But this, too, produced its effects. The apostle desired that their joy
should be full, and that unity among the Philippians should be perfect; for
his absence had allowed some seeds of disunion and disaffection to
germinate. Love had been sweetly and powerfully demonstrated by the gift
they had sent to the apostle. Consolation in Christ, comfort of love,
fellowship of the Spirit, tender mercies were displayed in it, giving him
great joy. Let them then make this joy perfect by the full establishment of
this same bond of love among themselves, by being of one accord, of one
mind, having the same love for each other, being all like-minded, allowing
no rivalship or vain-glory to display itself in any way. Such was the
apostle's desire. Appreciating their love towards himself, he wished their
happiness to be complete through the perfecting of that love among
themselves: thus would his own joy be perfect. Beautiful and touching
affection! It was love in him which, sensible to their love, thought only
of them. How delicate the way in which a kindness, which precluded reproof,
made a way for what really was one, and which a heart that added charity to
brotherly love could not leave unuttered!
Now the means of this union, of the maintenance of this love, was found in
the abnegation of self, in humility, in the spirit that humbles itself in
order to serve. It was this which perfectly displayed itself in Christ, in
contrast with the first Adam. The latter sought to make himself like God by
robbery, when he was in the form of a man, and strove to exalt himself at
God's expense; being at the same time disobedient unto death. Christ, on
the contrary, when He was in the form of God, emptied Himself, through
love, of all His outward glory, of the form of God, and took the form of a
man; and, even when He was in the form of a man, still humbled Himself It
was a second thing which He did in humbling Himself As God, He emptied
Himself; as man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even
to the death of the cross. God has highly exalted Him; for he who exalts
himself shall be humbled? but he who humbles himself shall be exalted.
Perfect love, glorious truth, precious obedience! A man by the just
judgment and act of God is exalted to the right hand of the throne of the
divine Majesty. What a truth is the Person of Christ! What a truth is this
descent and ascension by which He fills all things as Redeemer and Lord of
glory! God come down in love, man ascended in righteousness; entire love in
coming down, entire obedience by love also. Worthy from all eternity as to
His Person to be there, He is now as man exalted by God to His right hand.
It is an act of righteousness on God's part that He is there; and our
hearts can take part in it, rejoicing in His glory-rejoicing also that by
grace we have part in it as to our own place.
His humiliation is a proof that He is God. God only could leave His first
estate in the sovereign rights of His love; it is sin for any creature to
do so. It is also a perfect love. But this proof is given, this love
accomplished, in the fact that He is man. What a place has He acquired for
us in Himself! But it is of Him, not of us who are its fruits, that the
apostle thinks. He rejoices in the thought of Christ's exaltation. God has
exalted Him to the highest place, and given Him a name which is above every
name, so that everything in heaven and earth, and even in infernal regions,
must bow before this exalted man, and every tongue confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
It will be remarked here, that it is the lordship of Christ that is
presented in this passage, not His divinity in itself. His divinity is
indeed the primary point of departure. All in fact has its origin there-the
love, the self-renunciation, the humiliation, the marvellous condescension.
Nothing of all this could have been, or would have its value, without the
former; but it is of the Lord, complete in His Person in the position which
He took as man-it is of Him who humbled Himself, who when He had gone down
to the lowest possible place, was exalted by God; it is of Jesus, who
could, without exalting Himself, be equal with God, but who emptied
Himself, who went down even into death, that the apostle speaks: of Jesus,
Lord of all, and who, thus exalted as man, shall be owned as Lord
throughout the whole creation to the glory of God the Father. [see note #5]
The apostle's heart enlarges whenever he speaks of the Lord Jesus; but he
turns to the objects of his solicitude; and as he had spoken of the
self-renunciation and the humiliation of Christ, as a means of union which
would take all occasion from carnal rivalship, he has also been led to
speak of the obedience of Christ in contrast with the first Adam and the
flesh. He now applies this principle, also, for the instruction of the
Philippians: "Wherefore," he says, "my beloved, as ye have always obeyed."
And here the effect of his absence and removal from the work is
introduced-"not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence,
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for," he adds, "it is
God which worketh in you, both to will and to do." That is to say, while he
was among them he had laboured; now they were themselves engaged with the
enemy, without the aid of Paul's presence and spiritual energy; but God
Himself wrought in them, and they ought to work so much the more earnestly
in that they found themselves in such a warfare, God Himself being engaged
for them as acting in them for this conflict, and they themselves striving
in their own persons, directly with the power of the enemy. This was not
the moment to boast in their little gifts, on account of the absence of
that which had thrown them into the shade, nor to be at strife among
themselves. On the other hand, if they were deprived of Paul, they were not
deprived of God. God Himself wrought in them. This is the great principle,
and the great consolation of the epistle. The Christians, deprived of the
important aid of the apostle, are cast more immediately on God. The apostle
himself, separated from the assembly, finds his own consolation in God; and
commits the assembly in its lack of his personal care, to God Himself, in
whom he had himself found this consolation.
