Philippians 2:14-16 14Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God unblemished in the midst of a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16by holding fast to the word of life, so that I may be proud in the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.
Paul now lists two actions the Philippians should avoid as they work out their salvation. Grumbling is a plural word that means speaking a lot of words behind the scenes in a low tone of voice. This often is in the form of complaints or gossip. This grumbling is often in response to people’s circumstances or the actions of others. Disputing is also a plural word that can mean “dialogue” but has here a negative sense as argumentative words. People who speak disagreeable words also cause problems in relationships and can lead to fights. Grumbling and disputing are like diseases and can infiltrate a church and break down. They often come as a result of pride or competition. The answer to these is servanthood and humility in the example of Jesus Christ.
These actions are countered with two positive actions in the form of a result clause. Both of these words have an alpha privative in the prefix, which negates the rest of the word. Blameless (amemptoi) means being without fault. God’s desire for us is to be blameless in holiness (1 Thessalonians 3:13). Innocent (akeraioi) means “unmixed” and pure. Being pure requires avoiding evil (Romans 16:19). The grammatical pattern is broken after this, but there is alliteration with a third alpha privative word unblemished (amōma), which means without defect. These three words have a strong moral sense to them. If the Philippians would seek these three qualities in their lives, their unity would be stronger, no one would think more highly than he or she ought, and they would find inner strength to face persecution.
This moral nuance to these words is confirmed by three further descriptions. First, children of God puts the Philippians in relationship with the Holy One who calls us to be holy and makes this possible through his grace. Children should be like their parent and be obedient, and so the Philippians should emulate the same righteous qualities of God as revealed in Scripture and embodied in Jesus Christ. Second, the Philippians lived during a generation that had veered from God’s plan. This generation was crooked (skolias). This word is brought into medicine as scoliosis, which describes a crooked spine. Twisted is a close synonym that describes how something becomes distorted or deformed as it is made. In a moral context like this passage, it has the sense of being perverted. The generation in which the Philippians lived had deviated from moral purity and was far from God’s plan of holiness.
The Philippians were to be shining lights of holiness in their generation and not be negatively influenced by their culture. They could have a strong testimony in their community that people would notice, like lights shining in the darkness. They could do this by holding fast to the word of life. Paul had given this word to them in the gospel. They had experienced new life through Jesus Christ. This word was embodied in true teaching. We have this teaching preserved for us in the Bible. The Philippians needed to hold fast to their convictions and what they had been taught. There was no room for compromise with culture. They needed to build their lives on God’s word.
Paul had invested himself in them. He was imprisoned for preaching the message he preached to them. He did not want all of his suffering to go to waste. If Christ came during Paul’s life or if Paul met Christ through death, he wanted to stand proud and assured that his work was worth it all. This statement puts some pressure on the Philippians to stay strong in their faith and keep growing. Paul’s example from chapter 1, Christ’s example from chapter 2, and now a personal appeal all serve to motivate the Philippians to grow in their faith in Jesus Christ and not give up because of suffering or persecution.
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