Philippians
2 New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
Imitating
Christ’s humility
2
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any
comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness
and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the
same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish
ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4
not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the
others.
5
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6
who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God
something to be used to his own advantage;
7
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death –
even death on a cross!
9
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every
name,
10
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Do
everything without grumbling
12
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my
presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation
with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act
in order to fulfil his good purpose.
14
Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless
and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked
generation.’[c] Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you
hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of
Christ that I did not run or labour in vain. 17 But even if I am being poured
out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith,
I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice
with me.
Timothy and Epaphroditus
19
I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be
cheered when I receive news about you. 20 I have no one else like him, who will
show genuine concern for your welfare. 21 For everyone looks out for their own
interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know that Timothy has proved
himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of
the gospel. 23 I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go
with me. 24 And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.
25
But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother,
co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take
care of my needs. 26 For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you
heard he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on
him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. 28
Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again
you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. 29 So then, welcome him in the
Lord with great joy, and honour people like him, 30 because he almost died for
the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves
could not give me.
CHRIST is exalted! From Elim
Missions
Philippians 2
v6-11
He
is high and exalted, He is in the highest place. The Lord is over your pain,
rejection, fear, intimidation, blindness and confusion. Because He is over it
He can fix it. He can touch your situation today, pick you up, dust you down,
remodel you, release the gifting in you, take away all your guilt and send you
again. He is exalted and He will exalt.
But
our attitude should be the same as that of Him: Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself
nothing ...
Let's
stop bullying our way to the front.
Let's
stop manipulating our way to the top.
Let's
help others to get there before us.
Let's
be like the exalted Christ.
Of
all that is in heaven, Jesus, the Son of God, part of the Godhead, He is
exalted! Around the throne are cries day and night “Holy, holy, holy is the
Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come.”
Have
the same attitude as Christ: who from his position of who He is and His power
said: Today, its not about me!
When
faced with temptation., Jesus didn’t say because of my position, my experience,
my title, its okay for me to fall a little here cos I know my Father will
command his angels concerning me to guard me carefully; they will left me up in
their hands, so that I will not strike my foot against a stone (Luke 4:10-11).
No,
He said, Today its not about me.
When
faced with trial and taken down a path that was marked with difficulty and
danger. He didn’t stand and say “Im not having this. I will call on Father who
will put at my disposal more than 12 legions of angels, Matthew 26:53.
No,
he said, Today its not about me.
Christ
was exalted. He laid that down. He was exalted again.
We
do well to remember that.
The IVP New Testament
Commentary Series
The Content of the
Appeal (2:3-4)
Humility
is thus not to be confused with false modesty ("I'm no good") or with
"milquetoast," that kind of abject servility that only repulses.
Rather it has to do with a proper estimation of oneself, the stance of the
creature before the Creator, utterly dependent and trusting. Here one is well
aware both of one's weaknesses and of one's glory (we are in God's image, after
all) but makes neither too much nor too little of either. True humility is
therefore not self-focused at all but rather, as further defined by Paul,
considers others better than yourselves.
As with humility, this last phrase does
not mean that one should falsely consider others better. As Philippians 2:4 will clarify, we
are so to consider others not in our estimation of them—which would only lead
to the very vices Paul has just spoken against—but in our caring for them,
putting them and their needs ahead of our own. Others in the community are not
necessarily "better" than I am, but their needs and concerns
"surpass" my own. After all, this is precisely how Christ's humility
expressed itself, as Paul narrates in verse 8. This is how he elsewhere
describes those whose behavior is genuinely Christian; they do not seek their
own good, but the good of others (1 Cor 10:24). Here is the sure cure for selfish
ambition or vain conceit, not
to mention "complaining or arguing" (Phil 2:14).
The emphasis in verse 4, which thus
spells out how verse 3b works, is on each and others. Here one finds a kind of tension
between the individual and the community that occurs throughout Paul. As always
in such passages, the accent rests on the community; it is only as a people of
God together that God's people fulfill the divine purposes. But in the new
covenant, persons become members of the people of God one at a time through
faith in Christ. Therefore the concern is primarily with the community, but
obedience must begin with the individual. Eachone among them must have this care for
the others among them. This emphasis is probably
to remind some within the community who seem to be out of step with some
others.
