𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟯: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁
Welcome back to our mini-series on the book of Philippians! In our first two posts, we explored the joy and partnership Paul shared with the Philippians and what it means to live a life worthy of the gospel. Today, we’ll dive into Philippians 2:1-11, where Paul highlights the humility of Christ and calls us to follow His example.
This section of Philippians is often called the "Christ Hymn" because it beautifully describes the humility and exaltation of Jesus. Paul uses this passage to teach us how to live in harmony and humility.
𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘴 2:1-11: “𝘚𝘰 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘺𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘺, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘣𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥. 𝘋𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴. 𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘰, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦𝘯. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮, 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘣𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘸, 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳.”
𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲𝘀:
• 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Paul calls for unity and humility among believers, urging them to consider others more important than themselves.
• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁: Jesus is our ultimate example of humility and selflessness.
• 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁: Because of Jesus' humility and obedience, God exalted Him above all.
𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:
• 𝗘𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁: Paul starts by reminding the Philippians of the encouragement and comfort they have in Christ, urging them to be united and love one another.
• 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Paul advises believers to act with humility, putting others' needs above their own. This means avoiding selfish ambition and considering others more significant.
• 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁’𝘀 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Jesus, though equal with God, did not cling to His divine privileges. Instead, He became a servant, humbling Himself to the point of dying on a cross for our sins.
• 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁’𝘀 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Because of His humility and obedience, God exalted Jesus, giving Him the highest honor. Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆:
Humility is the quality of being humble. It means putting others before yourself, not thinking too highly of your own abilities, and recognizing that we all depend on God. Humility is about serving others and not seeking recognition for ourselves.
God shows us humility through Jesus Christ. Jesus, who is God, chose to leave His heavenly throne and become a human being. He lived a life of service and obedience, even to the point of dying on a cross for our sins. This ultimate act of humility demonstrates God's incredible love and sets an example for us to follow.
As followers of Christ, we are called to be humble. This means putting others' needs before our own, serving without seeking praise, and recognizing our need for God in every aspect of our lives. Humility helps us build stronger relationships and reflects the love of Christ to those around us.
𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:
Reflect on how you can practice humility in your daily life. Are you putting others' needs before your own? How can you follow Christ's example of selflessness and service? Remember, true greatness in God’s kingdom comes through humility and obedience.
𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿:
𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴. 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴' 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘺, 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘯.