PHILIPPIANS 2:1-11
1So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,a 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,b 7but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,c being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
10 POINTS TO PONDER
IF your relationship with Jesus has created any change in your own life, THEN your relationship with Jesus should change your relationships with others. Our relationships should generally be improving as we grow in our connection with Christ.
Paul gives two lists in verses 1 and 2. It’s helpful to dig into these lists and ask them how I’ve received the items in verse 1 and how I will accomplish the items in verse 2.
All of God’s commands to us flow out of His character. If we obey them, we’ll be more like Him. The Bible commands us to be “one-minded” because the Trinity is one-minded. The 3-in-1 is perfectly unified and perfectly submitted to one another.
Selfish ambition drives me to do whatever I think is best for myself. Selfish conceit drives me to do whatever I think will make me look best to others. In contrast, humility causes me to want others to look best, and counting them as more significant causes me to want to do what is best for others.
I cannot be of one mind with others if I demand that they have the same mindset as me. We can only be of one mind with each other if we all assume the mindset of Christ.
Jesus’ actions in John 13 are a mirror image of Philippians 2:6-8. Jesus knew He was God. He laid aside his outer garments and replaced them with a towel. He poured out water. He took the posture of a servant and humbled himself by washing the disciples’ feet.
The words of Lucifer in Isaiah 14 are the exact opposite of Jesus’ actions in Philippians 2:6-11. Lucifer fell from heaven, and Jesus chose to leave heaven. Lucifer said, “I will ascend”. Jesus said, “I will descend”. Lucifer said, “I will raise my throne.” Jesus said, “I will humble myself.” As a result, Lucifer was brought down to the pit, but Jesus was elevated to the throne.
Jesus was God. The word “form of” is used three times in this passage, and each time it does not mean “looked like” but means “actually was.” Jesus actually was God. Jesus actually became a servant. Jesus actually became a man.
At the end of all things, all people will acknowledge that Jesus is God. For some, it will be a painful and dreadful moment as they realize their doom. For some, it will be a joyful and relief-filled moment as they realize the fullness of salvation. Which will it be for you?
The oneness of mind in verse 11 is the secret to one-mindedness in verse 2. When our mindset is that Jesus is Lord, we have no room to fight with one another. We are not trying to force our way, we are all working together for Jesus’ way.
13 PRACTICAL STEPS TO PUT OTHERS FIRST
1. Listen more than you talk.
2. Listen to understand rather than listening to respond.
3. Check your motives.
4. Pay attention to what is going on around you.
5. Assume others are acting in good faith or with good motives.
6. Smile more often.
7. Catch people doing good things, and call them out for it.
8. Regularly tell people why you admire them.
9. Forgive.
10. Pray for your enemies and do good for those who mistreat you.
11. Send a handwritten note simply to encourage someone.
12. Focus your energy on meeting someone else’s needs instead of your own.
13. Give something away every day.
Click on the image to download the DiscipleQuest PDF
The DiscipleQuest PDF includes 7 days of verse study prompts. You can use these seven studies to dig deeper into what the Bible teaches about humility:
- Micah 6:8
- James 4:10
- Psalm 25:9
- 1 Peter 5:5-6
- Proverbs 11:2
- Romans 12:3
- James 4:6
Use these questions as journal prompts or as conversation starters with a group of friends or a Bible study group:
When have you found yourself in a difficult situation because you weren’t paying attention? How did you fix it? What did you learn?
As a group, read Ephesians 5:15-21.
What do you think it means to “be careful how you live?” (Some translations say, “pay attention to your life”)
How can someone make the most of every opportunity in life? How does a Christian do this differently from someone else?
Verse 18 compares two different ways of living. Being controlled by “wine” leads to evil deeds. What does the life of someone who is controlled by the Spirit look like?
Read verses 19-20. Use your own words to describe what these verses say about the spirit-controlled life.
What is your first reaction when you hear the word “submit”?
What are some negative responses people have to the idea of submission?
Someone who is controlled by the Holy Spirit will submit to others. Discuss the following questions about submission.
- What do you think it means to submit?
- To whom should you submit?
- To whom should you not submit? Why not?
- Are there times when submission is wrong?
- What is the hardest thing about submitting to someone else?
Read Philippians 2:5-11. In what ways did Jesus submit?
How does our submission make us look like Jesus? How does our submission demonstrate our relationship with Jesus?
What is one area of your life that would benefit from a more submissive attitude? How will you work on this?
PHILIPPIANS: Line by Line
1-11: Choose the Same Mindset as Jesus
1a. So if there is any…
The next few phrases are a list Paul is using as a motivational tool. He is going to give some very clear action steps, but before he does that, he wants to remind the Philippians of all the benefits they have received because of their faith.
1b. …encouragement in Christ,
Even in dark times (see chapter 1), we can be encouraged because we know that we belong to the One who will ultimately win.
1c. any comfort from love,
Knowing we are loved by God is the source of all comfort. We know that He is able to do all things, and He always knows what is best. And because He loves us, we know He wants what is best for us. So even when things don’t seem best, we can be comforted that He is in control and He knows what He is doing.
