This post is written by Greg Kilgore as a companion for Unit 31, Session 5 of The Gospel Project for Adults, Volume 11: From One Nation to All Nations (Spring 2024).
Philippians 2:5-11 is one of the most popular portions of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. This section of the letter teaches great theological truths about the humanity and divinity of Jesus. When we only focus on this section apart from the rest of the letter, however, we miss out on what Paul was showing the Philippians. The church at Philippi faced a very serious crisis—there were divisions that were threatening the unity of the church (Phil. 4:2). Their common faith in Jesus should have united them, but they were divided. Thus, Paul wrote this portion of the letter explaining the person and work of Christ. Believers at Philippi needed to see what Jesus had done for them and to seek to humble themselves as they served one another. Paul called them to unity through the gospel and seeing what Jesus did for His people.
Philippians 2:5-11 has been at the center of debates about the person of Jesus Christ. A lot of ink throughout church history has been used in the debate over the nature of Christ. Was He fully God? Was He fully man? Was He only part God and part man? Was He man but not God? Was He God but not man? Several heresies arose in the early church over these debates. In AD 451 at the Council of Chalcedon, church leaders assembled and wrote a statement affirming both Jesus’s full humanity and full divinity united in one person.
Now you might think, “What does this have to do with me today?” Everything! If Jesus was not fully God, He could not fully save! If He was not fully man, He could not fully redeem and be the sacrifice for our sins.
In every generation, we must hold to and defend the biblical view of Christ because heresies and false teachings constantly arise regarding Jesus, whether it’s Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses, the prosperity gospel, or the claims that Jesus was simply a prophet, a good man, or only an example. We must know Christ and defend the glory of Christ! The truths we confess about Christ must come from the biblical teachings about who Jesus is and what He has done to save us from our sins.
As horrific as it was to be crucified, Jesus’s death was even worse. Jesus not only suffered on the cross physical pain, but He also bore the weight of sin as He suffered and died on the cross. On the cross, Jesus faced the wrath of God poured out on sin. Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’”
Jesus humbled Himself for our salvation, and we are called to humble ourselves before the Lord. Due to our sin, we are unable to save ourselves from the punishment for our sins. We are to humbly admit that we are sinners who cannot do anything to gain our salvation. Thus, we cry out to God to save us through Jesus by faith. Our faith in Christ is a humble statement to the world that we have done nothing to earn our salvation.
Jesus’s humiliation on the cross was not the end of the gospel story. The gospel does not end with a bloody and crucified Savior. The good news of the gospel continues with the empty tomb. The grave was not the end; rather, Jesus rose up from the grave conquering sin and death. The beauty of Resurrection Sunday is that our Lord has defeated sin and death for us. Christ’s resurrection on that glorious Sunday morning is confirmation that our debt of sin has been paid in full.
As the Philippians were divided and considering their own interests over those of others, Paul called them to consider the humility that Christ had. When they remembered what Jesus did, they would seek to be humble in their interactions with one another. The same should be true for us as well. When we interact with others, we should seek to model the humility of our Savior.
Greg Kilgore is the associational missions strategist for the Mid-Valley Southern Baptist Association in Fresno, California. He and his wife, Megan, have three children: Owen, Camille, and Judson Titus. Greg is a PhD student at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he also teaches as an adjunct professor.