It is to be carefully remarked here, that it is the very opposite of an
exhortation to our own working in contrast with God's effectual power.
"Your own" is in contrast with Paul in his absence, who had laboured for
them, because God did work in them to will and to do. They were to work,
because, if Paul was absent, God wrought in them. I have noticed already
that salvation, every blessing, is looked at everywhere in this epistle as
at the end of the Christian's course, even the manifestation of their
righteousness (chap. 3:9). This passage is an example. There are two ways
the Christian is seen in the New Testament. In Christ-here is no progress,
no question: he is accepted in Him-a complete, perfect, present state. But
he is also a pilgrim upon earth, having to attain the goal: so always in
Philippians. This gives occasion to every kind of exhortation, warning and
"if." Thus he learns obedience and dependence-the two characteristics of
the new man. But with this he is led to the sure infallible faithfulness of
God to bring him through to the end, and bound to reckon on it. See 1
Corinthians 1:8, which I cite because they were going on very badly; but
passages abound.
Diligence and earnestness ought to characterise the walk of Christians in
these circumstances, in which immediate connection with God and personal
conflict with the enemy have to be realised.
The apostle returns to the spirit of meekness and peace, in which the
fruits of righteousness are sown. "Do all things," he says, "without
murmurings and disputings, that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons
of God in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye
shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life": a very
striking passage, because it will be found that in every member of the
sentence it is an exact statement of what Christ was. Whatever may be the
circumstances in which the assembly is found, such, as respects itself,
should ever be its state and its walk. Grace sufficient for this is ever
there in Christ.
Unity of spirit among themselves by grace, and a walk according to God, in
order that they may be as heavenly lights amid the moral darkness of this
world-always carrying, and thus holding forth, the word of life: such was
the apostle's desire. They would thus give proof by the constancy and
practical effect of their faith, that the apostle had not run or laboured
in vain; and they would themselves be his glory in the day of Christ. Oh,
if the assembly had continued such! Be that as it may, Christ will be
glorified. The apostle thus unites his work and the reward in the day of
Christ with the blessing of the assembly. He would not be separated from it
in his death. This union of heart and faith is very touching. He presents
himself as capable of being poured out (that is to say, his life) upon the
sacrifice and service of the Philippians' faith. They had shewn their
devotedness to Christ in thinking even of His servant; and he looks upon
all their faith as an offering to the Saviour and to God; looking at them,
Christ's people, as the substance of the offering, the great thing, himself
only as a libation-his life poured out upon the offering. Perhaps his life
would be poured out in the service of the gospel, to which they consecrated
themselves on their part, and be a seal to this offering of theirs, which
was dedicated to God by this sacred bond with the apostle. He rejoiced, if
it were so, that his life was poured out: it would crown his work for the
Gentiles. He desires too that they also in the same spirit should rejoice
in the same thing. It was all one thing, their faith and his, and their
common service, offered to God, and well-pleasing to Him; and the most
exalted proof of it should be the source of the most sacred joy. This world
was not the real scene of that which was going on: what we behold here in
connection with the divine work is but the outside. The apostle speaks this
language of faith, which ever sees things as before God.
Nevertheless his watchful care did not cease, although he committed the
Philippians to God. It is always thus. The love and the faith which commit
everything to God do not cease to think according to God of that which is
dear to Him. Thus in 1 John, chapter 2, the apostle, while saying that the
little children in Christ needed not that any one should teach them, yet
instructs them with all tenderness and foresight. Here also the apostle,
full of holy solicitude for these souls who were dear to Christ, hopes soon
to send Timotheus that he may know their state. But the condition of things
is evident. He sends Timotheus because he had no one else in whose heart
the same feelings towards them flowed forth from the same spring of love.
All sought their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. What an exercise
for faith! But what an occasion for its exercise!
Still, with regard to Timotheus, these beloved Philippians should receive
him with a heart that responded to the apostle's confidence. They knew how
he had served Paul in the gospel The bonds of love in the gospel are but
the stronger-God be praised-when all grows cold. And observe, that God
carried on His work, when as to the common testimony of the assembly,
everything failed through a coldness which oppressed the apostle's heart;
for God does not weary in His work. This bond however does not fail here
with the Philippians either. As soon as Paul knew how it would go with
himself, he would send Timotheus to them; but, as he had said, he had
confidence in the Lord that he himself should come shortly.
