Pastor's Sermon Notes: Philippians (series), Part 12: The Great Christological Confession: The Apostle Paul’s Carmen Christi (Philippians 2:5-11), Part Six

Sermon Series: Philippians, Part 12

The Great Christological Confession:

The Apostle Paul’s Carmen Christi, Part Six

Philippians 2:5-11

[Audio file on Internet Archive at https://archive.org/details/Philippians25-11_362].

⁵  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: ⁷ But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: ⁸ And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ⁹ Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: ¹⁰ That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; ¹¹ And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Introduction:

Reminders: Verse 9 signaled a significant shift in the context. There is an abrupt reversal of the conclusion of verse 8, and a dramatic movement from the depths of Christ’s Humiliation to the opposite extreme in His Exaltation. Verses 9-11 express the exaltation of the Suffering Servant, the Lord Jesus Christ as one sentence. We have considered this sentence in three parts even as it is divided in our Scriptures into three verses. We have already considered the first two parts of this sentence in the two previous sermons on verses 9 and 10.

Transition:

As I mentioned in the introduction to the sermons on verses 9 and 10, there is difficulty for us in the way the sentence comprising verses 9-11 is phrased in maintaining the connection to verse 5 and the reason why these verses are here in the first place. As we considered in verse 10 already, and will now see in 11, and two significant aspects of what these verses teach us, we must enter into our consideration with an understanding of their purpose in the context. We must also come away from this study with an appreciation for their application to us in our relationships to God, to one another, and to those we know who are remain unregenerate.

For example, taking a cue from verse 10, let us be reminded that as a man, as the Son of Man, our Lord Jesus Christ bowed the knee. Most notably in his agony in Gethsemane just prior to His arrest he bowed in prayer to the Father.

Mt. 26:36-44 (pp. Mk. 14:32-40) — ³⁶ Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. ³⁷ And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. ³⁸ Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. ³⁹ And he went a little further, and fell on his face, [1] and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. ⁴⁰ And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? ⁴¹ Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. ⁴² He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. ⁴³ And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

If our Lord prostrated Himself in prayerful subjection to God the Father, and His mind is in us, can we do less? From verses 5 and 10 might we not conclude that if someone genuinely has the mind of Christ, then they will not hesitate to bow the knee to Christ?

Now let us move on to the final verse in this The Great Christological Confession, The Apostle Paul’s Carmen Christi, his “Christ Hymn,” to see what we might learn for our profit of how the mind of Christ might be ours from the end of this sentence (vv. 9-11).

Outline:

Part 2: The Exaltation of Christ in The Great Christological Confession: The Apostle Paul’s Carmen Christi (2:9-11)

I. The Unparalleled Exaltation of His Christ (2:9)

1. The Preeminent Exaltation of His Servant —

            Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him

2. The Superlative Designation of His Name —

            and given him a name which is above every name

II. The Universal Prostration of His Creation (2:10)

1. The Occasion for the Prostration — That at the name of Jesus

2. The Action of Prostration — every knee should bow

3. The Extent of the Prostration — of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth

III. The Unanimous Confession of His Coronation (2:11)

1. This Extent of this Confession — And that every tongue should confess

2. The Content of This Confession — that Jesus Christ is Lord

3. The Goal of this Confession — to the glory of God the Father

Previous Outlines:

The Preface to the The Great Christological Confession: The Apostle Paul’s Carmen Christi (2:5)

1. The Supreme Incarnational Mindset: This mind

2. The Sanctified Indwelling Mentality: in you…in Christ Jesus

3. The Shared Basis in Union with Christ: also

Part 1: The Humiliation of Christ The Great Christological Confession: The Apostle Paul’s Carmen Christi (2:6-8)

I. The Mind-Boggling Mentality of the Messiah (2:6)

1. Eternal Deity — Who, being in the form of God

2. Essential Equality — thought it not robbery to be equal with God

II. The Essence of the Action of Incarnation (2:7)

1. The Hidden God — But made himself of no reputation

2. The Suffering Servant — and took upon him the form of a servant

3. The Son of Man — and was made in the likeness of men

III. The Highlighting of the Humiliation of Christ Jesus (2:8)

1. The Prerequisite for the Humiliation of Jesus Christ — And being found in fashion as a man

2. The Assertion of the Humiliation of Jesus Christ — he humbled himself

3. The Nature of the Humiliation of Jesus Christ — and became obedient unto death

4. The Extent of the Humiliation of Jesus Christ — even the death of the cross.

Part 2: The Exaltation of Christ in The Great Christological Confession: The Apostle Paul’s Carmen Christi (2:9-11)

Verses 10 and 11 express the reasons why God the Father graciously exalted Jesus, the Son of Man.

