Philippians 2

Christian Humility

¹If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,²³make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.⁴⁵Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.⁶⁷Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.⁸

Christ’s Humility and Exaltation

⁹Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus,¹⁰

¹¹who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited.¹²

¹³Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man,¹⁴

¹⁵he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death — even to death on a cross.¹⁶

¹⁷For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,¹⁸

¹⁹so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow — in heaven and on earth and under the earth —²⁰

²¹and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.²²

Lights in the World

²³Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.²⁴²⁵For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.²⁶²⁷Do everything without grumbling and arguing,²⁸²⁹so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world,³⁰³¹by holding firm to the word of life. Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run or labor for nothing.³²³³But even if I am poured out as a drink offering on the sacrificial service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.³⁴³⁵In the same way you should also be glad and rejoice with me.³⁶

Timothy and Epaphroditus

³⁷Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon so that I too may be encouraged by news about you.³⁸³⁹For I have no one else like-minded who will genuinely care about your interests;⁴⁰⁴¹all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.⁴²⁴³But you know his proven character, because he has served with me in the gospel ministry like a son with a father.⁴⁴⁴⁵Therefore, I hope to send him as soon as I see how things go with me.⁴⁶⁴⁷I am confident in the Lord that I myself will also come soon.⁴⁸

⁴⁹But I considered it necessary to send you Epaphroditus — my brother, coworker, and fellow soldier, as well as your messenger and minister to my need —⁵⁰⁵¹since he has been longing for all of you and was distressed because you heard that he was sick.⁵²⁵³Indeed, he was so sick that he nearly died. However, God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow.⁵⁴⁵⁵For this reason, I am very eager to send him so that you may rejoice again when you see him and I may be less anxious.⁵⁶⁵⁷Therefore, welcome him in the Lord with great joy and hold people like him in honor,⁵⁸⁵⁹because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up what was lacking in your ministry to me.⁶⁰