Philippians 2 - Introduction

Outline:

I. An appeal to unity: Philippians 2:1-2

II. What threatens unity: Philippians 2:3

III. The attitude necessary for unity: Philippians 2:5

IV. The highest example of such selflessness: Philippians 2:6-8

V. God rewards such self-sacrifice: Philippians 2:9-11

I. Faithfulness despite the obstacles: Philippians 2:12-18

II. Timothy will be sent shortly: Philippians 2:19-24

III. An explanation of the return of Epaphroditus: Philippians 2:25-30

“In the present section (Philippians 2:1-11) he re-emphasizes the necessity of oneness among the brothers,. quality that is possible only when there is true lowliness of mind and helpfulness of disposition. The intensity of this appeal or plea would seem to indicate that there was among the Philippians, at least some of them,. measure of personal strife” (Hendriksen p. 97). As far as we know the church in Philippi contained just. small amount of strife (Philippians 4:2), yet to God, the smallest amount is still "too much" to be tolerated among Christians. Erdman reminds us, “Nor has there ever been. church in any age or place free from the peril of discord or immune to the danger of rivalry and strife. The exhortation of the apostle may be needed as much as ever by churches of the present day” (p. 75). Barclay notes, “There is. sense in which (disunity) is the danger of every healthy church” (p. 31). Here we learn that seemingly small dissension can threaten the unity of an entire congregation. Unity only happens when each member is striving to adopt the attitudes found in these verses. Hence every member has. vital role to play in preserving the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:1). In addition, this puts. new light on unfaithfulness, spiritual weakness and lack of spiritual growth. We need to remind people in the above categories that their spiritual apathy always poses. possible threat to the unity and stability of any congregation.

This section includes an exhortation based on the previous verses (“so then” Philippians 2:12). Seeing that Christ went to such great lengths to make our salvation possible (Philippians 2:6-8), it would be such. waste to end up lost. In essence one would be saying that all the efforts of Jesus were merely. waste of time--in their own case.. am impressed that Paul is admonishing these Christians to remain faithful and grow, despite some hard circumstances, such as Paul's absence (Philippians 2:12), less than ideal surroundings (Philippians 2:14), an evil and hostile environment (Philippians 2:15), and the possibility of Paul's own death (Philippians 2:17).