Indicate what your passage is and concisely describe the main point.
The selected passage is Philippians 2:1-11. The main point of this passage is imitating the humility that was with Jesus Christ. Paul begins chapter 2 of Philippians by persuading the people he was addressing to act in a way that would please Jesus by refraining from acting out of self-interest. In this passage, Paul says that when doing things, they should not be done for selfish reasons but one should think of being beneficial to other people. He urged them to have a mindset like that of Jesus. Paul mentions of the humility that was with Jesus. Despite having the nature of God, Jesus did not consider being equal with God as something to take advantage of. He became a servant and lived like a human. He humbled Himself and was obedient till death on the cross. As a result of humility, God placed Him on the highest place and accorded Him a name that is above all other names.
What do we learn about God – His character and purposes – from this passage, either directly or indirectly?
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God’s character of self-emptying love is manifested in Philippians 2:1-11. This is demonstrated by Jesus who was of the same nature as God but chose to come down to earth and lived among human beings like one. He did not seek for His own interests but emptied Himself and demonstrated great love to mankind by dying on the cross so that salvation is obtained. In verses 6 and 7, Paul states “ Who, being in very nature [ a ] God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature [ b ] of a servant, being made in human likeness.” 1 God’s purpose for us according to this passage is to look out for the interests of other people and not act out of selfish ambitions as well as be like Christ in our relationships with one another. We are expected to esteem and value one another than ourselves.
Which categories of systematic theology (soteriology, eschatology, ecclesiology, etc.) does your passage relate to, either directly or indirectly?
Philippians 2:1-11 relates to Christology. This is the study of Christ Jesus. It includes topics such as the eternality of Jesus, His pre-existence, the humanity of Jesus, His death as well as resurrection, the deity of Jesus, and exaltation among others. 2 The passage talks about how Jesus lived as a human being on earth. He was humble and sought for the interests of other people to an extent that He was willing to die on the cross to save mankind from sin and reconcile them back to God. However, there are two main Christologies in this passage. One is on the pre-existence of Jesus as a divine being while the other one is Jesus as the second Adam who did not seek for equality with God but chose to be obedient until death. 3 This second Adam is different from the first Adam who sought to be like/equal with God and choose to disobey.
What are the themes/topics of biblical theology (kingship, covenant, Israel, etc.) that your passage relates to, either directly or indirectly?
The passage relates to the theological topics of salvation and Jesus Christ. In Philippians 2:8, the passage talks about how Jesus humbled himself to the point of dying on the cross. The death of Jesus on the cross is linked to salvation/redemption of mankind from sin. 4 Jesus took the nature of man to save humanity from sin. That was His mission. The passage also talks about the nature and character of Jesus. It explains who Jesus really was and how he conducted Himself while on earth. This passage states that Jesus was equal to God which means that He was God Himself. He demonstrated humility because despite being God, He chose to live like a human being and died on behalf of humanity.
Bibliography
Talbert, C. H. "Chapter Two. The Problem of Pre-Existence in Philippians 2:6-11 (1967)." The Development of Christology during the First Hundred Years , 2011, 43-59. doi:10.1163/ej.9789004201712.i-204.11.
Zondervan. NIV, Holy Bible, eBook . Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011.
1 Zondervan. NIV, Holy Bible, eBook . Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011.
2 Talbert, C. H. "Chapter Two. The Problem of Pre-Existence in Philippians 2:6-11 (1967)." The Development of Christology during the First Hundred Years , 2011, 43-59. doi:10.1163/ej.9789004201712.i-204.11.
3 Ibid.,
4 Talbert, C. H. "Chapter Two. The Problem of Pre-Existence in Philippians 2:6-11 (1967)." The Development of Christology during the First Hundred Years , 2011, 43-59.
