Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others (Philippians 2:3-4).

The New International Version (NIV) is usually a great translation; however, it appears the translator has failed in correctly translating these verses. It has left out the Greek word kai, which is often translated, "also." It should be placed in the second clause "but each of you ("also") to the interests of the others." Without this word, the text seems to instruct complete neglect of oneself to serving the interest of other people. When this word is included, the text instructs believers to look out for the interests of others even above one's personal interests but not to the complete neglect of one's own interests. It teaches the priority of serving others over oneself, but not the complete neglect of oneself. Every other modern translation includes kai and brings out this nuanced understanding of serving. 

The Bible does not teach asceticism, and biblical humility is not self-neglect. Jesus' instruction to "deny yourself" must be understood in the context of prioritizing following Jesus and serving others in Christ. The failure to understand this nuance has caused many to take extreme measures in self-deprivation, harsh diets, and monkish lifestyles. While Christ calls us to be "rich toward God," He does not necessarily call every believer to become materially poor. 

Every believer should use whatever material blessing or privilege they have to serve others in Christ. They should do this according to how God has created, called and gifted them. In this way, Christ perfectly fulfilled His calling, and we are to have the same mind in serving others as Christ. We cannot do what He did because only He could do it as the God-man; however, we can do what we can and according to our calling with the same mindset as Christ.

Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— (Philippians 3:2).

Who is Paul emphatically warning the Philippian believers against here? Is it not the same group that he also warned the Galatian, Ephesian, and Colossian believeres against? Scholars call these people "Judaizers," those that would try to convert Gentile believers into Jews by insisting that they needed to add to their faith the keeping of the Mosaic Law. We know that this is the group Paul had in mind in Philippians because he calls them "mutilators of the flesh" and "the circumcision," the signature identification of the Judaizers. These are likely the ones Paul also has in mind later in the epistle:

For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you evenweeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things (Philippians 3:18-19).

In what sense would the Judaizers be enemies of the cross of Christ and end in destruction? They were enemies because they taught a different gospel. In doing so, Paul said that they would be condemned to hell for it (cf. Galatians 1:6-8). 

In what sense did the Judaizers make their appetite their god? Instead of worshipping Christ, the fulfillment of the Law, they deified the symbols, like the regulations regarding food and drink and special days (cf. Colossians 2:16-17,19).

In what sense did the Judaizers glory in their shame? They did this when they exalted circumcision over the cross of Christ:

Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh. May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation (Galatians 6:12-15).

This is also how they were setting their minds on earthly things rather than the things of God, for this is what Jesus rebuked Peter for when Peter tried to dissuade Him from going to the cross (cf. Matthew 16:21-23). Paul expounds further on this in his letter to the Colossians:

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.  For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,  and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.  (Colossians 2:8-14).

Paul's warning to the Philippian believers here was not a warning against the influence of Gentile pagans but rather certain Jews that had infiltrated the church with a different Gospel, a gospel that sought to exchange the way of righteousness that comes by grace through faith with one that required obedience to the Mosaic Law. 

Friends, even today there are those that pervert the Gospel in this way. There are two predominant groups that do this. One group perverts the Gospel by promising prosperity, that is, the blessings associated with following the Mosaic Law. They are displacing the glory of the cross of Christ with an appeal to material benefits from the Law. Another group perverts the gospel by insisting that the Mosaic Law, especially the moral laws, are still in force for Christians. They are displacing the effective work of the Spirit with useless and vain regulations and rituals (cf. Colossians 3:20-23).

Both groups fail to recognize that we are no longer under the Old Covenant Mosaic Law. It is obsolete and has been replaced by the New Covenant of Grace in Christ (cf. Hebrews 8:6-13), which works by the in-working of the Holy Spirit rather than the folowing of the rules and regulations associated with the Mosaic Law (cf. Romans 7:6).

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21).

Paul's life revolved around His relationship with Christ. As Asaph wrote in Psalm 73:28, "Nearness to God is my good," Paul could likewise say, "Nearness to Christ is my good." Elsewhere Paul writes,

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me (Galatians 2:20).

Friends, many of us share Paul's testimony of faith, but do we also share His purpose for living? We are moved to joy and despair by so many things, our anxieties and ambitions seem to know no limits. But the most important thing, which far exceeds every earthly aspiration and trivializes every worldly distress, we too often forget or minimize; namely, God's complete acceptance of us in Christ Jesus. If we consider this even for a moment, every mountain in our lives would become as a molehill and every trial an ever-shrinking blip on our eternal timeline with Christ.

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Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose (Philippians 2:12-13).

What an amazing passage! Paul commands the Philippians to work out their salvation because God is working in them. There is no hypothetical situation here. Paul declares in no uncertain terms that God is working in the believers both in their willing and in their acting to fulfill His good purpose in them. This is not a "God helps those who help themselves" kind of exhortation. Paul is essentially saying, if you are saved, God is working in you. 

