Philippians 2.1-5

The material in Chapter 2 flows nicely in a thematic way from Paul's discussion in Chapter 1. We've mentioned before how Paul time and again seems to encourage imitation among his addresses—both of Christ and of himself. We see examples of both here.

Technically, a new section begins in 1:21, insofar as there the apostle explains his intentions to strive further in his ministry as this accrues to the benefit of the Philippians. This attitude, in fact, sets a tone for selfless service and concern for others that Paul wants to impress upon the church. In 1:27–30 he shifts his discussion to the church and begins to treat their responsibility in light of his absence. Even here he associates "living as citizens" (1.27) with a like-minded and harmonious common pursuit of the gospel. It is in the first part of Chapter 2, though, that Paul holds up Christ as an example and unpacks what kind of humility is required of citizens of heaven.

The "therefore" in 2.1 serves to pick up and further explicate Paul's command in 1.27. In this first section (2.1–5) what the apostle wants to do is describe a way-of-life that is characteristic of the follower of Christ. He will then follow up this description with a portrayal of Christ that reinforces his command and further fleshes it out.

While Paul begins Chapter 2 with a series of "if-then" commands, there is little doubt, on the one hand, that these conditions are indeed met and, on the other, that the resultant command must be obeyed. There is encouragement that results from one's residing in Christ [the grounding condition—note the "in" versus "of"—of the following conditions]; there is solace that emanates from [God's] love; true fellowship does indeed spring from the Holy Spirit's presence; and affection and compassion do characterize Christ's followers. Since these conditions are met, the Philippians are obligated to fulfill Paul's command, which oddly enough is to "complete" his joy (2.2).

What follows is Paul's explanation of his joy—that which the Philippians must complete. (This gives us a glimpse, therefore, into the apostle's mindset every bit as much as it describes actions to be undertaken.) Instead of understanding Paul to say "complete my joy by . . .," we should translate the passage "complete my joy, which is you being like-minded [lit., "thinking the same thing"]. When read this way, it's easier to see just how central unity was in Paul's thinking—unity, that is, that is grounded in the Gospel. His joy is a function of the church's unity. The following clauses should not be read as parallel statements with "you being like-minded," as if they are additional actions, but rather as explanations of how (means) to embody the like-mindedness that Paul envisions.

Paul explains how the Philippians are to embody the like-minded life-style by employing three sets of statements, the first strictly positive and the next two comprising alternative, positive-negative commands. (1) Firstly, they are to possess the same love, be harmonious, and focus on the same thing. There is a clear intent to emphasize "sameness" in the apostle's participial phrases; (2) secondly, instead (neg.) of acting according to the standards dictated by strife or vanity, the Philippians are to (pos.) regard others as being more important than themselves; (3) and thirdly, through the instrumentality of humility, which Christ-followers should possess, individuals are not (neg.) to look out for his or her own affairs, but instead (pos.) should look out for the concerns of others.

The above commands are based on and grounded in the model set by Christ, which Paul goes on to delineate in the following verses. . . .