The Faith Log: Philippians

Showing posts with label Philippians. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Enemies of the Cross

For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame — who set their mind on earthly things. (Philippians 3:18-19)

Paul has spoken of good patterns for living the life of faith in Jesus the Messiah, a life lived with and for others. The Lord Jesus is the prime example, but Paul also offers himself, as well as Timothy and Epaphroditus and others, as worth imitating.

However, Paul also knows of a different sort whose example leads in exactly the wrong direction. He calls them enemies of the cross of Messiah. They work against what the Lord Jesus came to do. Not so much by their doctrine (though that may be part of it) as by their manner of life — their “walk.”

“Enemies of the cross” is Paul’s assessment of how they live. Then he describes them in a way that seems to work back to front, from their end to their beginning.

Their path leads to destruction.
Their belly is their god.
They glory in behavior they should be ashamed of.
They set their mind on earthly things.

But who are these people Paul describes? Some think they are the Jewish legalists, the “dogs,” “evil workers” and “mutilators” he warned about earlier. Perhaps that is so, although the language he uses would need to be stretched quite a bit to fit legalists. However, the ones he warns about here seem to go in the other direction, into licentiousness. Either way, they are ultimately focused on themselves. Paul has dealt with such before, as in his letter to the believers at Rome.

Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. (Romans 16:17-18)

They do not come as pagans or as those who are outside the Church — the Philippian believers would have already known to beware of those — but they present themselves as believers in Jesus. However, something important is missing, something is very wrong about them. They set their mind on earthly things. That is where the problem begins: their mindset, their attitude, their focus. They see no further than their own short lives, so that is all that really matters to them. They live for their own pleasures, no matter how base or shameful. They are focused on themselves and what they can get out of it all.

It begins with being fixated on earthly things and it leads ultimately to ruin. Perhaps that is one reason why Paul works back from their end to their beginning, as a caution to the believers at Philippi about beginning down the same road by doing things out of “selfish ambition or conceit,” or looking out only for their own interests and not also the interests of others (Philippians 2:3-4).

The antidote to a mind set on earthly things is to have the mind of Christ, who teaches us to see beyond ourselves and this present life to a greater time and a greater glory. If we let Him work in us, He will lead us into humble servanthood, to share in the fellowship of His suffering as well as the power of His resurrection — and that is a very good ending.

Focus Questions

What is the relationship between what you believe and how you live?
How does a self-focused life work against the cross of Jesus?
How does a self-focused life lead to destruction?

There is Always Joy!
Paul’s Letters to the Jesus Believers at Philippi
Bite-Sized Studies Through the Book of Philippians
by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Learning Together

Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. (Philippians 3:17)

Paul has described the attitude that Jesus believers need to develop. It is the mindset of Jesus Himself that Paul set before them so richly in chapter 2, a portrait of divine humility and divine greatness. It is the path Paul himself is following, and now he calls the believers at Philippi to come follow his example. “Become followers together of me,” is how Young’s Literal Translation puts it. “Followers together” is one word in Greek, symmimetes, a compound of sym, which means “with” or “together” and mimetes, from a verb that means to imitate. That has been Paul’s concern throughout his letter, that believers would learn to walk together, with a common focus and of one heart and soul — that of the Lord Jesus.

Follow “my” example, be imitators together of “me,” Paul says. Does that seem arrogant? He has given them the example of the Lord Jesus. What could be better than that? Yet, he offers himself as an example of how that gets lived out. In his letter to the believers at Corinth, he said, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Jesus practiced it perfectly, but Paul — not so much. Yet they had never actually seen Jesus as He walked this walk. But they did see how Paul did it, and they could do it the way he did it. Jesus was the perfect example, but Paul was a pretty good one.

They also saw how Timothy and Epaphroditus lived out the faith. Timothy was with Paul from the beginning of his ministry there, and Epaphroditus was one of them. Paul has already mentioned their example. Timothy is one who is of “like mind” with Paul, a man of proven character and a servant heart (Philippians 2:19-22). Paul called Epaphroditus, “my brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier,” and told of how Epaphroditus pushed himself, though perhaps too hard, for their sake (Philippians 2:25-30). “Hold such in high regard,” Paul said of these men, and of all who are like them. They are worthy of honor.

Now he says, “Note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.” Paul, Timothy and Epaphroditus provide a good pattern, but there are others at Philippi who follow the same manner of life. “Note” them. The Greek word means to look at, observe, contemplate. In other words, study them, watch how they do it, learn from them — then do the same.

There is a simple teaching method that could apply here: “Watch one, do one, teach one.” Or to put it another way: Observe how others do it, practice their pattern yourself, then become a good pattern for others to follow.

Focus Questions

Who are those you look to as examples for your own walk with others?
Do you have to be perfect to be a good example yourself?
Who are those who look to you for an example and pattern of how to walk?

Friday, February 8, 2013

Walking the Path Together

Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind. (Philippians 3:15-16)

Phillips translates it this way: “All of us who are spiritually adult should set ourselves this sort of ambition, and if at present you cannot see this, yet you will find that this is the attitude which God is leading you to adopt. It is important that we go forward in the light of such truth as we have ourselves attained to” (J. B. Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English).

Paul speaks again of being “mature” (Greek, teleios). We saw it earlier in verse 12, where it was translated as “perfected” (teleioo). There, it was about being made fully mature and complete, and Paul made it clear that he has not yet reached that goal. But here in verse 15, he speaks of maturity in a relative way. In a community of believers such as at Philippi, we will find believers with various levels of spiritual maturity. There are those who are new to the faith and still have much to learn. There are others who have been walking with the Lord for a longer time and have grown up in the faith. Some have grown more, and some have grown faster, than others. No one has arrived at the finish line, but each is somewhere along the way.

