grumbling against Moses? Cohick, Lynn H. (2013-10-29). Philippians (The Story of God Bible Commentary) (Kindle Locations 3215-3221). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
[11] The call to be “blameless” draws on the Old Testament instructions in choosing a spotless sacrificial animal, but it was also used to describe faithful and sincere Israelites. The psalmist writes, “LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, and who speaks the truth from their hearts” (Ps 15: 1– 2). Paul makes similar comments to the Colossians, to whom he stresses that their reconciliation with God is “to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Col 1: 21– 22). Paul does not promote a “holier than thou” attitude, as though believers have achieved something on their own. Indeed, Paul hopes this blameless walk will attract others to God and stand as a witness against the evil that hurts so many people. Philippians (The Story of God Bible Commentary) (Kindle Locations 3247-3253). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
The phrase “warped and crooked generation” is found in Deuteronomy 32: 5, 20, as Moses chastised Israel for its faithlessness. But Paul uses the phrase here to refer, not to Israel, but to the culture around the church in Philippi. Cohick, Lynn H. (2013-10-29). Philippians (The Story of God Bible Commentary) (Kindle Locations 3260-3262). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
Paul declares that believers “shine … like stars/ lights,” a phrase found in Daniel 12: 3. In the latter passage, Daniel promises the righteous that they will shine, a promise awaiting its fulfillment. Paul uses the present tense, indicating that the Philippian believer enjoys that reality now, at least in part. Cohick, Lynn H. (2013-10-29). Philippians (The Story of God Bible Commentary) (Kindle Locations 3274-3276). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
The verb can be translated as “hold firmly” or “hold out.” Either meaning would fit Paul’s understanding of the gospel task: believers are to hold fast to their convictions, and to hold out those convictions (i.e., the gospel) to those around them. Fee argues for the latter meaning, in part because the phrase “word of life” suggests an evangelistic posture. 17 However, the scales tip toward “hold fast to their convictions” because Paul repeatedly encourages the church to remain steadfast (see 1: 27; 4: 1), even as he praises their faithfulness to his ministry and the gospel (cf. 1: 7; 4: 10– 18, where Paul highlights their sharing in his ministry). Longman III, Tremper; McKnight, Scot; Cohick, Lynn H. (2013-10-29). Philippians (The Story of God Bible Commentary) (Kindle Locations 3287-3292). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
[12]Paul’s final sentence in 2: 14– 18 features one of his key terms in Philippians: rejoice! Moreover, he continues his Old Testament allusions, this time drawing on images of sacrifice. Paul focuses on the Levitical priesthood (Exod 29: 38– 42; Num 28: 1– 8), thinking of sacrifice at the Jerusalem temple (or the earlier tabernacle). Gentile believers in Philippi would have participated in animal sacrifice and drink offerings of wine in their previous pagan rituals…Paul states that he is as a drink offering (2: 17), and their service to the Lord is as a sacrifice and an offering to God. The picture is of complementary acts of worship, a sacrifice and a drink offering poured out — both having in view the praise of God…More intriguing is the possibility that Paul thinks of his ministry as representing the Servant of Isaiah. Paul may be referring to (1) Isaiah 49: 4, which speaks of a fear that the Servant labored in vain; (2) Isaiah 49: 6, which emphasizes that he brings light and salvation to the Gentiles, and (3) Isaiah 53: 12, wherein the Servant pours himself out unto death. Cohick, Lynn H. (2013-10-29)Philippians (The Story of God Bible Commentary) (Kindle Locations 3352-3374). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
[13] Paul speaks highly of two believers, both well-known to the Philippians: Epaphroditus and Timothy. The latter is mentioned in several other New Testament works, and in every case he is highly praised by Paul. Indeed, he seems to have been Paul’s stand-in when the apostle to the Gentiles was unable to be present himself. We meet Timothy on Paul’s second missionary journey, a son and grandson of godly women, but whose father was a Gentile (Acts 16: 1– 5). He becomes as a son to Paul (2: 22), indispensable to Paul’s ministry. He is known in Macedonia, Corinth, and Ephesus (Acts 17: 14; 18: 5; 19: 22; 1 Cor 4: 17; 16: 10; 1 Thess 3: 2; 1 Tim 1: 2; see also Eusebius, Church History 3.4). He coauthored with Paul not only Philippians, but also 2 Corinthians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon. Cohick, Lynn H. (2013-10-29). Philippians (The Story of God Bible Commentary) (Kindle Locations 3557-3563). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
[14] The purpose of Timothy’s visit is expressed by the words that I also may be cheered. The pronoun I is emphatic, and is preceded by kai, translated by also. The force of this construction is: ‘not only will you be encouraged to have firsthand news of me here, I too shall be heartened when I get news of you at Philippi on Timothy’s return.’ So two journeys are in view in one sentence: Timothy’s to Philippi and his reporting back to Paul’s prison. Martin, R. P. (1987). Philippians: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 11, p. 131). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[15] He has been my brother, i.e. a fellow-believer, and fellow-worker, i.e. in the same service for the kingdom of God. This phrase represents one Greek word, synergos, and possibly looks back to Epaphroditus’ early association with Paul in the days when the Philippian church was established. It may also refer to his partnership in the gospel at the place of Paul’s confinement (cf. 4:3). Fellow-soldier recalls the sense of camaraderie which bound the two men in the conflict, both at Philippi and in the apostle’s present situation (cf. Phlm. 2). Martin, R. P. (1987). Philippians: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 11, p. 137). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
