Craig Gaunt
Biblical Hermeneutics
A Jesus’ self-abasement as the obscure slave (2:6-7b)
B Jesus’ self-humiliation in being obedient unto death (2:7c-8b)
CENTER: the shameful extent of Jesus’ self-humiliation: death on a cross (2:8c)
B’ God’s exaltation of Jesus in giving him a name above all names (2:9)
A’ the world’s adulation of Jesus as the universally recognized Lord (2:10-11)
Significant Parallels of These Verses
The above verses are structured in such a way that one could think of them as a valley with vv.6-8 descending, vv. 9-11 ascending, and the cross at the deepest pit of it. One of the contrasts is that vv. 6-8 (here afterwards referred to as the “first section”) exclaims that Christ is the actor who has humbled Himself and took the form of a slave to die the most shameful death imaginable. In vv. 9-11 (the “second section”), it is God the Father who is the actor who exalts Jesus for this obedience, and rather than being a slave, He is Lord. Along the same line is the theme of restoration. God has restored Jesus to the glory He knew when He was in the Father’s presence. In almost perfect symmetry, v. 8 contains the phrase “he humbled himself” having the connotation of Jesus taking the lowest place, while v. 9 has Him being exalted to “the highest place”.[1]
Furthermore, historically speaking, the first section stresses what is temporary and has been completed: Jesus’ coming to earth, suffering for atonement’s sake, and dying on the cross. The second section refers to what is both eternal and uncompleted: Christ reigns as God and will judge both the living and the dead who will all finally acknowledge Him as the Master. The first section looks at what has happened in the past, which is that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified in Jerusalem under Pontius Pilate in accordance with historical tradition. The second section, by contrast, is looking toward the future by saying that all humanity will be brought to collectively confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
On a Christological level, the first section has Christ serving both the Father and the world, but the second section has the world serving Christ. Thielman writes further on this comparison when he says that unselfish giving is the character of the biblical God in the Old Testament and Christ Jesus in the New.[2] When it reports in the first section that Christ made Himself nothing, this can be seen in that the crucifixion of Jesus happened in a remote part of the world, was meant for outcasts and criminals, and to most of the unobserving world, was nothing more than “business as usual” for a tyrannical empire. The second section shows the contrast because Paul writes now that God has given Christ recognizable superiority over all creation. This is evidence that, before Christ’s resurrection, the nature of his death was nothing significant. However, after that glorious Sunday, Christ was/is recognizable to His followers as nothing less than God and by whom all things were made.
Furthermore, the first section is written to remind the readers that Jesus, being a slave to all, was forsaken and abandoned by all so that He died alone in many ways. No one worshipped Him on the cross. Paul forms the second section to bring attention to the fact that everyone (and everything seen and not seen) is going to recognize and worship Jesus as the Lord because God has transferred (and now shares) this honor to His Son. Everyone will bow the knee and confess whether they do so joyfully or not. All will bow to Him as Soverign, although not all will bow to Him as Savior.
In regards of the similarities between the two sections, Paul structures v. 8 in a way that would have stressed that, rather than being forced to endure the scandal of the cross, Jesus chose it willingly out of love. Likewise, the second section is written so that it is not meant to give the idea that God owed Christ the status of deity for His obedience. God has freely given Jesus exaltation and restored Him to His proper position out of love for His Son.[3] This glory is so great that even the name Jesus now rings with a majestic tone to those who have been touched by His grace, or it is a stinging word to those who are against God. Either way, this name has never been treated neutral in the world. Finally there is the parallel that both God and Christ are giving beings. When it says that Christ “did not consider equality with God something to be grasped”, it relates to the idea of Christ exploiting his divine power, which is exactly contrasting to Adam. Adam thought he could be “like God” and literally tried to grasp that power which could never be his, but Jesus, who had this power by His very nature, gave Himself to the world as a ransom. True to His nature, it pleased God to give His Son to the world out of His love for the creation as well as giving Jesus the honor of having the name that is above all names.
What Does This Mean for Believers?
