The Pulpit Commentary — Philippians — Section 82

Vere. 1-4,:--;-A~truism. Pa~! hae been speaking of the gifts of faith and of suffering which the Ph1h~p1~n~ had ~e~1ved, _and now he proceeds to state further the practical outoome of the_ Clmstmn spmt. It 1s really an altruism of a more thorough character than that provided by the schools. We have altruism paraded at present as the 1,igh ontcomo of that mora!Hy which is independent of God. But there is no consideration of the case of others so broad or so deep as that which is secured by the gospel. J. '!'HJi: FOUNTAIN-DEAD OF A CONSIDERATE SPIRIT IS THE GRACE OF JESUS CHRIST, (Ver. 1.) We are not asked in this matter to go upon our own charges; Goil does not, hko an austere man, expect to reap where he bas never sown. So far from this, he only looks for consideration of conduct towards others from those who have received" comfort in Christ," "consolation of love," "fellowship of the Spirit," ancl" bowels and mercies." 'l'hese are the forerunners of the true altruism. And they amount to this, that God has led the way in consideration. His gospel means that in the person of Jesus Christ he has not looked on his own things, but on the things of others. It is Divine altruism. It is the seed of disinterestedness sown in a kindly soil, and it is sure to procluce a harvest. II. 'l'HE UNITY OF THE PHILIPPIANS WAS TBE JOY OF THE APOSTLE. (Ver. 2.) He made it a matter of personal comfort to secure unity of mind and of heart among his converts. If we laid the unity of believers thus to heart, how we would use all lawful means to bring it about! Are we not open to the charge sometimes of living too self-containedly, so that when unity is broken we are not inconvenienced and pained by it as a Paul would have been? Christian union should be made by each one of us a personal concern: let us with Paul say honestly, as we urge men to see eye to eye and feel as heart to heart, that in so doing they are fulfilling our dearest joy! Ilf. LOWLINESS OF MIND MUST BE THE ANTIDOTE AND DEATH OF STRIFE AND VAIN- GLORY. (Ver. 3.) Nothing so separates souls and breaks the unity of spirit as vain- glorious strife. Competition, be it ever so generous, cannot be tolerated in the Church of God, except it be competition for the lowest place and the severest service. The competition for the chief seat3 in society, in the world's market, in the sphere of power, is always prejudicial to the Christian spirit and the unity which comes from Hea,cn; but the competition which contemplates the severest service, the lowliest ministrations, the most humiliating role, is wholesome, Christ-like, Divini:,. Now, this lowliness of mind which esteems others better than ourselves can be secured only by severe selr- scrutiny in the light of God's Word, above all, in the light of Christ's perfect life. 'l'hen our sins and shortcomings become appalling, and we walk softly before the Lord. On the other hand, no such knowledge of our neighbour's sins and shortcomings is open to us; we judge him so charitably e.s to esteem him above ourselves, and so we sit in the independence begotten of humility. No longer do -we complain of any lot Goel gives us; we accept it as better than we deserve; and in the panoply of humility we are safe from all assault. JV. WE CAN THUS MAKE PUBLIC SERVANTS OF OURSELVES IN THE TRUEST SE...'ISE. (Ver. 4.) We hear a good deal of" public men," as they are called. 'l'hey profess tu serve the public, but the most of them, while professing to serve the public, are sus- pected of serving themselves. With some of them the public spirit is doubtless genuine, and they do serve their sovereign and country with singleness of heart. Bu~ the gospel is the great means in God's hand of making men and women the servants of others. Since Jesus came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, autl to give his life a ransom for many, many havo learned to make the welfare of others their chief ca~e. And so Christian consideration and charity break forth on the right hand aud on the left. Men and women thrust themselves into work for others which c:i.u have no selfish aim or selfish issue, and the world becomes "Paradise resture<l.." \Ve are not rlcrht in heart until we thus are made public servants by the dynamic force of tho Christian spirit. 'l'he law of love regulates us and carries us out of the u:i.rrow cirde of persoual interests into the broader one of tho common weal. We sacri.Jice much to serve others. "Wo stoop," and think nothing of the effort, "to conquer" souls au,l circumstaucos in the interest of Christ. We have got uumoored, and are out to sea, where we have room and are in no danger from the lee shore. It is the lifo of re:1l liberty which we secure when we look uo longer Oil our owu thiugs, but lrn,ve a.u uyu fl•r those of others.-R. M. It 78 'l'HE EPISTLE TO 'l'Irn PHILIPPIANS, [rn. u. 1-30, - -------------------------------- Yers. 5-S.