Philippians 2 gives us Christian character, or as men speak, Christian grace; chapter 3 gives the energy which carries the Christian above present things. The former speaks of Christ coming down and humbling Himself; the latter, of His being on high, and of the prize of our calling above.
A little careful attention will show that chapter 2 throughout presents the gracious fruits connected with the heart’s study of the blessed Lord’s humiliation and of its imbibing the spirit of it. Chapter 3 gives the picture of that blessed energy which counts the world as dross, overcomes on the way, and looks forward to the time when the Lord’s power shall have subdued even the power of death in us and all its effects, and change us into glory. We need both these principles and the motives connected with them. We may see much of the energy of Christianity in a believer and rejoice in it, while another displays much graciousness of character but no energy that overcomes the world. Where the flesh, or mere natural energy, mixes itself in our path with the divine energy, the way of the sincere and devoted Christian requires to be corrected by the former — more inward communion and gracious likeness to Christ, more feeding on the bread which came down from heaven. Besides displaying Christ, it would give weight and seriousness to his activity — make it more real and divine. On the other hand, one who maintains a gracious deportment and judges, perhaps, what he sees to be fleshly in the energy of another fails himself in that energy and casts a slur on that which is really of God in his brother.
Grace and Devotedness
Oh that we knew how to be a little self-judging and complete in our Christian path, that we had nearness enough to Christ to draw from Him all grace and all devotedness and to correct in ourselves whatever tends to mar the one or the other! Not that I expect that all Christians will ever have alike all qualities. I do not think it is the mind of God they should have. They have to keep humbly in their place. The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of thee, nor the hand to the feet. Completeness is in Christ alone. Mutual dependence and completing one another under His grace is the order of His body. It is hard for some active minds to think so, but it is true humility and contentedness to be nothing and to serve and to esteem others more excellent than ourselves. They have the thing in which we are deficient. Our part is to do what the Lord has set us to do, to serve and count Him all, for in truth He does it, and to be glad to be nothing when we have quietly done His will, that He may be all.
The Humiliation of Christ
Chapter 2 gives us the humiliation of Christ, but the way it is introduced is very beautiful. The Philippians, who had already early in the gospel history shown grace in this respect, had thought of Paul in his distant prison and of Epaphroditus who giving effect to their love and full of gracious zeal had not regarded his life to accomplish this service and minister to the Apostle’s wants. The Apostle makes a touching use of this love of the Philippians, while owning it as the refreshings of Christ. He had found “consolation in Christ, comfort of love, fellowship of the Spirit, bowels and mercies” in the renewed testimony of the affection of the Philippians. His heart was drawn out also toward them. If they would make him perfectly happy, they must be thoroughly united and happy among themselves. How graciously, with what delicate feeling, he turns to note their faults and dangers here in association with their expressions of love to him! How calculated to win and to make any Euodiases and Syntyches ashamed of disputes where grace is thus at work! Then he speaks of the means of walking in this spirit. Everyone should think of the spiritual gifts and advantages of his brother as well as of his own. To do this he must have the mind that was in Christ. This leads us to the great principle of the chapter.
The First Adam
Christ is set forth in full contrast with the first Adam. The first man set himself up by robbery to be equal with God: “Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:55For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3:5)). As a result, he became disobedient unto death. But the blessed One, being in the form of God, made Himself of no reputation, and in the form of a servant was obedient unto death. He was really God, as Adam was really man, but the point here is to note the condition and status each was in, respectively, and out of which, in ambition or grace, he came. Christ was truly God still, when He had taken the form of a man, but He had taken the form of a servant and was also really a man and a servant in grace. Christ in love humbled Himself, while Adam in selfishness sought to be exalted. Christ was as man exalted, while Adam was abased. It was not merely that Christ bore patiently the insults of men, but He humbled Himself. This was love. There were two great steps in it. Being in the form of God, He took the form of man, and as man He humbled Himself and was obedient unto death, and that, the death of the cross. This is the mind which is to be in us — love making itself nothing to serve others. Love delights to serve; self likes to be served. Thus the true glory of a divine character is in lowliness, while human pride shows itself in selfishness. When the former is in us, both gracious affections and devotedness and counting on gracious affections in others are developed, a source of genuine joy and blessing to the church.
Self-Sacrificing Love
Gracious affections flow out from this lowliness, in which self disappears by love. “Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all.” He makes the faith of the Philippians the principal thing — it was the offering to God. His part was only supplementary towards it, though it went to death. For the Philippians were Christ’s, the fruit of the travail of Christ’s soul, Christ’s crown and joy as Redeemer. So the Apostle saw them and rejoiced in them. His service had ministered to this. If his service continued on for him to give up his life, he rejoiced in this, so much the more evidently self-sacrificing love, for love delights in this. And they, for this reason, were to rejoice with him, for it was really his glory thus to give himself up for Christ.
Clothed With His Character
If we look at ourselves, we could never speak of humbling ourselves, for we are nothing. But practically in Christ, the mind which was in Him is to be in us, and in grace we have to humble ourselves, to have the mind that was in Him, to have done with ourselves and serve. Then these lovely fruits of grace will flow out unhindered, whatever be the state of Christendom around us. We are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling in the midst of the spiritual dangers of the Christian life, avoiding pretensions to greatness and spiritual distinction. God works in us, and that gives the sense of the seriousness and reality of the conflict in which we are engaged; obedience, the humblest thing of all, for there is no will in it, characterizing our path, we shall seek the mind of Christ and be clothed with His character. Blessed privilege! Be more jealous to keep it than our human rights and importance, and the blessed graces of heavenly love will flow forth and bind together, in a love which has primarily Christ for its object, the hearts of the saints. In such a state it is easy to count others better than themselves. As Paul saw the value of the Philippians to Christ, he was but offered on their faith. This becomes easy, because when we are near Christ, we see the value of others to and in Christ, and we see our own nothingness, perhaps our actual shortcomings in love too.
J. N. Darby, adapted from
The Girdle of Truth