Chapter Two

Exhortation to unity of mind and humility and an example of the latter—the Lord Jesus Christ (1–18). Regarding the intended sending to Philippi of Timothy and the return to the Philippians of Epaphroditus (19–30).

Philippians 2:1. Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, At the end of the previous chapter the Apostle said what the Philippians should be like, and now he points out the means by which they can achieve what the Apostle desires. Namely, they need to have for this unity of mind, which in turn is necessarily caused by humility. In explaining what the Apostle understands by humility, he points to the Lord Jesus Christ, who demonstrated the highest degree of humility in His self-emptying for the benefit of mankind. After indicating that for His humility the Lord Jesus Christ was exalted by God, the Apostle invites the Philippians to act with special caution in the matter of achieving their salvation and not to fall into doubt. The section concludes with a hearty commendation of the steadfastness which the readers of the epistle demonstrate in preserving the Gospel.

Philippians 2:2. Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord and of one mind. The Philippians already have various virtues. “Consolation in Christ”—more properly: “exhortation, mutual brotherly exhortation—such as Christ taught” (παράκλησις έν Χριστω). “Comfort of love”—more precisely: comfort coming from a feeling of love. “Fellowship of the Spirit—cf. Phil 1:27. “Affection”—that is, a good heart (σπλάγχνα). “Mercy,”—that is, individual expressions of love (οίκτιρμοί—cf. Rom 12:1). If such virtues exist among the readers—and they truly do exist (such a thought must necessarily be added here)—then this gladdens the Apostle. But his joy will be complete only if the readers have complete unity of mind among themselves, and moreover not only in relation to faith (“like-minded”), but also in relation to love (“the same love”). “Of one accord and of one mind”—a strengthened designation of inner unity.

Philippians 2:3. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves. Philippians 2:4. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. To achieve complete unity in thoughts and love it is necessary to free oneself from “selfish ambition,” that is, from the inclination to act for personal advantage (εριθεία) and from “conceit” or empty boasting (κενοδοξία). “Let each esteem others better than themselves.” In this humility is shown. But will it be fair in every case to disparage myself before others? Perhaps I am actually superior in dignity to my neighbor? The Apostle’s call must be understood, of course, in the sense that each of us should always think about ourselves thus: “I have not fulfilled my task, have not realized all the possibilities contained in my nature. If I have done more than another, perhaps it is because I had more inducements to do so, and perhaps I could have done much more than the other, who has done all he was able to do.” “But also for the interests of others.” The Apostle is not speaking here against a man’s love for himself, but against narrow egotism, which for its own interests completely refuses to see the needs of a neighbor.

Philippians 2:5. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: According to recent research, “the particle” “for” (γάρ) here is an insertion (Ewald, p. 102). In that case one must suppose that with verse 5 begins the speech about imitating Christ. “In the readers,” says the Apostle, “there should be the same feelings or, better, the same disposition (φρονείσθω έν ΰμΐν) as was in Jesus Christ.” And what disposition Christ displayed—about this the Apostle speaks further, in the following relative clause.

Philippians 2:6. Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God; “Being in the form of God.” Much has been disputed about which Christ the Apostle has in mind here—the pre-existent Christ before His incarnation, the Son of God not yet having taken on human flesh, or the Son of God already incarnate. The first interpretation belongs to almost all Christian antiquity and the majority of modern interpreters, while the second belongs to Novatian, Ambrose, and Pelagius, and later to Erasmus, Luther, Calvin, and from modern scholars to Derner, Phillips, and Ritschl, and to Prof. Glubokovskii (cf. Gospel of the Apostle Paul, vol. 2, p. 287). The form of God (μορφή Θεοΰ) according to the latter interpretation would denote the divine majesty, power, and authority which Christ possessed and had while on earth, though He did not usually display it. But such an interpretation is difficult to accept. After all, form (μορφή) is in any case something that can be seen by all and under any circumstances. But according to the interpretation being considered, Christ usually did not show His divine power. Still more decisively against such an understanding speaks the word “emptied”—έκένωσεν which follows (Phil 2:7), which cannot mean: “did not use, did not apply to a matter, concealed,” but speaks of actual emptying and deprivation. Therefore it is more correct to understand this expression: “being in the form or in the image of God” as speaking of the state of Christ before His incarnation, although the subject “He” (ός) however will denote not only the pre-existent Christ but also at the same time Christ in the state of incarnation—a person who remained essentially one and the same both in the state of pre-existence and in the state of incarnation. As for the term “form” itself μορφή, in distinction from σχήμα (verse 7), it often denotes something belonging to the subject by its nature, flowing from the very nature of the subject (cf. Rom 8:29; Phil 3:10; Gal 4:19). So here μορφή may denote such a form of existence in which divine being finds for itself an adequate expression, so that from this form one can draw conclusions about the nature of the subject as well. Finally, the expression “being” υπάρχων is stronger than simple “being” ών (from είναι—to be), indicating the reality of being, though at the same time it hints that this being in majesty was temporary and could cease. “Did not consider it robbery to be equal with God”—ούχ άρπαγμόν ήγήσατο τό εΐναι. The Russian translation for some reason understands the verb ήγήσατο as past imperfective tense, whereas an aorist is used here, meaning a past action, quickly completed, a single act. It is better therefore to translate this verb with the expression: “did not regard.” “Robbery”—άρπαγμός. Russian translators give this word an active meaning: “robbery” is an act or action. But in that case the Russian translation becomes completely incomprehensible. What does it mean: to regard or consider being equal to God as robbery? After all, the word “robbery” denotes an action, while “being equal to God” is a state. How can one regard an action as a state? It is probable that the translators used the word “robbery” instead of the word “plundered.” In that case, when under άρπαγμός we understand “plundered” or, more correctly, that which should be plundered, the meaning of the entire expression becomes completely clear to us. The Apostle wants to say that the Son of God, who from eternity had the form of God or the glory and majesty of God, before His incarnation did not consider it necessary to forcibly, contrary to the purpose of the Divine Council for man’s salvation, retain for Himself being equal to God or, properly, the form of existence which He had from eternity as the true God. By “being equal to God” is meant precisely the state in which God exists, not the divine nature, because no one, not even God, can be freed from his own nature.