1d. any participation in the Spirit,
When Jesus left, He promised that all of His followers would receive the Holy Spirit as a guide in life. When we are willing to open ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit and participate in what He is calling us to do, we discover the life we were created to live.
1e. any affection and sympathy,
As members of the family of God, we receive these gifts from our brothers and sisters. We are bound together in ways no one else can experience because we are One in Christ.
2. complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
In John 17, Jesus prayed that His followers would be united. Here, Paul is making the same plea. He wants all of us to work together for the same goal. He isn’t saying we should all be exactly alike, that would be contrary to what he writes elsewhere. He is saying we all should have the same priorities, the same goals, and the same pursuit. When we get to verse five, he’ll make it clear that the only way we can all have the same mindset is if we all submit our own mindset and take on the same mindset which is the mindse of Jesus.
3. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,
The most natural behavior in life is to pursue what we want or what we think will make us feel good. Humans are born selfish, and they live selfishly unless someone or something intervenes. If we are all to have the same mindset, then none of us can have a mindset fixed on ourselves.
3b. but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
The key to humility is to think about yourself less often, and the key to avoiding selfishness is to think of others more than you think of yourself. To count someone else as more significant than myself means I am willing to sacrifice my own needs and desires so that their needs and desires can be met. Of course, this is what Jesus did for us, and so this is what we should do for others.
4. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
The interests of others doesn’t necessarily mean whatever they want. It means we pay attention to what is in their best interest. In every relationship, we should be thinking, “What can I say or do to add value to the life of this person?” Or even better, “What can I do or say to help this person grow to be more like Jesus?”
5. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
Notice first that this is plural. It is a command from Paul to the entire community. It is something we should be working on together. We are not in this alone. Notice also that Paul’s command is to choose your mindset. You cannot control every thought that enters your mind, but you can control which ones you hang on to. Paul is challenging the Philippians (and us) to only hold on to the thoughts that Jesus would hold on to. He is commanding us to narrow our focus and fill our minds with whatever Jesus would focus on.
6a. who, though he was in the form of God,
Being in the form of God does not mean that Jesus just looked like God. This is a chronological term that anticipates the incarnation. In the next verse, the Son of God will take on the form of man. But before He took the form of man, He was in the form of God. Paul is clearly saying, “Jesus was God.”
6b. did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
The highest position one could ever attain (it actually cannot be attained) is to be God. And yet, even that was something Jesus was willing to let go. Consider the picture of grasping. We grasp for much in life; pleasure, possessions, position, popularity, and more. Almost all that we grasp for is the result of selfish ambition or seeking after our own interests. The example of Jesus is to let go. If we want to have the mindset of Jesus, we must learn to let go of the things to which we cling most tightly.
7a. but emptied himself,
Much ink has been spilled in theological books, and many words have been spoken in theological debates about what this phrase means. Here’s what we know:
- Jesus gave something up when He became a man.
- Jesus remained God when He became a man.
- Both are true and we should never try to elevate one over the other.
Even though He was God, Jesus was still subject to the trials and suffering of this world. Even though He was man, Jesus was still the master over nature and humanity. However we understand this phrase, the point is that Jesus let go of something amazing in order to become something much less amazing.
7b. by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
Jesus himself said, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.” Mankind exists to serve God. Yet, Jesus chose to switch roles, from the One who is to be served, to the one who is to serve. He deserves to have us serve Him. He chose to serve us. The example for us is plain. Sometimes we must let go of what we think we deserve so that we can serve others.
8. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Jesus’ humiliation gets progressively worse in this verse. It’s not bad enough that God became man, he also was willing to obey other men (the ones who created Him). That’s not enough, the giver and maker of life chose to give up His life, at the very hands of those to whom He had given life. And to cap it off, He receives death via a tortuous, humilitating process that was reserved for the worst of the worst.
There is no limit to what Jesus was willing to endure in order to serve us. Consider what that means for the mindset we should have with one another.
9. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
Verses 10-11 deal with more of the specifics of the name that is bestowed on Jesus. In this verse, Paul is simply pointing out that Jesus returned to the place He started. Notice the movement of the entire passage. Jesus was in the form of God. Jesus took on the form of man. Jesus submitted Himself to death. Jesus was exalted (He returned to where He started). After His work was done, He returned to His rightful place, ruling creation alongside and united with the Father and the Spirit.
10. so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
A name that is given (see verse 9) is one that reveals character, accomplishment, and sometimes position. In the next verse, we’ll see three names, but in this verse we see how people will respond to these names. They will bow. Everyone will bow. The name given to Jesus reveals that He is superior over all. He has gone from humiliated suffering servant to ruler over all.
11. and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Three names of are given here, and all will recognize that these three names are descriptions of Jesus’ accomplishments, character, and position. The name “Jesus” is the human name which He assumed. The name “Christ” is His role as divine Messiah. He was the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies, beginning in Genesis 3:15 all the way to His birth. Finally, He is Lord. This is the word for King. He is king and ruler over all the universe.
Lake Bible Notes 
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