Paul makes his appeal, then, to those who have come to some measure of maturity. “Have this mind,” he says. That is, have the mindset or attitude he has been speaking about since the beginning of chapter 2, where he exhorted them to be “like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (v. 2). It is an attitude of humility (“lowliness of mind”), not of self-seeking ambition or conceit. It is putting others ahead of ourselves, watching out for their interests as well as our own (vv. 3-4). It is taking the role of the servant, which is glory in disguise, and Jesus is the perfect example of this. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,” Paul said (v. 5). The Lord Jesus humbled Himself and became a servant, even to the point of death on the cross, giving His life for our sake. Because of this, God has exalted Him to the highest place.

It is this mindset that Paul pursues in Philippians 3:10, “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” To know the Lord Jesus well is to know Him in the fellowship of His sufferings — to pour out one’s life for others — as well as in the power of His resurrection life. All these go together, and Jesus is glorified in the midst of them.

So now Paul says to as many as are mature, “Have this mind.” It is the mark of maturity. “And if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.” If there are any who think themselves spiritually grown up but who do not have the attitude Paul speaks of, it will soon become apparent — God will reveal it to them. Everything about the Christian life points us toward it, and it is what being a follower of Jesus is about. When persecution looms, as for these believers at Philippi, such revelation is likely to come sooner rather than later — and the sooner we learn this lesson, the better off we will be.

Not everyone has reached the same level of maturity, but however far along we have progressed and to whatever degree we have grown up in the Lord Jesus, we are to “walk by the same rule.” The Greek word for “walk” pictures an orderly procession, everyone keeping in step with each other. We walk this path together, always pressing, like Paul, toward the goal, so that everyone may cross the finish line and lay hold of that for which the Lord Jesus has laid hold of us.

Focus Questions

This mindset Paul wants all of us to have — do you think it is a good indicator of spiritual maturity? Why, or why not?
What are some ways God exposes improper attitudes and teaches us appropriate ones?
Why is it important that we keep in step with each other along this path?

Friday, February 1, 2013

Pursuing a Jesus-Shaped Life

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14)

Paul has one goal and he pursues it with single-minded passion. He does not claim to have reached it, or that he is full and complete in his knowledge of the Lord Jesus. He knows has not. But he continues to press toward it, pursuing it with everything that is in him.

In former days, he had zealously pursued Jesus believers in order to persecute them, thinking he was doing God a service. Now he focuses all his zeal on the true prize: knowing Jesus, his Messiah and Lord, in everything.

This is the reason for which the Jesus has laid hold of him — and of us: That we may know Him in all things and fellowship with Him in the power of His resurrection, a power so great that it transforms suffering and persecution into an opportunity not only to honor Him but also to know Him more.

Paul still has in mind the example of the Lord Jesus that he began with in chapter 2: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Jesus laid hold of us so that we could lay hold of Him. He became like us so we could become like Him. He humbled Himself so that we might be lifted up, to share in His name and participate in His glory.

As Paul notes elsewhere, God has “predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29). That is what Paul desires more than anything else: to be conformed to the image of the Son — to know Him in the power of His resurrection and in the fellowship of His suffering, to be conformed to His likeness, even if that means death. Paul wants to be a part of what Jesus came to do. In other words, he is pursuing a Jesus-shaped life.

He has one purpose, one focus, one goal, and all his energies and efforts are committed toward that. He is like an Olympic runner going after the prize. He is not looking back to see what is behind, he is looking along the track and focused on the victory that lay ahead. There is still much ground to cover before his race is done, and he is pouring himself out that he may cross the finish line a winner. He is running the race set before him, as the author Hebrews has said so well:

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

And at the end of his life, Paul was able to say without regret but with great joy:

I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. (2 Timothy 4:6-8)

The prize, the “upward call” of God in Jesus the Messiah, lay ahead him — the day of resurrection, when he would know the Lord Jesus so perfectly that the life of Jesus would transform him completely. We will see more about that at the end of Philippians 3.

Focus Questions

How would you describe where you are in your own “race”?
Are there things in your past that trouble or distract you?
Is the prize you seek worthy of pouring yourself out?

Thursday, January 10, 2013

The Power of His Resurrection, the Fellowship of His Suffering

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10-11)

This living relationship we have with God through faith in Jesus the Messiah (and through His faithfulness) is all about knowing the Lord Jesus, the power of His resurrection — and the “fellowship of His sufferings.”

Knowing the Lord Jesus? Sure. Though it is greater and more wonderful than we can imagine, it is something we can embrace with joyful anticipation. Likewise, knowing the power of His resurrection. That’s an easy Yes. But knowing the “fellowship of His sufferings” and being “conformed to His death”? Well, we need a little time to think about that one, don’t you. For Paul, however, it is a quick and ready Yes. It is part of knowing Jesus intimately, and Paul is glad to give up everything else for that.

Paul glories in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and what that means for our own future resurrection (see 1 Corinthians 15, where he teaches at length about that). And his prayer for believers is that God would give us Holy Spirit revelation that we may know “what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:19-20). This is the same power by which God “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20).

Paul definitely wants to know Jesus in the power of His resurrection, but just as much, he wants to know Jesus in the partnership of His sufferings. He is not, of course, referring to participation in the passion of the cross and the work of atonement Jesus did for us there — that work is already full and complete! No, he is talking about being persecuted for proclaiming the Lord Jesus as God’s Anointed King.

This is not theoretical with Paul but a reality that he has experienced often since he first came to know Jesus as Lord and Messiah. Though he does not do so here, he could easily have recited a litany of the persecutions, imprisonments, lashings, beatings, stonings and other perils he has endured for the sake of the gospel (see 2 Corinthians 11:23-33). And of course, he writes this present letter from under house arrest in Rome. Yet he rejoices — there is always joy! — and he wants the believers at Philippi to rejoice as well, even as they too are experiencing persecution. As he observed earlier, “For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me” (Philippians 1:29-30).

