D

2:6-11. The Sevenfold Humiliation

Example.

of Christ.

Example.

3:4-19. The Sevenfold loss of Paul.

If this be a true summary of these two passages, the key thought is `example'. Now wherever we meet with

example in the epistles we can be sure that we are not dealing with such basic doctrines as Redemption, Sin, Death,

Forgiveness or Justification, for it is a perversion of the truth to teach that we are saved, forgiven or justified by the

example of Christ. Whenever His example is brought to bear upon the believer, discipleship, service and reward are

in view. These we have already realized are the distinctive features of Philippians. While the passage under review

leads us into the very heart of the mystery of godliness `God manifest in the flesh', it was not written to teach

doctrine, to explain the nature of Christ, or to defend the doctrine of His Deity; it was written to enforce by example

the exhortation given in the words :

`Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you,

which was also in Christ Jesus' (Phil. 2:4,5).

The pronoun eautou, which is translated `his own things', occurs in this section as follows :

`Esteem other better than themselves'.

`Look not every man on his own things'.

`He made Himself of no reputation'.

`He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death' (Phil. 2:3,4,7,8).

Here it will be seen that the two passages addressed to the Philippians themselves find an echo in the two

passages that turn their attention to the act of Christ.

Whatever we may discover the terms - `the form of God', `equal with God', `no reputation' and `form of a

servant' - to mean, one thing is necessitated by the logic of the context, namely, that whatever the Saviour gave up

for us men and for our salvation, He gave up that which was `HIS OWN'.

The apostle had no hesitation in using this supreme example of Christ, to encourage the believer in his practical

outworking of the truth. In the second epistle to the Corinthians three chapters are devoted to the `collection for the

saints', yet the apostle does not hesitate to enforce his appeal by a reference to the supreme example of Christ :

`For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He

WAS RICH,

yet for your sakes He

BECAME POOR,

that ye through His poverty might be rich' (2 Cor. 8:9).

While this passage does not contain the doctrinal terms that so enrich Philippians 2:6-8, yet the argument is the

same. What the Lord gave up was His own, He WAS RICH, He BECAME POOR, and this simple fact we must keep

steadily before our minds as we ponder the wonder of His voluntary humiliation as revealed in chapter 2.

Continuing our examination of the context and the structure, we find that there is a sevenfold humiliation of

Christ recorded in Philippians 2:7,8, which is balanced by a sevenfold exaltation, recorded in Philippians 2:9-11.

This is not all, however, for in the corresponding member D 3:4-19 we find Paul setting forth a sevenfold ground of

confidence, which he once had (3:5,6) and which he subsequently counted`loss'; this is followed by a sevenfold

ground of gain which Paul enumerates (3:8-11).

In order that the bearing of the context and the balance of truth, wherein the example of Christ is set over against

the example of Paul, we conclude this opening study in Philippians 2:6-8, by giving the structure of these related

sections :