Many commentators stress the need to not only look at Phil. 2:6-11 as an independent unit but also as fitting in with its context in all of chapter two. Paul has placed this section in the middle in order to draw the attention not only to the person of Christ but to what godly service, sacrifice, and humility truly look like. Crucifixion was (and is) the most shameful, painful, and humiliating death imaginable, but if the God of the universe loves mankind enough to endure it, then this same love should convict us to love and humble ourselves to serve others, even if it is at our own personal expense or reputation. This was contradictory to what the church at Philippi was facing in terms of power struggles by those who would act in a cutthroat manner just to gain influence in the church.[4] Paul is urging the church to act based on what Christ has done for both him and the church.[5] God regarded all of humanity worth enough to act like a servant to it and finally dying for it. Paul is commanding believers to consider others better and lay aside whatever rights they may have in order to serve. If the outside world sees the church acting in disunity, it will hinder the credibility and believability of the gospel that Paul is working so tirelessly to promote (Phil. 1:27-30). The connecting link between the end of chapter one and beginning of chapter two is meant to show that the unity of the church is crucial for the spreading of the gospel of Christ. Indeed, the present age is not lacking its share of critics who are skeptical to the very idea of God solely because of the thousands of church denominations that have split for the sole reason of a lack of Christian humility. Although, admittedly, there have been splits that have been necessary over doctrinal abandonment.
Paul also wisely places this section in the middle of chapter two because it gives the church a model of behavior not only grounded in the historical actions of Christ but also on a Christological level with their new status as believers. Because they have now heard and accepted the gospel, they should seek unity so that they may let their lives shine in a dark, broken world.[6] The complaining that Paul mentions in v. 14 is reminiscent of Israel complaining against God in the wilderness. It is also the opposite attitude of Christ who “like a sheep before its shearers is silent” did not kick against God and His will. For the sake of God and man, He endured the cross, and the Philippians are only grafted into the people of God because of their acceptance of this. They should, in turn, not only learn from Christ’s humility but also the mistakes that some of their spiritual forefathers made when they grumbled in the desert (Ex. 16:2-9; 17:3; Num. 11:1). Paul sees these believers as now being responsible, in continuity with believing Israel, to take the salvation offered in Christ to the ends of the earth. However, they are just as susceptible to non-believing Israel’s mistakes, so they must constantly be on their guard.
Finally, lest these Christians at Philippi become discouraged that they must suffer for their Lord’s sake with no rest or reward in sight, Paul also brings attention using this section to show that God will never forget them. Throughout vv. 1-18, Paul uses the middle section as a backdrop for encouragement to the believers. Just as Christ was the example of perfect obedience and even had to endure the worst of executions, God restored Him to His position as Lord and Judge over the whole universe. The difference between Christ’s pre-incarnate and post-resurrection state is that now, thanks to the Resurrection, people can know that He is the Lord, and it is because of selfless service unto death that the hope and glory of the Resurrection can be experienced in the present. This is the cornerstone of Paul’s Christology. Not only this but when the Philippians suffer for being harmonious as a body for the sake of Christ, the gospel is advanced even further. This is the reason that, throughout the New Testament, Paul can boast in his sufferings and even in his imprisonments, because as far as he is concerned, it is more people that will hear about God’s love. He stresses this in v. 17 when he says that his life is literally poured out as a sacrifice and service of the church’s faith so that both may rejoice when that day comes. Paul throughout these verses wants to emphasize the desire he has for the church, on that great Day of Judgment, to present itself without flaw and in perfect harmony so that both he and it can share in the reward of Christ for their obedience just as Christ has revealed both perfect obedience and perfect glory by suffering “even death on a cross”.
The challenge to believers today is just as relevant if not more so. The church of God must be unified, and there is an emerging generation of youth and young adults who are clamoring for just such an ecumenical movement. The difficult issue today is that many churches are falling away from the faith and even denying that Jesus is the Son of God, and such churches, John says has the spirit of antichrist in them. Unity is important and among those who collectively confess that Jesus is Lord, it must be sought and reconciled among local bodies. However, this should not be done at the expense of truth because that will be what decides what constitutes true Christian belief from heresy. Paul knew the Philippians confessed Christ as Lord and now he implored them to live like He did so that they may be one just as Jesus said that He and the Father are one (John 17:21).
[1] Fee, Gordon. Philippians The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995. pg. 216
[2] Thielman, Frank Philippians NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995. pg. 116
[3] Ibid., pg. 121
[4] Ibid., pg. 97
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid., pg. 139