The fellowship of Jesus sufferings, in a very real sense, has to do with emptying ourselves, pouring ourselves out and becoming servants for the sake of others. Just as Messiah emptied and poured Himself out for our sakes, taking the form of a servant. Paul still bears that in mind as he continues his letter. Just as Jesus became obedient even to the point of death on the cross, Paul is ready and willing to be “conformed” to His death — which seems to be the likely outcome of the course he is on — “if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” This if statement is not an expression of any doubt, and “attain” does not mean that he must somehow earn or deserve resurrection from the dead; the Greek word simply means to “arrive.”

The simple truth about resurrection is that there must first be a death. Paul has died to himself and the only thing that matters to him now is knowing Jesus. Departing this life holds no fear for him because he fully expects that he will be raised from the dead when King Jesus comes again. Does it matter then how he dies, whether as a martyr or by some other means? Not to Paul, it doesn’t. Either way, the end result is the same — resurrection from the dead! And there is no shame in suffering for the sake of the One who suffered for us.

Focus Questions

Have you experienced personal, intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus?
Have you experienced the power of His resurrection in your life?
Is it worth everything you are, everything you have — even your own life?

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

The Faithfulness of Messiah

That I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. (Philippians 3:8-9)

Paul puts no “confidence in the flesh,” that is, in who he is by birth or what he has accomplished. In fact, he considers everything in his life as “loss” so that he might “gain” Jesus as his Messiah, to know Him and Lord and be “found in Him.”

To be found in the Lord Jesus means to belong to Him. In Ephesians, Paul tells believers that we are “accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6). That is, God accepts us because of His Beloved Son. When God looks at us, He sees Jesus, and when He looks at Jesus, He finds us. God is thoroughly delighted about that. So is Paul, and to him it is worth everything.

Paul no longer seeks a “righteousness” of his own, that is, a right relationship with God that is based on anything he is in himself or what he has done. He has given up looking for it by keeping the law of Moses, which turned out to be a disaster for him. Outwardly, he seemed to being keeping it well, but in his heart of hearts, he knew he was a mess. In Romans 7:7-24, he describes the desperation of that experience and how he ended up by crying out, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (v. 24). And then of course, in the next verse, he rejoices in the answer: “I thank God — through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25).

What Paul has found that is so incomparable is a relationship with God that is based on the faithfulness of the Lord Jesus. The NKJV says, “through faith in Christ,” but I think the better reading is “through the faithfulness of Christ.” The word “of” gives us a more literal rendering of the Greek text, and the Greek word pisteos, often translated “faith,” can just as well be taken here as “faithfulness.” A number of translations support this reading, including the Common English Bible, The Expanded Bible, N. T Wright’s Kingdom New Testament and Stern’s Jewish New Testament.

Now, it is quite true that we are counted as righteous before God through faith in Jesus the Messiah, but that is possible only because He has Himself been found faithful to God. Israel, through whom God wanted to bless all the nations of the earth, had proved unfaithful. But where Israel failed, Jesus her Messiah succeeded. Paul has already shown us in Philippians 2:5-11 what that faithfulness of Messiah looked like, how the Lord Jesus humbled Himself to the point of death on the cross, and how God therefore gave Him the name that is above every other name and dominion over everything in heaven and earth.

Paul discovered, much to his surprise — and relief — that it is not about him. It is not even about the law. It is about Jesus, whom God has made both Lord and Messiah. In Him, we are now dead to the law (Romans 7:4) and it has no more power, no more say over us. Jesus nailed it to the cross (Colossians 2:14). It is not circumcision or any other aspect of law-keeping that demonstrates this right relationship with God, but faith in Jesus the Messiah.

In Him, we are also now dead to sin. It too has no more power and no more say over us. In his letter to the Jesus believers at Rome, Paul speaks of

knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:6-11)

That is how Paul, as he writes to the believers at Philippi, now reckons himself. What he values far above all else is the living relationship with God that has been won for us by the faithfulness of Messiah.

Focus Questions

How did a law-based relationship with God turn into such a desperate situation for Paul?
Why is the faithfulness of Jesus the Messiah such a relief for Paul?
How much of your relationship with God have you considered to be based on your own performance?

Sunday, January 6, 2013

From Great Loss to Great Gain

Though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:4-8)

Paul is dealing with the joy stealers, the legalistic teachers who insist that Gentiles must be ritually circumcised in order to be identified as belonging to the people of God. They have confidence in the flesh — literally! But Paul sounds a very different in response: “We have no confidence in the flesh.” However, if these teachers want to boast in themselves and their accomplishments, Paul can match them point for point and put them under the table. Here is his resume:

Circumcised the eighth day. Paul was no proselyte but a Jew from birth and circumcised as an infant, according to the law of Moses.
Of the stock of Israel. His ancestry went all the way to Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel and who fathered the twelve tribes that became the nation of Israel.
Of the tribe of Benjamin. Paul’s line came through Benjamin, the only tribe that was loyal to the tribe of Judah and the throne of David when the kingdom divided.
A Hebrew of the Hebrews. Paul was no Greekified Jew, but a Hebrew-speaking Jew born of Hebrew parents.
Concerning the law, a Pharisee. Though Jews in other regions followed pharisaical notions of piety, it was only in and around Jerusalem that the Pharisees themselves flourished, and Paul was there in the thick of it. He was not merely a wannabe but a real Pharisee.
Concerning zeal, persecuting the church. Paul even outdid many of his fellow Pharisees in zeal — by actively pursuing and prosecuting Christians.
Concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. Paul conformed completely to every legalistic standard and observance.