When we last turned to this sentence we considered verse 10 as “The Universal Prostration of His Creation”: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth

This is the first purpose in the Father’s exaltation of Jesus. Verse 11 continues with the second of God the Father’s two purposes in His exaltation of Jesus, the Son of Man. When we considered verse 10 it was to see three aspects of “The Universal Prostration of His Creation.”

1. The Occasion for the Prostration: That at the name of Jesus

2. The Action of Prostration: every knee should bow

3. The Extent of the Prostration: of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth

Each of these aspects has something directly related to what follows in the next verse. Verse 10 and verse 11 must never be disconnected, but always seen as coordinate. Both actions are tied to the same occasion, and the what is included in the extent is identical. Both the bowing and the confessing are the Father’s intent in the exaltation of the Son.

Note: On the issue of “Eternal Punishment Construed as Annihilationism,” and the issue of these  verses being perceived as a univeralistic text see Robert L. Reymond, A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1998), pp. 1068-1085.

III. The Unanimous Confession of His Coronation (2:11)

And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The second purpose in the Father’s exaltation of Jesus also contains three factors which bring this great Christological confession, the Apostle Paul’s Carmen Christi, to its finale.

1. This Extent of this Confession

2. The Content of This Confession

3. The Goal of this Confession

1. This Extent of this Confession

And that every tongue should confess [2]

Rom. 14:11 — For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

Is. 45:17-25 (23) — ¹⁷ But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end. ¹⁸ For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else. ¹⁹ I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right. ²⁰ Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. ²¹ Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time?  who hath told it from that time?  have not I the LORD?  and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. ²² Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. ²³ I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.²⁴ Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. ²⁵ In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.

See especially Moyise on the three differences between Isaiah’s prophecy, Paul’s quotation of the Isaiah passage in Rom. 14:10-11, and the Apostle’s allusion to it in Phil. 2:10-11: 1) the occasion for the kneeling, 2) the expansion of what is intended by “every knee,” and 3) the content of the confession.

— Steve Moyise, Paul and Scripture (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010), pp. 94-95.

“The word ἐξομολογεῖν is used in the N.T. of an open or public confession, whether of sins¹ (Matt 3:6, Mark 1:5, Acts 19:18, James 5:16), or of the praise of God (Matt 11:28, Luke 10:21; Rom. 14:11, 15:9, Phil. 2:11, Rev. 3:5).”

— Robert Baker Girdlestone, Synonyms of the Old Testament: Their Bearing on Christian Doctrine, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d., 1976 reprint of 1897 ed.), pg. 222.

The timing for this confession is at the final judgment as indicated previously in the consideration of verse 10. [3]

2. The Content of This Confession

that Jesus Christ is [4] Lord [5]

Carson refers to this as “the ultimate self-disclosure.”

— D. A. Carson, Collected Writings on Scripture, compiled by Andrew David Naselli (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), pg. 21.

On the Oriental enthronement pattern observable in this passage see Richard R. DeRidder, Discipling the Nations (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1975), pp. 170-173.

“Oriental enthronement patterns included these elements: (1) exaltation, (2) presentation (or declaration of exaltation), (3) enthronement (or transfer of dominion).”

— DeRidder, op. cit., pg. 171.

DeRidder outlines Phil. 2:9-11 according to this pattern with verse 9 including the first two elements, exaltation and presentation, and verses 10-11 the third, enthronement, or transfer of dominion.

Rom. 14:9 — For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

“Jesus was mocked and despised on that cross, but God has already and will in the future vindicate his Son.”

— Mark Dever and Michael Lawrence, It is Well: Expositions on Substitutionary Atonement (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), pg. 95.

Jn. 13:13 — Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.

Rom. 10:9 — That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

                     

1 Cor. 12:3 — Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

3. The Goal of this Confession

to the glory [6] of God the Father

This is not just the goal of the confession, but also of the prostration. This final clause expresses the ultimate result of the Son of God’s humiliation, and God the Father’s exaltation of the Son of Man.

