Reader Note: Today’s reflection is from my husband, G. Wray. I hope it encourages you as much as it did me.
While reading Philippians recently, three little words stopped me.
Not only… also.
Paul writes,
“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
— Philippians 2:4
For years, I read this as a call to think less about myself.
But that isn’t quite what Paul says.
He doesn’t tell us to stop caring for our own needs.
He simply tells us not to stop there.
And he says it in the shadow of Christ—
the One who did not grasp,
but gave Himself.
How often do we lean too far in one direction?
Some become consumed with themselves.
Others pour themselves out so completely that they begin to disappear—
neglecting even the responsibilities and relationships God has entrusted to them.
Paul calls us beyond both selfishness and self-neglect.
Christlike love doesn’t replace one with the other.
It enlarges the circle.
Not only…
Also.
—
© 2026 G. Wray | Wray of Light. All rights reserved.
I just finished a translation of the entire book of Philippians for a final project in my Koine Greek Class. What's interesting about this verse is the word for "only" (monon) is implied; it's not actually there; this is normal, because Greek often has implied words that aren't there. In her commentary, Novakovic writes, "the sense of μόνον [monon] in the first clause is most likely implied. This means, as Runge notes, that 'Paul is not asking his readers to forsake their own interests altogether, but rather to not limit their concern to theirs alone.'" So you are absolutely correct in your interpretation of this verse! Good job on this article!
Source:
Novakovic, Lidija. Philippians: A Handbook on the Greek Text. Edited by Lidija Novakovic, Baylor University Press, 2020, p. 46.
I like that balance that Christ brings to us. Thank you for sharing.