Philippians 2 & the First Great Christian Hymn

One of the things I love about the Christian faith is this: we've got great hymns!

How Great Thou Art!  Amazing Grace!  Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty!  Here I Am, Lord, The Church's One Foundation, How Great is Our God, This is My Father's World, Glorify Thy Name, and on and on and on.

Great hymns combine inspiring lyrics with timeless melodies, and they help shape our faith and our lives. They're more important than we realize. What would worship be without hymns?

Philippians 2 contains one of the earliest hymns of our faith. It begins at Vs. 6.  Paul either wrote it or quotes it here to make his point.

What does it say to you?


Philippians 2New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Imitating Christ’s Humility

2 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion 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 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 was[a] in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God,
    did not regard equality with God
    as something to be exploited,
7 but emptied himself,
    taking the form of a slave,
    being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
8     he humbled himself
    and became obedient to the point of death—
    even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him
    and gave him the name
    that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
    every knee should bend,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue should confess
    that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

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