On the three possibilities for the extent of this phrase see especially Murray J. Harris, Prepositions and Theology in the Greek New Testament, pp. 92-93. Highlighting mine.

“1. The whole drama of redemption described in Php 2:6-11, i.e., the preexistence (v. 6), incarnation (v. 7), death (v. 8), and exaltation (vv. 9-11) of Christ. This would be the widest possible antecedent.

2. ….Christ’s installation as κύριος. This is the immediate and narrowest antecedent.

3. ….the universal acknowledgement, by both action and word, of Christ’s lordship. Syntactically, this is the most likely antecedent.”

Harris continues: “There can be little doubt that the climax of the “hymn” is found in the universal confession….but the four words that follow are certainly no anticlimax or afterthought, no merely formal appendage. Rather, they testify to Paul’s unwavering belief in the ultimacy of God the Father.”

— Ibid.

“Every other divine purpose….every other divine motivation, is subordinate to God’s accomplishing his one overarching determination to glorify his Son as “the Firstborn among many brethren” and as the Lord of the church, and in the process ultimately to glorify himself (Phil. 2:11; 1 Cor. 15:28). Never for a moment has his work of creation per se or any work of providence ever had a purpose independent of or rivaling in significance God’s redemptive purpose in Christ, and all this to his own glory.”

— Robert L. Reymond, A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1998), pg. 414.

“And so with the church’s glorification and the accompanying—yet more ultimate—glorification of Christ himself, we come to that moment in the execution of God’s work toward which all of history is moving. God will not be finally satisfied until Christ and his church are fully and finally glorified, to the praise of his Son and his own most holy name (Phil. 2:11), and that to all eternity.”

— Reymond, op. cit., pg. 800.

Conclusion:

1 Cor. 15:24-28 — ²⁴ Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. ²⁷ For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. ²⁸ And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

[Sermon preached 5 MAR 2017 by Pastor John T. “Jack” Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Greentown, PA.]

Complete Outline:

The Preface to the The Great Christological Confession: The Apostle Paul’s Carmen Christi (2:5)

1. This mind

2. in you…in Christ Jesus

3. also

Part 1: The Humiliation of Christ The Great Christological Confession: The Apostle Paul’s Carmen Christi (2:6-8)

I. The Mind-Boggling Mentality of the Messiah (2:6)

1. Eternal Deity — Who, being in the form of God

2. Essential Equality — thought it not robbery to be equal with God

II. The Essence of the Action of Incarnation (2:7)

1. The Hidden God — But made himself of no reputation

2. The Suffering Servant — and took upon him the form of a servant

3. The Son of Man — and was made in the likeness of men

III. The Highlighting of the Humiliation of Christ Jesus (2:8)

1. The Prerequisite for the Humiliation of Jesus Christ — And being found in fashion as a man

2. The Assertion of the Humiliation of Jesus Christ — he humbled himself

3. The Nature of the Humiliation of Jesus Christ — and became obedient unto death

4. The Extent of the Humiliation of Jesus Christ — even the death of the cross.

Part 2: The Exaltation of Christ in The Great Christological Confession: The Apostle Paul’s Carmen Christi (2:9-11)

I. The Unparalleled Exaltation of His Christ (2:9)

1. The Preeminent Exaltation of His Servant —

            Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him

2. The Superlative Designation of His Name —

            and given him a name which is above every name

II. The Universal Prostration of His Creation (2:10)

1. The Occasion for the Prostration: That at the name of Jesus

2. The Action of Prostration: every knee should bow

3. The Extent of the Prostration: of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth

III. The Unanimous Confession of His Coronation (2:11)

1. This Extent of this Confession — And that every tongue should confess

2. The Content of This Confession — that Jesus Christ is Lord

3. The Goal of this Confession — to the glory of God the Father

Hymn Suggestions:

 “Blessed Be the Name”

 “Glory to His Name,” AKA “Down at the Cross Where My Savior Died”

 “Hallelujah, What A Savior,” AKA ”Man of Sorrows,” What a Name”

 “How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds”

“O How I Love Jesus,” AKA “There Is a Name I Love to Hear”

Appendix I: Miscellaneous Resources on Philippians 2:5-11

1. Sermons

John Chrysostom (349-407), “The Homilies Of St. John Chrysostom Archbishop Of Constantinople, On The Epistles Of St. Paul The Apostle To The Philippians, Colossians, And Thessalonians,” trans. John A. Broadus, in Saint Chrysostom: Homilies On Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, And Philemon, Vol. XIII in A Select Library Of The Nicene And Post-Nicene Fathers Of The Christian Church, ed. Philip Schaff (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark; Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, n.d.), pp. 206-218, s.v. “Homily VI. Philippians ii. 5–8,” and “Homily VII. Philippians ii. 5–11;” on Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) at https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf113.iv.iii.vii.html and https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf113.iv.iii.viii.html respectively [accessed 14 JAN 2017].

