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NT Doctrine -- Philippians - Ed Hurst - 03-23-2024
Paul's letter to Philippi was largely a personal note. The church had sent Epaphroditus to Paul in his Roman house arrest during the first trial with a gift and asking after his welfare. While he was there, Epaphroditus got sick and nearly died. His home church got wind of this and were very concerned, and sent yet another courier to check on his condition and to deliver another message to Paul. This letter went back with both that second courier and Epaphroditus. The letter is mostly personal, and we sense that Paul is about to be released.
So, the first chapter is predictably personal in nature, as is most of the next. However, early in chapter 2 Paul says something that stands firmly in the purpose of this study to show the continuity between the Old and New Testaments, verses 5-11.
He advises the folks in Philippi to embrace the mind of Christ. This is quite possible for one very good reason: Jesus knew He was the Son of God, but He set aside all of His divine privileges. Instead, the life He lived was as a human. All of His miracles were built into the Covenant, not His Person. A major element of all that He did was to demonstrate what came in the same package as faithfulness to divine revelation. He was restoring the full power of the Covenant of Moses before He closed it out.
He was willing to face the fate of all humanity. Moreover, He faced what was in that day the worst fate a human could encounter, the most gruesome execution known. And more to the point, He faced it with the burden of all our sins, for He had none of His own.
This was such a high victory that His Father granted Him authority over every power in Heaven and Earth. The Devil and the Elohim Council were subjected to Jesus, who had become the ultimate advocate for humanity against the agenda of the Devil and his allies in the Spirit Realm. They were compelled to declare their allegiance to Him.
The question of whether any other being warranted glory was answered: It all belongs to Jehovah, the Creator of all things.
There is no more doctrine in this letter.