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Does your life in Christ give you strength? Does his love comfort you? Do we share together in the Spirit? Do you have mercy and kindness? If so, make me very happy by having the same thoughts, sharing the same love, and having one mind and purpose. When you do things, do not let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble and give more honor to others than to yourselves. Do not be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of others.

Be Unselfish Like Christ

In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus.

Christ himself was like God in everything.
    He was equal with God.
    But he did not think that being equal with God was something to be held on to.
He gave up his place with God and made himself nothing.
    He was born as a man
    and became like a servant.
And when he was living as a man,
    he humbled himself and was fully obedient to God.
    He obeyed even when that caused his death—death on a cross.
So God raised Christ to the highest place.
    God made the name of Christ greater than every other name.
10 God wants every knee to bow to Jesus—
    everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.
11 Everyone will say, “Jesus Christ is Lord”
    and bring glory to God the Father.

Be the People God Wants You to Be

12 My dear friends, you have always obeyed. You obeyed God when I was with you. It is even more important that you obey now while I am not with you. Keep on working to complete your salvation, and do it with fear and trembling. 13 Yes, God is working in you to help you want to do what pleases him. Then he gives you the power to do it.

14 Do everything without complaining or arguing. 15 Then you will be innocent and without anything wrong in you. You will be God’s children without fault. But you are living with crooked and mean people all around you. Among them you shine like stars in the dark world. 16 You offer to them the teaching that gives life. So when Christ comes again, I can be happy because my work was not wasted. I ran in the race and won.

17 Your faith makes you offer your lives as a sacrifice in serving God. Perhaps I will have to offer my own blood with your sacrifice. But if that happens, I will be happy and full of joy with all of you. 18 You also should be happy and full of joy with me.

Timothy and Epaphroditus

19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon. I will be happy to learn how you are. 20 I have no other person like Timothy. He truly cares for you. 21 Other people are interested only in their own lives. They are not interested in the work of Christ Jesus. 22 You know the kind of person Timothy is. You know that he has served with me in telling the Good News, as a son serves his father. 23 I plan to send him to you quickly when I know what will happen to me. 24 I am sure that the Lord will help me to come to you soon.

25 Epaphroditus is my brother in Christ. He works and serves with me in the army of Christ. When I needed help, you sent him to me. I think now that I must send him back to you 26 because he wants very much to see all of you. He is worried because you heard that he was sick. 27 Yes, he was sick, and nearly died. But God helped him and me too, so that I would not have more sadness. 28 So I want very much to send him to you. When you see him, you can be happy. And I can stop worrying about you. 29 Welcome him in the Lord with much joy. Give honor to people like Epaphroditus. 30 He should be honored because he almost died for the work of Christ. He put his life in danger so that he could help me. This was help that you could not give me.

Imitating Christ’s Humility

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

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:(I)

Who, being in very nature[a] God,(J)
    did not consider equality with God(K) something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing(L)
    by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,(M)
    being made in human likeness.(N)
And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death(O)
        even death on a cross!(P)

Therefore God exalted him(Q) to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,(R)
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,(S)
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,(T)
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,(U)
    to the glory of God the Father.

Do Everything Without Grumbling

12 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,(V) 13 for it is God who works in you(W) to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.(X)

14 Do everything without grumbling(Y) or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless(Z) and pure, “children of God(AA) without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”[c](AB) Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ(AC) that I did not run(AD) or labor in vain.(AE) 17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering(AF) on the sacrifice(AG) and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.(AH) 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

Timothy and Epaphroditus

19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy(AI) to you soon,(AJ) that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20 I have no one else like him,(AK) who will show genuine concern for your welfare. 21 For everyone looks out for their own interests,(AL) not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father(AM) he has served with me in the work of the gospel. 23 I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me.(AN) 24 And I am confident(AO) in the Lord that I myself will come soon.

25 But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker(AP) and fellow soldier,(AQ) who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs.(AR) 26 For he longs for all of you(AS) and is distressed because you heard he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore I am all the more eager to send him,(AT) so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. 29 So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him,(AU) 30 because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me.(AV)

Footnotes

  1. Philippians 2:6 Or in the form of
  2. Philippians 2:7 Or the form
  3. Philippians 2:15 Deut. 32:5