In our review we come now to the Second Chapter of Paul’s letter to the Philippians on which I wrote 37 Bible Gems (1920 to 1957). As we ought to do with each new chapter, we spent some time looking at the relationship between the chapters and concluded they flow on from one another. The link between them is having the same mind, being like-minded, preserving unity in the body. Paul quickly moves to That Majestic Passage (Phil 2:5-11) on which I have written 26 Bible Gems. If you do nothing else, re-read those 26 Gems which cover Phil 2:5-11 (1923 to 1949). This passage of just seven verses is outstanding and requires your full attention. Following that we need to understand not to fall into the DIY Trap (Gems 1950-1954) of working out our own salvation. It can be read two ways and many times we take the wrong trail. Be careful.
From that point on Paul continues the idea of having the same mind as Christ Jesus and exemplifies it by using Epaphras and Timothy as two men who have the same mind as Christ and Paul. The rest of the ‘chapter’ hangs together well if we keep that theme in mind.
Now I wish to take you through That Majestic Passage in review. I really am amazed at what I have written in the Gems covering That Majestic Passage. Before I start writing each Gem I ask the LORD for help. Reading back in review I am staggered by what I have written. I found myself thinking “Where did that come from? My goodness, I didn’t know I had that in me.” Really the best thing you can do is reread each of the 26 Gems covering That Majestic Passage – i.e. don’t miss one! That is what I have been doing this week and it has been a wonderful experience. I have been aided in the process in looking out each morning on some pretty majestic landscape from the deck of two different friends’ houses. One looking out over Kawau Bay from a vantage point at Algies Bay and seeing the sun rise over the horizon and looking out on the Kaiwaka River Valley and seeing the mists which followed the river turn to fog and then be burned off by the sun to reveal the landscape with clarity. It was all very appropriate when piecing together Paul’s deep thoughts captured in That Majestic Passage. Take the time to go through each Gem and reflect. I have given you the passage in a Greek – English interlinearised version and then proceeded to unpack it line by line. To assist you and me in that I have laid it out in a propositional analysis format. Don’t let those words scare you. Just work your way through all 26 Gems one by one.
I attempted to explain Jesus as the morph of God in Gem 1926. Then I paid attention to Paul’s strange use of the word [harpagmon] which the KJV translates as robbery. In Gem 1928 I moved on to explain the concept further with the Gem Don’t . . . Limit me . . . No Prohibitions where I investigated that first prohibition in Genesis 3. I thought after Gem 1927 and 1928 “Wow, did I write that?” I dared to share with you in Gem 1928 my experience of shoplifting for the first and last time.
In Gem 1929 to 1931 I investigated the depth to which Christ emptied Himself. This is all to do with the technical theological term of the [kenōsis] of Christ. It has a number of layers to it which I delved into and shared one of my fun stories from going to the river in Bonelemo and what it really meant for Jesus to come as a human in a man’s body.
In Gem 1932 we start our investigation of the second sentence of these two Greek sentences found in Philippians 2:5-11 – That Majestic Passage. The second sentence leads us to understand the nature of Christ’s obedience to the will of God, the difference between God Gave Him A Name and The Name. In Gem 1936 I gave you three challenging questions and in Gem 1937 to 1940 I worked through the subtlety of the Greek text to explain the enormity of every knee bowing in or at the Name that is above every name. In Gem 1941 I changed the propositional analysis slightly in order to put Jesus in His rightful place. Following that from Gem 1942 to 1949 I took eight Gems to investigate what exactly was the Name that is above every Name. I looked at all the alternatives and brought us to the point of understanding the grandeur behind Paul’s statement.
If for some reason you don’t have time to look into all of the above (I really can’t think of a single good reason why that could possibly be the case in the light of eternity) then at least read these following Gems as a minimum.
Bible Gem 1927 – A Surprise in the Midst of the Majestic Passage (Phil 2:6)
Bible Gem 1928 – “Don’t . . . Limit Me . . . No Prohibitions” (Phil 2:6)
Bible Gem 1930 – To What Extent Did Jesus Empty Himself? (Phil 2:7)
Bible Gem 1931 – He Emptied Himself and Humbled Himself (Phil 2:7-8)
Bible Gem 1933 – Because of His Obedience . . . (Phil 2:9-11)
Bible Gem 1938 – ALL KNEES BOWING – Just Imagine It (Phil 2:10)
Bible Gem 1940 – Every Knee Bowing // Every Tongue Confessing (Phil 2:10-11)
Bible Gem 1947 – Is the Name Above Every Name “YHWH”?
Bible Gem 1949 – Jesus Messiah is LORD, ADONAI, YHWH, YAHWEH
Then to mop up the second chapter of Philippians look at:
Bible Gem 1951 – Avoiding the ‘Do-It-Yourself’ Trap (Phil 2:12-18)
Bible Gem 1957 – The Complexity of Three Christlike Minds (Phil 2:1-5; 12-30)
I trust reviewing these Gems above will bring greater clarity to your understanding of That Majestic Passage and to the second chapter of Paul’s letter to the Philippian Christians as it has to me.
Some selected pithy quotes from the review of Philippians 2.
Work on your understanding of these deep concepts piece by piece, word by word, line by line, concept by concept.
Ian Vail
The INFINITE squeezed HIMSELF down to the size of an infant.
Deron Spoo
A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, ‘darkness’ on the walls of his cell.
C S Lewis
The human race crave the experience of wonder (and surprise). There is no reality more breathtaking than Jesus Christ.
John Piper
I love John Piper’s quote. Glory is breathtaking and there is nothing more wonderful or surprising than experiencing Jesus Christ.
Yes, me too. It is so true at a deep, all encompassing level.