Study of Philippians 2:12-30#
Note
I have recently switched to using the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) for most of my private study and verse references. I have found it to be just as accurate as mainstream translations like the ESV, while also flowing more naturally by using a more modern, colloquial English. If you haven’t before, I would recommend you try reading it side-by-side with your primary translation and see what you think.
An interesting comparison to the ESV in this study comes from the end of Philippians 2:16. The CSB renders “Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run or labor for nothing”, while the ESV reads “so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” The CSB feels much more compact and uses the contraction “didn’t”, which is part of why I think it feels so natural to read.
To start off, we can refresh our memories of where we are in Philippians. Paul is writing this book from prison, likely in Rome, Caesarea, or possibly in Ephesus. Despite his imprisonment, Paul has spent much of Philippians writing about joy. He is modeling the attitude that we should have as Christians. No matter what hardships this life may bring, nothing can take away that joy.
So, we’ll be looking at chapter 2, verses 12 through 30.
12 Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
—Philippians 2:12 (CSB)
Just as the believers in Philippi obeyed and believed with Paul, he’s encouraging them to stay steadfast in his absence. Paul talking about his absence is a common theme throughout Philippians that we’ll see more of later.
“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” is an interesting phrase that you’ll hear a lot. At first, it can sound antithetical to the joy that Paul talks about throughout Philippians. How can Christians be filled with joy, while also having to work out their salvation with fear and trembling?
A simple answer would be that it’s just a turn of phrase Paul uses to emphasize the importance of our faith. Just as the believers obeyed God in the past when God was with them, Paul is emphasizing how they need to continue believing to “work out their salvation.”
This idea of working out your own salvation can be challenging because it seems opposed to our idea of where our salvation comes from. We know that our salvation is a gift from God, freely given and never earned. But how can our salvation be given from God, but also be something we work out? Working out our salvation sounds awfully close to earning it.
We get a good answer to this if we keep reading into verse 13:
13 For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.
—Philippians 2:13 (CSB)
So it’s God who is working in us. All we can do is to accept God and his work in us, which results in our salvation. Working out our salvation is the process of accepting God’s guidance and will for our lives.
14 Do everything without grumbling and arguing, 15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world, 16 by holding firm to the word of life. Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run or labor for nothing.
—Philippians 2:14-16 (CSB)
It would be fine if verse 14 just said “don’t grumble or argue.” But instead it says we have to “do everything” without grumbling. I don’t know about you, but I find that to be very challenging. Whenever things in life get hard, or someone does something I don’t like, a lot of times my first reaction is to complain. Some of us are worse about complaining than others, but it feels like something we all struggle with at times. But going back to Paul’s theme of joy, I think there is little to no room for grumbling if we have a truly joyful heart.
The reason Paul gives for not grumbling and arguing is very interesting. “So that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation…” I think you can find this kind of idea all throughout the Old and New Testaments. Whether it was the Israelites in the Old Testament, or the early church in the New Testament, God wants his people to stand out from the rest of the world. As Christians, we are called to a strict standard of living, and it is important that our lives reflect that standard. If we are constantly grumbling or arguing, then we are not reflecting God to the rest of the world.
I also find the last line interesting: “Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run or labor for nothing.” So, if I don’t grumble and if I hold firm to the word of life, then I can boast in Christ that I didn’t labor for nothing. First off, I love the idea of boasting in Christ. I don’t often boast in myself because I don’t feel like I have anything worth boasting in. I think that the world around us is extremely prideful and everyone is far too quick to boast. So, I like how Christians have our own way that we can boast that still sets us apart from the rest of the world. Rather than boasting in my myself, I can boast in my Lord. If something good happens, even if I worked hard for it, I should give the credit to God and boast in him because it is only by him that I can accomplish anything.
