Swindoll Study Bible and Searching the Scriptures - Flipbook - Page 17
P hilippians 2 : 1 0
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ
is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
10
Shine Brightly for Christ
12 Dear
friends, you always followed my instructions
when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is
even more important. Work hard to show the results
of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence
and fear. 13 For God is working in you, giving you the
desire and the power to do what pleases him.
14 Do everything without complaining and arguing,
15 so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent
lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in
a world full of crooked and perverse people. 16 Hold
firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s
return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in
vain and that my work was not useless. 17 But I will re
joice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid
offering to God,* just like your faithful service is an
offering to God. And I want all of you to share that
joy. 18 Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.
Paul Commends Timothy
19 If the Lord Jesus is willing, I hope to send Timo
thy to you soon for a visit. Then he can cheer me up
by telling me how you are getting along. 20 I have no
one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your
welfare. 21 All the others care only for themselves and
not for what matters to Jesus Christ. 22 But you know
how Timot hy has proved himself. Like a son with his
father, he has served with me in preaching the Good
News. 23 I hope to send him to you just as soon as I
find out what is going to happen to me here. 24 And
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I have confidence from the Lord that I myself will
come to see you soon.
Paul Commends Epaphroditus
25 Meanwhile,
I thought I should send Epaphrodi
tus back to you. He is a true brother, co-worker, and
fellow soldier. And he was your messenger to help
me in my need. 26 I am sending him because he has
been longing to see you, and he was very distressed
that you heard he was ill. 27 And he certainly was ill;
in fact, he almost died. But God had mercy on him—
and also on me, so that I would not have one sorrow
after another.
28 So I am all the more anxious to send him back
to you, for I know you will be glad to see him, and
then I will not be so worried about you. 29 Welcome
him in the Lord’s love* and with great joy, and give
him the honor that people like him deserve. 30 For he
risked his life for the work of Christ, and he was at the
point of death while doing for me what you couldn’t
do from far away.
The Priceless Value of Knowing Christ
3
Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sis
ters,* rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of
telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard
your faith.
2 Watch out for those dogs, those people who do
evil, those mutilators who say you must be circum
cised to be saved. 3 For we who worship by the Spirit
of God* are the ones who are truly circumcised. We
rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no
confidence in human effort, 4 though I could have
confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed,
if others have reason for confidence in their own ef
forts, I have even more!
LIVING INSIGHTS
2:17 Greek I will rejoice even if I am to be poured out as a liquid offering. 2:29 Greek in the Lord. 3:1 Greek brothers; also in 3:13, 17. 3:3 Some manuscripts read worship
God in spirit; one early manuscript reads worship in spirit.
GOD’S DIRECTION Phil. 2:12-13 The restoration of the
conscience is part of the Holy Spirit’s work inside every
believer. When He prompts us to be spiritually sensitive,
we grow to sense God’s leading deep within our souls. This
is part of what Paul is talking about when he writes, “Work
hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with
deep reverence and fear.” Work it out. Flesh out the details
of obedience. See it through. Experience it. Live it openly.
You have been born again. You have entered a new life, and
it’s called Christianity. Now, carry out that new life with a
spirit of fear and trembling—a sensitive heart and a deep
desire not to miss God’s direction. Keep your antenna keen,
sharp, correct, and ready to catch His signals.
A SERVANT LEADER Phil. 2:25-30 The Philippians
were concerned and probably even discouraged. They felt
anxious for Epaphroditus because they had heard he was
ill. The fact that they held Epaphroditus in such high regard
marks him as a leader among them. Paul exhorts them to
receive him with much joy upon his return.
It is not the job of a leader to announce the importance
of his or her role and to require respect from people. The
primary concern of a servant leader is to let his or her life
speak, as Epaphroditus clearly did.
WORKS OF THE LAW Phil. 3:2-3 False teachers had
followed Paul’s work in Philippi. They attempted to convince
the local Christians they must add various works of the
law to their faith in order to be saved. The foremost among
these works was the rite of circumcision. Paul doesn’t mince
words in reaffirming what the Philippians already knew:
Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone. He goes so
far as to call the legalists “mutilators” (see Gal. 5:12) and
“dogs.” “Dogs” referred to the dirty scavengers who snapped
at the heels of people in the streets. They weren’t cute,
little lapdogs, but more like junkyard dogs—the mangy, feral
animals that ran in packs. Paul is saying, “There are those
who bark out false doctrines and are rabid with the infection
of legalism. Beware!”