The Gospel-Shaped Life: Humbly Hold Others in High Regard

THE GOSPEL-SHAPED LIFE: HUMBLY HOLD OTHERS IN HIGH REGARD

An Exposition of Philippians 2:3-5 (Part 1)

By Pastor Brian Wilbur

Date:   May 6, 2018

Series: Philippians: Gospel Partnership on Mission in the World

Note:   Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

INTRODUCTION

Just a few minutes ago we participated in Holy Communion. We remembered our Lord’s self-giving love: He, the High King of heaven, became a Man, bore our sins, and laid down His life as an atoning sacrifice. He gave Himself for us! He Himself is our life, nourishment, and strength.

There is, of course, something utterly unique about who Jesus is and what He has done. He alone is the Lord of glory, and He alone is worthy of the worship and obedience of the whole universe. He alone is the Lamb of God who died as a sacrifice for sin, and He alone brings true peace with God to wretched guilty sinners like us. He alone is the sovereign King over heaven and earth, and He alone is the glorious Head of His Church and gracious Chief Shepherd of His flock. He alone, with the Father and the Spirit, is glorified and worshiped as God Almighty, forever and ever, amen.

That said, what we learn throughout the Bible – and certainly here in Paul’s Letter to the Philippians – is that even though Jesus is unique in His divine status and divine accomplishments, He has also given us an example to imitate. He is the Pioneer who has blazed a trail for His people to follow after. When a sinner is born again and becomes a child of God, that sinner-turned-saint enters into a profound relational fellowship with Jesus and with Jesus’ people. The Holy Spirit mediates and energizes this inter-personal fellowship. In this fellowship with Christ, the Church and all her members are transformed from the inside out and increasingly conformed to the pattern established by Christ.

What is this pattern? Well, much could be said about it, but right now we want to remind ourselves of the pattern that the apostle Paul is teaching us in Philippians 2. In verse 2, Paul tells us to be a like-minded church community: “being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” In verse 3, Paul tells us that this like-minded mindset involves humbly holding our Christian brothers and sisters in high regard. In verse 4, Paul tells us that this like-minded mindset involves being attentive to the interests of our fellow Christians. In verse 5, Paul tells us that this like-minded mindset is directly connected to the profound relational fellowship that we have with Christ: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). When you combine verse 5 with verses 6-8, the basic idea is clear: As Christians, our like-minded mindset is to be patterned after the mindset of Jesus,

“who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8)    

Jesus did not think of His exalted divine status in heaven and all the privileges that pertain to it as something to use for His own private benefit. Instead, being fully aware of His sovereign glory and power, He did exactly what verse 4 tells us to do: He considered “the interests of others.” He left His high station in heaven and willingly lowered Himself by becoming a human servant on earth. He became a true Man. He walked in our shoes, so to speak, and in His manhood He lived as a servant. It is the nature of servanthood to humbly place oneself under God, and it is the nature of humble servanthood to render obedience to God, and it is the nature of humble obedient servanthood to stay the course whatever the cost, even if that cost is “death on a cross.” In all this, Jesus faithfully served His Father and, at the same time, He faithfully served us by doing that which was necessary for our salvation.

So, the mindset of Jesus is not ego-centric or comfort-centric or convenient-centric; the mindset of Jesus is not to “grasp” for reasons not to serve, not to sacrifice, not to help others; the mindset of Jesus is not narrow self-interest. Instead, the mindset of Jesus is an eagerness to serve others, a willingness to humble Himself for the sake of lifting others up, and a heartfelt devotion to advancing the will of God through complete and costly obedience. In a sentence, the mindset of Jesus is: humble, obedient, and sacrificial servanthood that is centered in devotion to the Father and expresses itself in gracious care for other people. That is the mindset of Jesus, and verse 5 tells us that His mindset should be our mindset, and verses 3-4 give us two specific ways in which this patterned-after-Jesus mindset should be expressed within the church community. This Lord’s Day we will take opportunity to ponder verse 3.

THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT

Although our focus will be upon verse 3, let me read Philippians 2:3-5. Brothers and sisters, hear the life-giving words that God has given to us, and receive these words into your heart.

³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus… (Philippians 2:3-5)

THREE REASONS TO PUT VERSE 3 INTO PRACTICE

Before we unpack verse 3, let me give you three reasons why each and every one of us ought to put verse 3 into practice.

The first reason each of us ought to put verse 3 into practice is because it is commanded. This is obvious but should not be overlooked. Verse 3 is not a sentimental suggestion to be a little bit less selfish, but is straightforward instruction to be obeyed.

The second reason all of us ought to put verse 3 into practice is because our Lord has set the example for us. This is the point of verses 5-8: Christ’s mindset should become our mindset. If someone were to ask, ‘Why should I live this way?’, one excellent answer would be that King Jesus lived this way, and since King Jesus is our King and He calls us to follow Him, then we ought to be faithful servants of our King by following His example. As the apostle John taught us: “whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:6).

The third reason we ought to put verse 3 into practice is because congregational unity is impossible without it. When we read verse 3, we must not forget the instruction which comes right before in verse 2: “complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” Likewise Philippians 1:27 called us to “[stand] firm in one spirit” and “with one mind [to strive] side by side for the faith of the gospel.” We will never do life together in deep spiritual unity without verse 3 being put into practice. Verse 3 tells us to “[do] nothing from rivalry or conceit” and to humbly “count others more significant than yourselves.” How shall we abide together in congregational unity if each member is pursuing his own private agenda? How shall we function together in harmony if each individual part is proudly promoting the glory of self? How shall we work together as a team if each person looks down his nose at his teammates? G. Walter Hansen comments, “When Christians are fighting against each other, rather than side by side, unity is lost.” I would add: When Christians are simply disinterested in each other, unity is lost.

As I have said before, verses 3-4 tell us what church unity looks like in practice. Moisés Silva says that the humble service of verses 3-4 is actually “the key to unity”.[2] He is right: verse 2 unity cannot be cultivated and sustained unless each of us humbly seeks to show honor to all the others who are part of the fellowship.  

DO NOTHING FROM RIVALRY OR CONCEIT

This call to humility begins with a word about what not to do: “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit.” While this instruction is certainly applicable to all of life (e.g., marriage, family, workplace), we must remember that Paul’s primary concern in this passage is the unity of the congregation’s life and mission. So the idea is this: with respect to your involvement in the church’s fellowship, with respect to your participation in the church’s worship, with respect to your various roles in the church’s ministry, with respect to your ongoing relationships with your fellow Christians throughout the week, you should never do anything that is motivated by a spirit of “rivalry or conceit.”

To act “from rivalry” is to act from an attitude of “selfish ambition”[3]  over against your fellow believers. Rivalry involves an unhealthy competitive streak in which you are seeking to score points for your own ego, and to score these points at the expense of your Christian brothers and sisters. If you are ruled by selfish ambition, then you will jockey for position. You will be like “Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first” (3 John 9). You will insist on your own way in direct contradiction of true love which “does not insist on its own way” (1 Corinthians 13:5). You will not care about the church getting ahead with what God wants, but instead you will only care about you getting ahead with what you want. You would have others recognize your superiority and fall in line behind you.

Where there is rivalry, there also is conceit. To act “from … conceit” is to seek after your own glory. You put yourself on a pedestal, and expect others to honor you. You have a high opinion of yourself, and you’re shocked that others don’t share your opinion! You not only jockey for position, you also jockey for praise. You crave words of affirmation and admiration. You calculate and maneuver in order to be seen and heard, and to be thought well of. You don’t care about the team winning the game, what you really care about is you winning the MVP. As far as you are concerned, a ‘good church’ is a church that shines the spotlight on your contributions and defers to all of your wise opinions.

