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Philippians 2

Paul grounds the church’s humble service and shared obedience in Christ’s self-giving, his exaltation, and God’s work within them.

Paul writes to the believers in Philippi while absent from them, urging shared love and humble concern for one another. He sets before them Christ’s descent into servanthood and death, followed by God’s exaltation of him as Lord. Paul then calls them to obedience, grounding their work in God’s work within them. The chapter closes with plans to send Timothy and news of Epaphroditus, who risked his life in service and has recovered from grave illness.

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1If therefore there is any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassion,
2make my joy full by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind;
3doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself;
4each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.
5Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus,
6who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.
8And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, yes, the death of the cross.
9Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth,
11and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13For it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
14Do all things without complaining and arguing,
15that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without defect in the middle of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as lights in the world,
16holding up the word of life, that I may have something to boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run in vain nor labor in vain.
17Yes, and if I am poured out on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.
18In the same way, you also should be glad and rejoice with me.
19But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered up when I know how you are doing.
20For I have no one else like-minded, who will truly care about you.
21For they all seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ.
22But you know that he has proved himself. As a child serves a father, so he served with me in furtherance of the Good News.
24But I trust in the Lord that I myself also will come shortly.
25But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier, and your apostle and servant of my need,
26since he longed for you all, and was very troubled because you had heard that he was sick.
27For indeed he was sick nearly to death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but on me also, that I might not have sorrow on sorrow.
28I have sent him therefore the more diligently, that when you see him again, you may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.
29Receive him therefore in the Lord with all joy, and hold such people in honor,
30because for the work of Christ he came near to death, risking his life to supply that which was lacking in your service toward me.
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Key verses
Philippians 2:9God’s exaltation of Jesus follows his obedience unto death and leads to universal acknowledgment of his lordship.
Philippians 2:13God works within the believers, supplying both the desire and the action that their obedience requires.
Philippians 2:15The image of lights shows why the church’s life together, free from complaining and arguing, matters.
Where this chapter reaches

Philippians shares with Hebrews the movement from Christ’s suffering and obedience to his exalted place of honor, linking his humiliation with his glory. Its image of believers as lights in the world also connects with Matthew’s teaching about visible conduct that brings glory to God.

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After reading the whole chapter

What stands out when you read the call to humility alongside Christ’s obedience and exaltation?

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How do Timothy’s concern and Epaphroditus’s costly service sharpen your understanding of looking to others’ interests?

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Questions people ask about Philippians 2

What does it mean that Jesus emptied himself in Philippians 2?

The passage explains Christ’s emptying through what he took on: the form of a servant and human likeness. It then traces his humility to death on a cross. Paul does not say that Jesus ceased to be God; his self-giving displays the humility believers are called to share.

What does “work out your own salvation” mean in Philippians 2:12?

Paul addresses the church’s shared obedience in his absence, calling for reverence and earnest effort. The next verse grounds that effort in God, who works within them to shape their willing and doing. The passage describes salvation taking shape in obedient lives; it does not present obedience as earning salvation.

Who was Epaphroditus in Philippians 2?

Epaphroditus was the Philippians’ messenger and a fellow worker who served Paul’s needs. He became ill and came close to death while doing Christ’s work. After his recovery, Paul sent him back, asking the church to welcome him with joy and honor people whose service carries such a cost.

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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).