Philippians 2:7. But emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. “But emptied Himself”—more precisely: emptied (έκένωσεν), voluntarily deprived Himself of that divine glory and power to which He had full right even in the state of incarnation. “Taking the form of a bondservant.” The indefinite concept “emptied Himself” becomes sufficiently definite through this addition. His divine form of existence, the Lord Jesus Christ regards not as a treasure which He just found and for which He needs to hold tightly, but He frees Himself from it, assuming instead of the former form of existence a new form—the existence of a bondservant. Whose bondservant Christ became—this is not said. The important thing is that He became a bondservant, that from a state of complete freedom and independence He entered into a position of subjection (cf. 2 Cor 8:9). Here the expression “form of a bondservant” denotes only the form of bondservant existence, because a bondservant nature does not exist: only a state or position of bondage exists. It is clear that the Apostle here intended to speak not of the incarnation of the Son of God (then he would simply have said “took the form of a man”), but of His self-emptying, yet of a real self-emptying, not an apparent one. He only after His resurrection appeared in “another form” corresponding to His glorification, but before the resurrection He lived as a bondservant, not as a Lord (cf. Mark 10 and Matt 28:18). The Apostle thus points out to the readers that the path to glorification, which they hoped for, lies through self-emptying and that they should not only not appropriate to themselves a glory not belonging to them, but should also refuse, for the accomplishment of their salvation, even that which belongs to them. This is exactly how Christ did, who refused to display on earth that glory which belongs to Him as God. He thus corrected the transgression of Adam, who wanted to be a god (Gen 3:5). “Coming in the likeness of men.” The Apostle said of Christ that He became a bondservant. But in Scripture bondservants include God’s angels (Heb 1:14). The Apostle therefore wants to say specifically what kind of bondservant condition Christ accepted, and he says that He assumed not the nature of an angel, but of man. Using the expression “in the likeness of man” (έν όμοιώματι άνθρ.), the Apostle thereby makes it clear that Christ was only “like” people, but in reality was not identical with them, since He did not have inherited sin, and at the same time He remained even in the flesh the Son of God (cf. Rom 1:3; Gal 4:4). “And in appearance becoming like a man.” Here the Apostle has in mind the external appearance (σχήμα) of Christ—His habits, gestures, speech, actions, and even clothing. To all who encountered Him, He appeared as an ordinary man—a humble rabbi...

Philippians 2:8. 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. Christ, upon becoming incarnate, could have lived quietly, as rabbis lived. But He humbled Himself, endured various hardships and insults. These sufferings ended for Him in a terrible and shameful death on the cross, on which He was hung as a criminal.

Philippians 2:9. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, Now the Apostle points to the exaltation of Christ after death, as a special motivation for the readers to walk the same path of hardship that Christ walked. By “exaltation” of Christ one must understand not only the spatial raising of Christ from the earthly realm to heaven, but also, so to speak, a qualitative exaltation of Him. In agreement with St. Athanasius of Alexandria, here one can see an indication of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (Athan., oration 1). “And given Him the name”..., that is, the name “Lord” (cf. Phil 2:11). This name, of course, shows the highest position of Christ in relation to all that exists: He is the lord or ruler of the universe.