Now just think about how antithetical this is to the fundamental priorities that Paul has been speaking about in Philippians. Paul wants the gospel to advance, but the person driven by “rivalry or conceit” only wants to advance his own personal honor. Paul wants Christians to advance in the gospel, but the person fueled by selfish ambition or “vainglory”[4] only wants to enhance his own individual status. The proud person’s desire is not the purity of Christ’s body but the promotion of his own brand. Dear churchgoer, what are you seeking to advance? The things that God wants, or the things that you want?

When Paul says, “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit,” he is teaching the same idea that Jesus taught when He told us to “take up [our] cross” and die to ourselves (see Luke 9:23). The Son of God “[took] the form of a servant” and as a human servant “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” The Lord of glory says to us that if we would truly follow Him, then we must “deny [our self] and take up [our] cross daily and follow [him]” (Luke 9:23). The “same mind” which we are called to have as a church community is a mind that is joyfully surrendered to something that is far greater than our self. Our mind, heart, and soul is to be surrendered to the cause of the gospel, the growth of the church, and the care of the church’s members.

Think for a moment about what this means practically. South Paris Baptist Church is a church family that consists of around 150 people, including kids. Now that’s a lot of people. Consider all of the backgrounds and experiences, opinions and perspectives, preferences and tastes, feelings and frustrations, disappointments and dreams, that are represented in just 150 people. These 150 people have many thoughts about what constitutes a good worship service, or a good song set, or a good sermon, or a good leadership structure, or a good communication system, or a good prayer ministry, or a good Sunday School class, or good outreach into our community, or good care for members in need. And the question you’ve got to ask is: are you a team player who is ‘all in’ to your team and is keeping your eyes on the Team Owner Jesus Christ? We are not here to negotiate the ten thousand thoughts and feelings in this church family and somehow reach a working compromise that is somewhat agreeable to a majority. We are not here to negotiate anything! We are not here to see how much of my “rivalry or conceit” agenda I can push through! This isn’t Congress! This is the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ! We are here to be totally surrendered to the will of God, and this attitude of surrender to God’s will has a direct bearing on how we view one another.

WE MUST SEE OTHERS RIGHTLY BEFORE WE CAN SERVE OTHERS RIGHTLY

Before we talk about all the things that we should do for one another and all the ways in which we should serve one another, we need to first talk about how we see one another. Seeing others rightly comes before serving others rightly. If the Lord pulled back the curtain on all the motivations that lie behind people’s deeds of service, it would be sobering to realize how much service is motivated by self-seeking pride, greed, and insecurity. If we would serve other people’s interests in a God-pleasing way, we must first of all see other people in a God-pleasing way: “in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Or, as the New King James Version puts it, “in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Philippians 2:3 NKJV). As you can see, this way of seeing other people is rooted in the attitude of humility.

HUMBLE SELF-REGARD

Humility, or lowliness of mind, entails a sober assessment of one’s self and one’s own value. Paul wrote elsewhere: “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment… (Romans 12:3) You ought to think of yourself in a certain way, “with sober judgment” that has been learned in the school of God’s mercy and grace (see Romans 12:1-5). The perennial temptation to pride is the temptation to think too highly of myself, to be overly impressed with myself, to live in a self-absorbed world where everyone and everything else revolves around me and my perceived importance and influence.

But when we encounter the living God, our pride gets shattered – and if your pride has not yet been shattered, then you have not yet encountered the living God.[5] For when we meet God in the glory of His saving grace, our conceit gets broken and a new humility begins to grow in our heart. We learn that our most fundamental duty as human beings is to “walk humbly with [our] God” (Micah 6:8). And as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“Thus says the LORD:

“Heaven is my throne,

and the earth is my footstool;

what is the house that you would build for me,

and what is the place of my rest?

All these things my hand has made,

and so all these things came to be,

declares the LORD.

But this is the one to whom I will look:

he who is humble and contrite in spirit

and trembles at my word.””

