Lesson 12 · Every Knee Will Bow

⁹Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.Philippians 2:9–11

The last lesson ended at a cross, the lowest point of the lowest descent (L11). The first word of this passage is Therefore, and it is the hinge of the whole hymn. Because Christ went down, God lifted him up. The descent of 2:6–8 is answered by the exaltation of 2:9–11. The way down is, mysteriously, the way up. And the reason Paul tells the Philippians this is the same reason he told them the descent: to change how they treat each other.

1. "Therefore God has highly exalted him"

"Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name" (2:9). The therefore matters. Christ did not grab glory in 2:6; he let it go. And the Father gave it back, multiplied. Murray puts the exchange crisply: "Jesus gave up his riches for rags, so God gave him riches for his rags." The name above every name is not seized; it is bestowed, by the Father, as the answer to the Son's humility.

What is the name? It is Lord (kyrios), the name that in the Greek Old Testament translated the unspeakable name of God himself. Rogers, preaching this passage, is relentless on the point: "He is not only the Son of God, He is God the Son" ("Who Is Jesus? The God-Man," on 2:9). The crucified servant is the sovereign Lord. The cross and the throne are the same person.

Notice thisThe hymn is a single arc: down, then up. Christ's humility was not the loss of his glory but the road to its full unveiling. This is not just a fact about Jesus; it is a law of his kingdom. In God's economy, the way down is the way up. The Philippians, tempted to claw for status (2:3), are being shown that status-grasping is not only wrong, it is backwards. It misses how glory actually comes.

2. Every knee, every tongue

The exaltation is universal and certain. "So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (2:10–11). Every knee, every realm. Murray sees both comings here: in 2:5–8 Paul appealed to Christ's first coming (the descent) to urge unity; in 2:9–11 he appeals to his second coming (the universal confession) to urge the same. "Unite here and now, because we will be united there and then."

Read Paul's reason for telling them this. He is not writing a theology paper. He is saying: one day every tongue will say the same thing about Jesus. So start now. "If we talk about one another more than Christ, we've lost sight of Christ. Talk about Christ more to talk about Christians less." The future unity, guaranteed by the exalted Lord, becomes fuel for present unity among his divided people.

The exaltation in one breathThe Christ who went lowest is raised highest, and one day every knee in every realm will bow and every tongue will confess him Lord. That certainty is not only our hope; it is our present discipline. The future confession is meant to shape today's speech and today's relationships.

3. The application you might miss

Here is the devotional move that closes the hymn, and most readers miss it because it sounds so cosmic. Paul tells the Philippians about universal knee-bowing and tongue-confessing to settle a church fight. Murray says it plainly: "Bent knees straighten bent relationships." When you are at odds with a brother or sister, recall that one day you will kneel beside that very person and confess the same Lord together. The person you are presently belittling is someone you will soon be worshiping beside.

And it works for the tongue too. Murray confesses his own struggle: "I've been slandered by other Christians and been sorely tempted to retaliate. However, this passage reminds me that one day our tongues will unite to praise our Savior rather than tear each other apart. As long as I can keep my focus on that future glorified tongue of my brother, I can keep control of my own." The exalted Christ is the argument-ender. Look at him long enough, and the person beside you starts to look like a co-worshiper, not an opponent.

Try this (4 minutes)Bring to mind one Christian you currently belittle or avoid. Now picture the scene of 2:10–11: you and that person, side by side, both kneeling, both confessing "Jesus Christ is Lord." Let that future image reach back into the present. Speak to them this week as someone you will one day worship beside. The Christ who is exalted over all is exalted over this relationship too.

The hymn is done. Christ descended, and Christ was exalted. Now Paul turns from the mind of Christ to the living it out. In 2:12–13 he will show the practical shape of a life that has "this mind," and the staggering promise that powers it: God himself works in you.

Check your understanding

What does the "Therefore" at the start of 2:9 connect?

Descent to exaltation.
Exaltation to descent.
Command to feeling.
Promise to threat.

Because Christ went down (2:6-8), God lifted him up (2:9). Christ did not seize glory; he let it go, and the Father gave it back multiplied. "Jesus gave up his riches for rags, so God gave him riches for his rags." The way down is the way up.

Check your understanding

According to the lesson, why does Paul tell the Philippians about every knee bowing?

To end disunity.
To prove his learning.
To predict the future.
To frighten the church.

He is not writing theology in a vacuum; he is settling a church fight. "Bent knees straighten bent relationships." The person you belittle is someone you will one day worship beside. The future confession is fuel for present unity.

Check your understanding

What does the lesson call the "law" or "economy" revealed in the Christ-hymn?

Down is the way up.
Up is the way down.
Status is seized first.
Glory avoids the cross.

In God's economy, the way down is the way up. Christ's humility was not the loss of glory but the road to its full unveiling. Status-grasping is not only wrong, it is backwards: it misses how glory actually comes.

Read for the next lessonPhil 2:12–13: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you." The hymn is over; now the practical outworking. Watch how 2:12 ("work out") and 2:13 ("God works in") hold together, neither one without the other.
Primary source: David Murray, devotion 15, "A Workout That Works Out" (Phil 2:12–13); for verse detail, Guzik's commentary on Philippians 2; Adrian Rogers, "Trust and Obey" (sermon 12, on 2:5–18, the seriousness and strength of obedience).