Philippians 2:10. 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, Philippians 2:11. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. That at the name of Jesus. Cf. Acts 4:12. Jesus Christ is the mediator between God and men, and in His name or through Him man bows or bends his knee, seeing in Him the true God. But not only men, but also beings dwelling “in heaven,” that is, angels, and those living “under the earth,” that is, demons, must acknowledge the power of Christ. It is possible, however, to number among the “heavenly” also glorified believers, and among the “earthly” also the departed sinners. “Every tongue,” that is, all rational beings of different spheres—earthly, heavenly, and of the underworld. “To the glory of God the Father.” The Apostle in other epistles as well (e.g., Eph 1:6; Rom 15:9) represents the ultimate purpose of all things as the glorification of God. Thus the Apostle impressed upon the readers that if they, as Christians, dream of achieving glorification, of which, for instance, the risen Lord Jesus Christ spoke to the apostles before His death (Luke 22:29), then they should, following the example of their Lord, go toward it by the path of self-humbling and think more not of their own glory, but of the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:12. 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; The Apostle from the brief story of Christ the Savior, who through self-denial and suffering reached the goal which He set for Himself, draws the conclusion that the Philippians should regard the work of their own salvation—which here must be understood in the sense of an act occurring in the human soul—with fear and trembling before God, employing on their part all the strength of self-sacrifice. This on their part—that is, fear and trembling before God—is especially necessary at the present time, when the Apostle Paul is not with them, who before by his very presence among the Philippians instilled courage in them.

Philippians 2:13. For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. The Philippians should not be exalted in their thoughts, because God, not they, is truly the one acting in their salvation: He Himself both produces in them the disposition toward a good deed and gives them strength for accomplishing good strivings. In all things, in a word, He acts according to His good pleasure, not according to the merits of man. “This passage speaks on one hand against Pelagianism, and on the other hand, through its connection with verse 12, clearly shows how far the Apostle is from the teaching about the coercive action of God’s grace on the human will. The Apostle here says that God’s grace accomplishes man’s salvation not without his participation” (Nazaryevsky, p. 93).

Philippians 2:14. Do all things without complaining and disputing, In the work of their salvation the Philippians should avoid complaining and doubt regarding what God prompts them to do. A doubting person, moreover, obviously regards himself too lowly, and this should not be in a person redeemed by Christ.

Philippians 2:15. 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, Philippians 2:16. 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. Philippians 2:17. But if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Philippians 2:18. For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me. The goal which Christians should have in mind, walking the path of self-denial, consists in becoming innocent before God’s judgment and free from the stains of sin (ιάκέραιοι—in Russian translation: “blameless”), so as to become true children of God, upon whom there shall not fall the terrible verdict which will befall crooked and perverse children, compared with whom the Philippians, preserving the word of life or the Gospel, appear directly as true lights of the world. Then, on the day of the coming of Christ, the Apostle will be able to boast that his labors in Philippi were not in vain. To show how glad he is to see the steadfastness of the Philippians in faith, the Apostle says that if even he were destined now to be poured out, as a libation (consisting in wine), upon that sacrifice which he himself offers to God in the form of a church made up of Gentiles, then even then the Apostle would not lose his joyful mood. The same joy he instills in the Philippians themselves: they should rejoice both for him, because he is able to go to death for them, and for themselves, because they—so at least the Apostle supposes—are also capable of any self-denial for the sake of faith in the Gospel.

Philippians 2:19. But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. The thought that he might soon have to die prompts the Apostle to take care that someone would help the Philippians in his place in the difficult circumstances of their life. The Apostle’s choice in this case rests on his friend and disciple—Timothy. No one is distinguished by such devotion to Christ and to him, Paul, as Timothy. However, the Apostle intends to send Timothy to the Philippians only when he receives definite information about the status of his case. At the same time, the confidence in a favorable outcome of his trial does not leave him, so he also promises, after his release from bonds, to come to Philippi himself. For now the Apostle comforts the Philippians by sending them their representative, Epaphroditus, their fellow citizen. Let the Philippians receive him with joy, because he did not spare his life in the service of Christ’s cause. “Timothy”—see Acts 16:1-3.

Philippians 2:20. For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your welfare, “Like-minded,” that is, similar in spirit and character to Apostle Paul (ϊσόψυχον).

Philippians 2:21. For everyone seeks his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. The Apostle has in mind here not his coworkers, who at that time were far from him, but ordinary, perhaps only recently converted to Christ, people.

Philippians 2:22. But you know his proven character, because as a son with his father, he served with me in the Gospel. “Proven character”—more precisely: proven worth or experience (δοκιμήν). “He served with me”—more precisely: he served together with me (σύν έμοί έδούλευσεν) Christ’s Gospel. “As a son with his father”—more precisely: as a son with a father, that is, imitating his father in all things (cf. 1 Cor 16:10).