Asbury
Bible Commentary
2.
The humility and exaltation of the Servant-Christ: our example and pattern
(2:5-11)
While
this famous section is not simply a call to imitate Christ, it clearly is
presented by Paul as a challenge to conform to Christ's example of humble,
self-giving service.
This
classic Christological expression, whether written originally by Paul or
borrowed from the community before him (a pre-Pauline hymn to Christ?)
illustrates like nothing else the essence of Paul's words elsewhere: “For you
know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your
sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2Co
8:9).
The
attitude that first prompted the preexistent Son to “pour himself out” through
incarnation and servanthood is carried through every step of his earthly human
life until it ends on the cross. “As a man” he humbled himself, becoming
obedient to death, and not just an ordinary death, but even death on a cross
(v. 8)! In costly self-sacrifice and humility, the God-man demonstrated the
meaning of love in a fallen world.
But
note the turning point. The descent turns to ascent. Therefore (v. 9), because
he was faithful, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name . .
. above every name, even the name Lord. The servant who poured himself out for
humanity is now Lord! This high exaltation, however, is not to be understood as
a reward, but rather as God's act of vindicating the Servant-Christ according
to the kingdom principle that Jesus himself had often taught: “Whoever wants to
become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must
be slave of all” (Mk 10:43-44).
The
victory of Christ has cosmic implications (2:10-11). The phrases every knee and
every tongue do not support unconditional universal salvation; they do indicate
universal recognition that the Servant-Christ is indeed Lord of all.
The Bible Panorama
Philippians 2
V 1–4: LOVING LOWLINESS Selfishness and strife is to be rejected as, through the
fellowship of the Spirit, God’s love in Christ makes Christians humble,
like-minded, and causes them to care for others.
V 5–11: LIFTED LORD This likeminded humility to be sought was exemplified by Jesus in
His incarnation and death for us. Although He was God by nature, He humbled
Himself, through becoming a man and a bondservant, to the very lowest point of
death on the cross. This resulted in His exaltation to the very highest place
in heaven. Humility produces elevation, by God’s grace.
V 12–18: LIVING LIGHTS God’s
working in the lives of the Christians produces a reverent outworking of His
salvation, irrespective of whether the apostle Paul is with them or not. The
Philippian Christians are urged to live in such a way that their blamelessness
and shining example will be obvious to all, in contrast with the wicked world
around. They will proclaim God’s word so that Paul, who is imprisoned and
facing death, knows that his labour has not been in vain.
V 19–30: LOYAL LABOURERS Paul now commends Timothy for his son-like service in the gospel.
He esteems Epaphroditus highly for his courage, sacrifice and selfless love for
Christ and for Christians, including for Paul himself. Epaphroditus was near to
death as a result of his sacrificial service for the Lord. It is good to see
how God’s grace is lived out in the lives of those who are ‘sold out’ for
Christ.
Dictionary of Bible
Themes
7925 fellowship, among
believers
The
fellowship that believers share as a result of their common union with God
through Jesus Christ is expressed in life together. It is evident in worship
together, in a love for one another which reflects God’s own love and in a
practical commitment to one another which is demonstrated in concern for the
weak and readiness to share with the poor and needy.
Sharing
in the fellowship of God’s love
1Jn
4:10-12 See also Jn 13:34; Jn 15:12; Eph 5:1-2; 1Jn 3:10
Sharing
in the fellowship of a common devotional life
Ac
2:42
Worshipping
together Ps 55:14 See also Ps 42:4; 1Co 14:26; Eph 5:19; Col 3:16
Praying
together Ac 1:14 See also Ac 4:24; Ac 12:12; Jas 5:16
Breaking
bread together 1Co 10:16-17; 2Pe 2:13; Jude 12 Love feasts accompanied the
Lord’s Supper though these were open to abuse.