This is where the "fear and trembling" comes in. While it is not possible that God is not working in believers, it is possible that they are not truly believers. So Paul would wriite elsewhere,

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Paul does not merely speak of a reverent "fear" that every believer would naturally have for God. He also speaks of "trembling," which would only apply to those who stand outside of the gracious promise of God in Christ. Trembling would apply to those who fail the test of faith. This is also why Peter writes,

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:10-11).

If a person is saved, they are secure because God secures them; however, people need to examine themselves to make sure that they are indeed saved. If they do not continue in obedience to God's Word, the assurance of their salvation will be shaken. Peter speaks of goodness, knowledge, self-control, godliness, mutual affection, and love as validations for faith (2 Peter 1:5-11).

As wonderful as it is to know that God is working in us, guiding our wills and actions to achieve His good purpose, we ought to be diligent to work out what God works in us. In this way we can be assured of what God has secured for us. 

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Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body (Philippians 3:19-21).

We cannot read Paul without sensing the dissonance between heaven and earth, between earthly priorities and heavenly priorities. The things of heaven are always far better than anything on earth. The best that earth has to offer does not measure up to the least in heaven. And the worst that a believer may suffer on earth cannot compare to the glory that awaits them in heaven. Paul wants believers to have a heavenly frame of mind:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your  life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory (Colossians 3:1-4).

Friends, let us encourage each other in this, that we would live as citizens of heaven, conducting ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ (Philippians 1:27), doing nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility valuing others above ourselves (Philippians 2:3), even as we eagerly await our Savior, who will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorioius body (Philippians 3:20-21).

If you are a believer, there is no doubt that God is working in you (Philippians 2:13). And if God is working in you, then you are striving to obey Him. Let us encourage each other to continue to do this more and more, then each of us will be assured of our calling and election, even as we fulfill God's good purpose within us. 

 Paul writes to the church at Philippi a letter of encouragement, and one of the most astounding reflections about Christ's sacrifice.

(Phil 2:1-8)

1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

Paul was encouraged by the church at Philippi for their support of him and he reminds them to do nothing out of self ambition, but out of humility - valuing others above yourself. This is the life of a Christian - a life of service to others that they may be encouraged and unbelievers turned to God. Self-ambition even in context of serving God is unworthy of Christ. This type of ambition is for our glorification and puts us in the spot-light not Christ.

Paul writes that Christ, despite having equality with God, humbled himself as servant. This was quite a remarkable truth about our savior - that he "...did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life as Ransom for many" (Mark 10:45) . So we are to be like minded as Christ - having the same love, being one in spirit and mind and placing others above our self. That in the end that all men would know the Glory of God through Christ in us.

Friends, are any of you distressed because of uncertainties in your life? There are many verses in Philippians that reinforce a believer's hope. As we celebrate this season of hope, perhaps these few verses will reinforce yours:

"Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6)

Paul thanks God because of the faithful cooperation of the Philippians with him in the spreading of the Gospel. In giving thanks, he acknowledges that their "fellowship in the gospel" is only possible because of the unshakable certainty of God's work in them from the beginning of their salvation to its glorious conclusion. They are not relying on their uncertain faith, nor their imperfect works, but on God, who is all-powerful, unchanging, and never lies, and who promised to finish the work He began in them:

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).

This hope is for us as it was also for the Philippian believers. Whatever forces may be rattling you this Christmas season, may the Lord assure you of the security of your hope in Christ. In this world everything passes away, but the promises of God's Word, our hope, will never pass away:

All flesh is as grass, 
And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers,
And its flower falls away,
But the word of the LORD endures forever (1 Peter 1:24-25; Isaiah 40:8).

Our citizenship is in heaven and we eagerly await our redemption, that is the transformation of our imperfect, dysfunctional lives into one that is perfect and glorious:

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself (Philippians 3:20-21).

So let us surrender our griefs, our worries, our anger and frustration. Let us persevere amidst our suffering, loss, uncertainties and doubts, keeping the eyes of our hearts fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).

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Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).

Here is another word of comfort for those rattled by a sometimes ruthless and unforgiving world. Remember, Paul was writing this "in chains" from a Roman prison, facing the uncertainty of whether he would live or die. Adding to this, he heard that some believers were taking advantage of his detainment for their personal gain. So he wrote this letter, not as one with a bird's-eye view of suffering, but as one in the trenches: "Be anxious for nothing." Or in more mondern lingo, "Don't worry about anything."

Furthermore, he didn't merely give a platitude like "Don't worry. Be happy." No, he gave a very practical word that was grounded in a substantive promise. He encouraged the Philippian believers to pray and to give thanks in any and every situation, no matter how hopeless or hard it may seem. He grounded this exhortation in the promises of God. God Himself would answer their anxious heart with a peace that "surpasses understanding." And it was no mere "feeling" of peace but a real and substantive peace that no power in heaven or on earth could shake. And this peace of God would protect their hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

As Paul earlier wrote about the transformation of their lowly bodies to be conformed to Jesus' glorious body in Philippians 3:21, now he assured them that their hearts and minds too would also be preserved for glory through Christ Jesus. As Paul also wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24,

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

As the Psalmist also declares, 

My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73:26). 