Philippians 2:23. Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how things go with me. Philippians 2:24. But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly. Regarding Timothy the Apostle does say that he hopes to send him to the Philippians when his situation becomes finally clear. But he speaks with confidence about himself (“I trust”—πέποιθα) that he will certainly visit the Philippians. He probably has in mind a special revelation received from the Lord Christ (“in the Lord”).

Philippians 2:25. Yet I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and minister to my need; For now the Apostle considers it more necessary (for explanation of the necessity see Phil 2:26) to send to the Philippians a certain Epaphroditus, a resident of the city of Philippi. This is an outstanding man as a fellow fighter of Paul in the struggle for Christ’s cause. The Philippians know him well, because he serves as their accredited envoy (properly—apostle—άπόστολον) with Paul and as a minister who brought to Paul what was necessary for his own support from the Philippians.

Philippians 2:26. For he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you heard that he was sick. Philippians 2:27. For indeed he was sick almost to the point of death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Epaphroditus, while in Rome, fell seriously ill. Probably the journey to Rome and staying in Rome during the summer months, as now, presented a danger to health at that time. A person who becomes ill in a foreign land always yearns in his soul for home, toward his close ones, and Epaphroditus also very much wanted to see his relatives soon and to comfort them by his return to them in full health. The Apostle joyfully adds that God had mercy on Epaphroditus, for otherwise, if his illness had resulted in death, the Apostle would have blamed himself for such an outcome: after all, Epaphroditus contracted the illness because of him. The Apostle already has to grieve over the fact that he is in prison. And Epaphroditus’s death would have caused him new sorrow...

Philippians 2:28. Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. The Apostle sent Epaphroditus sooner than he had reckoned. Apparently his illness did not last very long. By sending Epaphroditus to the Philippians, the Apostle of course gladdened them and at the same time himself, because it brought him joy to see and know that his spiritual children were in a joyful state. In relation to Paul this was not, however, complete joy: he became from this only “less sorrowful,” and his sorrows continued, and he could never free himself from them (2 Cor 11:29).

Philippians 2:29. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem, Philippians 2:30. Because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service to me. The Apostle asks to receive Epaphroditus “with all,” that is, with complete joy and in general asks to respect such workers. Indeed,—he adds,—Epaphroditus did not spare his life for his own cause, but for Christ’s cause, and consequently for the common good of believers. Namely, he wanted to supply through his service what had not yet been done by the Philippians for Apostle Paul. If he only served the Apostle, then still, in fact, he was working for the good of Christ’s cause: Christ’s cause is the work which Christ accomplishes on earth through His disciples. * * * Notes Critical editions of the New Testament text all read here: “let this mind be in you” (τουφρονείτε), since the expression: “let this mind be in you” (τουφρονεΐσθω) is not found in the oldest manuscripts and translations. Nevertheless, the latter reading should be preferred to the former, because, first of all, it is accepted by the majority of Greek fathers, and secondly, if here we can speak of a correction made by a copyist, then it is more natural to suppose that the more difficult and unusual expression φρονείσθω was changed to the more understandable φρονείτε (in accordance with verse 2, πληρώσατε), than the opposite. It is said that the very expression “in Christ Jesus” (verse 5) testifies to the fact that the Apostle has in mind here the already incarnate Son of God. But this reference says nothing, because in Col. 1 it is said that “through Jesus Christ” all things were created. This means that this expression does not denote only the Son of God who has already taken on human flesh. Furthermore, some point to a certain “strangeness” of the idea that Christians should take as an example Christ still preparing to take on human flesh. In this, however, there is nothing strange, since Christians are invited to imitate even God Himself, their Heavenly Father (Matt 5:48; Eph 5:1). It is understandable, however, that we must not consider this expression to denote an externally observable form of existence: God is invisible, and the Son of God before incarnation is also invisible. “Form” therefore is more correctly translated: “mode of existence” rather than “form of appearance.” To appear—before incarnation, to the Logos there was no one and no reason to appear to... However, this expression undoubtedly contains the thought that the incarnate Christ remained God. After all, the Apostle here speaks of the same One who from eternity existed in the form of God, who had, that is, the divine nature. He, this eternal Logos, did not change His nature, but only took on also human nature. Bishop Theophan says: “Taking the form of a bondservant—having taken on a composite nature, which, whatever level it may be at, is always subject to God. What follows from this?—That the Beginningless begins, the Omnipresent is bound to a place, the Eternal lives through days, months, and years, the All-perfect grows in stature and in wisdom. And all this He goes through, being God by nature, taking on the created nature.” St. John Chrysostom sees in these words encouragement for the Christian man in his striving to please God, because when man wishes it, then God will also act, bringing human will to the level of the firmest resolve. By this interpretation, however, man’s own will is not taken away: the latter is only strengthened by divine assistance.