John Murray, “The Mystery of Godliness” (sermon on Phil. 2:5-9), in Collected Writings of John Murray, 4 vols., Vol. 3: Life of John Murray, Sermons & Reviews (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1982), pp. 236-241.

Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield, “Imitating the Incarnation” (Phil. 2:5-8), sermon in The Gospel of the Incarnation (New York: Randolph, 1893), reprinted in The Saviour of the World (New York: Hodder and Stoughton, 1914; reprinted Cherry Hill, NJ: Mack, 1972), pp. 247-270; and in The Person and Work of Christ, ed. Samuel G. Craig (Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1950), pp. 563-575; downloadable PDF file on The Gospel Coalition at https://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/justintaylor/page/files/2010/09/Warfield-Imitating-the-Incarnation2.pdf [accessed 15 JAN 2017].

2. Specialized Studies

Daniel J. Fabricatore, A Lexical, Exegetical, and Theological Examination of the Greek Noun [Morphē] in Philippians 2:6-7, Ph.D. dissertation (Clarks Summit, PA: Baptist Bible Seminary, 2008); published as Form of God, Form of a Servant: An Examination of the Greek Noun [Morphē] in Philippians 2:6-7 (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2010).

Robert F. Gundry, “Style and Substance in “The Myth of God Incarnate” According to Philippians 2:6-11,” in Crossing the Boundaries: Essays in Biblical Interpretation in Honour of Michael D. Goulder, eds. Stanley E. Porter, Paul M. Joyce, and David E. Orton Biblical Interpretation Series, eds. R. Alan Culpepper, and Rolf Rendtorff, v. 8 (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994), pp. 271-293.

Ralph P. Martin, An Early Christian Confession: Philippians II. 5-11 in Recent Interpetation (London: Tyndale, 1960).

Ralph P. Martin, A Hymn of Christ: Philippians 2:5-11 in Recent Interpretation & in the Setting of Early Christian Worship, 2nd rev. ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1997; previous rev. ed. by Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1983; 1st ed. titled Carmen Christi: Philippians ii. 5-11 in Recent Interpretation and in the Setting of Early Christian Worship, Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series 4, by Cambridge University, London, 1967).

Ralph P. Martin, and Brian J. Dodd, eds., Where Christology Began: Essays on Philippians 2 (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 1998).

Wayne A. Meeks, “The Man From Heaven in Paul’s Letter to the Philippians,” in The Future of Early Christianity: Essays in Honor of Helmut Koester, eds. Birger A. Pearson, A. Thomas. Kraabel, George W. E. Nickelsburg, and Norman R. Petersen (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1991), pp. 329-336.

C. F. D. Moule, “Further Reflexions on Philippians 2:5-11,” in Apostolic History and the Gospel: Biblical and Historical Essays Presented to F.F. Bruce on his 60th birthday, eds. W. Ward Gasque, and Ralph P. Martin (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1970), pp. 264-276.

3. Sources for the Greek Text of the New Testament and Textual Criticism:

P. W. Comfort, New Testament Text and Translation Commentary: Commentary on the Variant Readings of the Ancient New Testament Manuscripts and How They Relate to the Major English Translations (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2008).

The Greek New Testament According to the Majority Text, 2nd ed., eds. Zane C. Hodges, Arthur L. Farstad, et al. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1985).

Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament: A Companion Volume to the United Bible Societies' Greek New Testament (third edition) (Stuttgart, Germany: United Bible Societies, 1971).

Bruce M. Metzger, and United Bible Societies, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, Second Edition a Companion Volume to the United Bible Societies' Greek New Testament (4th rev. ed.) (London; New York: United Bible Societies, 1994).