I also love the idea that we can boast because we didn’t run or labor for nothing. Because I don’t know about you, but I would be a miserable atheist. I mean it. If I were an atheist, what would be the point of my life? If I believed that there was no God or purpose to life, that we were just random flukes drifting in a cold cosmos, then there would be no meaning to my life. Without God, good and bad and morality lose all meaning. Without a God, my life would have no purpose. All my work would be for nothing. But, because God is real and because I trust in him, I have the confidence that my life is not lived in vain. Personally, a lot of my joy as a Christian comes from knowing that God has given meaning and purpose to my life. I can’t remember the exact video, but in one of his videos, theologian N.T. Wright twists the words of Descartes’s famous quote “I think, therefore I am.” Wright says the Christian version is “I am loved, therefore I am.” The idea being that God’s love is what gives us meaning, purpose, and value. To an atheist, this idea is likely offensive (maybe even ludicrous), to a Christian, this idea is beautiful and profoundly true. It’s another reason we can find great joy in our Christian faith.
There is another interpretation of that last line about boasting in the day of Christ that I almost didn’t catch at first. I think it’s important to notice that Paul is likely referring to himself with that last line. Verses 14, 15, and the start of 16 are addressing his readers and telling them what they should do. Then, the latter half of 16 switches to Paul saying that he can boast in the day of Christ if the readers of Philippians take his advice to heart and practice it. I don’t think this detail changes my earlier interpretations of the verses, I just thought it was interesting. I have a bad habit of taking scripture and only applying it to my life and my circumstances. While I think this is an important thing to do with the Bible, we also cannot forget the different contexts of each book and we must consider who the authors and original readers were.
17 But even if I am poured out as a drink offering on the sacrificial service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 In the same way you should also be glad and rejoice with me.
—Philippians 2:17-18 (CSB)
Here we can see Paul’s joy in spite of his circumstances. Even if Paul is “poured out” as a sacrifice, he can still be glad and rejoice. Paul has such complete trust and faith in God that he is no longer afraid to die. We know that earlier in Philippians chapter 1, Paul said that he longs to depart and be with Christ. He has complete faith that God will take care of him while he is alive, and after he passes on. This level of confidence in God is an important step in a Christian’s faith. I believe it goes hand-in-hand with the joy that Paul is talking about. If we are still afraid of death or of this world, then we will struggle to find the same level of joy that Paul found.
19 Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon so that I too may be encouraged by news about you. 20 For I have no one else like-minded who will genuinely care about your interests; 21 all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know his proven character, because he has served with me in the gospel ministry like a son with a father. 23 Therefore, I hope to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. 24 I am confident in the Lord that I myself will also come soon. 25 But I considered it necessary to send you Epaphroditus — my brother, coworker, and fellow soldier, as well as your messenger and minister to my need — 26 since he has been longing for all of you and was distressed because you heard that he was sick. 27 Indeed, he was so sick that he nearly died. However, God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. 28 For this reason, I am very eager to send him so that you may rejoice again when you see him and I may be less anxious. 29 Therefore, welcome him in the Lord with great joy and hold people like him in honor, 30 because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up what was lacking in your ministry to me.
—Philippians 2:19-30 (CSB)
In verse 19, I like how Paul longs to hear news of the believers in Philippi. With how important the Bible is and the fact that its authors were divinely inspired, it’s easy to forget that they were human too. You can see more of Paul’s humanity in verse 27 where he says that he would have “sorrow upon sorrow” if something were to happen to Epaphroditus.
In 25 and onwards, we learn that the Philippian church sent Epaphroditus as a “messenger and minister” to Paul in his time of need. That is why Paul considered it good that he could send Epaphroditus back to the church, so that Epaphroditus and the church could be reunited. This whole section may seem minor, but I love it because it’s an example of the kind of community we should have as Christians. Paul shows a genuine care for the church and for Epaphroditus, and he indicates that the church was distressed to hear that Epaphroditus was sick.
Along with joy, this kind of pure Christian community is one of the fruits of faithfulness to God. Whenever we look past our own needs and desires, we free ourselves up to care more for our fellow man. The community that we see in the early church is something we should strive to emulate today. So many Americans are so-called “shallow Christians”, or Christians in name only and not in their deeds. They treat church as a meaningless ritual or appointment, and they think little of God or their Christian community during the rest of the week. Church should be so much more than a building we meet in once or twice a week. A church is supposed to be a community of believers engaged in fellowship and encouragement.
I’ll close there, but I’ll leave you with a few questions:
How do you think God has been working in your life recently?
What is something that you grumble about, and what could you start doing instead of grumbling?
Do you ever feel joyful? When? Or why?
What is something you could do to engage more with your fellow Christians?