Post Series
0—Introduction
1—On 1 Corinthians 15:22
2—On Romans 5:18-19
3—On Philippians 2:10-11
4—On Colossians 1:20
5— Conclusion

One of the primary defenses for a universal salvation falls at the end of the so-called Philippians Christ Hymn in 2:6-11. Historically, it was the passage referred to by the early church fathers to settle the Arian controversy by declaring the nature of Jesus, reading it as affirming His divinity. ((Wright, Climax of the Covenant, 84.)) The later portion is used to justify a universal salvation, insisting Paul argues for this very thing when he writes, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” ((Phil 2:10-11.)) For Christian universalists, Paul means this in a soteriological sense: he anticipated a time when every person from every tongue would willingly offer praise and thanks to Jesus Christ and declare openly that he is Lord, sincerely and freely.

Christian universalists believe Paul actually anticipates this universal reconciliation, implied in his declaration in Phil 2:10-11 that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” Talbot argues Paul anticipated this exhaustive reconciliation because of the verb he chose: confess. According to Talbot, “he chose a verb that throughout the Septuagint implies not only confession, but the offer of praise and thanksgiving as well.” ((Talbot, “Christ Victorious,” 23.)) He goes on to suggest that, while a king or queen could force a subject to bow against their will, praise and thanksgiving can only come from the heart:

either those who bow before Jesus Christ and declare openly that he is Lord do so sincerely and by their own choice or they do not. If they do this sincerely and by their own choice, then there can be but one reason: They too have been reconciled to God. ((Talbot, “Christ Victorious,” 23-24.))

Johnson echos this contention: “The strongest argument in favour of [voluntary and glad submission of all beings to Christ] is the word ‘confess’…Inherent in the nature of confession is willing and, sometimes, joyful acknowledgement.” ((Johnson, “A Wideness in God’s Mercy,” 89-90.)) In fact, he goes on to say that every use of the word for ‘confess’ in the NT connotes a voluntary confession. ((Johnson, “A Wideness in God’s Mercy,” 90.)) For Christian universalists, the imagery Paul uses—bowing and confessing—proves a Pauline universal salvation. For them, all humanity—indeed everything on heaven and on earth—will actually and literally confess Jesus as Lord and Messiah, finding ultimate rescue and re-creation.

Is this passage soteriological, though? Does Paul anticipate that all people will in the end be saved and reconciled to God, does Paul anticipate a universal salvation in which all people “will willingly offer praise and thanks to Jesus Christ and declare openly that he is Lord?” According to Stephen E. Fowl, “v. 6 is crucial for the way one reads the entire passage.” ((Stephen E. Fowl, Philippians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 2005), 91.)) While the interpretations of this verse vary—an analysis of which cannot happen here—it is clear from this verse that the passage is Christological, rather than soteriological as Christian universalists take v. 10-11. While the weight of Paul’s soteriology certainly falls on v. 8, highlighting the climax and completion of God’s divine plan of salvation being accomplished through the cross, ((Wright, Climax of the Covenant, 62.)) Wright argues the passage as a whole is a strong example of Adam-Christology. ((Wright, Climax of the Covenant, 59.))

For Wright Adam-Christology is a term that means “God’s plan, to rule his world through obedient humanity, has come true in the Messiah Jesus.” ((Wright, Climax of the Covenant, 29.)) In regards to v. 10, Wright states that here “Paul credits Jesus with a rank and honour which is not only in one sense appropriate for the true Man, the Lord of the world, but is also the rank and honour explicitly reserved according to scripture, for Israel’s God and him alone.” ((Wright, Climax of the Covenant, 94.)) For Wright Paul is making a Christological statement about Jesus as the exalted Christ because of His work on the cross, rather than a statement about universally saved humanity. In vs. 9-11 Paul writes of the honor given to Christ, which is encapsulated in the title ‘Lord,’ a title reserved for no one other than Israel’s God. ((Gordon D. Fee, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing,1995), 86.)) Thus, the verses that Christian universalists use to substantiate their claim for a Pauline universal salvation have little to do with salvation itself. Rather they prove Jesus Christ is the exalted One who is honored and adored.

Fee echos this Christological reading in his examination of the passage in general, but v. 9-11 in particular. He notes that at v. 9 there is a decisive shift in language from Christ the subject to Christ the passive object of God’s activity. ((Dunn, Philippians, 232.)) As Dunn argues, “Jesus’ self-humbling reached the absolute depths in his most shameful death. But now…the Father has magnificently exalted his Son to the highest station and graciously bestowed on him the name above all other names, that is, his own name, Lord…In his exalted state Jesus now exercises universal Lordship.” ((Dunn, Philippians, 232.)) Two verbs—’bow down’ and ‘confess’—and their corresponding verses “explain the purpose of God’s exaltation of Christ and of the Gift that God bestows on Christ.” ((Fowl, Philippians, 102.)) Paul’s description of every knee bowing and tongue confessing describes not the soteriological state of universal humanity, but rather Jesus’ universal rule and authority.

