by Larry Ferrell | January 12, 2018
The story of the cross of Christ is told in each of the four Gospels; the meaning of the cross is the preoccupying theme of the epistles. But the present passage uniquely unfolds the cross as seen through the eyes of the Crucified, and allows us to enter into the mind of Christ. We tread, therefore, on very holy ground indeed. We do well to remember that this privilege is given to us not to satisfy our curiosity but to reform our lives.

If a friend does something which puzzles us, we might ask what it was that he “had in mind” in doing it. It is in this sense that Paul uses the word mind in verse 5. What was it that seemed important to Jesus? What principles did he cherish? What objectives? On what footing were his choices made? The revelation of the mind of Christ is presented here as the story of a great change. It begins with one who was in the form of God (v. 6), that is, one who possessed inwardly and displayed outwardly the very nature of God himself.

It’s plain that verse 6 is speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ before incarnation. What a change is expressed in verse 8 when He who was in the form of God became obedient unto death! Wesley put it justly when he wrote: “Tis mystery all! The Immortal dies!” Mystery indeed, how it happened we don’t know; that it happened we can be assured. There is great stress on the fact that this change came about by voluntary decision and in this we begin to enter into the “mind of Christ”. Verse 7 says He emptied Himself, and verse 8 says He humbled Himself. In each case the reflective expression points to a personal decision and action.

The great change which we noted here was brought about in two stages. The parallel expressions emptied himself…humbled himself describe the central action in the two divisions of these verses. By the end of verse 7 Paul has traced the course of the Lord Jesus to the point of His birth in the likeness of men; he then takes this as a starting point (verse 8, found in human form) and follows the great downward course to the very point of death on the cross.

This Godward-manward act was undertaken by the will and consent of the Lord Jesus Himself. No-one else did it! This feature, so central to Philippians 2:6-8, must find its root in Isaiah 53, especially verses 7-9, where for the first time in the Old Testament we meet with a consenting sacrifice. All through the long years of animal sacrifice the Lord had driven home the lesson that in the divine purposes there could be a transference of sin and guilt from the head of the guilty to the head of the innocent. Whenever a sinner brought his animal to the altar and laid his hand on the beast’s head the lesson was plain: this stands in my place; this bears my sin. Yet the substitution was incomplete, for the central citadel of sin, the will, was left unrepresented in the uncomprehending, unconsenting animal. Isaiah foresaw that only a perfect Man could be the perfect substitute and that at the heart of this perfection lay a will delighting to do the will of God. This was the mind of Christ. He looked at Himself, at His Father and at us, and for obedience sake and for sinners’ sake He held nothing back.

Philippians 2:5-8 Reflection Questions:
How does it make you feel after studying these verses?
What are some ways you are obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ?

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by Larry Ferrell | January 5, 2018
In the last four verses of the first chapter of Philippians and in the opening verses of chapter two, Paul speaks of a need for close relationships among believers. It’s a matter of unity, and there are two reasons why it’s necessary. The first is that it’s necessary in time of war. Christians are often besieged by the forces of this world, and they must draw together if they are to defend the gospel successfully and second, to advance the claims of Christ in the midst of their environment. It is what Paul means when he says that we are to “stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel” (1:27).

In the opening verse of Philippians 2 Paul says that there are four solid legs for Christian unity: (1) because there is “encouragement,” (2) because there is a “comfort from His love,” (3) because there is a “fellowship with the Spirit,” and (4) because there is an experience of the “tenderness and compassion” of God. Because of these four things you and I are to “like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose” (vv. 1-2). It is because we are members of God’s family, and has learned from Him, that we must live in peace and unity with one another. Let’s be honest at this point. We will always be tempted to divisiveness in ways that will injure our witness. But in such situations our natural reactions must constantly be overcome. There are constant pressures from sin within Christians. These will eventually destroy Christian unity and render our witness useless unless they are offset by the supernatural realities of Christian comfort, fellowship, love, mercy, and compassion. Have you found these things real in your relationship to God? Of course, you have, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. In that case you are also to allow them to become realities in your relationship with other Christians.

Paul has been speaking to the Christians at Philippi about proper Christian conduct. He has told them that they are citizens of heaven and that they should be united in an aggressive proclamation of the gospel. He now applies these themes to the conduct of the individual believer. The principle that Paul is stating here is found throughout the New Testament. The unbeliever naturally puts himself first, others second, and God last. He thinks he merits the order. The Bible teaches that we should reverse the series: God is to be first; others must be second; we must come last (see Gal. 6:2; 1 Cor. 9:19, 22; Rom. 12:10). This is the heart of Christian conduct. Jesus gave Himself for others. Followers of Christ are also to give themselves for others. Jesus said that His own would feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the prisoner, and make welcome the one who is lonely (Matt. 25:31-46), and He added, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me”.

If you are to live for others, at least three things must happen. First, you must admit that in yourself you do not care for others and left to yourself, your choice will always be Satan’s choice rather than the choice of Jesus Christ. Your way will always be harmful to others. The second step is to humble oneself before God (see 1 Pet. 5:5-6). Maybe you will think that such a relationship is odd. You imagine that if you humble yourself before God, admitting His worth, you have every right to expect that others should be humbled before you. But it doesn’t work this way at all. To see God aright is to admit your total unworthiness. The final step involves a daily fellowship with Christ. He is the source of our life, and we must stay close to the source if we are to realize the self-giving life he advocates. Without Him we can do nothing. On the other hand, says Paul, “I can do everything through Him, who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13).

