Forming Faith Blog

Living Like Jesus (Philippians 2)

Posted on May 5 2026 by Gregory Rawn

Paul urges the Philippians to love and serve one another humbly, just as Jesus did. How do we live and love with humble, giving hearts?

Two hands holding a heart with greenery in the background. Paul urges the Philippians to have giving and humble hearts.
Photo by Puwadon Sang-ngern
About the Story

As mentioned last week, Philippi was a city in Macedonia, north of Greece. It had special status in the Greek provinces of the Roman Empire because—while originally founded by Alexander the Great’s father, Philip II—it was refounded by Caesar Augustus and treated legally as though it were in Italy. This gave the city the strongest Roman character of the cities that Paul visited. Because of its geographical and political status, Philippi accommodated a wide range of religious observances. It did not have a significant Jewish population, however, so Paul’s ministry took place almost entirely among Gentiles. 

The central verses of the passage have often been identified as a hymn, but they can also be considered an encomion, which is a form of rhetoric used to praise important people or gods. The Philippian community was used to having emperors who were said to become gods during or after their glorious lives. Paul flips that idea on its head by portraying a Lord who humbles himself instead of exalting himself. 

Paul mentions that he is imprisoned as he writes this letter, possibly in Rome. Under Roman law, people were not sentenced to prison time; prison was a waiting stage until a trial. As a Roman citizen, Paul exercised his right to have the emperor hear his case (see Acts 25). It is this context that makes his encouragement to the people to “make my joy complete” as wistful as it is demanding. (Adapted from Living the Word: Small Groups)

Context Insights

The following are a few insights found in our background resource Living the Word: Contexts & Connections.

  • Linguistics: In Philippians 2:8, Paul describes Christ as “humbling himself” (Gk. etapeinōsen). The “Philippians were familiar with humiliation by superiors in their social, political, and economic worlds,”* but they would have been surprised to hear the word in connection with their God and Lord.
  • Authorial Intention/Occasion: Paul wrote this passage as a tool for the Philippians to broadcast the message about Jesus to the outside world. Paul urged the Philippians not only to broadcast the message through words, but also by imitating Christ in their actions towards one another.
  • Common Misunderstandings: If we understand this passage as an encomium and not a hymn, its purpose changes. A hymn may be didactic and “provide an example to be imitated” as the NRSV notes. On the other hand, an encomium is used to praise someone and to profess faith in them. The emphasis is on the subject of the encomium (Jesus), not the response of the hearers.
Connections and Suggestions

We have Narrative Lectionary resources for 2026-2027 for all age groups. Here are a few activity summaries you can use. The full activity descriptions and much more are available in the product noted. 

  • Kids: Fill a dishpan or bin with water. Start a brief conversation by stating that helping others can have a ripple effect and asking who else might be helped when we help someone (e.g., helping a parent become healthier can help them take better care of their children). Demonstrate ripples by dropping small stones or marbles into the water. Have students drop their own stones or marbles and try to count the ripples. (From Living the Word: Kids Mini Lessons (PK-6th))
  • Youth: Place a large blanket in the middle of a playing space, away from furniture. Have all the youth stand on the blanket, and challenge them to turn the blanket over without any youth touching the floor. Once they can do this, you can time them to see how quickly they can accomplish this task together. (From Living the Word: Youth)
  • Intergenerational education: Pray in full accord (Philippians 2:2) with this activity. Give each participant a piece of paper and a pen or pencil (pre-writers can pair up with confident writers). Ask them to write a one- or two-sentence prayer on their paper and then place their prayer around the edge of the room. Have each participant (or pair) stand in front of a different person’s prayer and pray that prayer. When they are finished, they should write their initials on the paper and move to a different person’s prayer, repeating the previous steps. In this way, all participants are praying together, if not at the same time. (From Living the Word: Cross+Gen Education)
Previous Posts

This is our blog’s third go-around in the Narrative Lectionary, Year 4. Here are some previous posts on this particular passage if you are interested:

I hope you find this all useful! If you have any questions or feedback on this blog post (or anything else), comment on this post below or on Facebook, or send me a message.

In Christ,

Gregory Rawn (Publisher)

*John Reumann, Philippians: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008), 352.

Order Faith Formation Resources

Are you planning for summer and the 2026-2027 faith formation programming? Order an affordable VBS-ready Learning Together unit and program-year curriculum for the Narrative Lectionary (Year 1, 2026-2027), Revised Common Lectionary (Years A & B, 2026-2027), or Key Bible Stories (non-lectionary, PK-2nd, 3rd-6th).

New RCL faith-at-home resource!

I’m excited to announce a new product series for Spirit & Truth Publishing: Taking Faith Home. Taking Faith Home is a set of weekly devotional resources (often distributed as worship bulletin inserts) that follows the Revised Common Lectionary. We offer it as a Church Year (Dec. 2025 to Nov. 2026) and a Program Year (Spring & Summer 2026 and Sept. 2026 to May 2027). You can also purchase by quarter (Spring, Summer, and Fall). Learn more here and read a review!

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Are you looking for resources for VBS, topical Sunday school, family/intergenerational events, retreats, and more?

Learning Together is a series of five-lesson units on a variety of topics. Our faith formation resources are easy to use, theologically sound, and inclusive. Each unit can be used at any time in many different settings, but here are a few suggestions:

+ VBS: Paul’s Adventures (NEW!), Celebrations, Created to Care, God’s Gift of Water, Heroes of the Bible
+ Education, Events, and Retreats: The I AM Statements of Jesus (free!), Travelers (Immigrants and Refugees), Do Justice, Celebrations, Women of the Old Testament, Bible 101

Building Faith has recommended two of our units as VBS curriculum: Paul’s Adventures (reviewed in 2026) and Celebrations (reviewed in 2025)!

You can also read outside reviews on both our Do Justice and Created to Care units.

I am very honored to announce that I was a guest on the premiere episode of season 3 of the Around the Table podcast! The topic: how faith formation is different than Christian education. Check it out at Around the Table S03E01.

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