1 PHILLIPIANS
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 1
Discourse within
the Church
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Chapter One Contents
Verses
1-9 Greetings and thanksgiving
Verses 10
-17 Arguments within the church
Verses 18-
25 The gospel and human wisdom
Verses 26
– 30 Christian conduct
(11) Links like this refer the reader back to the
corresponding verse.
Verses 1-9
Greetings and thanksgiving
1 Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
There was no need for Paul to identify himself as an apostle. His apostolic authority was well known by the
church.
Paul begins this letter in the customary way. Paul is not acknowledging Timothy as
coauthor, just that he is with him. The
earliest manuscripts use Christ Jesus and not Jesus Christ. Perhaps to identify Jesus as the deliver. Paul reverses the order in verse two. Often time’s today people will say Jesus
Christ which makes it sound like Christ is Jesus’s last name and not His
title. This is like saying Bill mister
instead of Mister Bill.
The tone of this letter is affectionate.
(1)
Paul uses the titles of Overseers and deacons.
Overseers were the same as Bishop today (see also Acts
20:28; 1
Timothy 3:1; & Titus1:2). Bishops are synonymous with “presbyters” or
church governing board member, or elder.
The Bishops, or elders, handled the internal workings of the
church (pastoral duties). The deacons on
the other hand, handled those ministerial duties outside the church, such as
feeding the widows and orphans.
(2)
Paul concludes the salutation with the words grace and peace. Here we see the union of both Jew (peace be
with you), and Greek salutation of grace or chairein meaning joy. Paul’s intention was to make this letter all
(see use in Vs 1
) inclusive.
3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, 5 in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.
Paul uses the word “my” to show his personal faith in God,
and his thanks to God for bringing to his mind the needs of the faithful in
Philippi.
Paul was faithful in his intercessory prayers, and wanted
them to know it was his joy to pray for them.
Even though Paul could not be with them in person, he was with them in
spirit through his prayers.
We too can feel the joy Paul felt when the Lord brings the
needs of others to our minds. Praying
for other should be seen as a privilege for us and the source of joy and never
burdensome.
Notice Paul used the word “participation”. He was telling them of his joy in seeing,
from the beginning, the faithful at Philippi as doers of the word
fellowshipping with each other in the Father Son and Holy Spirit. (Philippians
4:15;
1 Corinthians
1:9 ;(1 John
1:3 "fellowship" ) ) .
6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
Paul was confident because he saw the change, and
incremental growth in himself after meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus. The very work Paul saw in himself, he could
now see in others.
You can rest assured God will finish the work He has started
in us. The work begun in us is hampered
only by our reluctance to seek Gods will for our lives. As the song lyric goes “trust and obey for
there is no other way, to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey”. Only through our obedience to God, is His
work perfected in us. Jesus will come
again to gather His church, and on that day the work begun in us will be
completed.
7 For it is only right for me to feel this way
about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment
and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of
grace with me.
In the king James translation you will see the word meet in
place of the word right. The word meet
was translated from the Greek: dikaios dik'-ah-yos; meaning equitable. Paul, being imprisoned because he preached
the Gospel, expresses his unfaltering love towards the believers in
Philippi. Paul felt a kindred spirit
with them because he shared the gospel with them and now they too held the
gospel in their hearts.
Paul’s love for the
Lord and His word never diminished even though his body was imprisoned his
spirit soared with those he had brought the gospel to.
8 For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.
Paul was telling them that he loved them with all the
compassion of Christ Jesus.
Paul shares a similar comment in Romans 1:9&10: “For
God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my
witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, (10)
always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God
I may succeed in coming to you.
Adams Clark writes:
“For God is my record - I call God to witness that I have the strongest
affection for you, and that I love you with that same kind of tender concern
with which Christ loved the world when he gave himself for it; for I am even
ready to be offered on the sacrifice and service of your faith, Philippians
2:17.”
Verses 10-17
Arguments within the Church
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; 11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Even though Paul acknowledges they have love, he also told
them there was room for improvement.
Knowledge spoken of here refers to their knowledge of church
doctrine and the truths of Jesus’s teachings.
Here again we see Paul telling them there was room for improvement.
In our efforts to be like Jesus we too will see where we
have room to improve our posture.
(10)
The phrase “you may approve” stems from their practice of testing
coins. They were to test what they were
taught, and thereby would know what you have been taught to be true. So they could go forward being sincere. The Greek word for sincere is eilikrines
i-lik-ree-nace' from the root word heile (the sun's ray) and 2919; judged by
sunlight, i.e. tested as genuine (figuratively):--pure.