(Isaiah 66:1-2)

The God who spoke the universe into existence speaks to His creatures, and the only sensible response is to bow down before the divine majesty and be overwhelmed by the weight of His powerful words. He is the great and glorious Creator and Redeemer, but what are we? “Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail.”[6] He is holy, but we are ordinary. He is strong, but we are weak. He is righteous, but we are sinful. He is utterly self-sufficient, but we are totally dependent upon Him for the next breath, the next heartbeat, the next step, and for every good and needful gift. There is nothing that we have, that we have not received from Him (see 1 Corinthians 4:7) – whether we recognize it or not. And what did the holy, strong, righteous, and utterly self-sufficient Lord of glory do for us ordinary, weak, sinful, and needy creatures? He “emptied himself” (Philippians 2:7) and “he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). The humility and self-sacrifice of Jesus is the ultimate death-blow to our pride. It has been well said, “It is a humbling thing to be died for.”[7] And if my Sovereign King has spilled His blood to redeem me from sin and death, then how can I go on my merry way and say ‘Look at me, look at me, look at me’? That would make no sense, right? Isaac Watts captured the transforming effect of the cross:

“Thus might I hide my blushing face

While His dear cross appears,

Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,

And melt my eyes to tears.

“But drops of grief can ne’er repay

The debt of love I owe:

Here, Lord, I give myself away,

‘Tis all that I can do.”[8]

It is at the cross that a self-seeking sinner begins to get transformed into a humble servant. This humble servanthood, as exemplified in Jesus, gets worked out vertically as a servant of God and horizontally as a servant of others. As I said earlier, the mindset of Jesus is a humble, obedient, sacrificial servanthood that is centered in devotion to the Father and expresses itself in gracious care for other people. In other words, love God with all you’ve got, and love one another as Christ has loved you.

So, our humility before God must get expressed in humility toward others. We realize, as Christians, that we are part of something a lot bigger than our own individual salvation. To be saved is a wonderful thing, but to be saved is to be saved into God’s family, and to become part of the Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered fellowship of the living God: we are partners together in the gospel, we share life together by the power of the Holy Spirit, and we enjoy this rich giving and receiving and collaborating as members who belong to each other in the one body of Christ. The attitude that each one of us must have and cultivate is humble self-regard, in which we are unconcerned about our own individual status or recognition or position, but are grateful to be an imitator of Christ and be clothed with His humility. As such, we don’t think in terms of self-esteem or self-promotion. Instead, the great concerns of our heart are the glory of God and the good of other people. Not self-promotion, but God promotion and gospel promotion! Not self-esteem, but others-esteem: “in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Philippians 2:3 NKJV).

HUMBLY HOLD YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN HIGH REGARD

God’s design for His people is that we do life together, and that we express His love and grace in our relationships with each other. Once we are humbled by all that God has graciously done on our behalf, then in that posture of humility we are able to “count others” a certain way: “in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”  

Remember that counting or considering or reckoning is an activity of the mind. Jesus “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped” (Philippians 2:6) In verse 6, Jesus had to count His own position a certain way, and in wonderful grace He did not count His high position as a reason not to serve. Now in verse 3, Paul is telling us that we need to count the position of others a certain way. The assumption is that we have already counted our own position a certain way: we have rejected rivalry, selfish ambition, conceit, and pride; we have rejected any claim to promote ourselves or our own petty agendas; and we have embraced the humble position of a lowly servant. Having done this, or at least as we are on the journey of learning to do this, now we must go on to count the position and value of others a certain way: “count others more significant than yourselves.”

The basic attitude is clear and straightforward: you are happy to be a servant in the household of God, and as far as you are concerned everyone else is “more significant” than you are. You look around you and you see a sanctuary full of VIPs (i.e., Very Important Persons) – God’s dearly loved children – and you feel the weight of their significance and value, and frankly you’re just glad to be among them and be a “servant of all.” As Jesus said, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35). You count it a privilege to be a servant of all these VIPs who are part of your church family, part of your small group, and part of your ministry team.