Novum Testamentum Graece, eds. Eberhard and Erwin Nestle, 27^th ed., eds. Barbara and Kurt Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce M. Metzger (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1898, 1993).

Maurice A. Robinson and William G. Pierpont, The New Testament in the Original Greek: Byzantine Textform 2005 (Southborough, MA: Chilton Book Publishing, 2006).

4. Greek Grammar and Vocabulary Resources

F. Blass, and A. Debrunner, A Greek Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 9th ed., trans. and rev. Robert W. Funk (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1961).

Ernest De Witt Burton, Syntax of the Moods and Tenses in New Testament Greek, 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1978 reprint of 1900 edition, University of Chicago Press, Chicago).

H. E. Dana and Julius R. Mantey, A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament (Toronto: The Macmillan Co., 1927, 1955).

G. Adolf Deissmann, Bible Studies: Contributions Chiefly from Papyri and Inscriptions to the History of the Language, the Literature, and the Religion of Hellenistic Judaism and Primitive Christianity, trans. Alexander Grieve (Winona Lake, IN: Alpha Publications, n.d.; 1979 ed., reprint of Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1923, combining both Bibelstudien and Neue Bibelstudien).

Adolf Deissmann, Light from the Ancient East: The New Testament Illustrated by Recently Discovered Texts of the Graeco-Roman World, 4th rev. ed. of Licht vom Osten (Tübingen, 1909, 1923), trans. Lionel R. M. Strachan (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, n.d.; 1978 ed.).

Murray J. Harris, Prepositions and Theology in the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012).

Johannes P. Louw and Eugene A. Nida, eds., Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains, 2nd ed., 2 vols. (New York: United Bible Societies, 1988, 1989).

C. F. D. Moule, An Idiom-Book of New Testament Greek, 2nd ed. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1953, 1959).

James Hope Moulton, A Grammar of New Testament Greek, 4 vols. (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1978).

James Hope Moulton, Prolegomena, 3rd ed., Vol. I in James Hope Moulton, A Grammar of New Testament Greek (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark).

James Hope Moulton and George Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament Illustrated from the Papyrii and other Non-Literary Sources (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d.; 1930 ed.).

The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, 3 vols., gen. ed. Colin Brown, English ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1978; trans. from Germ. original, Theologisches Begriffslexikon Zum Neuen Testament, 1971 by Theologischer Verlag Rolf Brockhaus, Wuppertal).

A. T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research, 4th ed. (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1934).

G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, and G. Friedrich, eds., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, electronic ed., trans. G. W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964-1976).

Nigel Turner, Style, Vol. IV in James Hope Moulton, A Grammar of New Testament Greek (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1976).

           

Nigel Turner, Syntax, Vol. III in James Hope Moulton, A Grammar of New Testament Greek (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1963).

G. B. Winer A Treatise on the Grammar of New Testament Greek: Regarded as a Sure Basis for New Testament Exegesis, 3rd ed., trans. W. F. Moulton, 9th ed. (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1882).

5. Select Commentaries

Alfred Barry, “The Epistles to the Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians,” in Ellicott’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: A Verse by Verse Explanation, ed. Charles John Ellicott, 8 vols. in 4 ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, n.d.; 1981 reprint of 1959 Zondervan ed.), VIII:61-90.

D. A. Carson, Basics For Believers: An Exposition of Philippians (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1996).

Fred B. Craddock, Philippians, in Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, eds. James Luther Mays, and Paul J. Achtemeier (Louisville: John Knox, 1985).

J. Eadie, A Commentary on the Greek Text of the Epistle of Paul to the Philippians, 2nd ed., ed. W. Young (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1884).

Robert Gromacki, Stand United in Joy: An Exposition of Philippians, The Gromacki Expository Series (The Woodlands, TX: Kress Christian, 2002).

G. Walter Hansen, The Letter to the Philippians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, gen. ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2009).

William Hendriksen, “Exposition of Philippians,” in Philippians, Colossians and Philemon, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1962), pp. i-vi, and 1-218.

Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible (Iowa Falls, IA: World Bible Publishers, n.d.), VI:722-747

Robert Johnstone, Lectures Exegetical and Practical on the Epistle of Paul to the Philippians with a Revised Translation of the Epistle, and Notes on the Greek Text (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, n.d.; 1955 reprint ed. from 1875 printing by William Oliphant and Co., Edinburgh).

