Love is a multifaceted human experience that can manifest in various forms. The components of love include connection, sharing, and closeness and a conscious decision to maintain the relationship even when facing challenges. Love can involve suffering and enduring.
But by the mid 60s many came to believe that the word love was predominantly romantic or sexual in nature. The "Summer of Love" in 1967, is often associated with a generation embracing a counterculture movement focused on peace, love, and freedom, sometimes referred to as the "Love Generation". This era saw a rejection of traditional societal norms and a shift towards personal freedom, self-expression, and communal living, fueled by music, art, and a desire for social change. All you need is Love by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, was a prominent theme.
Jesus also called us to love and to model the same humility and love he displayed, unconditional love that is given without expectation of return. Love is not just a feeling, but also a practice, an action that involves actively showing care, compassion, and support for others. It often requires effort, commitment, and a willingness to work through challenges; often involving acts of kindness, forgiveness, and empathy. We are to love because it is necessary, not because it is easy or pleasurable.
We look at Philippians 2:1-11 to learn that we should seek to exercise considering the needs of others equally with, or before your own.
Paul penned the letter to the Philippians from Rome. He was prompted to write to express his gratitude for the generous offering the Ephesians had sent. However, he also saw this as an opportunity to address some other issues in the church. Certain attitudes prevailed that if left unchecked would destroy their unity. Such divisive attitudes could be overcome by remembering what they enjoyed in Christ and by learning to think like Him. Paul reminded them that personal ambitions and self-interests were to become secondary to meeting the necessities of others.
If all you need is love, there’s an even more severe shortage in the world that we must strive to avoid – the shortage of humility. Love thrives with humility and dies without it.
That is why we are called to become the humble people God has called us to be, one who takes action to meet the needs that he or she becomes aware of. Paul first looks at the motivation of the church at Philippi.
Philippians 2:1-2
1 If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
Paul was the first preacher to spread the gospel in Philippi. He led Lydia to Christ in a conversation outside the city beside a river. He was imprisoned for casting a demon from a slave girl, and while imprisoned led the jailer to Christ. The church at Philippi supported Paul throughout his ministry.
Paul began his letter to the church with a note of thanksgiving. He viewed these Christians as true partners in the gospel. He prayed that God would help them to grow in their understanding so that they might remain faithful and continue to grow to spiritual maturity until Christ returned.
Paul explained how God had used his circumstances as an opportunity to advance the gospel. Paul told the Philippians whether he lived or died, Christ would care for him. Finally, the apostle urged the Philippian believers to remain faithful to Christ, even in the face of opposition and persecution.
He laid the groundwork for his teaching on true humility. The If, then introduction of verse 1 is a single sentence in the Greek, a type of conditional sentence which assumes the stated premise is true. The four characteristics of the if-clause are true because of the common faith in Christ Paul shared with the Philippians. He is pointing out that all these characteristics together produce unity and humility within the church.
He referred to their encouragement in Christ, the blessings of being in or united with Christ, and their love. He refers to their Fellowship with the Spirit. The Spirit of God in dwelling in every believer is the source of the love and fellowship believers have for one another. Paul then noted that since they shared all the same characteristics of Christ’s love, nothing would make him more joyful than seeing unity and humility in the Philippian church. It would be like seeing Christ.
The apostle first identified the essence of unity, being like-minded, the sense of sharing common values and purpose in how they viewed things in regard to Christ and the church. Such thinking involves the intellect, emotions, and will, which lead to a comprehensive attitude which is reflected in one’s actions. Because believers have experienced the love of God in Christ, they can and should demonstrate such love toward other believers. And do so because we are all united in the same spirit of God and because we have one purpose, spreading the gospel of God.
After establishing the realities that produce unity and humility, Paul moves on to address attitudes and actions that flow out of those realities.
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. 4 Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.
Think to yourself: How do you usually feel and act when you consider yourself to be superior to someone else? For example, the stereo-typical dirty, slovenly bum.
Now think to yourself: How do you usually feel and act when you consider someone to be superior to you? For example a corporate boss, a great politician, a superstar celebrity?
Now think to yourself: How does it feel to see everyone around me as equally important, or even more important than myself?
Some in Philippi were preaching about Christ out of selfish ambition, a term that before New Testament times appeared only in the writings of the Greek philosopher Aristotle. He used it when he described those who selfishly sought political office in unfair ways. Here Paul used the term in the sense of having rivalries or self-seeking interests. Elsewhere the apostle used the term to describe those who pursued their own selfish interests rather than God’s ways. Paul also used the term in connection with the disunity and factions within the Corinthian church. “Selfish ambitions” are also one of the works of the flesh. People with selfish ambition exhibit both a lack of humility and a divisive spirit. You know, like congress.