True
fellowship means sharing with those in need
Heb
13:16 See also Ac 20:34-35; Eph 4:28
Showing
hospitality Ro 12:13 See also Isa 58:7; Heb 13:1-2; 1Pe 4:9; 3Jn 8
Sharing
money and possessions Dt 15:10-11; Ac 2:44-45 See also Dt 10:18-19 God’s people
are to reflect his concern for the needy in society; Mt 25:35-36; Lk 3:11; Ac
4:32-35; 2Co 8:13-15; 1Ti 6:17-18; Jas 1:27; Jas 2:15-16
Examples
of sharing with the needy Job 31:16-20 Job’s compassion for the needy; Ac 6:1
the daily distribution to widows; Ac 9:36 Tabitha’s concern for the poor The
collection for believers in Judea: Ac 11:29-30; Ro 15:26; 2Co 8:3-4
Strengthening
one another in fellowship together
Bearing
with the weak Gal 6:1-2 See also Isa 42:3; Ro 14:1; Ro 15:1; 1Th 5:14
Strengthening
the weak Isa 35:3-4 See also Job 4:3-4
Encouraging
one another Heb 10:24-25 See also 1Sa 23:16; Ro 1:12; 1Th 5:11; Heb 13:3
Putting
the needs of others first Ro 15:2 See also 1Co 10:24,32-33
True
fellowship means living in harmony
1Pe
3:8 See also Ro 12:16; Eph 4:2-3; Php 2:1-4; Col 3:12-14
Showing
equal concern for all Ac 10:34; 1Co 12:25; Jas 2:1-4
Examples
of fellowship Nu 10:31-32 Moses and Hobab; 1Sa 18:3 David and Jonathan; 2Ki
10:15-16 Jehu and Jehonadab
Failure
to exhibit true fellowship 1Sa 30:22 Troublemakers in David’s army are
unwilling to share the spoils; 1Co 1:11-12 factions within the church at
Corinth; 1Co 11:17-22 Selfishness at love feasts humiliates the poor.
Five
Keys of Fellowship
1.
Sharing in the
fellowship of a common devotional life
Acts
2:42-47New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
The
fellowship of the believers
42
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the
breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many
wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together
and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to
anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple
courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere
hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord
added to their number daily those who were being saved.
2.
Worshipping together
Colossians
3:15-17New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
15
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you
were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let
the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one
another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit,
singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do,
whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks
to God the Father through him.
3.
Sharing in the fellowship of God’s love
1 John
4:9-16New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
9 This is how
God showed his love among us: he sent his one and only Son into the world that
we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he
loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear
friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one
has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is
made complete in us.
13 This is
how we know that we live in him and he in us: he has given us of his Spirit. 14
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour
of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives
in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
4.
Praying together
Acts 1:14New
International Version - UK (NIVUK)
14 They all
joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother
of Jesus, and with his brothers.
5.
Breaking bread together
1 Corinthians
11:23-26New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
23 For I
received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: the Lord Jesus, on the
night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it
and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ 25
In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new
covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ 26
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s
death until he comes
Bible,org
English
Definition of Fellowship
Before we
begin a study of the Greek words, let’s get a glimpse of our word “fellowship”
from the English dictionary to see what it might add to our understanding. An
English dictionary can shed a lot of light on the Bible if we would use it in
our Bible study. The translators chose English words according to their real
and exact meanings. When we study our Bibles we assume we understand the full
significance of a word, but often our ideas are very incomplete. This is
particularly true of the word “fellowship.”
According to
Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary it means: (a) companionship, company,
associate (vb.); (b) the community of interest, activity, feeling or
experience, i.e., a unified body of people of equal rank sharing in common
interests, goals, and characteristics, etc.; (c) partnership, membership (an
obsolete usage but an important one. It shows what has happened to our ideas of
fellowship).
There are
three key ideas that come out of this:
(1)
Fellowship means being a part of a group, a body of people. It is opposed to
isolation, solitude, loneliness, and our present-day independent kind of
individualism. Of course, it does not stop there because we can be in a crowd
of people and even share certain things in common, but still not have fellowship.