Add all that up and Paul wins the competition hands down — if that is the game those teachers want to play. He was very well-credentialed and that should have been quite profitable for him, or so he had thought at an earlier time in his life. But now comes the kicker, and Paul adds it all up in his own estimation: All that was once in his plus column turned out to be a minus. “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.”

The latter three points are not a source of pride for Paul — certainly not persecuting the church. He is not ashamed of his Jewish heritage (nor should he be), but at the end of the day, not even that matters if he has missed the most important thing. So he is quite willing to count even that as loss because he has found the thing that is exceedingly greater and much more excellent: To know Jesus as his Messiah and Lord, “for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” That is all that matters for him now — it eclipses everything else.

The words “loss” and “gain” are accounting terms, the language of the marketplace. The things Paul has enumerated above, he now counts as “rubbish.” The Greek word he uses, skubalon, is much more severe than the that English translation lets on. The KJV renders it as “dung.” It is excrement and offscouring and rubbish, vile and detestable (you can supply your own modern day equivalent and it would be quite accurate), and everything that keeps us from knowing the Lord Jesus should be counted as such.

So Paul puts it all in the loss column, and if that were all he had, he would be in a very deep hole. But, joyfully, he has something else that cancels out all his loss. He has come to know the Lord Jesus, God’s Messiah King. And that is great gain!

Focus Questions

What heritage and accomplishments are you most proud of in your life?
Have you experienced Jesus the Messiah as your Lord in such a way that eclipses all of these?
How would you describe or explain that?

Friday, January 4, 2013

Don’t Let Them Steal Your Joy

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. (Philippians 3:1-3)

“Finally,” Paul says, and it might sound like he is finishing up his letter and bringing it in for a landing. Not so. The Greek literally means, “as for the rest,” and signals a transition to a new topic.

“Rejoice in the Lord.” There is always joy, and it is found in the Lord Jesus. It is a constant theme with Paul, particularly in this letter, and he certainly does not mind saying it again. It is for their safety and well-being that he does so now, especially in view of what he is about to say.

There are those who would come and steal that joy, and Paul warns the Jesus believers at Philippi to watch out for them. “Beware the dogs. Beware the evil workers. Beware the mutilation.” He is not talking about three different groups, but describing the same group in three different ways. In his ministry, he has frequently dealt with these Jewish legalists who insist that circumcision is the necessary means of identifying who belongs to God. He has addressed their teaching in his letters to the Jesus believer in Galatia and at Colosse. This is serious business and Paul refers to these false teachers with very harsh language.

They are “dogs.” Dogs engage openly in behavior that would be shameful for people to engage in. Pagans, who shamelessly behave in ways that violate the law of God, would be considered dogs by these false teachers. But Paul turns it around on them and it is now the teachers themselves who are called “dogs.” Jesus the Messiah has fulfilled the law of Moses, and it is no longer circumcision but faith in Him that now marks out God’s chosen people. To teach otherwise is shameful to the gospel.
They are “evil workers.” Elsewhere, Paul refers to similar teachers as, “false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:13).
They are “the mutilation.” This is a play on words. The Greek word for “circumcision” is peritome, from a word that means “to cut around.” The word for mutilation is katatome, which means “to cut up.” These false teachers are hacks, promoting what is not necessary but is actually now useless in identifying the people of God. They mutilate the good news about Jesus the Messiah.

Paul has an answer for them, one that is also a great encouragement for Jesus believers everywhere: “For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” That really turns the tables, because true circumcision — the one God is really interested in — is not the one that is made with hands (and knives) but the circumcision of the heart. For circumcision was always meant to be the outward sign of an inward reality. This was made clear in both the Law and the Prophets.

Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer. (Deuteronomy 10:16)

And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. (Deuteronomy 30:6)

Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your hearts. (Jeremiah 4:4)

The physical rite was the cutting away of the flesh and symbolized faithfulness to the covenant God made with Israel. Removing that little fold of skin, however, could not produce what it signified. But what that ritual could not do, Jesus Himself has accomplished in us. In his letter to the Jesus believers at Colosse, where he has also dealt with the same issue, Paul said, “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ” (Colossians 2:11). Those who possess the “circumcision made without hands” are recognized in three ways:

We worship God in the Spirit. This gets to the “heart” of the matter, where God has placed His own Spirit within us (Ezekiel 36:24-27), and we worship God in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24).
We rejoice in the Messiah, Jesus. The word for “rejoice” here is not the same one we have seen earlier, although it is no less celebrative. It is a Greek word that means “to glory, exult or boast in.” We do not boast in anything about ourselves, but our glory is in the Lord Jesus — we brag about Him. He is the one who, as Messiah, has fulfilled all that is required of the people of God.
We have no confidence in the flesh. Paul is using the word “flesh” here in a double way. It speaks of our humanity apart from the power and Spirit of God. But in view of the controversy he is addressing, it also refers here to physical flesh, which was subject to the ritual of circumcision. As believers in Jesus, we put no stock in any of it. Our confidence is in Him and the Holy Spirit.

Putting any confidence in ourselves and what we can do will rob us of our joy. That was not the intent of these teachers but it would most certainly be the result. So Paul is quite glad to remind the believers at Philippi once again to rejoice in the Lord Jesus and put all their confidence in Him — that’s where the joy is!

Focus Questions

How can the circumcision of these legalistic teachers rob us of joy?
Why is it a joy to have no confidence in ourselves or anything we have done?
What does the “circumcision of the heart” look like, and how does it bring us joy?

Friday, November 30, 2012

Hold Such in High Regard

Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need; since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem; because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me. (Philippians 2:25-30)

Paul is confident that he will have a good result at his trial in Rome and will be free to come to the Jesus believers at Philippi before long. In the short-term, he plans on sending Timothy, who will minister to them in the same way Paul would. Right now, however, he is sending Epaphroditus: “My brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier.”