The term conceit means “empty glory.” It describes a situation comparing to seemingly different things. For example a cat believing it is a lion, an empty headed, but popular, politician actually believing they can serve as president. It is someone claiming glory for himself that does not exist. It can involve either a vain, exaggerated view of oneself or vanity that comes from excessive ambition. Stolen valor, pretending to have been an armed service, or law enforcement officer, without ever having been one is one modern example.
Humility is the opposite of selfish ambition and conceit. It is having a correct estimation of oneself, particularly in relation to God. Paul defined humility as considering others more important than oneself. It is a characteristic that God’s people are to exhibit along with compassion, kindness, gentleness, and patience. Peter encouraged believers to clothe themselves in humility in relation to others. It is possible to demonstrate false humility in the pursuit of self-seeking purposes.
In first-century Greco-Roman culture, humility carried negative connotations, and to many it still does. It described the mentality of a slave and was used to refer to members of the society who were viewed as being of little or no value—those seen as insignificant, weak, poor, and so forth. In Scripture, humility is a characteristic of God, it is through humility that one comes to an understanding of God’s ways and gains wisdom. Jesus, who entered the world in a humble birth, taught His disciples to be humble and emphasized the need for an attitude of humble servanthood.
Jesus taught, “Whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets”. These words, often known as “the Golden Rule,” are considered a guide for how to relate to others. However, this does not entail self-neglect or self-loathing, putting oneself down—which would be false humility. Rather, it is an "all things being equal, I defer to you" mentality. Implicit in Jesus’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself” is the understanding that we treat ourselves in a healthy, reasonable manner.
Perhaps the C.S. Lewis quote that humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less, is the best descriptor. It entails looking out for the interest of others first, rather than only looking out for our own interests. Balance is needed. Paul commanded believers to look out for their own families. If they did not provide and care for them, they were denying the faith and worse than unbelievers. However, believers should not be so concerned with their own needs that they neglect or ignore the interests of others.
Since the attitudes and actions Paul exhorts believers to display are radical and counter cultural, we need an example to follow. So he points us to the only One who displayed humility perfectly.
5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. 7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross. 9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus' prime mission is salvation. He offers us salvation from this world and into the Kingdom of God and he wants us to accept the gift he offers us; but is OUR choice. Jesus also offers us an example by which to live.
Notice that it is not "example first and salvation second". Jesus did not come to set an example for us to strive for to be saved. Jesus' example is NOT the basis of salvation, it is the method of living AFTER salvation.
Think of it like this: the example that we see and follow in Jesus is actually what He did to save us. We should follow it, not to save ourselves, but because we have already been saved by Him so we know it works and WE need to demonstrate it to those around us. . . . So, follow the example of Jesus both in mind and action when it comes to humility. Make sure it is a part of your character and your habitual behavior. Where David was said to be a man after God’s own heart, Jesus is a man who HAS God’s own heart. We need to improve ourselves as best as possible toward that same result.
How easy would it have been for Jesus to grasp his divinity and wield it like a weapon to gain riches, or popularity, or power, or anything he wanted. But how LIKE God Jesus was when he remained humble, remained caring and loving, remained instructive and teaching, remained loving to the outcasts of society merely because they were a fellow society member. Because he DIDN'T promote the human Jesus, Jesus DID display the humility of God.
Jesus’s humility demonstrated itself in His actions. The first action that He took was that He emptied himself. The only limitations Jesus experienced were self-limitations, not an emptying of His essence as God. He willingly submitted to become a part of humanity He had created. Yet, He never ceased being God. And because he was a part of humanity at this point he bound himself by the limitations that all humans have. Which means that, as Jesus himself said “whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these…”, the miracles Jesus did we can perform. Think about that for a moment.
God the Father exalted Jesus by raising Him from the dead and giving Him the name that is above every name. Jesus deserves all worship and praise because, being God, he sacrificed his own body, defeated death, defeated an afterlife separated from God, and defeated the grave. Through His sacrificial death he achieved salvation for all who will place their faith in Him as their Savior and Lord and follow the path and teachings that he shared with us.
One day all of God’s creation will one day acknowledge the lordship of Christ. However, that does not mean everyone will be saved. Believers voluntarily acknowledge and submit to the lordship of Christ through repentance and faith in Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Those who do not believe, who do not acknowledge Jesus as Lord, who adopt a not my savior attitude, will experience eternal separation from God and God’s family as their reward for their rebellion and sin. Will you choose a correct path to the divine? In the vernacular of the modern era – FAFO, FOOL Around and Find Out (less profane).
Nevertheless, one day ALL will acknowledge Jesus as Lord. Ultimately every creature in the universe will acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord whether they accept it or not.
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