Philippians 2:1-4 Reflection Questions:
Do you fail to show compassion to those who also confess Christ’s name, even though they might have offended you and disagreed with your interpretation of Scripture?
How does the matter of Christian unity stand with you? Are there divisions that ought not to exist? Are there hard feelings? Are there rationalizations for divisive, non-Christian conduct?
Can you live for others? At work or at home? With friends, enemies, or relatives?

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by Larry Ferrell | December 29, 2017
Paul’s confidence that he would be acquitted at his trial and set free (vv. 25-26) inevitably fell short of an absolute certainty. He apparently so judged the needs of the church that he was as near sure as anyone could be that he would again visit Philippi. Nevertheless, he must prepare the church for either eventuality. Strikingly, one set of instructions was enough: absent or present, he required that their life should be worthy of the gospel of Christ (v. 27). The requirement was both exclusive and absolute. Paul said, “This one thing and this only”; nothing else must distract or excuse them from this great objective. Christians are to live worthy of their spiritual possessions. If you are a Christian, you do not hold your possessions in Christ through any virtue of your own. What you have, you only have from Him who is the King of kings. But having it, you must live worthy of your calling. Old things are to be put away; all things are to be new. Being a citizen of heaven, you are to live by the laws of that citizenship.

At this point Paul turns to two practical expressions of proper Christian conduct, expressions that follow logically upon his reference to citizenship. How do you live as a citizen of heaven? First, Paul says that we are to “stand firm in one spirit,” and second, with one mind we are to “strive together” for the advancement of the gospel. The first distinguishing mark of Christian conduct is that we stand together. We are ‘to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). Christians are not to divide along doctrinal or sociological lines. They are to be one. Unfortunately, evangelical churches are not known for “standing together.” In fact the opposite is true. This dishonors Christ. Moreover, it hinders the preaching of the gospel. In the place of these divisions Christians should know a unity that is visible and has practical results.

The second practical expression of true Christian conduct follows naturally from the first. If believers will conduct themselves in a manner that leads to Christian unity, then they will find that this also leads them to strive together to advance the Christian gospel. The result will be an aggressive Christianity. The Christians at Philippi knew what it meant to stand fast as Romans at the frontiers of the Roman world. They knew the obligation that was theirs to advance Roman rule in the face of barbarism. In the same way, Paul would have them united for an aggressive advancement of the faith. How we need to recover an aggressive faith today!

Paul has been emphasizing the need for Christian conduct. A Christian must be like Christ. No sooner has he mentioned this, however, that a sequence comes to mind. This prompts him to talk about a side subject in verses 28-30. The sequence is this: Wherever Christians will live as they ought to live in this world, where they will live righteous lives and aggressively seek to spread the gospel, in that place there will be persecution. This is true for all Christians. If you bear a proper witness for Jesus Christ, as God intends you to do, there will be persecution for you. It will not always be physical persecution as it was in Paul’s day, but you will suffer persecution of some sort nevertheless. It will be the natural result of your confession.

Sometimes it will be ridicule by the crowd. Sometimes our conduct will lead to persecution in business. The greatest example of persecution suffered for the sake of righteousness is in the life of Jesus Christ. Jesus came into the world as the Light of the world. But the world was in darkness. Where there is darkness, people do the works of darkness, and they do not want their deeds to be brought to light because their deeds are evil. When Jesus appeared, His life cut like a knife into the human conscience. People could get along with hypocrisy between one another, for humans are alike in their hypocrisy; but when Christ stood in their midst He exposed the hypocrisy, and they hated Him for it. People could get away with pride, dishonesty, sexual perversion, and legalism among themselves, but they could not do it in Christ’s presence. Consequently, those who rejected His standards eventually crucified Him.

Now I know that at this point you may be asking: Why does God allow persecution? What is its purpose? Paul gives two good reasons. One is that it is a token of salvation for the Christian. The other is that it is a token of destruction to the one who fails to believe. It’s not possible for a Christian to stand firm under persecution and for the world to dismiss it as nothing. It is evidence of a supernatural power. Consequently, it is a token of salvation to the Christian and of destruction to those who will not believe.

It may be that God will call you to bear a testimony like that of the prophets in the Old Testament. It may not be as dramatic as the prophets, but it may result in persecution. You may do it in a quiet way, and no one may ever hear your witness. No one will know of your courage. But God knows. And your witness will go down in the books of eternity as evidence that you were a Christian who lived as God called you to live and who bore the testimony God called you to bear. History will bear out that the things spoken by you were true, and your conduct will be vindicated. If you will see persecution in this light, then you will see it for what it really is a gift from the hand of God. Paul refers to persecution as a gift twice in the last two verses of this chapter, given by God as a token of His grace! How wonderful that persecution can be received in that way by Christians.

Philippians 1:27-30 Reflection Questions:
Do you believe that the church today is aggressive in advancement of the gospel? How might you help?
Have you experienced ridicule or prejudice for Christ’s sake?
Do you see persecution as a gift from God?

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