Paul and Epaphroditus are brothers in Jesus, members together in the family of God. This was no small thing for Paul. Google “brother” in his letters and you will find how important the bond of Christian brotherhood is to him. He is no loner, he always has a team with him. They are not just partners in the ministry, they are brothers in the Lord first.
Paul and Epaphroditus are “fellow workers.” The Greek synergos, which is where we get our English word “synergy.” They have been working together in a focused and coordinated fashion toward the common goal of preaching the good news about King Jesus. Paul identifies a number of “fellow workers” in his letters: Priscilla and Aquila, Urbane, Timothy, Apollos, Titus, Clement, Aristarchus, Mark, Justus, Philemon, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke. We can also add Barnabas, who first introduced Paul (then called Saul) to the wary believers at Jerusalem and was his first partner in apostolic ministry. And, of course, there is also Silas, who served with Paul at Philippi and did some jail time with him on the night the jailer there believed on the Lord Jesus.
Paul and Epaphroditus are also “fellow soldiers,” serving together on the front lines in advancing the gospel, from Paul’s house prison in Rome. Remember that, earlier, Paul spoke of the “furtherance” of the gospel, and the Greek word he used had a military connotation. Remember also that it has also been a time of growing opposition to the gospel and persecution of those who preach it. It is not an easy life and it requires a well-disciplined focus. As Paul would will later write to Timothy, “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:3-4). Paul is certainly enduring hardship as a “good soldier,” and so is Epaphroditus, as we will see.

That is what Epaphroditus is to Paul. Now Paul reminds the believers at Philippi who Epaphroditus is to them. He is one of their own, a member of their fellowship sent by them to minister to Paul’s needs, supplying on their behalf what they were not able to do in person. And he has been very diligent about it, too diligent perhaps, pushing himself until his health broke. Or maybe he became sick because of the difficulty of the times and the circumstances he has endure. At any rate, he was close to death at one point, and the prospect of losing their brother would certainly have brought great sorrow to Paul and the Philippians. It is with great relief, then, that Paul now sends him back, strong and well, to rejoice with his brothers and sisters in Jesus.

“Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem,” Paul says. Welcome him, rejoice over him, show him honor — he is well worth it. Indeed, all who are like him are to be greatly admired and respected, because they are showing the same sort of faithful, humble service that the Lord Jesus came to show for all our sakes. As we like to say at my home church, Jesus looks good on them.

So, in speaking of Epaphroditus like this, Paul has not departed one bit from the purpose he started with at the beginning of Philippians 2, or from the hymn of divine humility he followed it up with: that they may be of one heart, one mind and one purpose, serving each other and watching out for each other, just as the Lord Jesus came to do for all of us — for all who belong to Jesus belong also to each other.

This is not something that is beyond their ability, for God is at work in them both to desire and to do whatever is needed. And Epaphroditus, one of their own, has very ably demonstrated it in his own self-giving service on their behalf. He has been like the Lord Jesus, who came to serve, even to die, not regarding His own life. All who follow such an example are worthy of great honor.

Focus Questions

Is there someone in your life who has been an example of such self-giving service and humility as Epaphroditus, as well as Jesus, has shown?
Do you believe that it really is possible for you to be such an example yourself?
How do you suppose you can lay hold of God’s desire and ability to do that?

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Like-Minded Servants, Tested by Fire

But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel. Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me. But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly. (Philippians 2:19-24)

Paul longs to be with the Jesus believers at Philippi to encourage them in their faith. However, he is currently under arrest in Rome for preaching the gospel of King Jesus. But he is confident that his trial will go well, that he will be released and will be able to come to them before long. In the meantime, he expects to be able to send Timothy, who is well-known to the Philippians, since he was part of the mission to Philippi at the very beginning. Paul had first met Timothy at Derbe and Lystra, where the believers there spoke well of him (Acts 16:1-2). Impressed with Timothy, Paul decided to bring him on the mission into Macedonia (which began at Philippi). The plan now is to send Timothy to them again — not just yet, though, but soon — with the purpose of encouraging them with news about Paul and how the ministry of the gospel is faring, but also so Paul can himself be encouraged by hearing back how they are doing.

There is no one more “like-minded” (literally, of the “same soul”) with Paul than Timothy, “who will sincerely care for your state.” We can hear in this the echo of Paul’s earlier plea, that the believers at Philippi be of one mind, one heart, one soul (Philippians 2:2). Timothy, like Paul, genuinely cares for them, without any hidden agenda or selfish ambition (compare this with Philippians 2:3). “For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus,” Paul says (compare with Philippians 2:4). Timothy is committed to the things that are dear to Jesus the Messiah and is a strong and vibrant example of everything Paul has been exhorting the Philippian believers about.

Paul is very proud of Timothy, who is “as a son with his father.” Elsewhere, Paul calls him, “my beloved and faithful son in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 4:17) and “a true son in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:2). Timothy has “served with me in the gospel.” They have worked well together, having the same servant heart, mind and soul for the gospel. Recall how this letter began: “Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:1). In other letters, Paul refers to Timothy as “my fellow worker” (Romans 16:21) and “our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ” (1 Thessalonians 3:2).

Timothy is a man of “proven character.” The Greek word for “proven” often refers to the refiner’s process of “proving” or purifying precious metals such as gold or silver. In other words, Timothy has been tested by fire and has shown his mettle, that he is faithful. This is important because the believers at Philippi have some rough times ahead themselves. They will be tested and tried because of their faith in the Lord Jesus, so it will be encouraging for them to have a brother like Timothy around, who has been through the fire and come out stronger and brighter.

