Saturday 14 September 2024
Who, being in very nature God. (v. 6, NIV translation)
Background
The apostle Paul is writing to Christians in Philippi, a Roman city where persecution for your faith would be quite common. Notably it had a strong presence of women in the church, Lydia is perhaps the stand-out name. Paul says at the start of the letter "I want you to know", and is likely responding to correspondence from the people of Philippi.
But what things might Paul want the reader to know?
Our passage today was possibly an early poem or hymn used in worship. It can be read through the lens of the common life, into which Christians are to grow, being deeper and more widely transformational than anything we know today. Was this Paul’s purpose as he wrote the letter to the church in Philippi?
Paul's words tap into the nature of God’s very self, who Jesus was, and is, and how Jesus expresses the love of God among us. The early words of verse 6 are worth some reflection: "who, though he was in the form of God" (in the NRSV Bible translation). Some versions of the Bible will use the word ‘being’ rather than ‘though’. ‘Being’ is easy to understand. ‘Though’ is less obvious perhaps, as it implies a sense of concession. The NIV translation of the Bible uses ‘being’ and continues with ‘in very nature’ ("Who, being in very nature God"), revealing Jesus is God.
The theologian Michael Gorman in his book Inhabiting the Cruciform God says “It is God-like for God to extend himself out of love into human form in order to express love”. I suggest that reveals something profound about the nature of God.
To Ponder:
- Relating to that last sentence, has something profound just been revealed about God?
- What do you consider to be Paul’s purpose in writing to the church in Philippi?
Prayer:
God, extending yourself in love to all people, across the ages to where I am right now, I ask that you kindle within me a sense of asking who, what and why. May it lead me to you for the first time, or perhaps closer to you once more. Amen.
Bible notes author: The Revd Dr Mark Cheetham
Mark is Superintendent Minister of the Salisbury Circuit and Minister at Salisbury Methodist Church.