-The ~e1f-srrcrifi~ of <Jlirm. Paul backs up his appeal for publio spirit by the eX11mple of Jesus Christ. If the Philippia.ns will only entertain a like mind ~ith Christ, then All needful abnegation for the good of others will be forthcominu01 e,en up to self-1!8Crifire itself. And here we have to- I. CoNSIDER CHRIST'S EQUALITY WITH GoD. (Vrr, 6.) The Revised Version puts Jl1i~ verse more &ccmately th~n the Aut~oriv.ed Version when it gives it," Who being rn the form of God, counted 1t not 8 pnze to be on an equality with God." Or as another 8till more emphatie&lly gives it, "Being in the form of Go,.!, did not consider equality with God a prize to be retained; but emptied himself." Consequently we must begin with Cbri~t•s equality with God, if we would understand the magnificence nf his descent. As eternal Son of the eternal Father, he had been the coequal of the Fatht>r from all etcmit_v. As he lay in the bosom of the Father, he was "very God of "cry God," in the langusge of the Nicene Creed. It was from the abode of absolute Deing he began his pilgrimage to save us. 11. CoNSIDER ms EMPTTING OF mMSELF. (Ver. 7.) The idea is hazarded by eome that., in his emptying of himself, he laid aside for a season his Divinil.y and became man; but this is not to be entertained for a moment. 'l'he "form" of God (µop,P¾) pr('Sll]'l"\Qgc~ "existence" (ooula) and "nature" (,ptlu,s), but is not to be identified with either. It is, as we mi!::ht say, the accidental manifestation of the essential being. It migl,t., therefore, he laid aside without the essential being undergoing any change. 'l'hi~ is, then, all that the emptying implies. He exchanged "the form of God" for "the form of a servant." Instead of forcing conviction abont his Divine nature by a ;::lorious manifestation of it at all times, he allowed this conviction to spring up quietly and ~ilually by -veiling his Dirinity behind a servant's form. 'fhe everlasting Son, who shareci. the glory in the bosom of the Father, bec:i.me the servant that he might raise us to the dignity of sons. Such was his consideration for us that he took this immense st.cp downwards that we might be redeemed. III. CoNSIDER ms ASSUMPTION OF HUJlU.TrY. (Ver. 7.) "He was made in the likeness of men," having ta.ken upon him the form of a. servant. He thus "entered upo:i a course of responsible subordination." The incarnation of Christ was his becoming all we a.re, saving only sin. "The body," it has been said, "which had been prepared for him by another was sustained by that other's power. Wben • his disciples went to buy meat,' it was because their Master was really hungry ; when he asked drink of the woman of Sam.aria, it was because he was really thirsty; and when he fdl asleep in the midst of the howling tempest, it was because nature was overwearicd with endless labours of love. We ask why the all-glorious and blessed One should have lived in such bodily dependence as this. The apostle answers-He had emptied himMelj. His almighty power could easily have sustained his body. And though he at.e and drank and slept, it might have been for the eyes of those a.round him only. But this would not have been man's real bodily life. Nay, soul and body are FO wondrously connected that it would not have been man's life at all. And had not the Son of God taken the life of man, no son of man could have found the life of God. Everv Christian knows what man's nobler life is. Trust in God's love, hope in his etern·al mercy, that spirit of filial love which submits it.self cheerfully and gladly to n heavenly Father's will, ftive him strength and ability to serve God in the world. And of tuis life, as every Christian. knows, Christ is the Source and Fountain-head. But he is something more-its Example. It is the life which he himself lived when it pleased him to dwell among UB. • • • Possessed of infinite strength, he 'emptied himself,' leaning always on another's ann. Possessed of infinite wisdom, he ever lifted up the eyes to heaven, and took counsel with the Father who dwelt there. Willing only wLat wa;; right an,J i!ood, having no wish but what was pure and true, he nevertheless submitted that will in all things; the will of another was his continual law. 'Being foul.Id in fashion as a man, he humbled himself,' i.e. demeaned himself, as mu.nought to 00. lr'l.an ougbt to trust in God and walk by his counsel. This, therefore, was his course." IV. Co~SIDER HIS BOMILUTION EVEN TO THE OBEDIENCE OF DEATH. (Ver. 8.) 'l'he lncarr.ation was the first step in the humiliation of God. We do not realize as we ougl1t how tremendous a descent that is. JC we as intelligent beings were to undergo a. 1uet.empsychosis and be incarnated in the lowest crc•i.ture that crawls, it would not be B'J gr<o~t a deol;<,UL for U!i a~ it wao for Deity to beco!Ilc iucarnate. llut Ohri~t uudcrlook OH, II. 1-30.] 'l'IIE EPI8TLJ,; TO THE PHILIPPIANS. 79