Focus Questions

Is there someone like-minded as you, to whom you could entrust the interests of those you care about?
Who is a faithful servant of the things of Jesus in your life? And to whom are you a faithful servant of the things of Jesus?
When you are going through a difficult time, how valuable is it to have someone with you who has been through the same and come out with a stronger faith?

Saturday, November 10, 2012

“All In” for Each Other

Holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me. (Philippians 2:16-18)

Paul concludes the appeal he began at the beginning of Philippians 2, to the Jesus believers at Philippi, that if they bore him any affection, “fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind”(Philippians 2:2). He wants to see them shining as lights in the midst of a twisted and self-absorbed generation, holding forth the good news about King Jesus as a beacon in the darkness. He wants to see that he has not “run the race” and come up a loser, that all his labors among them have not been a loss. He would much prefer to see them come to maturity in their faith, following the example of the Lord Jesus, both in His humility and in His being exalted. Then he will be able to “rejoice,” to take pride in the ministry he has been given and not be ashamed on the day He stands before King Jesus. He does not want to come up short in it (nor does he expect to), rather he desires to rejoice with them, both now and when He gives account before the Lord. It was important to him that he give good and faithful to the Lord Jesus and to His body, the church.

“Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation” (2 Corinthians 7:4).
“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy” (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20).
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

Paul is quite happy, then, to give everything that is in him, to be “poured out as a drink offering” for them. The image here is one of sacrifices offered to the Lord. A libation, or “drink offering” (which was usually wine), was poured out over the sacrifice, drenching it as an act of thanksgiving and consecrating it to God. To use a poker term, Paul was “all in” for their sake. Their service was their faithfulness to the Lord, their ministry to each other and bringing the message of the gospel to the world. Their sacrifice was what they endured, and would be enduring, for the sake of King Jesus and His gospel — and each other. And Paul was ready to give his life for their sake.

Paul rejoices about all of this and he wants to rejoice together with them. But he wants it to be mutual. That is, that they also see the value in it and be glad, but also that they share together with him in their rejoicing. He is “all in” for them and what he really wants is for them to be “all in” for each other. Then there will be rejoicing enough to go all around, sharing in the divine humility that leads to divine joy.

Focus Questions

Can you think of a time in your life when you felt like you had run your race and labored hard to help someone else and it turned about to be all in vain? Or quite successful?
Does someone have to be “all in” for you before you are willing to be “all in” for them?
Who are you willing to be “all in” for?

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Lights in the Darkness

Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life. (Philippians 2:14-16)

Paul wants the Jesus believers at Philippi to “work out” their salvation, that is, to let it be demonstrated among them together as a community. What he particularly has in mind here is the expression of unity, the single-hearted, single-minded love and focus that manifests the mind of Jesus the Messiah among them.

Everything is to be done without complaining and disputing. Weymouth’s New Testament in Modern Speech has it as, “Be ever on your guard against a grudging and contentious spirit.” Other versions say:

“without grumbling or arguing” (Contemporary English Version)
“without murmurings and questionings” (Context Group Version)
“without grumbling or questioning” (English Standard Version) – grumbling against and questioning each other.
“without kvetching or arguing” (Jewish New Testament)

Wuest, in The New Testament: An Expanded Translation, is a bit wordier but brings out the nature of what Paul is addressing. He renders the key terms here as, “discontented and secret mutterings and grumblings” and “discussions which carry an undertone of suspicion or doubt.” This has everything to do with how we are to relate to one another, that we must not grumble and mutter against each other, or look upon one another with suspicion and doubt, questioning each other’s faith, motives or commitment. Instead, we should become “blameless and harmless, or as Wuest puts it, “guileless in [your] simplicity.” That is, we should be open, honest and straightforward with each other — WYSIWYG, “What You See Is What You Get.”

When we are transparent and non-toxic with each other, we will become “children of God without fault.” Paul is not implying that this is how we become children of God. We already children of God by faith in the Lord Jesus, for “as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). But the point here is that we need to conduct ourselves in a way that is “without fault,” a way befitting the children of God that we are, particularly because we are “in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.” Paul is drawing a sharp contrast here that alludes to Deuteronomy 32:5, a prophecy Moses gave: “They have corrupted themselves; they are not His children, because of their blemish: A perverse and crooked generation.” The believers at Philippi were living in a society that was twisted and contorted and curved in upon itself, a culture that turned away from God (much as we see today). It is precisely for this reason, then, that we must be open and honest with each other. Jesus said, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16). Then we will “shine as lights in the world.”

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. (Ephesians 5:8)

Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. (1 John 2:8-10)

Light shines in the darkness of the world and the world cannot overcome it. The value of light is that it enables people to see. When we live open, honest and transparent lives with each other, in love and unity, the world can see the True Light, Jesus, shining through us. When light shines in the darkness, it brings hope and life. “Holding fast the word of life,” is how Paul says it (some translations have “holding forth the word of life,” which fits the context better). We become torchbearers so that others may see.

The “word of life” is the good news of the gospel, the announcement about King Jesus. George Lamsa, working from an ancient Aramaic version of the New Testament, translates this as “For you are to them the light of life” (Translation From the Aramaic Peshitta). Paul’s overall concern is that the gospel keeps advancing and that the Lord Jesus be glorified more and more.

Focus Questions

Is there anyone in your circle of relationships about (or against) whom you have secretly muttered or harbored suspicions and doubts?
What can the divine humility of the Lord Jesus teach us about that?
What action can you take that might help to resolve such a situation?

Monday, November 5, 2012

God Working in You

Therefore, my beloved, as you 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; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13)

The word “therefore” that begins this section connects us back to the previous sections, about the divine humility of Jesus the God-man and how He has been exalted to the place of highest glory and honor. He is our example, whose entire being displays the attitude we should have in all things. It is part of our identity, who He is in us and who we are in Him.

