On many occasions when one is meditating upon the meaning and intention of any particular passage of

Scripture, the immediate context often supplies a key which all the probing into meanings of mere words fails to

Some commentators have actually taught that with the opening of verse 14, Paul goes on to a fresh subject. Yet

there are awaiting us in verses 14-16 suggestions that enable us to see that the salvation which the Philippians were

exhorted to work out, is indeed, as we have already indicated, the full perfection of their calling.

`Murmurings'. The Greek word so translated is gongusmos, and is probably of onomatopoeic origin, that is a

word formed in imitation of a sound, such as a buzz, whizz, hiss, cuckoo and peewit.

Gongusmos is probably derived from the murmuring sound of air in a shell, even as the English word mur-mur is

a reduplication of a sound. This is the only occurrence of the word in Paul's epistles. The verbal form gonguzo is

used by Paul but twice, and that in 1 Corinthians 10:10 where he speaks of Israel in the wilderness in elaborating his

exhortation to `so run that ye may obtain' (1 Cor. 9:24-27). Here we have a race, a running and a crown, with

accompanying self discipline, followed by the example to be avoided of those who, though redeemed from Egypt,

were overthrown in the wilderness. We have already established the fact that Philippians and Hebrews are parallel,

and here we perceive that Hebrews 3, 4, expands at length what is condemned by the apostle in Philippians 2:14.

`Disputings'. The Greek word so translated is dialogismos. This word can mean `reasoning', that is the exercise

of the highest faculty of the human mind, and in its plural form it can mean `reasonings' which take on an evil sense

and, like `disputatious', generally indicates an attitude of mind inimical to faith.

Consequently, such is the heart of man, although the word occurs eight times in the Gospels, it is never used in a

good sense, and of the six occurrences in the epistles, not one is translated reasoning, in a good sense, but

`imaginations' which are vain; `doubtful' and `doubting', `thoughts' that are either vain or evil, and `disputings'.

Israel after they began to murmur, soon began to rebel and dispute the wisdom and love of God and the authority of

Moses their leader. They even went so far as to say `let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt' (Num. 14:4).

It was as a counter to this danger, that the apostle spoke of `forgetting those things which are behind' as `he pressed

toward the goal'. This murmuring and disputatious spirit must be shunned by all who seek to serve the Lord

acceptably :

`That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke' (Phil. 2:15).

Not that you may be `sons of God', for no abstention of any kind can make a person a son of God, so the

emphasis must be placed on the kind of son of God intended, i.e. the sons of God WITHOUT REBUKE. A similar

process of argument is found in Matthew 5:44,45, `Love your enemies ... that ye may be the children of your Father

which is in heaven'; not that loving one's enemies can ever make a person a child of God, but love does make such a

relationship manifest. In this same chapter of Matthew we have the exhortation `Let your light so shine before men,

that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven' (Matt. 5:16).

In like manner, the Philippians were told that they were placed in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,

(not `nation' as in the A.V.), among whom they appeared (not `ye shine', but phainesthe `appear' as it is translated in

Matthew 2:7) as lights in the world. The word translated `lights' may refer to the heavenly bodies (Gen. 1:14), but

the context so emphasizes that they shine or appear in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation as to favour

the figure borrowed both from Scripture and profane usage, namely that of carrying torches to guide passengers

along the `dark and narrow streets of ancient cities' (see Aristoph.).

Bishop Wordsworth comments upon this passage saying:

`The Christians little thought, when they read these words of the apostle, that some of their number would soon

be literally made to be phosteres, or lights in the streets, by the Emperor, in that city. One form of their

martyrdom was to be covered with pitch and tar, and then lighted as torches' (Tacitus).

This is the first development of the great example of Christ, further and fuller expansion is to follow, but with

this exhortation before us, how wonderful the service of the Lord becomes.