The specifics of Paul's exhortation to the Philippians regarding love and humility among believers.   Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let …

The specifics of Paul's exhortation to the Philippians regarding love and humility among believers.

Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

a. Fulfill my joy: This speaks of a personal request. Part of the reason Paul wanted the Philippians to take heed to his word was because they should know that it would make the founding apostle of their church happy.

b. By being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind: These together all speak of the same idea: a deep, abiding, internal unity among the Philippians.

i. This unity is the goal. What follows in Philippians 2:3-4 are descriptions of how to achieve and practice the unity mentioned here in Philippians 2:2.

c. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition: This is the first step to this kind of unity. In the flesh, we are often motivated by selfish ambition or conceit. Much of what we do is not done out of love for others, but out of our own desire for "advancement" or "promotion" (selfish ambition).

i. Paul found it important to say selfish ambition. Not all ambition is selfish ambition, and there is a good ambition to glorify God and serve Him with everything we have.

d. Let nothing be done through . . . conceit: This is the second step to this kind of unity. Conceit is thinking too highly of one's self, of having an excessive self-interest and self-preoccupation. It could be more literally translated "empty glory."

i. A dictionary definition of conceit is "An excessively favorable opinion of one's own ability, importance, wit," and so forth. When we live with the feeling that we are so important, or so able, or so talented, we are out of God's will. We are working against the unity Paul pleaded with the Philippians and all Christians to have.

e. In lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself: This third step to the kind of unity described in Philippians 2:2 is completely contradictory to the attitude of the world, because lowliness of mind is about the least attractive thing to the thinking of this world.

i. The ancient Greeks considered lowliness of mind to be a fault, not a virtue. "The pagan and the secular idea of manhood is self-assertiveness, imposing one's will on others; when anyone stooped to others he did so only under compulsion, hence his action was ignominious [disgraceful]. The Christian ethical idea of humility could not be reached by the secular mind; it lacked the spiritual soil." (Lenski)

ii. "In pagan writers generally, the word had a bad meaning, 'abject, grovelling.' But when it comes into the New Testament, its meaning is ennobled." (Wuest)

iii. "The apostle knew that, to create concord, you need first to beget lowliness of mind. Men do not quarrel when their ambitions have come to an end." (Spurgeon)

f. Esteem others better than himself: This rebukes much of the culture's concept of self-esteem. The Bible knows nothing of the idea that we should - and must - carry with us an attitude of confident superiority in every situation, and knows nothing of the idea that this is the foundation for a healthy human personality.

i. While we recognize the intrinsic value of every human life, we can't deny that the low self-esteem of some is justified, and based in reality. When we are in rebellion against God, it is fitting for us to have a low self-esteem.

ii. As we esteem others better, we will naturally have a concern for their needs and concerns. This sort of outward looking mentality naturally leads to a unity among the people of God.

iii. If I consider you above me and you consider me above you, then a marvelous thing happens: we have a community where everyone is looked up to, and no one is looked down on.

g. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others: Here the thought is completed. As we put away our selfish ambitions, our conceit, and our tendencies to be high-minded and self-absorbed, we will naturally have a greater concern for the interests and needs of others.

i. Paul doesn't tell us that it is wrong to look out for our own interests, but that we should not only look out for our own interests.