Paul addresses the Jesus believers at Philippi as “my beloved.” In this we see the tender affection he has for them. He has had a very strong relationship with them ever since he first arrived in Macedonia. They have supported his ministry steadily, with prayer and provision and partnership in the gospel. Though he is now under house arrest in Rome, he has every confidence that he will be with them once again, for the increase and joy of their faith. In the meantime, he wants them to continue as if he was right there with them now, and he is confident that they will be all the more diligent because of his present circumstances. What Paul desires (keeping Philippians 2:1-4 in mind) is that they would treat each other as they would him if he were now present among them, with nothing done through selfish ambition or conceit but serving one another with the humility of the Lord Jesus.

“Therefore,” Paul tells them, “work out your own salvation.” There are a couple of things to note here. First, he is not talking about their individual personal destinies. The use of “you” and “your” here are in the plural forms. He is speaking to them as the community of believers. Second, he does not mean that they are to work for their salvation, that is, in order to get saved. Salvation is a gift of God that is at work in them. To “work out” one’s salvation, rather, is to bring forth the outer expression of what is now inherent in their inner being. Salvation is not merely a theory, it produces practical results in the life of the believer. Paul is telling them to manifest outwardly what is already an inward reality, to demonstrate the life of God and the attitude of Jesus that is already at work in them. The Contemporary English Version translates this as, “discover what it really means to be saved.”

Paul adds, “with fear and trembling.” That is a combination he uses a few times elsewhere: about when he first came to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 2:1-5), about when Paul sent Titus to the Corinthians and how they received him (2 Corinthians 7:-1316), and about how Christian bondservants should live in regard to their earthly masters (Ephesians 6:5-8). It is not about abject fear or terror but about being circumspect, careful, diligent and respectful. J. B. Phillips translates it as having “a proper sense of awe and responsibility” (The New Testament in Modern Speech).

It all comes down to dependence upon God. “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” The Holman Christian Standard Bible has this as, “It is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose.” We cannot even work up the desire for these things ourselves, much less fulfill them. But God comes and creates the proper desires in us Himself. The fact that we begin to desire the things of God is evidence of His saving work in us. God enables godly desire within us and along with that gives us the divine ability to do what He desires. This is exactly what He had promised centuries earlier, through the prophet Ezekiel:

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. (Ezekiel 36:25-27)

The Spirit of God works in us to bring forth the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). This reflects the character and attitude of the Lord Jesus that Paul wants the believers at Philippi (and indeed, everywhere) to manifest. It is God’s doing through and through, His Spirit, His life, His salvation at work in us to do what we could not otherwise do. Our part is to be diligent and attentive to allow Him to bring it forth into outward expression, in faithful obedience to the Father and self-giving service toward one another.

Focus Questions

What do you think are the present benefits of salvation? How do you live them out?
How do you think of the fear of the Lord? As dread, or delight?
How do you think of the will of God? As something you must resign yourself to, or something that releases you into His desire and pleasure?

Friday, November 2, 2012

The Humble God-Man Exalted with the Highest Glory

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

In the previous section, Paul spoke of the humility of the Son of God who came into the world as a man and manifested the servant heart even to the point of a humiliating death on a Roman cross. Now he shows how the greatness of that divine humility has been revealed.

The world has been turned upside down, or rather, right side up. The fallen world system, under the spell of principalities and powers, delights in what it perceives to be power and greatness, yet esteems humility and love to be the exact opposite of such. But God has revealed that greatness is found in humility and power in love, and He has done this by exalting Jesus with the greatest glory. This was not in regard to His divinity, in which He has always been infinitely glorious, but in regard to His humanity, which is what God had always planned for mankind from the beginning, when He said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion” (Genesis 1:26). The exaltation of Jesus in His humanity also speaks to us about our own humanity.

Paul details this exaltation in his letter to the Jesus believers at Ephesus, where he prays that they might be given the Spirit of wisdom and revelation from God to know

what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:19-23)

All things in heaven and earth have now been placed under the dominion of Jesus the God-man. The principalities and powers, which were disarmed at the cross (Colossians 2:15), must yield to the authority of His name and all it signifies. Paul also tells us that, as believers in the Lord Jesus, we too have been raised up together with Him and seated together in the heavenlies in Him (Ephesians 2:6).

This news is for all the world, and all the nations are invited to come and participate in Him, to know Him in His humility and to glory in His greatness. Before He ascended to His throne in heaven at the right hand of the Father, He gathered the disciples together and said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

God has exalted Jesus so that “every knew should bow” and “every tongue should confess” that Jesus is Lord. This echoes the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah:

Who has declared this from ancient time?
Who has told it from that time?
Have not I, the LORD?
And there is no other God besides Me,
A just God and a Savior;
There is none besides Me.
Look to Me, and be saved,
All you ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.
I have sworn by Myself;
The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness,
And shall not return,
That to Me every knee shall bow,
Every tongue shall take an oath.

(Isaiah 45:21-23)

The Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament that was used by the early church, uses the same words about every knee bowing and every tongue confessing that Paul uses in Philippians 2:10-11. What is said of the LORD in the Old Testament, Paul applies to the exalted Lord Jesus in the New.

The language of bowing the knee is not about what is done against one’s will — and it is certainly not to be confused with an enemy having his neck under the foot of his vanquisher. Bowing the knee is honor willingly offered. Likewise, confession is not what must be pulled through one’s teeth. It is freely given, and from the heart. Paul speaks two other times about the confession that Jesus is Lord. In 1 Corinthians 12:3, he tells us that no one can say “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. In Romans 10:9, he says that those who confess “Jesus is Lord,” will be saved.