Clarence M. Keen, Christian Joy, or Outlines and an Exposition of Paul’s Letter to the Philippians (n.p.; n.d.).

Joseph Barber Lightfoot, St. Paul's Epistle to the Philippians (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, , n.d.; 1953 reprint ed. from 1913 original by Macmillan, London).

R. P. Lightner, “Philippians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, 2 vols., eds. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985).

Ralph P. Martin, The Epistle of Paul to the Philippians: An Introduction and Commentary, Vol. 11 in The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, gen. ed. R. V. G. Tasker (Grand Rapids:  Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1959).

J. Vernon McGee, Probing Through Philippians (Pasadena, CA: Thru the Bible Books, n.d.).

Matthew Poole, A Commentary on the Holy Bible, 3 vols. (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, n.d.; 1975 reprint of 1963 ed. from 1685 1st ed.), III:680-704.

A. T. Robertson, Paul’s Joy in Christ: Studies in Philippians, A. T. Robertson Library (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1917; 1979 reprint).

Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville: Broadman, 1932).

Moisés Silva, Philippians, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, ed. Moisés Silva (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1992).

John Trapp, A Commentary Upon All the Books of the New Testament, 2nd ed., ed. W. Webster (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, n.d.; 1981 reprint from 1865 ed. by Richard D. Dickinson), pp. 602-613.

M. R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887).

A. Blake White, Joyful Unity in the Gospel: The Call of Philippians (Colorado Springs, CO: Cross to Crown Ministries, 2015).

Appendix II: The Predicate Flow in Philippians 2:5-11

Verb	Parsing	Trans	Verbal	Parsing	Trans
φρονείσθω	Pres pass impv 3rdS? [vs. 2ndP?]	Let this mind be
			ὑπάρχων	Pres act part NMS	being
ἡγήσατο	Aor mid indic 3rdS	thought it
			τὸ εἶναι	Pres act inf	to be
ἐκένωσεν	Aor act indic 3rdS	made… of no reputation
			λαβών	Aor act part NMS	took
			γενόμενος	Aor mid part  NMS	was  made
			εὑρεθεὶς	Aor pass part  NMS	being found
ἐταπείνωσεν	Aor act indic 3rdS	humbled
			γενόμενος	Aor mid part  NMS	became
ὑπερύψωσεν	Aor act indic 3rdS	hath highly exalted
ἐχαρίσατο	Aor mid indic 3rdS	given
κάμψῃ	Aor act subj 3rdS	should bow
ἐξομολογήσηται	Aor mid subj 3rdS	should confess

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End Notes:

[1] “fell on the ground” (Mk. 14:35).

[2] There is a textual variant in the extant manuscripts for this verb involving a single letter that makes a difference with the tense and mood of the verb: aorist subjunctive (“should confess”) vs. future indicative (“will confess”). There are several significant aspects to observe in the resolution of this issue:

1) the manuscript evidence is so evenly divided that any decision one way or the other is understandably quite difficult;

2) the verb in the previous verse which must be seen as coordinate with this one is in the subjunctive;

3) all of the other verbs in verses 6-11 are in the aorist tense, and all of the participles in verses 7-11 are also;

4) the issue is complicated by the fact that the OT passage Paul alludes to — not “quoted” as P.W. Comfort has it; see E. Earle Ellis, Paul’s Use of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1957), pg. 154 — is in the future indicative in the LXX (Is. 45:23);

5) all modern Greek texts of the New Testament (NA^27th/UBS^4th, MT^2nd, and BYZ) decided in favor of the aorist subjunctive reading  — in agreement with the Textus Receptus, and contrary to the reading found in Alexandrinus; and,

6) the NASB is the only modern translation I have seen that opted for an explicitly future indicative English translation.

For the evidence, and the reasoning behind the textual critics decisions in this case see the following:

P. W. Comfort, New Testament Text and Translation Commentary: Commentary on the Variant Readings of the Ancient New Testament Manuscripts and How They Relate to the Major English Translations (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2008), pg. 608.

The Greek New Testament According to the Majority Text, 2nd ed., eds. Zane C. Hodges, Arthur L. Farstad, et al. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1985), pg. 598.

Bruce M. Metzger, and United Bible Societies, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, Second Edition a Companion Volume to the United Bible Societies' Greek New Testament (4th rev. ed.) (London; New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), pg. 546.