The peace of God is grounded in the hope of our salvation, and when we pray, we are reminded by the Holy Spirit of this hope. And this peace is so substantive that we can even rejoice in our trials because of the surpassing greatness of our hope in Him. 

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;  and perseverance, character; and character, hope (Romans 5:1-4). 

Again, we read of this surpassing joy in Romans 8:18,

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 

What is the basis for such overwhelming peace and joy? Again, Paul writes in Romans 8:31-32,

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

How powerful is this peace of God? Paul gives us a clue in Romans 8:35-39,

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?... Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Therefore, dear friends, when you feel the onset of worry, doubt, concern or anything else that makes you anxious in this life, pray and give thanks to God, and you will be assured that "the peace of God" will unfailingly protect you through every storm and preserve you for a glorious eternity in heaven through Christ Jesus. 

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I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). 

Many people love this verse, though perhaps for the wrong reason. In this entire chapter Paul has been arguing for joy in the midst of suffering. He does not depart from that theme here. In the immediate context, Paul is rejoicing in the help the Philippians had provided him while he was in prison. But he is quick to clarify that he is not a man in desperation, but that he knows how to be content in every situation (Philippians 4:11-12). Paul's joy is not so much in his receiving but in their giving, knowing that it will be to their credit before God (Philippians 4:14-18). In this context Paul writes, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." 

Paul is saying that he is not relying on help from the Philippians to sustain him. He is relying on God. He is also saying that he can be content in any and every situation because God is the One who empowers him. Paul is not claiming a guaranteed rescue from suffering, hardship, failure, or loss. After all, he is writing from prison. Also, he testifies to being "hungry" as well as "full" and to knowing what it is to "suffer need" as well as to "abound." Therefore, Paul is not claiming some divine power to change his circumstances. No, it is by God's power that he can be content through the circumstances, whatever they may be. It is the same power that resides in "the peace of God" that he writes would guard their hearts and minds from overwhelming anxieties (Philippians 4:6-7).

So, dear friends, don't make this verse a slogan for your personal ambition or for corporate expansion. It  speaks of austerity more than expansion, contentment rather than ambition. The "I can do all things..." should be understood as "I can bear all things..." or "I can endure all things..." It speaks of an indomitable spirit in view of a sure hope in Christ Jesus. 

But if you are anxious, suffering, or rattled by uncertainty, then this verse should give you great comfort. Whatever is uncertain in your life, your hope in Christ is certain. Whatever you are suffering in this life, it is only temporary, for God promises eternal joy in heaven. Whatever anxiety plagues you, you can combat it with the promises of God in His Word.

In Philippians 3:10 Paul writes, "...that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death..." What does this verse mean? In the immediate context Paul speaks of "a righteusness from God" over against "a righteousness of my own" (verse 9), a righteousness that proceeds from faith in Christ rather than from the works of the Law. We discover this whole chapter is written in response to certain Jews, who tried to subject believers to the Mosaic Law, signified in the rite of circumcision (cf. Philippians 3:1-3). Paul refutes this here, as he also did strongly in the Book of Galatians.

Therefore, Philippians 3:10 is a representation of a standard for Christian life that is based on faith in Jesus Christ apart from the works of the Mosaic Law. Interestingly, Paul used the same imagery of identifying with Christ's death and resurrection in Romans 6 to refute those that thought that since they were no longer under the Law, they could live in sin (cf. Romans 6:1-14). In this latter case Paul argues that the believer who participates in Christ's death and resurrection is participating in His death to sin and in the new life in Christ's righteousness.

So in Philippians 3:10 "the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death" relates to believers indentifying with the righteousness of Christ that arises from faith. As for the "fellowship of His sufferings," this relates to the kind of persecution that will come from living such a life in the world, just as Jesus also was persecuted. This is captured in passages like Romans 8:17-18, where Paul speaks of the suffering involved in living according to the Spirit.

I highlight Philippians 3:10 because many people, myself included, have made this a kind of "life verse" for them. Many have made it so because it "sounds good,' even "spiritual," and the word "power" and "resurrection" and a statement of determination ("I want to know...") are in it. It is fine to make this one's signficant verse for life, but let us understand what it means. It represents Paul's determination to leave his former life as a Pharisee, where he sought a righteousness of his own according to the Mosaic Law, and to move toward a righteousness from God that arises out of faith in Jesus Christ. In this regard Paul is identifying with the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is saying what Jesus said that every disciple of His must do in Luke 9:23, "Whoever wants to be my disciples must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." Please don't try to see some kind of "spiritual ecstasy" in this verse because it speaks of "power." That would be to lose sight of the context and focus. If anything the focus is on a moral charge to live a life of faith in Christ.