This Sunday Chapel Time study takes a look at the book of Philippians. The apostle Paul wrote this letter to the church in Philippi—the first Christian community Paul started during his travels as a missionary.

Philippi was originally a Roman colony located in ancient Macedonia. Home to many retired soldiers, it was known for its patriotic nationalism. As such, followers of Jesus were met with resistance—and later suffered persecution—when they proclaimed that Jesus was the true King of the world. However, despite the persecution, the Philippian church remained a vibrant, faithful community. 

Paul himself was in prison when he wrote this letter and was also being persecuted at the time. He wrote this letter to encourage the Philippian church in their suffering and persecution.

Observation

For today’s passage, we are going to be reading Philippians 2:3-11. This is an inductive Bible study, which means we’ll study the passage in three stages: 1) Observation, 2) Interpretation, and 3) Application. The first discussion question will focus on “Observation.” It’s looking at only what the passage says. We’re not thinking about the meaning, other parts of the Bible, or anything. Just focus on what is literally written in this passage. 

You can read this passage on your own or in a group, and think about this question:

There are more people mentioned than you may have realized at first. There’s “you,” referring to the reader. There are also “others,” “Jesus,” “God the Father,” and “every person.” 

“You,” the reader, originally referred to the church in Philippi. But you are also the reader, so now you’re part of this passage, too! But the reader here isn’t necessarily doing anything yet. Rather, this passage—specifically verses 3-5—says what the reader should do. The Philippian church (and us) should not do things selfishly or conceitedly. The reader should be humble and put others above themselves. The reader should think about the interests of others as well as themselves. And finally, the reader should have the same attitude as Jesus. 

“Others” simply refers to the object of the actions the reader should be doing. Think of others, put others above ourselves, etc.

“Jesus” plays a pretty important role here. In verses 6-9, Paul writes about all of the things Jesus did during his life. Jesus is God, but humbly made himself into a human—a servant, at that. Jesus then became obedient to God, to the point of dying on the cross. And finally, Jesus was exalted to the highest place in heaven, and given the name that is above all other names.

“God the Father” is also a big one. God’s actions are listed in verses 9 and 11. God is the person that exalts Jesus to the highest place and gives Jesus the name above all names. And at the very end of the passage, all the glory goes to God the Father. 

But what about “every person?” In verses 10-11, it says that “every knee will bow” and “every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” This is what every person in heaven, on earth, and under the earth will do when they hear Jesus’ name. 

Interpretation

But what does it all mean? That’s where we do “Interpretation.” Take some time to think about this next discussion question:

Let’s start with the latter part of the passage: verses 6-11. This part is basically Jesus’ life in a nutshell. Paul mentions Jesus’ godly nature—how he’s equal to God. Then he touches on Jesus being made in human likeness as a servant, followed by his obedience to God when he died on the cross. It then finishes with Jesus’ exaltation to “the highest place,” referring to his ascension as King over the heavens and the earth, and all of creation.

Verses 3-4 are Paul’s instructions on how we should view others and serve them. They are practical actions that we can live out every day. And in verse 5, Paul tells the reader that they should emulate Jesus’ life with their own, having the same attitude as him towards all things. We should have Christ-like humility, lowering our own status and making ourselves nothing, as seen in verses 3 and 8. We should serve not only ourselves but also others, just as Christ became a servant to others, which is supported in verses 3-4, and verse 7.

And finally, we should be obedient to God through all suffering, including death, as mentioned in verse 8. Jesus was exalted for his obedience; so too will we rise with Christ after death (Ephesians 2:6). Jesus’ life brought God glory. Our lives also give God glory when we follow the path of Jesus.

Application

But how can we practice these behaviors in our own lives? That’s where we move to step three of the inductive Bible study process: “Application.” Consider this last discussion question:

If you had trouble thinking of real, tangible actions you could do to practice these qualities, I have a few ideas.

• If you want to practice humility:
  • Every day this week, think of the positive attributes of someone, and how they are a blessing to your life and their community.
• If you want to practice service:
  • Do a random act of kindness to someone else (with no benefit for yourself) every day this week.
• If you want to practice obedience:
  • When someone tells you to do something (boss, parent, etc.), don’t complain, grumble, or give an excuse. Simply do it, knowing that it helps the other person and pleases them.

You don’t have to do these specific actions. They are merely suggestions if you’re unsure where to start. I encourage you to practice at least one of these attributes this week as you seek to live a life like Christ.