The mind of Christ: humbled and exalted

Philippians is a letter from Paul and Timothy (1:1) to the church at Philippi, a city in Macedonia. Philippi was a Roman colony, settled with retired soldiers, and proud of its Roman citizenship (Acts 16:12). Paul founded the church there on his second journey, about AD 49 to 50, when Lydia was converted and the jailer was baptised after the earthquake (Acts 16). The church remained close to Paul and supported him more than once (4:15-16).

Paul writes from prison (1:7, 13, 17). The traditional view is that this was Rome, about AD 60 to 62. Some scholars argue for Ephesus, about AD 54 to 55, or Caesarea; the case rests on the number of journeys between Philippi and Paul that the letter implies. The letter's occasion is mostly warm. The Philippians had sent a gift through Epaphroditus, who then became seriously ill (2:25-30; 4:10-18), and Paul writes to thank them, to report on his own circumstances, and to encourage them under outside pressure. He also addresses disunity: he asks two women, Euodia and Syntyche, to agree in the Lord (4:2), and the call for unity in 2:1-4 belongs to the same concern.

Chapter 2 sits in the middle of the letter. Paul has said that whether he lives or dies Christ will be honoured (1:20), and has urged the Philippians to live as citizens worthy of the gospel and to stand firm together (1:27). Chapter 2 gives the pattern for how: look to Christ.

Philippians is a friendly letter, but the paragraph in verses 6 to 11 is different in form. It is carefully balanced, with parallel lines and a clear turn at verse 9 ('Therefore God exalted Him'), and many scholars think it was originally a hymn or a hymn-like confession. Ernst Lohmeyer's study in 1928 began the modern discussion, and some scholars suggest Paul quoted an existing hymn, while others hold that Paul composed it himself. Nothing in the interpretation depends on the answer, since Paul has made it part of his letter and uses it for his purpose.

That purpose is a pastoral argument. Paul does not start with a lesson in doctrine; he starts with a request to be humble and united (verses 1-4), and the hymn follows as the example: 'Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus' (verse 5). The hymn is both an example and a statement of doctrine. Paul describes what Christ did, and that is the foundation of what the Philippians are asked to do. It is not reduced to a model of behaviour, since only Christ can be exalted to the name above every name.

The passage uses compressed Greek that translators handle differently, so key terms matter. It also stands in conversation with the Old Testament, particularly Isaiah. Readers should watch for two movements: a downward path in verses 6 to 8 and an upward path in verses 9 to 11, with the cross as the turning point.

Verses 1 to 4. Paul gives four grounds: encouragement in Christ, comfort from love, fellowship with the Spirit, and affection and compassion. These are things the Philippians already have, and on this basis he asks them to complete his joy by being united, with the same love and one purpose. He names the enemies of unity: selfish ambition and empty pride. The alternative is humility, which regards others as more important than oneself, and a concern that looks beyond one's own interests to those of others.

Verse 5 introduces the pattern. Verse 6 says Christ was 'existing in the form of God'. The Greek morphe means the outward form that expresses the inner reality, and in this setting it signals that he shared God's nature and glory. The next phrase is 'did not consider equality with God something to be grasped'. The Greek word harpagmos has been argued over for a century. It can mean something to be seized, or something to be held on to or exploited. Many older readers took it that Christ already possessed equality with God and did not cling to it; N. T. Wright, among others, argues that it means he did not treat his equality as a chance to take advantage. Both readings agree that equality with God was his and that he did not use it for himself.

Verse 7 says he 'emptied Himself' (ekenosis), 'taking the form of a servant' (literally a slave), 'being made in human likeness'. He did not empty himself of deity. The text says how he emptied himself: by taking, not by losing. He took the form of a slave and became a man. Verse 8 adds that he was 'found in appearance as a man' and humbled himself and became obedient 'to death, even death on a cross'. The words 'even death on a cross' carry the weight. Crucifixion was a Roman punishment for slaves and rebels, and it was shameful. Paul stops the downward path at its lowest point.