(2)
Fellowship means having or sharing with others certain things in common such as
interest, goals, feelings, beliefs, activities, labor, privileges and
responsibilities, experiences, and concerns.
(3)
Fellowship can mean a partnership that involves working together and caring for
one another as a company of people, like a company of soldiers or members of a
family.
But what
about Christian fellowship according to the Word of God and the words for fellowship
as they are used in the New Testament?
Greek Words
for Fellowship
THE KOINWN
WORDS
(1) Koinos
(the root word)
The language
of the New Testament is called koinh Greek because, through the conquests of
Alexander the Great, it was the common language of Christ’s day for Romans,
Greeks and Jews alike. Koinh means common. Koinwnia comes from koinos which
means “common, mutual, public.” It refers to that which is held in common.
(2) Koinwnia
(n) and Koinwneo (vb) (primary words)
There are two
main ideas with this word: (a) “to share together, take part together” in the
sense of partnership or participation, and (b) “to share with” in the sense of
giving to others. As we will see, there are four key ideas that come out of
these two meanings according to New Testament usage.
The New
Testament usage according to sentence construction refers to: (a) the thing
shared in common in some way by all parties involved as relationships,
blessings or burdens, privileges, or responsibilities (all believers in Christ
share many things in common); (b) the person(s) doing the sharing with others;
(c) the person(s) with whom there is sharing; and (d) an abstract quality of
the concept of fellowship, with no object, used alone as in Acts 2:42.
(3) Koinwnos,
Koinwnikos (secondary words)
Koinwnos
means “a partner, associate, companion” (2 Cor. 8:23; Luke 5:10; Phil. 1:7) or
“a partaker, sharer” (1 Cor. 10:18-20; 2 Cor. 1:7; 1 Pet. 5:1; 2 Pet. 1:4).
Koinwnikos,
is an adjective meaning “characterized by koinwnos, ready to share or partake”
(1 Tim. 6:18).
THE METOCOS
WORDS (METOCOS, METOCH)
These words
come from meta, “with,” plus ecw, “to have.” The basic idea is “to have with”
or “to have together.”
Metocos
means: (a) “a sharing in, a partaking of” (Heb. 3:1, 14; 6:4; 12:8); and (b),
“a partner, associate” (Heb. 1:9; Luke 5:7).
Metoch means:
(a) “sharing, fellowship”; or (b) “partnership” (cf. 2 Cor. 6:14 where it is
used with koinwnia).
Based on the
meanings and uses of these words, four key ideas develop that are important if
we are to grasp the richness the New Testament’s teaching on “fellowship.” If
we understand these four concepts we will begin to have a grasp of the doctrine
of fellowship and its implications and demands on our lives.
Concepts of Fellowship in
the New Testament
A.
RELATIONSHIP
In the New
Testament, what is shared in common is shared first of all because of a common
relationship that we all have together in Christ. Koinwnia was an important
word to both John and Paul, but it was never used in merely a secular sense. It
always had a spiritual significance and base. The idea of an earthly fellowship
founded upon just common interests, human nature, physical ties like in a family,
or from church affiliation was really rather foreign to the apostles.
In the New
Testament, believers can have fellowship and share together because they first
of all have a relationship with Christ and share Him in common (1 Cor. 1:9; 1
John 1:3). The New English Bible translates 1 John 1:3 as follows: “what we
have seen and heard we declare to you, so that you and we together may share in
a common life, that life which we share with the Father and with His Son Jesus
Christ.”
Fellowship is
first the sharing together in a common life with other believers through
relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Fellowship is first and foremost a
relationship, rather than an activity. The principle is that any activity that
follows, should come out of the relationship.
In Acts 2:42
the early church was not merely devoting itself to activities, but to a
relationship. It was this relationship that produced an active sharing in other
ways. It is so important that we grasp this. Fellowship means we belong to each
other in a relationship because we share together the common life and enabling
grace of Jesus Christ.
