Philippians 2: Value Others Above Yourself

In Philippians 1, Paul expressed his joy, stemming from the gospel. His purpose was not merely to tell us how joyful he was, but also to instill in us that same joy.
In chapter 2, he issues a call to humility. A call to value others above ourselves. One important thing to notice is that this call stems from what he has said about the gospel in chapter 1. In the New King James Version, verse 1 of chapter 2 starts with the word, “Therefore.” This transitional word means, “Because of this…”, or “in light of this…”
Furthermore, we can say that the call to humility is rooted in what the rest of verse 1 says: “Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy.” The interesting thing about the word if, which appears four times in this verse, is not that Paul is questioning whether or not these things are true. It can also be translated, “since.” To take the first of these four phrases as an example, he is saying, “If there is any consolation in Christ, and there is…”
So Paul is stating four truths. We do have consolation in Christ. We do have the comfort of love. We do have the fellowship of the Spirit. We do have affection and mercy. They were given to us when we became Christians. These truths are part of the gospel, and they serve as the foundation for Paul’s call to humility.
I mention this because we ought not make the mistake of reversing the order here. We do not obtain these blessings by being humble; by valuing others above ourselves. The fact is, we cannot be truly humble if we have not accepted the gospel, believed in Jesus Christ, and received these blessings of salvation. Let’s not be like others who try to earn brownie points with God by their actions.
Verses 2-4 issue this call to humility. Verse 2 focuses on unity within the church. As PJ said on Sunday, being like-minded does not mean being like everyone else. We are not cookie-cutter Christians. To be like-minded means to have one focus, one mission, one purpose within the church.
Verses 3 and 4 narrow the scope down to the individual. The church, as a whole, will be of one mind if every individual within the church is following the instructions in these two verses. Here, each of us is told not to do anything out of selfishness or pride; not to puff ourselves up or ask, “What’s in it for me?” Instead, we are to esteem, or value, others as better than ourselves. This is found in verse 3.
Notice that verse 4 does not tell us not to look out for our own interests and to look out only for the interests of others. It tells us not to look out only for our own interests. We are to look out for the interests of others, as well as for our own interests.
In light of verse 3, it should be said that we ought to look out for the interests of others more than we look out for our own interests. But we are not commanded to neglect our own interests and needs altogether. We should avoid the false humility that would prompt anyone to say, “I’m not concerned about my own interests. I am only concerned about the interests of others.”
The call to humility is not followed up by a list of how-to instructions, per se. Rather, Paul gives us four examples of individuals who have displayed such humility. He starts with the ultimate example, the Lord Jesus Himself. Then Paul presents himself as an example, followed by Timothy and Epaphroditus.
Unfortunately, I now have enough space to comment only on one of these. And of course, I will comment on the one that is most significant; the example set by Jesus. Phil. 2:5-11 is one of the most famous passages of the Bible, speaking of Jesus’ emptying of Himself. He humbled Himself, esteemed us as better than Himself (try wrapping your mind around that!), and looking out for our interests by dying on the cross to pay for our sins. PJ did a good job of tracking Paul’s progression of thought by pointing out that Jesus expressed His humility by lowering Himself, submitting to the Father, and sacrificing Himself on our behalf. Hence, our own humility should be no less lowering, submissive, and sacrificial.
In Philippians 2, Paul does not give us a “how to” list concerning this call to humility and valuing others above ourselves. But on Sunday, PJ gave us some practical suggestions. Without going into details, here is the list of things we can practically do as we seek to be more humble: Practice empathy. Practice compassion. Be friendly. Be helpful. Listen to others. Stop criticism. Don’t control others. And send yourself reminders.
Humility is an matter of attitude more than it is action. But this attitude will always express itself through action. And many times, when we take the appropriate actions, even if we don’t initially have the right attitude, the attitude will follow. We can use the actions of humility to foster the attitude of humility.

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND APPLICATION

1. Read Philippians 2:1. How do these blessings we have received enable us to be humble?


2. What is the mission of Imago Dei? Do you believe in this mission? Are you committed to helping Imago Dei fulfill its mission? How well are we, as members of Imago Dei, following the command to be like-minded?


3. Read Philippians 2:12-29. How did Paul, Timothy, and Epaphroditus exhibit humility in their lives? How can you learn from their examples?


4. Look again at the list of things we can do to foster humility in our lives. Which ones do you most need to work on? Are there any other things you could add to this list?