Four Commands on Humility

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others.
Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.
Don’t look out only for your own interests,
but take an interest in others, too.
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Philippians 2:3–5

Paul wrote to his Christian friends in Philippi while he was under house arrest in Rome, hoping to convince them to imitate Christ’s selflessness. In Philippians 2:3–5, he gave them four commands: the first and the third are negative; the second and the fourth are positive. He then held up Christ as the ultimate example. He modelled the discipline of surrender to such a degree that sacrifice was inevitable. Here are the commands:

1. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit (v. 3).
2. With humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourselves (v. 3).
3. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests (v. 4).
4. [Look out] also for the interests of others (v. 4).

Did you notice? The second command leads off with four significant words: “with humility of mind.” In Matthew 11:29 Jesus called Himself “gentle and humble in heart,” using the same root word, tapeinos, meaning lowly or of low social standing. Someone who accepts his place at the bottom of the social order has no self-serving expectations. He leaves no room for selfishness.

You want to be like Christ? Begin by thinking of yourself as lowly. Deliberately work toward becoming unselfish. For one full day, let go of anything that serves your own interest to the exclusion of others. On that same day, fix your attention on Jesus by surrendering in complete selflessness. By doing this you will follow a divinely ordained plan that is not your preference.

Don’t miss the precise wording of the third command. I’m glad the editors of the New American Standard Bible included “merely” in their translation. You can’t live so entirely selflessly that you never look out for your own interests. No one—not even God—expects you to become the local doormat. Obviously, failing to seek adequate food, shelter, clothing, and other necessities would be foolish. Keep all of this in balance. It’s a question of priorities and emphasis. “Not merely your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

Eugene Peterson’s The Message paraphrases this nicely in modern terms:

Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. (Philippians 2:3–4 MSG)

 Following the four commands, Paul points to Jesus as the perfect illustration of selflessness.