In the Roman imperial cult of Paul’s day, each Caesar upon his death was considered to have ascended to take his place in the pantheon of Roman gods. This glorification of Caesar to god-like status was called apotheosis, “divinization” or “deification.” Being a Roman citizen, Paul would have known of this belief, as would the Jesus believers at Philippi (remember that Philippi was one of the chief Roman cities in Macedonia). Paul’s words, however, fly very much in the face of it. Where the Romans said, “Caesar is Lord,” Paul boldly declared, not Caesar, but Jesus is Lord. Caesar is not the one who has been exalted to the highest place, but Jesus the Messiah is. Even Caesar himself will bow down in reverence and worship the Lord Jesus. The declaration that Jesus is Lord, which is so central to the message of the gospel, rattled the Roman cages and was one reason why Christians were persecuted as subversives and why evangelism was such a dangerous venture. But it was also a reason for great joy.

Focus Questions

What does the exaltation of Jesus the God-man say about humanity as God intended it?
What do you suppose it means that we are seated with Jesus on His throne in the heavenlies, at the right hand of the Father? Can you see yourself there?
How does the exaltation of Jesus the Son display the glory of the Father?

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Divine Humility, Divine Greatness

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:5-8)

Be “like-minded,” Paul said, and “of one mind.” But it was a particular mind he had in view — the same mindedness, the same attitude that the Messiah, Jesus, showed when He became a man and went to the cross on our behalf.

Jesus is God. He is the Word about whom John the Gospel writer said, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). That is how it always was with Him, and how it always will be. Even so, there is something important that happened that changed the world forever. As John went on to say, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).

In nature, essence and form, Jesus was, and is, God. But He “did not consider it robbery.” This translation does not make very clear what Paul means. Here are a few other versions that give a better understanding:

“did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped” (English Standard Version)
“did not consider equality with God something to be robbed {or used to advantage}” (Context Group Version)
“did not cling to his prerogatives as God’s equal” (J. B. Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
“did not think that being equal with God was something to be used for his own benefit” (The Expanded Bible)
“did not after weighing the facts, consider it a treasure to be clutched and retained at all hazards” (Wuest, The New Testament: An Expanded Translation)

So Jesus “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant.” The Greek words literally mean that He “emptied Himself.” This does not mean that He in any way ceased to be God in essence or in attribute. It means that He did not cling to His divine prerogatives, but as Phillips says, “stripped himself of all privilege by consenting to be a slave by nature.” Or as the Lexham English Bible puts it, He “emptied himself by taking the form of a slave, by becoming in the likeness of people.” Being God did not mean He could not be a servant, and being a servant did not take away one bit of His divinity.

He took on the form of a doulos, a bondservant, a slave. The Greek word doulos views a servant in relationship to his master. Though Jesus is equal to God in His essence, He took on the form of a doulos, to serve the Father and be obedient to Him. Jesus said, “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30). The form He took did not make one bit of difference to the essence of His being. He was free to serve and it did not rob Him of anything.

Jesus not only took on the form of a servant, He came in the “likeness” of men. In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). In the LXX (the Septuagint, an ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament), the word for “likeness” used there is essentially the same one Paul uses here in Philippians.

There is a beautiful symmetry at work: Man was created according to the likeness of God, and God, in the person of the Son, came in the likeness of men. The Word, who was with God in the beginning, and indeed is God, became flesh and dwelt among us. He was “found in appearance as a man,” or as Weymouth puts it, “being recognized as truly human” (New Testament in Modern Speech).

Jesus “humbled” Himself. In verse 3, Paul said, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit.” The Greek word for “conceit” is kenodoxia, literally, “empty glorying” (which is why some versions translate it as “vainglory”). Now compare that with Jesus, who “emptied” Himself (the Greek word is kenosis) and “humbled” Himself. There is no selfish ambition there, no seeking of reputation, no “empty glorying.” While some of the believers at Philippi were apparently operating in empty pride (that is, pride without cause), there was no such vanity in the Lord Jesus.

Paradoxically, by not holding onto the prerogatives of God at all costs, Jesus was actually manifesting the nature of God. Consider how Wuest translates this passage:

But himself He emptied, himself He made void, having taken the outward expression of a bondslave, which expression comes from and is truly representative of His nature [as deity], entering into a new state of existence, that of mankind. (brackets are Wuest’s)

Becoming a bondservant is not foreign to the nature of God but is representative of His true nature as deity! God is love, John tells us (1 John 4:16), and it is the nature of love to give and to serve. God so loved the world that He gave His Son; the Son so loved the world that He gave Himself. On the night of the Last Supper, Jesus revealed the secret of divine greatness to His disciples:

You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:42-45)

This is not about becoming a servant so that we may one day be promoted to greatness. No, becoming a servant is the promotion and serving one another is greatness. It is a perfect reflection of the divine nature.

Having taken the form of a bondservant (in His divinity) and humbled Himself (in His humanity) Jesus became obedient to the Father’s will, even to the point of death. Not just any death, but the most terrifying, most humiliating kind of death — death on a Roman cross. Divine greatness, not to mention divine grace, knows no bounds.

Focus Questions

Does it surprise you that servanthood is greatness?
Does it surprise you that servanthood is truly representative of the divine nature?
How does this help you take on the attitude of being a servant for others?

Books by Jeff Doles

See WBM Bookshop for more. All of our books are also available at Amazon in paperback and Kindle, in epub at Google Play and in PDF at Gumroad.

There is Always Joy!
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Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon),
epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

The Focus of Our Faith
Paul’s Letters to the Jesus
Believers at Colosse
Bite-Size Studies Through Colossians
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Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon),
epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Copyright Information

All blog entries are copyright by Jeff Doles on the date they are posted, unless otherwise indicated. All rights reserved.

After January 1, 2015, unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are taken from the New International Version. © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Before January 1, 2015, unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are taken from the New King James Bible. © 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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