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What is the historical context of philippians 2:1-11
Exegetical of Philippians 2:1-11
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Exegesis Paper – Philippians 2:5-11
Mack Fuller III
LeTourneau University-Dr. Ra
In the scripture of Philippians 2:5-11, a very important part of history of biblical times is described, when Jesus surrendered his sacred/holy relationship that he had between himself and God. He did this so that he did not feel like he was superior to all of the other people that walked alongside him while he was here on earth. Scripture tells us that Jesus had given up that relationship when he downgraded himself to being nothing more than just a servant in God’s eyes, because by doing so, he was able to display his devotion and love for His father by giving up his life to pain, suffering, and misery. By doing so, Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice by dying on the cross so that all of God’s children would be washed of all the sins and would have the opportunity to live their
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The church is the hub in which we as Christians come together as brothers and sisters in Christ to learn and study God’s Word. The church, according to passage, states that there should be no high statuses within the church and that we should all be on the same level playing field. Scripture tells us that we should be obedient; I read this to include the church and all of us who make up the congregation. We are told that Jesus lived a selfless life as he served His Father and I believe as servants to him, we should live the same kind of life as he did. I believe that at times it is difficult to be humbled in our lives and be forgiving of others, but scripture tells us that as a church, we should lead by example. We are promised by his word, that God created all things in the heavens and earth and that we shall bow and worship Him, shout praises to him, so that we can live a glorious life with him in His kingdom
In the Bible, God, sacrifices his only son, a respectable, revered "heavenly" figure, allowing Jesus to live amongst sinful people. In human form, Jesus treats the common people's illnesses and performs miracles to help them; above all, he cares for them and loves them. Jesus is selfless, endlessly devoting himself to helping and serving others, and ensuring that they will have a better life by showing them "the way" to God. Jesus sacrifices his life in heaven to come to Earth and help his people.
Throughout many of Paul’s letters there are many debates pertaining to the authorship, destination, date, and the purpose. In the book of Ephesians many scholars debate on the authorship and if Paul actually wrote the letter, or if it was a scribe. Although there are some debates on whether Paul actually wrote it or not, he does refer to himself twice in the letter. In 1:1 and in 3:1 Paul states himself, 1:3 states, “For this reason, I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles” (NIV) In verse 1:3 Paul states that he is a prisoner, therefore it is debated that he did not specifically write this because he was imprisoned in Rome at this time. According to Wallace “This, of course, is not to say that the letter must be by Paul, but it is to argue that without such internal testimony, no such claim could be made” (Wallace). Many scholars also debate on the vocabulary usage and the structure of the letter. Some believe that the structure is similar, but the vocabulary seems to be different than his New Testament epistles. Hoehner claims that,” Though the book has a close affinity with Colossians, critics claim that Ephesians is uncharacteristic of Paul” (Hoehner 613). The destination of Ephesians is somewhat debated, but many do believe that the letter was sent to the church of Ephesus. “Some to claim that Ephesus is a better starting point, others suggest Caesarea.” (Wallace) Although this is an argument that has many valid points, it is obvious that Paul was imprisoned in Rome while he wrote Ephesians. It is said by Hoehner that “Ephesians was probably delivered by Tychicus (Eph. 6:21-22), who also took Paul’s letter to Colossians (Col. 4:7-9)” (Hoehner 613). As for the date goes m...
In his thought-provoking book, “The Pursuit of Holiness,” Jerry Bridges offers a personal look on what it means to be holy like Christ. The book is scripture backed and covers all areas of holiness as a Christian. In the book, Bridges starts off with assessing just what holiness is. To be holy is to be morally blameless and to have no sin (p. 15). Holiness is being separated from the ways of the world and becoming more like Christ. To be holy does not mean that you obey a set of rules, but is instead string to do always do what is pleasing in the eyes of the Lord. In Romans chapter 12 verses 1 and 2, Paul challenges the people to give up their bodies as a holy sacrifice for kingdom work. He continues on saying that this is truly
Jesus Christ lived in such a way that sacrifice meant everything to him, where we as humans, live as it is a burden to make sacrifices for one another (Ultimate Sacrifice). There is no greater love that can be displayed then sacrifice; an extraordinary example would be in John 15:13,”greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (Ultimate Sacrifice). He carries the weight of our burdens; all the sins of every man, women, and child lay on his shoulders. A deeper understanding, further than his sacrificial death, was his sacrificial life that he upmost displayed all throughout the Bible (Ultimate Sacrifice). “Jesus Christ not only sacrificed his life for our sins, but He sacrificed things that most people prize as good and worthy, like ambition, wealth, prestige, position, popularity, and many other such elements of "success” ”
In trying to understand Philippians 2:5-11 it is equally important to understand what is going on both before this passage occurs and what happens after. Paul is writing a letter to the church in Philippi and unlike some of his other letters he is filled with joy when writing to them. Immediately his letter begins with praise and thanksgiving directed towards the Philippians due to their kindness and provisions that they had consistently provided for Paul while he was in Prison. Paul then goes on to write about the fact that his imprisonment has advanced the Gospel of Christ. Paul then continues on to talk about the way in which the Philippians need to compose themselves and tells them to “stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel” (1:27). He says this because at the time the Philippians had a lot of forces that opposed them, just as Christ did when he was here on earth. Rather then becoming boastful or prideful Paul urges the Philippians to be like a servant who gives all the glory to God and not upon oneself. This then leads him into 2:5-11.