But there was also Epaphroditus, who had come from the Philippians to carry
their testimonial of affection to the apostle; and who, the faithful
instrument and expression of their love, had risked his own life and
suffered from dangerous sickness, in order to accomplish their service.
This fine testimony of christian love breaks out here on every side.
Epaphroditus so counts upon the love of the Philippians, that he is much
troubled, because they had heard he was sick. He reckons on the feeling
they had towards him-the place he had in their affections. Would it not be
thus with an affectionate son, who knew that his mother had heard such
tidings of him? He would hasten to inform her of his recovery, in order to
tranquillise a heart whose love he knew. Such is christian affection,
tender and simple, confiding, because pure and unsuspicious, and walking in
the light of God-walking with Him and in the affections which Christ had
consecrated as man. Divine love, no doubt, goes higher; but brotherly love,
which acts before men and as the fruit among men of that divine love,
displays itself thus in grace.
The apostle responds to this affection of the Philippians for him who
taught them and laboured in the Lord for them (the Holy Ghost also
remembers it here), and he sends back Epaphroditus, encouraging and seeking
to sustain this feeling in the heart of the Philippians. He takes part in
it himself, and brings into it God's own tender love. Paul would have had
sorrow upon sorrow (and he had much already), if the Philippians had lost
their beloved servant and messenger by means of the services he had
rendered them; but God had spared Epaphroditus and the apostle himself. He
would however have them assured of it by the presence of Epaphroditus again
among them; and thus the apostle's own heart freed from all anxiety, would
be also relieved. What a picture of mutual love and kind solicitude!
And observe the ways in which God, according to the apostle, takes part in
it. What are presented to us here are His compassions, not the counsels of
His love, but compassions worthy of God, and affections of which He
approves among men. These affections and this value for labourers are
sometimes feared; and so much the more so, because the assembly has in fact
to disentangle itself from all false dependence on man. But it is in the
entire failure of manifested strength and outward organised bond, through
the apostle's absence, that the Spirit of God develops the play of these
inward affections and bonds for the instruction of the assembly; as he
acknowledges all that remains of the ruins of its primitive position and
its outward bonds. He does not create these anew; but he acknowledges that
which still exists. It is only the first verse of the epistle which speaks
of this-no more was needed; but the inward bonds he develops largely, not
as doctrine, but as fact. God Himself, the apostle, his faithful Timotheus,
the valued servant of the Philippians, who was so dear to them, and the
fellow-labourer of Paul, the servant of the Lord, the Philippians
themselves, all have their part in this precious and beautiful chain of
love. The graciousness of the christian life is thus developed in every
part of this chapter; the delicacy of his reproof of the spirit of
division; his sending Timothy when he can let them know how it went with
him, but Epaphroditus at once because they had heard he had been sick. This
graciousness, and consideration of others, note, connects itself with a
Christ who humbles Himself. A lowly Christ humbling Himself from
Godhead-form down to death, is the spring oflowly graciousness; an exalted
One sought in glory, the spring of energy which counts all to be dross and
dung to win Him.
After all it was in the Lord Himself that they had to rejoice, and the
apostle now puts them on their guard against that which had eaten away the
life of the assembly, and produced the painful fruits that filled his heart
with anguish, and the deplorable consequences of which we see at this day,
even as he foretold-consequences which will yet ripen for the judgment of
God. Be this as it may, the Lord does not change. "Rejoice," he says, "in
the Lord." There all is sure.
That which might prevent their thus rejoicing is developed, as well as the
true knowledge of Christ, which preserves us from it: not here according to
the doctrine and the practice that belong to the high position of the
assembly's union with a glorified Christ as His body, nor according to the
unity which flows from it. This is the subject of the Ephesians. Neither is
it according to the urgent necessity of cleaving to the Head, because all
fulness is in Him. This is the instruction of the epistle to the
Colossians. But, in accordance with the general character of the epistle,
the subject is here treated in connection with the personal experiences of
the Christian, and, in particular, of the apostle. Accordingly-as was seen
in his personal combats and sorrow-he finds himself on the road to the full
enjoyment of this object whom he has learnt to know, and the state which
his heart desires. This ought to be the Christian's experience, for, if I
am united by the Spirit to the Head as a member of the body of Christ, and
if by faith I apprehend this union, it is none the less true that my
personal experience (although this faith is its basis) is necessarily in
connection with the paths which I follow in order to reach the glory this
entitles me to. Not that the sentiments awakened by that which I encounter
on this path either falsify or contradict my position in Christ, or destroy
the certainty of my starting-point. But, while possessing this certainty,
and because I possess it, I know that I have not in fact reached the result
of this position in glory. Now, in this epistle, we are on the road, we are
individualised in our relations with God; for experience is always
individual, although our union with each other as members of Christ forms a
part of this experience.