Novum Testamentum Graece, eds. Eberhard and Erwin Nestle, 27^th ed., eds. Barbara and Kurt Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce M. Metzger (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1898, 1993), pg. 518.

The future indicative reading is included in a list of verb-endings in the New Testament that are “instances of well supported but grammatically dubious substitutions” in James Hope Moulton, A Grammar of New Testament Greek, 4 vols. (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1978), II:73. It is included as an example of the future indicative in “final (purpose) clauses” in F. Blass, and A. Debrunner, A Greek Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 9th ed., trans. and rev. Robert W. Funk (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1961), pg. 187, §369(2). Robertson discussed the exchange between the two vowels elsewhere in the New Testament as perhaps bearing on the manuscript evidence in this case. See A. T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research, 4th ed. (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1934), pg. 188.

[3] See on this J. Barton Payne, Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy: The Complete Guide to Scriptural Predictions and Their Fulfillment (New York: Harper & Row, 1973), pg. 556. Of interest on this timing is also the following statement: “The New Testament certainly teaches a new phase of Christ’s kingship in the future. But that decisive, quantum transition is plainly associated  with events concomitant with his personal, bodily return…”

— Richard B. Gaffin, Jr., “Theonomy and Eschatology: Reflections on Postmillennialism,” in Theonomy: A Reformed Critique, eds. William S. Barker and W. Robert Godfrey (Grand Rapids: Academie Books, 1990), pg. 203.

[4] “On occasion, when emphasis or feeling is more than normal there is even ellipse where the meaning is there is (are) or it is, and stronger than a mere copula.”

— Nigel Turner, Syntax, Vol. III in James Hope Moulton, A Grammar of New Testament Greek (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1963), pg. 298. Turner includes this clause in Phil. 2:11 as an example of such an ellipse (omission of the copula)  in Paul’s usage. Op. cit., pg. 302. P. F. Regard is then cited by Turner as thinking “that this emphasizes κύριος, since this type of phrase has the copula elsewhere, e.g. 1 Jn 4¹⁵.” Ibid.

[5] In his treatment of the absence of the article Robertson includes this as an example of “anarthrous definite phrases”  referring to the “only object of kind”:

 “Κύριος, like θεός and πνεῦμα, is often practically a proper name in the N. T. In the Gospels it usually refers to God, like the O. T. Lord, while in the Epistles of Paul in particular it nearly always means the Lord Jesus. It is not merely in a prepositional phrase like the common ἐν κυρίῳ (1 Cor. 7:22), or the genitive like τὸ ἔργον κυρίου (1 Cor. 16:10), but especially κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός (Ph. 1:2; 2:11, etc.).”

— A. T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research, 4th ed. (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1934), pg. 795.

On the significance of this title in the Roman empire in the first century A.D. see Adolf Deissmann, Light from the Ancient East: The New Testament Illustrated by Recently Discovered Texts of the Graeco-Roman World, 4th rev. ed. of Licht vom Osten (Tübingen, 1909, 1923), trans. Lionel R. M. Strachan (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, n.d.; 1978 ed.), pp. 338-343, and 349-362, especially pp. 341-342, and 355.

“…we cannot escape the conjecture that the Christians of the East who heard St. Paul preach in the style of Phil. 2:9, 11 and 1 Cor. 8:5, 6 must have found in the solemn confession that Jesus Christ is “the Lord” a silent protest against other “lords,” and against “the lord,” as people were beginning to call the Roman Caesar.”

— Deissmann, op. cit., pg. 355.

“Phil. ii. 9-11 connects with Christ’s exaltation to the κυριότης the same things that I Cor. xv. 24-28 connects with his reign as King.”

— Geerhardus Vos, The Pauline Eschatology (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, n.d.; 1979 reprint of 1930 original by Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ), pg. 246.

[6] Turner suggests that the Vulgate “may be wrong” here with their Latin translation in gloria, rather than “in gloriam (confess to the glory of . . . )...” He explains as due to the following: “…a distinction between the two prepositions may sometimes, especially in Paul, be intended….Jerome (Vulg.) and other translators may have failed to appreciate that Paul is not prone to confuse εἰς and ἐν.” Nigel Turner, Syntax, Vol. III in James Hope Moulton, A Grammar of New Testament Greek (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1963), pg. 256.