There is
also, however, a negative aspect. Because of our relationship with Christ,
there can be no legitimate fellowship with the world, demonism, idolatry, or
anything that is contrary to Christ and our relationship with Him (cf. 2 Cor.
6:14f).
B.
PARTNERSHIP
Both koinwnia
and metocos mean to share together in the sense of a partnership. As sharers
together of the person and life of Christ, we are automatically copartners in
His enterprise here on earth.
Both sets of
Greek words were used in this sense by classical and New Testament writers.
(1) In the
secular realm, koinwnos (a form of koinwnia) and metocos were both used by Luke
to refer to the partnership of Peter with James and John (Luke 5:7, 10).
(2) In the
spiritual realm, koinwnos was used by Paul of Titus (2 Cor. 8:23) and Philemon
(Philemon 17), and koinwnia of the Philippians (Phil. 1:5) because he viewed
them as partners in the ministry of the gospel, as co-workers who shared in
ministry (cf. Gal. 2:9).
(3) In the
spiritual realm, metocos was similarly used by the author of Hebrews to express
the concept of our partnership with the Lord (Heb. 1:9) because we are also
sharers of His life and calling (Heb. 3:1, 14). “The concept of fellowship as a
spiritual partnership is firmly embedded in the new Testament …”2 by the use of
both word groups.
Whereas the
word relationship describes believers as a community, partnership describes
them as the principals of an enterprise. A business partnership is always
formed in order to attain an objective, such as providing a service to the
public at a profit for the partners. In the same way, the concept of a
spiritual partnership implies that it is created with the objective of
glorifying God. Just as all believers are united together in a community
relationship, so we are all united together in a partnership formed to glorify
God …
… Biblical
fellowship, then, incorporates this idea of an active partnership in the
promotion of the gospel and the building up of believers.3
This element
is strongly brought out in the argument of the author of Hebrews who shows us
that believers are both partakers of and partners with Christ in His salvation,
kingdom, and purposes for earth and man.
In Hebrews
1:14 this “salvation” which believers are to inherit, within the context of the
passage, includes the believer’s share in the Son’s triumphant dominion in
which He has partners, those who belong to Him and are involved with Him in His
kingdom and reign (1:9; 2:10,13; 3:1). This partnership, however, begins here
on earth, and this forms the foundation for what believers will share with Him
in the future kingdom. We are responsible to share with Him in the work He is
now doing on earth so we can share in the blessings of the future by way of
rewards (cf. Luke 19:11f; 1 Cor. 3:12f). A steadfast confidence in Christ is
vital or we will defect and fail to carry our responsibilities as His
companions. As those who share in His life through faith, we are also partners
with Him in His enterprise and purposes here on earth. We are His
representatives on earth (cf. 1 Pet. 2:5f).
Perhaps one
of the keys here is our understanding of the word metocos, which is used a
number of times in Hebrews (cf. 1:9; 3:1,14; 6:4; 12:8). As seen above, this
was a term used of business partners. It was used in precisely this way in the
papyri and in its only occurrence in the New Testament outside of Hebrews, in
Luke 5:7.
Note Hebrews
3:14 which may be rendered, “… we have become partners with Christ.” It can
mean “sharer, partaker.” “Of Christ” then becomes what we share in: we partake
of His life. This is true, but I don’t believe this is the point here. As in
Hebrews 1:9, the author is saying we become companions, partners of the Christ,
the Messianic King, but to share in what He is doing now and in the future, we
need fidelity and confidence in Him (cf. Rev. 2:26-27).
DISTINCTION
BETWEEN RELATIONSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP
Relationship
describes what we are: a community of people bound together by our common life
and blessings that we share together through our relationship with Christ.
Partnership describes how we are related to each other in that relationship: we
are partners in an enterprise and calling in which we are to work together in a
common purpose to obtain common objectives for the glory of God and the gospel
of Jesus Christ (cf. Phil 1:27).
Later, as we
look at the foundation for fellowship, we will see that our relationship with
Christ is like a coin, it has two sides, union and communion, or relationship
(the positional side) and fellowship (the experiential side).
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