This universal rule and authority describes the “universal scope of the adoration and confession offered to Jesus as Lord.” ((Dunn, Philippians, 240.)) First, Paul describes every knee that is “heavenly and earthly and under the earth” bowing at the name of Jesus. Bowing was a common idiom for giving homage in recognition of the authority of a god or person, especially in prayer. ((Fee, Philippians, 224.)) Additionally, in the ancient world it was thought these three spheres of the universe were controlled by invisible spirit-powers. ((Hansen, Philippians, 165.)) They represented all aspects of creation. Therefore, this Hymn of Christ puts all three realms under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and shows the whole universe submitting to and recognizing the authority of the one whom God has raised and exalted. Second, every tongue will “declare openly in acknowledgement”((Hansen, Philippians, 165.)) that Jesus Christ is Lord. Again, the universal submission and acknowledgement of the authority and rule of Jesus is at the center of this Hymn’s interpretation. In fact, both stanzas—“every knee will bow” and “every tongue confess”—mirror Is 45:23, the surrounding context of which proclaims the uniqueness of the God of Israel and hails his universal triumph.

Oswalt’s comments support this reading: “The point here is that there is only one God to whom the world owes allegiance, only one by whom oaths can be guaranteed. Thus there is only one judge and savior of the whole world. This point of course has implications for Israel, but also has implications for Israel’s enemies.” ((John N. Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah: Chapters 40-66 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1998), 224.)) He goes on to affirm how Paul uses this verse in Phil 2:9-11 to show that Savior Jesus will be exalted, an example of his Christological monotheism that shows Jesus as God. ((Oswalt, Isaiah, 224.Of Christological monotheism Wight, Climax of the Covenant, 129, says that Paul places Jesus within explicit statements, drawn from the OT of emphatic monotheistic texts that Israel’s God is the one and only God, thus redefining Him Christologically as Jesus the Christ.)) Paul’s quoting of Is 45 is highly significant as it “speaks of a time when all of creation will acknowledge the saving power of Yahweh.” ((Fowl, Philippians, 103.)) Rather than v. 11 speaking of an eschatological point as Fowl insists, ((Fowl, Philippians, 103.)) Dunn believes that the focus “with its use of Is 45 is not eschatological, but christological” because of the replacement of “by me” with “Jesus” to assert the idea that homage is to be paid to Jesus as Lord. ((Dunn, Philippians, 243.)) Furthermore, Paul uses Is 45 here to assert that through Christ’s resurrection and exaltation, YHWH has transferred the right to be honored and adored to His Son Jesus Christ; He is the one to whom all will bow and confess as the only authority in the universe worthy of homage. ((Fee, Philippians, 224-225.)) Again the passage is christological rather than soteriological or eschatological.

Concluding that the broader Phil 2:6-11 passage is christological means that v. 10-11 cannot mean what Christian universalists say it means. As Hansen argues, “The acknowledgement of every tongue that Jesus Christ is Lord does not mean universal participation in the confession of faith made by the church.” ((Hansen, Philippians, 165.)) Instead, this vision is what Martin calls “the open and irrevocable admission that this is the rightful Lord of the universe because God has installed Him on the seat of uncontested authority.” ((Ralph P. Martin, A Hymn of Christ: Philippians 2:5-11 in Recent Interpretation and in the Setting of Early Christian Worship (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1997), 264.)) Marhshall wonders in response to Christian universalists who argue this confession is not ‘forced’ but voluntary and salvific, “who could possibly come to this conclusion in the light of 1:28 and 3:19?” ((Marshall, “The New Testament Does Not Teach Universal Salvation,” 69.)) Furthermore, as Dunn argues, “it ought not to be assumed that the bending of the knee by all will be in glad acknowledgment of Jesus’ lordship…one ought to understand the bowing of the knee an act of submission to one whose power they cannot resist,” which also fits the context of Is 45. ((Dunn, Philippians, 243.))

Phil 1:10-11 does not teach that every person will one day willingly bow the knee and confess that Jesus is Lord at the parousia and judgment seat, resulting in universal salvation; in this language of bowing there is no hint that those who do so are acknowledging Christ’s salvation no is this language that conversion is the point of confession. ((Fee, Philippians, 224-225.)) Instead, both v. 10 and 11 emphasize the universal rule and authority of Jesus as Lord over all of creation, a rule and authority that will be acknowledged by every good and evil being whether they want to or not. Rather than Paul arguing for a universal salvation, these verses fit into the broader context of 2:6-11 that reveal to us the exalted, authoritative Jesus who Himself is God, thus giving us a new picture of God as much as Jesus.