Verse 9 turns. 'Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names.' The name is most likely 'Lord' (kyrios), given in verse 11. At that name, 'every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.' The language comes from Isaiah 45:23, where the LORD says that to him every knee will bow and every tongue swear. Paul has applied to Jesus words that Isaiah wrote of the God of Israel, and he does so without any sense that God's glory is reduced, since the confession is 'to the glory of God the Father'.

Verses 12 to 18. 'Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.' The verb means to bring to completion, not to earn it. Verse 13 gives the reason: 'it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.' God's work and the believers' work are not alternatives. The Philippians are to do everything 'without complaining or arguing' (a phrase that recalls Israel's grumbling in the wilderness), so that they will be blameless 'children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation', an echo of Deuteronomy 32:5. They 'shine as lights in the world' as they 'hold forth the word of life'; Daniel 12:3 speaks of those who lead many to righteousness shining like the stars. Paul then pictures himself 'poured out like a drink offering', a libation added to the sacrifice of their faith, and he rejoices and calls them to rejoice with him.

Verses 19 to 30. The chapter ends with two living examples of the mind of Christ. Timothy is 'proven' and serves with Paul 'as a child with his father'. Unlike others who seek their own interests, he genuinely cares for the Philippians. Epaphroditus is described with five titles: brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier, messenger and minister to Paul's needs. He nearly died, and God had mercy on him. Paul sends him back and asks the church to welcome him and honour such men, because he risked his life to make up for the Philippians' inability to serve Paul in person. In these two men, humility and service are seen in ordinary lives.

The Christ hymn is among the most important statements of Christology in the New Testament. It teaches that Christ existed in the form of God before his birth, that he took human form and a servant's role, that he died by crucifixion, and that God has exalted him as Lord over all creation. The church later confessed at Nicaea (AD 325) that the Son is of one being with the Father, and at Chalcedon (AD 451) that the one person Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man, and it read passages like this one alongside John 1 and Colossians 1.

The passage also gives a view of salvation and obedience. God exalts the humble: the path to glory goes by way of the cross. Believers are called to share this pattern, and Paul says that this is made possible because God is at work in them (verse 13). The tension between God's work and the believer's work is held together, not resolved: the same verse asks for work and says God works. The passage also confirms Isaiah's vision that all nations will recognise the LORD (Isaiah 45:22-23). Paul sees the whole creation acknowledging Jesus as Lord, 'to the glory of God the Father', so that worship of Christ and worship of the Father are one.

The hymn presents the person and work of Christ in order. He is pre-existent, in the form of God; he becomes man by his own choice; he serves and obeys even to death on a cross; God raises and exalts him; and all creation will confess him as Lord. Those who read the hymn in the light of the Old Testament find three connections.

• The first is Isaiah 45:23. The words 'every knee will bow' belong to the LORD, who says there is no other God. Paul gives them to Jesus, and the early church used the title 'Lord' for him in the same way (1 Corinthians 8:6; Romans 10:9-13).
• The second is the Servant of Isaiah 52:13 to 53:12. Verse 7 speaks of the 'form of a servant', verse 8 of obedience to death, and verse 9 of exaltation, and Isaiah 52:13 says the servant will be raised and highly exalted. Isaiah 53:12 says he poured out his life to death. These echoes are close enough that many scholars think Paul has the Servant in mind, though he does not quote the passage.
• The third is the Adam contrast. Adam, made in God's image, grasped at being like God (Genesis 3:5); Christ, who was in the form of God, did the opposite. James D. G. Dunn has emphasised this contrast; other scholars hold that the hymn speaks of Christ's pre-existence and that the Adam parallel is a secondary echo.

The New Testament presents the cross not as a defeat but as the point of Christ's glory. John 12:23-33 speaks of the hour of the cross as the hour of glory, and Hebrews 2:9 says that Jesus was crowned with glory and honour because of the suffering of death.