We therefore can conclude that grace abounds were sin abounds. While the church is a society of people on the receiving end of God’s grace, it’s the communal balance of excellence were we accept others fully on the same basis as God has accepted us. Wherefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God (Romans 15:7). While God’s grace is offered, anyone with honesty can accept this offer.
While selflessness is typically an admirable quality to possess, being too selfless will only make matters worse for yourself. Stories of rich men giving away all their money and possessions warn us of the possible consequences of being too kind for our own good. The story behind Christ Bearing the Cross ("North Netherlandish (Utrecht?) Painter | Christ Bearing the Cross." The Metropolitan Museum of Art, I.e. The Met Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2015) is the story of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice. While from a biblical standpoint this was the right thing for Jesus to do, from a purely objective view, Jesus’ selflessness ultimately leads to his death. Jesus was a giving man who did good deeds for complete strangers, because he felt it was his duty. In the painting, he is shown in his final moments, totally ready to accept his death. Again, while this might make sense from a biblical view, Jesus sacrificed his life for little to no reason. His love for other people eventually was what ended him. The Pelican in Her Piety (Unknown. "Pelican in Her Piety." Metmuseum.org. Met Museum, 1400. Web) depicts the love of a mother for her children. The mother pelican is presumed to be unsuccessful in finding food for her children, and they are going hungry. The mother makes the choice to sacrifice her own life and slice her breast in order to feed her children. Just like in Christ Bearing the Cross, the
...e and look after the people who truly need their help. Jesus said that that greatest commandments were to love God and love others (Matthew 22:36–40). Therefore, the church needs to show love to the people who are in desperate need. For example, the church should help in relief missions, homeless shelters, people in their congregation who are struggling financially, physically, and spiritually (this can include widows). However, whatever the church does, it should not expect anything in return but rather, just serve.
No man’s actions can possibly be compared to the life of Jesus Christ, the Savior of creation. Nevertheless, like Jesus, Leonidas layed down his life for his friends and was willing to forfeit everthing he had for the benefit of his people. By way of constrast though, Jesus possessed the properly ordered model of selflessness because He did not simply die for those He loved, but also died for those who sinned against Him. Unlike Christ, Leonidas probably could never bring himself to sacrifice his life for his
As an Eagle Scout there is a saying that goes, “Once an Eagle, always an Eagle”. That carries certain privileges with it, but also certain responsibilities. As an Eagle Scout, one would never want to do something to tarnish the reputation of themselves or other Eagle Scouts. The same is true for those of us who work in ministry. Whether I like it or not, many people will put me on a pedestal. That means that I need to hold myself to a higher standard than I do anyone else. It is like Paul said in 1 Corinthians 8:13, “Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.” I do not want to do anything to make another person stumble and the only way to ensure that is by holding myself to a higher standard. A good example of this was when I was a smoker. I made sure that I was not smoking within sight of anyone from the congregation I was serving. I began to realize that even hiding it was not a good idea and I finally quit.
That’s why this theme of suffering and perseverance taught by Paul in Philippians 1:27-29 is so important and monumental to the Christian faith. When you sum up what Paul says and think about Christ you realize that Christ loved us and suffered a harsh death so that we might be free from eternal death. So Christ came to serve humanity and suffered doing so, and in turn when we serve Christ we suffer and partake and the same kind of suffering Jesus had to endure for doing what is right.
Jesus’ death for all of mankind’s sin was not a small sacrifice. Because of the huge sacrifice Jesus made, He can be considered a hero - a person who is admired for something He has done. In this case, Jesus is admired for taking all of mankind’s sin upon Himself. John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down His life for His friends.” Jesus did just that. He loved every person who ever lived and has yet to live so much that He laid down His life for them. All they have to do is believe with their hearts and minds that what the Bible says He did is true. There are many people who have been harassed, beaten, or even killed for believing this. Every year, it is estimated that 186,000 people are killed for believing in Jesus as their Savior and for refusing to deny their faith in Him. This reveals just how great a hero Jesus is.
The deep dark skeleton in the church’s theoretical closet is its members. The church is imperfect and full of totally depraved people. The church faces many problems when it’s individual members fail to obeying our Lord’s commands. In Mark 12:30-31, Jesus tells his disciples, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength; and the second is this, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” The biggest problem with the church is that we can not perfectly carry out these commands. Fortunately, God uses imperfect beings for His perfect will.
This book is written to help people, specifically followers of Christ, to find their place in the church. The fact of the matter is that every believer was created for a purpose and every believer has a certain role in the body of Christ. If a believer is missing or not fulfilling their role, the body lacks and hurts. Just as our human bodies are handicapped when we are missing a finger or have poor vision, so is the case of the church when a believer isn’t serving. The other thing that the author talks about is when a believer is serving in an area not suitable for his/her gifts. That, too, can hurt the church because that person is not where God intended them to be in the body.
Churches today isn’t what it used to be. Church used to be a place, as you press in to the body of Christ, as you spend time with people, as make friends, as you join in small groups, and chat with people, you were giving them an opportunity to manifest the joy of God in your direction. Church used to be a place that brought joy through others as you serve alongside them. Whether was cleaning up the church after church or helping the local poor, when you have that a partnership and that love between you and others that you serve Jesus together with joy is the result. But many things in church’s has changed since a was young. Matthew 24-4, Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For man will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the messiah,’ and will deceive many”.