Paul quotes what is quite possibly an early Christian hymn in this second chapter of his letter to the Philippians. This hymn speaks of Christ becoming nothing and suffering on the cross.

Look at this week’s part of this passage in Philippians 2:7-8:

In the first couple of verses in this poetic piece of the chapter, Paul stresses that Christ was equal with God. But he also stresses Christ’s humility, and in these verses, we see just how far that humility took him… All the way to the cross!

There are several actions that Paul states Jesus took in this process of humility. Let’s take each in turn:

Made himself nothing

Jesus voluntarily emptied himself of all of his rights as a part of the Godhead. He poured himself out totally for our sake. The depths of this we will never know this side of eternity, since we cannot fathom the mind of God in its entirety. But it is sufficient for us to know that he left everything he had for you and me.

After encouraging the Philippian believers, and us, to live with humility, Paul gives the ultimate example of humility in Jesus Christ.

Take a look at this passage in Philippians 2:5-6:

What better incentive to humility than the example of our Lord himself? This is the example Paul gives as he stresses this attitude for the believers in Philippi. In fact, the term “attitude” may be a little weak. A more literal rendering would be “mindset.” The thought is similar to the final verse of 1 Corinthians 2, where Paul states that we have the “mind of Christ,” although the Greek term used is different.

What Paul is saying here, in effect, is that we are to have the same mind as Jesus, in humility and in focus.

What follows has been debated for ages. Some believe that Paul writes the following verses, a poetic expression or hymn of worship. Others believe that Paul is quoting a more ancient source, an early hymn from before the date of Philippians, in the early 60s AD.

The language and structure are different than the rest of Paul’s letters, indicating that he may not have been the original author. However, the point of this passage is what matters, especially in light of Paul’s thoughts in chapter two.

In this first verse of the Christological hymn, there are two main sections.

As Paul moves into chapter two of his letter to the Philippians, he writes perhaps the most practical and much needed exhortation in the New Testament. His words here set up the comparison to Christ that will come in the following verses.

You can see this for yourself in Philippians 2:3-4:

Paul gives this practical instruction in the form of two negative terms followed by one positive term. This, in turn, is followed by a very practical example of how to do this, carrying on the thought of verse three.

All of this is in anticipation of the examination of Christ’s own humility, which is to come in the next few verses, quite possibly an old hymn that Paul uses to display this quality of Jesus.

But here, Paul specifies that we are to take emulate Jesus, by avoiding these negative qualities, and taking on the positive.

Negative Number 1 – Selfish Ambition

First, Paul states to do nothing out of selfish ambition. This is the spiritual sickness that rests in the heart of the church, potentially bringing its downfall. Paul uses this same word in Philippians 1:17, describing the divisiveness of his enemies. Here, it means more in line with petty squabbles and arguments. It is self-seeking, arrogant, and focused on nothing outside of one’s own self.