“Count others more significant than yourselves.” In order to dig more deeply into what this means, let’s be clear on what this instruction doesn’t mean. Humbly holding others in high regard has nothing to do with knowledge or skill. Philippians 2:3 is not saying that we should blindly regard others as wiser or more talented than we are. Matt should not esteem me as a better or more knowledgeable farmer than he is. Paige should not esteem you as a wiser or more skillful organist than she is – unless you truly are, which is unlikely. The instruction here is about how we view people in terms of their essential value and worth, not in terms of their relative abilities. In a similar vein, humbly holding others in high regard has nothing to do with one’s social status or social position, either. Paul would have expected all Christians, whether they were rich or poor, whether they were a citizen of the Roman Empire or a lowly slave, whether they had a religious background or a pagan background, whether they were old or young, whether they were male or female, whether they were an elder or a deacon or an ordinary member of the church, Paul would have expected all of them to obey verse 3 without partiality. There is no use in pretending that these differences in social status or social position don’t exist, just like there is no use in pretending that differences in abilities don’t exist. Of course these differences exist! But the humble heart knows that these differences have nothing whatsoever to do with how we esteem other people. People’s value is not based on how much they know, how much they can do, how much status they have in the world, what office they hold, or what kind of job they have. You “count others more significant than yourselves” because your pride has been cut down by the grace of God, and He calls you to be a conduit of His grace to others. And one critically important way to convey grace to others is by placing high value upon them and honoring them above yourself.[9]

Paul models this others-esteem in Philippians. Paul addresses the Philippians as “saints” (Philippians 1:1; i.e., holy ones). Paul sees them as partners in the gospel (Philippians 1:5). Paul sees a church community in which God is graciously at work (Philippians 1:6). In Philippians 4:1 Paul writes, “Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.” In all these ways Paul recognizes and conveys the value that the Philippians have in his sight and in God’s sight. And he is not doing this in some kind of calculating way to manipulate them by flattery, but his heart “[yearns for them all] with the affection of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:8).

How do you see your fellow Christians?

Do you see your fellow Christians this way? It is not enough to merely affirm the theological value of others in your head, but their value must be an embraced and felt reality in your heart. Take a moment to look around the sanctuary. What do you see? Do you see God’s holy ones? Do you see Christ’s beloved people? Do you see Spirit-filled participants and collaborators in gospel ministry? Do you see precious brothers and sisters who are part of God’s family, precious members of the body of Christ, precious fellow soldiers who are alongside you in the battle? Do you see their value and feel the weight of their worth as image-bearers of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Or do you see people that you like to size up by age, health, occupation, intelligence, and skill? Do you see strangers you hardly know – or strange people you don’t really want to know? Do you see men and women whose stories you do not know, and whose stories you will not know, because you do not care to know? Do you see folks that you have no intention of inviting into your heart, your life, and your home? Do you see people that you tolerate because you have to, even as you have every intention of keeping them at arm’s length? Do you see endless fodder for your critical and gossipy tongue? Do you see reasons not to honor others (I mean, who wants to honor a bunch of unremarkable misfits like this)? But do not forget the great love of God: “… while we were still weak, … Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6); “… while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Our excuses not to honor others fall apart at the foot of the cross.

How will we ever be a community “striving side by side” (Philippians 1:27) and “being in full accord and of one mind” (Philippians 2:2), if we keep to ourselves and our own little click and outside that little click we don’t “count others more significant than [ourselves]”? What binds a healthy church community together is not only a shared commitment to the same doctrine and mission (as vitally important as these are), but also a shared commitment to each other – a mindset in which everyone places a high value on everyone else. What a calling! No one lives the Christian life in isolation from the body, no one is too proud to lean into congregational life, no one is preoccupied with self-esteem, and everyone is occupied with esteeming and honoring others. Since everyone is “[counting] others more significant than [self],” since everyone is holding everyone else in high regard, that means everyone gets an abundance of blessing. As Jesus taught, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). So you’re blessed because you’re giving honor to others. And you’re also blessed because other people are giving honor to you. And when we are honoring one another in this way, this mindset to honor others will naturally overflow into practical care for one another.

THREE APPLICATIONS

Let me conclude with three brief applications.

