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Philippians 2 Commentary
Written and edited by Glenn Pease
PREFACE
The following commentary consists of my own thoughts combined with the thoughtsof the many authors both ancient and modern who have made comments on thismost important letter of Paul. I have quoted so many others because I have found ineach a unique way to convey the ideas that Paul is seeking to communicate.Sometimes I have not been able to give credit, and if anyone discovers the name of the author quoted and lets me know, I will gladly give credit where credit is due. If anyone does not want their quotes expressed in this commentary, they can let meknow as well, and I will delete them. My e-mail is glenn_p86@yahoo.com Thepurpose of this commentary is to bring the thoughts of many authors together in oneplace in order to save the Bible student a lot of time in research. All of the commentsare available to anyone, but it takes an enormous amount of time to read all of theresources. I have brought together what I feel are the best thoughts on the text inthis one place to save others the time. It is my pleasure to do so, and I use thesestudies myself to teach a class of about 20 people. The numbering system uses lettersas well as numbers because it gives me the freedom to add new material I discoverwithout doing the numbers all over. I welcome any comments, and I will add themto this commentary if they contribute new and valued insight.
1. If you have any encouragement from beingunited with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tendernessand compassion,
Other versions:Amplified: So by whatever [appeal to you there is in our mutual dwelling in Christ,by whatever] strengthening and consoling and encouraging [our relationship] inHim [affords], by whatever persuasive incentive there is in love, by whateverparticipation in the [Holy] Spirit [we share], and by whatever depth of affection andcompassionate sympathy, (Amplified Bible - Lockman)
 
Barclay: If the fact that you are in Christ has any power to influence you, if love hasany persuasive power to move you, if you really are sharing in the Holy Spirit, if youcan feel compassion and pity, (Westminster Press)Phillips: Now if your experience of Christ's encouragement and love meansanything to you, if you have known something of the fellowship of his Spirit, and allthat it means in kindness and deep sympathy (Phillips: Touchstone)Wuest: In view of the fact that there is a certain ground of appeal in Christ whichexhorts, since there is a certain tender persuasion that comes from divine love, inview of the fact that there is a certain joint-participation with the Spirit in acommon interest and activity, since there are certain tender heartednesses andcompassionate yearnings and actions. (Erdmans)1. Paul loved these people deeply, and because of that he wanted them to be thechurch that would give him the greatest joy, and the way they could do that is bybeing the greatest examples of Christ-likeness in their relationship to one another.He is here motivating them toward that goal by getting them to focus on what theyalready have in Christ. If they will count their blessings, it will motivate them to beunited in their love for one another. What are those blessings? Paul says first toconsider if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ. Who wouldnot be encouraged by the fact that they are saved for all eternity by being unitedwith the Savior? Paul is saying "if you are", but the implication is that obviouslyyou are. The same goes for if you have any comfort from his love. Of course youhave such comfort, and of course you have fellowship with the Spirit, and it isconspicuous that you have tenderness and compassion. Paul is saying it is obviousthat you have these blessings, and being that is the case. let these blessings motivateyou to be like-minded in love, spirit, and purpose.1B. It could be said, since you have these, for it is obvious that they would. It isinconceivable that any believer would not have encouragement in being united withChrist, and have comfort in His love, and fellowship with the Spirit. It is also likelythat they would have tenderness and compassion, but it is possible for Christians tolack this, and instead, be hard and indifferent to others needs. The first three haveto do with their relationship to God, but this fourth has to do with their own spiritin relation to others, and it is here where it is possible to fall short. It ought not to beif they have fellowship with the Spirit, for the fruit of the Spirit would give them thetenderness and compassion they should have. So it would seem that the reason theyfall short here is because their fellowship with the Spirit is weak. This fits the realityof what we know, for fellowship with the Spirit is the weakest aspect of the averageChristian’s life. You need to have fellowship with the Spirit to produce the fruit of the Spirit.1C. "Paul mentions things like consolation in Christ and comfort of love in amanner which suggests to us that they should all be obvious parts of the Christian'sexperience; to make his rhetorical point, he could have just as easily said, "if water
 
is wet, if fire is hot, if rocks are hard . . . "1D. "The word "if" which is used four times in verse 1 is the Greek word "ei". Itshould be translated as "since" because it means that each of these if-clauses is true.Paul knows four things about the Philippians. The first thing he knows is that theyare encouraged in their unity with Christ to be able to cope with the undeservedsuffering identified in the previous verses. Secondly, he knows that they havecomfort ("paramuthion") from Christ's love ("agape") which provides them withHis solace in times of trouble. This enables them to have a forgive-and-forgetattitude when they are wronged. Thirdly, he knows that they are indwelled by theHoly Spirit, and that they submit to His control. Fourthly, he knows that theypossess tenderness ("splagchnon") and compassion ("oiktirmos") for others. Thisword for tenderness deserves some explanation since it actually means "intestines,bowels, or stomach". In the ancient world, this part of the body was considered tobe the center of one's emotions, as we might use the word "heart" today. It isreasonable that the ancients would think that the emotions were centered in theabdominal area since that is where we can indeed feel emotions of stress or anxiety.Have you ever had butterflies in your stomach when you were nervous? So this termrefers to the emotional affection, kindness, and goodwill we experience towardothers. The word for compassion means pity or mercy for others in agony--anemotional sympathy." Unknown author1E. Coffman wrote, "Collectively, the fourfold premise of this verse adds up to this:"Look, if there is anything at all to your Christianity ...!" If ..."This is rhetoricaland in no way expresses doubt. Paul was here appealing to those very things whichhe considered most certain in the area of Christian experience. This was a commonHebrew method of making a statement in the affirmative, as when Jesus said, "If Igo, I shall come again" (John 14:3), making the certainty of his going the pledge alsoof his Second Coming. Lightfoot paraphrased this quadruple list of "if's" thus: "If your experiences in Christ appeal to you with any force, if love exerts anypersuasive power upon you, if your fellowship in the Spirit is a living reality, if youhave any affectionate yearnings of heart, any tender feelings of compassion, listenand obey!"2. Paul is telling these people that they have all the ingredients for being idealChristians, and so they need to put these ingredients to work in showing him andthe world that human beings, by the grace of God, can overcome the naturalselfishness of human nature. They can become examples of how people can betransformed from being self-centered to become other centered just like their Saviorwas in laying down his life for them. There is no higher goal for believers to reachthan the goal of being like Jesus in his humility. If believers can humble themselveslike Jesus, and give up being selfish for the sake of the body, they have achieved agoal that would make Paul's joy complete, and the joy of the Lord as well. Most of this chapter is about reaching the heights by sinking the lowest. It is by humblingourselves in love for others, and by becoming servants so that we rise to the highest
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p3r

nice book good..

reply01 / 12 / 2010
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