Philippians
CHAPTER 2
Unity through Humility
1 Is there any encouragement from belonging to
Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit?
Are your hearts tender and sympathetic?
2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly
with each other, loving one another, and working together with one heart
and purpose.
3 Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression
on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself.
4 Don’t think only about your own affairs, but
be interested in others, too, and what they are doing.
Christ’s Humility and Exaltation
5 Your attitude should be the same that Christ
Jesus had.
6 Though he was God, he did not demand and cling
to his rights as God.
7 He made himself nothing;* (or laid
He laid aside his mighty power and glory) he took the humble position
of a slave and appeared in human form.*
(In Greek And was born in the likeness of men
and was found in appearence as a man)
8 And in human form he obediently humbled himself
even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross.
9 Because of this, God raised him up to the heights
of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will
bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Shine Brightly
for Christ
12 Dearest friends, you were always so careful to
follow my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away you
must be even more careful to put into action God’s saving work in your
lives, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.
13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire
to obey him and the power to do what pleases him.
14 In everything you do, stay away from complaining
and arguing,
15 so that no one can speak a word of blame against
you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark
world full of crooked and perverse people. Let your lives shine brightly
before them.
16 Hold tightly to the word of life, so that when
Christ returns, I will be proud that I did not lose the race and that my
work was not useless.
17 But even if my life is to be poured out like
a drink offering to complete the sacrifice of your faithful service (that
is, if I am to die for you), I will rejoice, and I want to share my joy
with all of you.
18 And you should be happy about this and rejoice
with me.
Paul Commends Timothy
19 If the Lord Jesus is willing, I hope to send
Timothy to you soon. Then when he comes back, he can cheer me up by telling
me how you are getting along.
20 I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely
cares about your welfare.
21 All the others care only for themselves and
not for what matters to Jesus Christ.
22 But you know how Timothy has proved himself.
Like a son with his father, he has helped me in preaching the Good News.
23 I hope to send him to you just as soon as I
find out what is going to happen to me here.
24 And I have confidence from the Lord that I myself
will come to see you soon.
Paul Commends Epaphroditus
25 Meanwhile, I thought I should send Epaphroditus
back to you. He is a true brother, a faithful worker, and a courageous
soldier. And he was your messenger to help me in my need.
26 Now I am sending him home again, for he has
been longing to see you, and he was very distressed that you heard he was
ill.
27 And he surely was ill; in fact, he almost died.
But God had mercy on him—and also on me, so that I would not have such
unbearable sorrow.
28 So I am all the more anxious to send him back
to you, for I know you will be glad to see him, and that will lighten all
my cares.
29 Welcome him with Christian love* and with great
joy, and be sure to honor people like him.
30 For he risked his life for the work of Christ,
and he was at the point of death while trying to do for me the things you
couldn’t do because you were far away.
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