First, some of you already get verse 3 and, though you be imperfect, you really do hold your brothers and sisters in high regard. My encouragement to you is to enlarge your application and let your humble disposition to honor others overflow into more relationships. What I mean is that you may only know half the congregation, and the half you don’t know happens to include some folks who are disconnected or discouraged, and if you would simply engage with them as a humble servant who would give them a sense of their value, you would do them a world of good. Invite more people into your life, that you might honor them.

Second, if you’re a stuck-in-your-own-little-world Christian, or got-to-have-it-your-way Christian, or look-down-your-nose-at-others Christian, then you really need to stop. God would have you be a brother or sister with a large heart who lifts others up, but you are always retreating to your own bubble of isolation or your own babbling talk show. Do you see the instruction? Do you see the example of Christ our Savior? Do you see God’s design for deep spiritual unity in the congregation’s fellowship and mission? Withhold your heart no longer, and take the plunge into the body of Christ in a practical and relational way. 

Third, I’ve got an encouragement for anyone who is afraid that living verse 3 will make you vulnerable to hurt. The reason you fear that it makes you vulnerable to hurt is the possibility of unreciprocated honor. Verse 3 (as well as verse 4) call you, individual Christian, to be a humble servant who lifts others up and looks out for their interests. And if everyone does that to all the others, then all will be lifted up and looked out for. But what if you’re the only one who does it, and you’re always giving, giving, giving, but no one is giving to you? Maybe this is how you feel right now – you’re valuing others, but they’re not valuing you. What then? Well, two things. Verse 3 ought to be joyfully obeyed, even if you’re the only one who obeys it. Holding others in high regard is the fruit of humility, and it is not dependent on others doing likewise. But the more important thing to say here is that if by God’s grace you excel in humble self-giving love toward others, and the honor and love you show is typically not reciprocated, then know this: you will have a better grasp of the Savior’s self-giving love for His people. He gave everything for us, and by comparison we give so little in return, and yet His love remains steadfast and sure. So, banking on His love, go and do likewise: “count others more significant than yourselves,” lean in and give, and leave everything else in the hands of God.

Let us pray.

ENDNOTES

[1] Hansen, G. Walter. The Letter to the Philippians (Pillar New Testament Commentary). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009: p. 97.

[2] Silva, Moisés. Philippians: Second Edition (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament). Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005: p. 87.

[3] The word translated “rivalry” in the ESV is translated “selfish ambition” in the NIV and NKJV.

[4] The word translated “conceit” in the ESV is translated “vainglory” in the KJV.

[5] I am mindful of Paul Washer’s analogy about a logging truck. If it is impossible to get hit by a fast-moving logging truck without your life being radically changed, then how much more impossible is it to encounter God, who is far greater than a logging truck, without your life being radically changed.

[6] From the hymn “O Worship the King” by Robert Grant.

[7] I heard this quote from Pastor Daniel Montgomery (Sojourn Community Church, Louisville, KY) in the early 2000s, but I doubt it originated with him. I have also seen the quote attributed to Peter Marshall, but I am not sure if it originated with him or someone else.

[8] From the hymn “Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed?” by Isaac Watts.

[9] “Honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10 NIV).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

NOTE: My inclusion of a bibliography reflects my interaction with other teachers in the preparation of my sermon. While the main part of my preparation involves my direct interaction with the biblical text, I find it helpful to invite other “discussion partners” into my preparation process. My mention of these teachers (writers, speakers, etc.) does not imply any particular level of agreement with them, nor does it constitute an endorsement of their work. That said, I am appreciative of those – past and present – who are seeking to faithfully teach God’s Word, and I am happy to benefit from their labor.

Boice, James Montgomery. Philippians: An Expositional Commentary. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000.

Calvin, John. Calvin’s Bible Commentaries: Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. Translated by John King. Forgotten Books: 2007 (orig. 16^th century).

Carson, D. A. Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1996.

Hansen, G. Walter. The Letter to the Philippians (Pillar New Testament Commentary). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009.

Hellerman, Joseph H. Embracing Shared Ministry: Power and Status in the Early Church and Why It Matters Today. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2013.

Silva, Moisés. Philippians: Second Edition (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament). Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005.