Thomas Aquinas Commentary Philippians 2:9-13

"Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven and [things] on earth and [things] under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure." — Philippians 2:9-13 (ASV)

Earlier, he praised Christ’s humility; here he cites its reward, which is exaltation and glory: Every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 14:11); God saves the lowly (Job 22:29). Note the threefold exaltation of Christ:

1. Regarding the glory of the resurrection (2:9a).
2. Regarding the manifestation of His divinity (2:9b).
3. Regarding the reverence shown by every creature (2:10).

He says, therefore, God has highly exalted him, namely, that He would rise from the dead and pass from mortality to immortality: Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him (Romans 6:9); The right hand of the Lord does valiantly! I shall not die, but I shall live (Psalms 118:16). He also exalted Him by seating Him at His right hand: He raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come (Ephesians 1:20).

But while it is true that others are raised to glory and immortality, He is exalted more so, because God bestowed on him the name which is above every name. Now, a name is given to signify something, and the more exalted the thing signified by a name, the more exalted is the name. Therefore, the name of the divinity is highest: O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (Psalms 8:1). Therefore, this name—that He should be called and should be God—the Father gave Him, that is, to Christ as true God.

However, Photinus says that this is mentioned here as a reward for Christ’s humility and that it does not mean He is true God, but merely that He received a certain preeminence over the creature and a likeness of the godhead. This is not true, because it was stated that he was in the form of God. Therefore, the answer must be that there are two natures and one hypostasis in Christ, for this person is God and man. This can be explained in two ways. First, that the Father gave Him this name insofar as He is the Son of God, and this from all eternity by an eternal begetting, so that this giving is no more than His eternal generation: For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself (John 5:26). Second, it can refer to Christ as man. In this case, the Father gave that man the name of being God not by nature (because God’s nature is distinct from the nature of man) but by the grace of union, not of adoption, by which He is at once God and man: designated Son of God in power, He, namely, who was descended from David according to the flesh (Romans 1:4). This second way is Augustine’s explanation, in keeping with the Apostle’s intention. Similarly, it is stated in Acts 2:36, Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. The first way is Ambrose’s.

But you might object to both explanations and ask why he says, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, and follows with, therefore God has highly exalted him, since the reward does not precede the merit. Therefore, neither the eternal begetting nor the incarnation is the reward of Christ’s passion, because they precede it. The answer is that in Sacred Scripture a thing is said to occur when it is made known. Therefore, God bestowed, that is, made manifest to the world, that He has this name. This was manifested in the resurrection, because before it, the divinity of Christ was not as well known. This is supported by the text that follows, which implies that God did not give Him a name He did not already have, but that all should venerate it.

And he mentions two types of veneration: subjecting the body and confessing with the mouth. Therefore, he says that God has given Him a name which is above all names, even as man. For this reason, he adds, that at the name of Jesus—which is the name of the man—every knee should bow, as it is written, To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear (Isaiah 45:23).

This, however, is where Origen erred. Because he heard that every knee should bow, which is a sign of subjection, he believed that at some future time every rational creature—whether angels, men, or devils—would be subjected to Christ by the allegiance of love. But this is contrary to Matthew 25:41: Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. It should be noted that there are two kinds of subjection: one is voluntary and the other involuntary.

In the future, it will come about that all the holy angels will be subject to Christ voluntarily. Therefore, he says, every knee should bow, where he mentions the sign for the thing signified, as in the verse, Adore him, all his angels (Psalms 97:7). Likewise, holy, just, and blessed men will be subject in this way: All the nations you have made shall come and bow down before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name (Psalms 86:9). But the devils and the damned will not, for they will be subject involuntarily: Even the demons believe—and shudder (James 2:19).

Then, with the words and every tongue confess, he addresses the reverence shown by confessing with the mouth. This means every tongue in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. This does not refer to a confession of praise from those under the earth, but to a forced confession made by recognizing God: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together (Isaiah 40:5); Let them praise your great and terrible name! Holy is he! (Psalms 99:3). And this confession will recognize that Jesus Christ is Lord in the glory of God the Father. He does not say "in a similar glory," because it is the same glory: That all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father (John 5:23). It should be noted that earlier he had said that Christ was in the form of God, but here he says in the glory, because it would come to pass that what He had from all eternity would become known to all: Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory which I had with you before the world was made (John 17:5).

Then, with the words, Therefore, my beloved, the exhortation concludes. In this regard, he does three things:

1. He exhorts them to act well.
2. He explains how to do so (2:14).
3. He shows the fruit of doing so (2:15).

The first point is itself divided into three parts:

1. He recalls their past obedience.
2. He shows what they should do (2:12).
3. He gives them confidence in accomplishing this (2:13).

He says, therefore, that since Christ humbled Himself and was exalted for it, you ought to realize that if you are humbled, you will also be exalted. You should do this just as you have always obeyed. He recalls their obedience to show its relevance to good works, because every virtue is included under obedience. For a person is just insofar as he keeps God’s commandments: Do you not know that if you yield yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? (Romans 6:16).

Furthermore, every good work, no matter how good it is in itself, is made better by obedience, as it is written, The obedient man shall speak of victories (Proverbs 21:28). Finally, obedience is one of the greatest virtues. To offer something from one’s external possessions is great; to offer something from the body is greater; but the greatest offering is from your soul and will, and this is done through obedience: To obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22). If you have acted this way, I urge you to continue doing so.

Then, with the words not only as in my presence, he shows what they should do.

1. He urges them to act faithfully, because an unfaithful servant serves only when the master is looking, since he seeks only to please men. A faithful servant, however, always works well. Hence he says, not only as in my presence, for then it would seem that you are not acting from the impulse of good will: Not in the way of eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart (Ephesians 6:6).
2. He urges that they act humbly, when he says, with fear and trembling, for the proud person does not fear, but the humble person does: Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall (1 Corinthians 10:12); Blessed is the man who fears the Lord always (Proverbs 28:14); Serve the Lord with fear, with trembling kiss his feet (Psalms 2:11).
3. He urges that they act with a view toward salvation: work out your own salvation, for He who endures to the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13).

Then, with the words, for God is at work in you, both to will and to work, he strengthens their confidence. He also excludes four false opinions. The first is the opinion of those who believe that a person can be saved by his own free will without God’s help. Against this, he says, For God is at work in you, both to will and to work. As the Lord says, The Father who dwells in me does his works (John 14:10), and, Apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5).

The second false opinion is from those who deny free will altogether, saying that humanity is compelled by fate or by divine providence. He excludes this when he says God works in you, because God moves the will from within to act well: You have done all our works for us (Isaiah 26:12).

The third is the Pelagian view, similar to the first, which says that the choice is ours, but the performance of the work is God's, because willing comes from us, but accomplishment comes from God. He excludes this when he says God works in us both to will and to work: It depends not upon man’s will or exertion (that is, without God’s help), but upon God’s mercy (Romans 9:16).

The fourth is the opinion that God accomplishes every good in us and does so because of our merits. He excludes this when he says God works in us for his good pleasure, and not because of our merits, because before we receive God’s grace, there is no good merit in us: Do good to Zion in your good pleasure (Psalms 51:18).