Philippians 2:1–18

Imitating Christ’s Humility

²If, then, there is any comfort in Christ, any consolation from love, any partnership in the Spirit, any tender affection and sympathy,^{* 2}make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.^{* 3}Do nothing from selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.^{* 4}Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others.^{* 5}Let the same mind be in you that wasⁱ in Christ Jesus,^*

⁶who, though he existed in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God

as something to be grasped,^*

⁷but emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

assuming human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a human,^*

⁸he humbled himself

and became obedient to the point of death—

even death on a cross.^*

⁹Therefore God exalted him even more highly

and gave him the name

that is above every other name,^*

¹⁰so that at the name given to Jesus

every knee should bend,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,^*

¹¹and every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.^*

Shining as Lights in the World

¹²Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence but much more now in my absence, work on your own salvation with fear and trembling,^{* 13}for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

¹⁴Do all things without murmuring and arguing,^{* 15}so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world,^{* 16}holding forth the word of life so that I can boast on 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 libation over the sacrifice and the service of your faith, I rejoice, and I rejoice together with all of you;^{* 18}in the same way also you should rejoice and rejoice together with me.