2Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, ²complete my joy, so that you are in agreement^a, having the same love, united in spirit, having one purpose^b. ³Do nothing according to selfish ambition or according to empty conceit, but in humility considering one another better than yourselves, ⁴each of you^c not looking out for your own interests^d, but also each of you for the interests^e of others.

Christ’s Humiliation and Exaltation

⁵Think this in^f yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

⁶who, existing in the form of God,

did not consider being equal with God something to be grasped,

⁷but emptied himself

by^* taking the form of a slave,

by^* becoming in the likeness of people.

And being found in appearance like a man,

⁸he humbled himself

by^* becoming obedient to the point of death,

that is, death on a cross.

⁹Therefore also God exalted him

and graciously granted him the name above every name,

¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bow,

of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth,

¹¹and every tongue confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Holding Fast to the Word of Life

¹²Therefore my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. ¹³For the one at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure, is God. ¹⁴Do all things without grumbling and disputing, ¹⁵in order that you may become blameless and innocent, children of God without fault^g in the midst of a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine as stars in the world,^h ¹⁶holding fast to the word of life, for a source of prideⁱ to me in the day of Christ, that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. ¹⁷But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and rejoice with all of you. ¹⁸And in the same way also you rejoice and rejoice with me.

Read in Logos

Philippians 2:12: Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling …

Footnotes

aLiterally “you think the same thing
bLiterally “thinking the one thing”
cSome manuscripts have “each one of you”
dLiterally “the things of yourselves”
eLiterally “the things”
fOr “among”
*Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“taking”) which is understood as means
*Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“becoming”) which is understood as means
*Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“becoming”) which is understood as means
gOr “blameless”
hOr possibly “in the universe”
iOr “for a cause of boasting”