Answers for a study in the book of Philippians: Chapter 2

Review and Bible Study

 Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us when we commit to growing closer to the LORD.

1. Review of Class Topics:

With your table group, discuss today’s apologetics presentation by summarizing what you learned, commenting, or asking any questions.

Answers will vary…

2. Review of Daily Devotional:

What book have you chosen as your devotional? Are there any questions you have, or anything that stands out to you as a life application that you’d like to share? Do you need help, or suggestions, for a Biblical book to use?

Answers will vary…

Class Bible study: The Book of Philippians

Questions are taken directly from the chapters, and answers should be found and cited from the Scripture text in order to be Biblically accurate (unless asked to summarize in your own words). Study Bibles, commentaries and your own thoughts can be used for “Discussion” or “Going Deeper” questions. Cite sources to share with your group.

Read Philippians 2:1-30 with your table group then, to the best of your ability, answer the following questions:

3.  What does Paul tell the Philippians that would make his joy complete? How does this compare to what Jesus taught in Matthew 22:37-40?

“Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,” 

Philippians 2:1-5

• Paul wanted the Philippians to be encouraged in Christ, and to make his joy complete by being united and working for one purpose (the Gospel), not being selfish or conceited, but regarding one another as more important than yourself, putting the interests of others first, modeling Jesus.

In Matthew 22:37-40 we find Jesus giving the “Great Commandment” which He modeled after Deuteronomy 6:5 and added in the importance of putting other first:  “And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

4.  How does Paul explain both Jesus’ humanity and Deity (2:6-11)? This is known as the “incarnation” – to study further read the Gospel of John 1:1-14; Romans 1:2-5; 2 Corinthians 8:9; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 2:14; and 1 John 1:1-3.

Concerning Jesus:  ^“who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  Philippians 2:6-11

• The incarnation, as explained here by Paul, shows us that Jesus, although He was God, took the form of a human, and humbled Himself and emptied Himself in order to become a man; in order to experience what we experience, even to the point of death on a cross.
• There are theological debates as to what “emptying Himself” means (to what extent), but the bottom line is that God sacrificed to the greatest extent, Himself for us, in our place, so that we can be forgiven, and through His mercy and grace we are gifted eternal life.

Additional Scripture:

• “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-14
• “which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,” Romans 1:2-5
• “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”  2 Corinthians 8:9
• “By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16
• “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,” Hebrews 2:14
• “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life—and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:1-3

5.  It is important to understand that we cannot work our way to salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9), however, once we are “saved” we should be “working out our salvation,” by being ambassadors and role models for Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:20). Discuss: What are some of the things we can be doing to show others that we are of Christ Jesus, and why we are?

“So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.”  Philippians 2:12-18

• First, we should respect and honor God (“fear and trembling”) because He is the one who has saved us, and is now working through us (Holy Spirit), therefore, we should not take our salvation lightly, or for-granted.
• We are to do all things without complaining (grumbling) or disputing (fighting/arguing) with each other – we should be “above reproach” so that we can be good role models for the LORD to a crooked and perverse generation (still today); a light in a dark world.
• Paul wants us to model him, so that we can have the same joy he experiences in the LORD.
• Being a Christian in today’s culture is getting harder, and can even cost one their life depending on what part of the world you live in. Regardless, we must stand firm in our faith, and this makes it all the more important to know what we believe and why we believe it so that we can confidently and truthfully share it with others – just as Paul did.

6.  Who was Timothy, why was he important to Paul, and where else in the Bible can we find him?

From gotquestions.org

“Timothy, the recipient of the two New Testament letters bearing his name, was the son of a Greek father and a Jewish mother. He joined Paul during one of Paul’s later missionary journeys. Paul addresses Timothy as “my true son in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:2). He was probably no older than late teens/early twenties when he joined Paul but had already distinguished himself as faithful, and the elders noticed him. He probably heard and responded to the gospel when Paul came through the area of Derbe and Lystra on his first missionary journey, but we don’t know for sure. Timothy served as Paul’s representative to several churches (1 Corinthians 4:17; Philippians 2:19), and he was later a pastor in Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3). Timothy is also mentioned as being with Paul when Paul wrote several New Testament letters—2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon.

Paul says Timothy had a “genuine faith,” the same as that which lived in his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:1–5). Eunice and Lois prepared Timothy’s heart to accept Christ by teaching Timothy the Old Testament Scriptures and preparing him “from infancy” to recognize the Messiah when He appeared (2 Timothy 3:15). When Paul came preaching Christ, all three accepted his teaching and committed their lives to the Savior. We, too, must prepare our children to be ready when Christ moves in their hearts. They must know how to recognize that pull on their spirits as coming from the Savior, and the only way to do that is to follow the example of Eunice and Lois and teach our children the Word of God.

In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he gave him instructions and advice for leading the church. He also exhorted Timothy not to let others look down upon him due to his youth, but to set an example for other believers “in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12). Paul told Timothy to be devoted to reading Scripture, exhorting, and teaching, and to not neglect the gift that he had been given. Paul also counseled Timothy to keep a close watch on himself. These instructions remain pertinent to believers today. We, too, are called to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1 Timothy 6:11–12).

It seems that Timothy had a chronic illness that required some attention (1 Timothy 5:23). Paul counseled him on a change of diet to aid the relief of his condition. From this example we learn that it is not always God’s will to heal a person miraculously; sometimes, healing comes through more “natural” means, if it comes at all.

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul warned Timothy about the false teachers that he would encounter and tells him to continue in the things he has learned because he knows the character of those he learned them from, namely Paul himself and his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 3:14–15). The truths Timothy was taught from infancy—truths about sin and our need for a Savior—were able to make him “wise for salvation” (2 Timothy 3:15). As parents, we are to prepare our children to distinguish truth from error. And as believers, we are to stand firm in the truth we have learned, not being surprised or swayed by opposition and false teachers.

Paul also told Timothy, to “do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). This advice is crucial for all Christians. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17). Paul counseled Timothy, his “dear son” (2 Timothy 1:2), from a heart of love, wanting Timothy to stand firm in his own faith and to lead the other believers well. Timothy certainly seems to have been faithful; we should follow his example.”

7.  Who was Epaphroditus, and why was it important that Paul send him to the Philippians?

From the Life Application Bible Commentary:

“Epaphroditus delivered money from the Philippians to Paul then he returned with this thank-you letter to Philippi. Epaphroditus may have been an elder in Philippi (2:2-25-30) who, while staying with Paul, became ill (2:27, 30). After Epaphroditus recovered, he returned home. He is mentioned only in Philippians.”

• Paul thought it was important to send Epaphroditus because he had been sick, and they knew he had been sick to the point of death. Epaphroditus was longing to see the Philippian people to show that he had recovered (through God’s mercy), and so that they would not be worried about him, or about losing him. This also gave Paul great comfort to know that they could then rejoice in the LORD for him and with him, knowing that he had completed the task for the work of Christ. (2:25-30)

8.  Memory verses: Recite Philippians 1:9-10; and Matthew 22:37-39

^“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day o f Christ” Philippians 1:9-10

“And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”  Matthew 22:37-39

Please continue to join us as we read and study the Bible as part of our Christian Apologetics’ class each week!

Note: Class presentation, videos, reflections and Bible study questions are posted on the weekend – Bible study answers (like these) are posted mid-week.

———————————————————————

You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in!  Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.

Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.

Please let me know what you think: Give feedback, ask questions or send concerns in the comment section of the blog.

Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15