Comments on Philippians 2 v1-11 outline the ideal Christian attitude of service, love, and selflessness. Paul holds up Jesus Christ as an example of one who was God (v. 6) and to whom all will bow (v. 9-11), and yet he debased himself to be the servant of all and to die for all (v. 7-8). Thus, his followers ought to be like him (v. 5) and debase themselves, humbly serving one another (v. 1-4). v8 "even the death of the cross", this form of death was particularly humiliating for a Jew, thus emphasizing how willing Christ was to submit himself to the task at hand. Being killed by Gentiles, in this case Romans, was a humiliation in and of itself and is a common general curse, cf. Lev. 26:17. Even worse, being lifted up publicly in death is explicitly a curse, cf. Deut. 21:22-23. v9-10 These two verses summarize the thesis of Hebr. 1. v10 "every knee should bow", Paul is quoting Isa. 45:23, and in doing so equates Jesus with the OT Lord. He then paraphrases Isa. 44:23 in stating all Creation will bow to Christ including everything in heaven (Greek: epouranion), earth (Greek: epigeion), and hell (Greek: katachthonion). v12-18 Paul exhorts them to do what he just described in v. 1- 11, to have a godly walk by not giving into complaining and contention, and to be good examples to the worldly people around them (v. 12-15). Then, when they are all united in the afterlife they will rejoice together because Paul did not labor in vain over them since he poured out his life for the cause of Christ's ecclesia. Thus, he hopes they will all ultimately rejoice together (v. 16-18). v12 "work out your own salvation", for those who focus solely on the "saved by grace, not by works" this passage contradicts such a narrow approach to salvation. v17 Paul is using the symbolism of a drink offering (cf. Lev. 23:13) being poured out upon an altar to represent the possibility that he may end up being executed as a martyr for the Christian cause. v19-30 Paul says he hopes to send Timothy to them soon because they all know that he is completely trustworthy, unlike some other self-promoters within the ecclesia (v. 19-23). And, he hopes that things there in Rome turn out so that he himself can visit them soon as well (v. 24). He is presently sending Epaphroditus because he is eager to see them after their concern over his recent illness (v. 25-28). And Paul encourages them to hold men like Epaphroditus in high regard because they are genuine servants of the Lord willing to sacrifice their own lives (v. 29-30). Copyright © 2002 by S. Kurt Neumiller . All rights reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced in any form or by any means for commercial gain without the express written consent of the author. Digital or printed copies may be freely made and distributed for personal and public non-commercial use.