The word blameless was translated from the
Greek: aproskopos ap-ros'-kop-os meaning
faultless.
Paul was telling them to test the teachings so they would
have confidence, not fearing accusations of false teachings.
(11)
The fruit of righteousness comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit; giving us the
ability to honor and praise God, through our words and deeds.
12 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, 13 so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, 14 and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.
Paul, referring to his confinement, which on the surface seems
a bad thing, but it was serving God’s purpose.
(13)
“‘All of the emperor’s own
special guard’. The Roman emperor’s own special guard consisted of nine
thousand men. A member of this guard would be with Paul. The guard changed
duties every four hours. So, more and more of the soldiers would hear about
Paul and why he was in prison. ‘And all
the other people here’. The news would spread, so that many other people would
hear about Christ.” [5]
Because of
Paul’s witness, the news of his strength and faith spread, honoring God.
15 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; 16 the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; 17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.
It would appear that there was jealously among the
brethren. Perhaps these preachers were
preaching even before Paul came on the scene.
These same people may have been envious of Paul and his stature in the
Church. Paul acknowledged that he
realized the motives of some were good.
Our motivation for serving God must stem from His love
within us, and not from self-serving desires.
Jealously is an ugly emotion robbing us of our wellbeing,
and our closeness to Jesus.
Verses 18-25
the gospel and human wisdom
18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice.
The word pretense used here was translated from the
Greek: “prophasis prof'-as-is from a
compound of 4253 and 5316; an outward showing, i.e. pretext:--cloke,
color, pretense, show.” [2]
Knowing that pretense means outward showing. Paul is saying,
even though imprisoned, he drew great joy when hearing how the church in
Philippi was proclaiming Christ Jesus.
Paul pointed out it made little difference whether they
proclaimed Christ by their actions, or their honest and true testimony; the
gospel of Christ was testifying through them.
Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
I don’t think Paul was asking for prayers for his release
from prison, but rather that he be able to finish his mission by the provisions
of the Holy Spirit of Jesus.
In verse 20 Paul fully expects, that through prayerful deliverance,
he will remain steadfast abiding in Christ, and continue to preach with
confidence the gospel of Christ.
In today’s world Christians are constantly torn by those who
would cause us to falter and fall. Like
Paul we must daily go before Jesus and ask for deliverance from fear, that we
may boldly proclaim Christ Jesus as Lord.
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose.
Verse 21 is quoted by many who live for Jesus, but what does
it really mean?
To live is Christ –
Paul’s actions, his very purpose in life was to give glory and honor to
Christ Jesus. By making this choice Paul
was living a fulfilling life in Christ.
Paul was unsure if he would be put to death or live to
continue his mission. Either way Paul
would be bringing honor and glory to Jesus, even in the death of his physical
body. For he would have run the race and
finished well.
When someone accuses you of believing in fairy tales, reply
thusly: If you are right and I am wrong;
I have lost nothing, living a good life by Jesus’s example. However, if I am write and you are wrong, I
have gained everything and you have lost your eternal soul.
23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.
On one hand Paul desired to continue his mission seeding the
gentile world with the gospel. This
would have brought him great joy. On the
other hand Paul knew his reward in heaven was to be with Jesus for all
eternity, and to hear Him say well done good and faithful servant.
In verse 24 Paul shows his love for the church in Philippi
by saying he wanted to remain in the flesh for their sake; even though his
reward awaits him in heaven.
As Christians we are promised an eternity with Jesus, free
from pain, suffering and sorrow, knowing only peace and joy. Will you hear Jesus tell you “well done good
and faithful servant?
25
Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all
for your progress and joy in the faith, 26
so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through
my coming to you again.
Substituting confidence (translated from the Greek: peitho
pi'-tho meaning confidence. By substituting
this word I believe we get a clear understanding of what Paul was feeling and
expressing.
Paul, on his own, would not have been confident in believing
he would not be put to death soon. I
believe the Holy Spirit told him he was to remain alive a while longer to
complete his ministry.
ALFORD makes the
"matter of glorying," the possession of the Gospel, received from Paul,
which would abound, be assured and increased, by his presence among them; thus,
"in me," implies that Paul is the worker of the material of abounding
in Christ Jesus. But "my rejoicing over you" ( Philippians 2:16
), answers plainly to "your rejoicing in respect to me"
Verses 26-31
Christian conduct
27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of
the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I
will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind
striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28 in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is
a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from
God.
Paul is exhorting the church of Philippi to live their lives
in accordance with the teachings of the gospel.
“One spirit, with one mind” - In verse 27,
Paul is stressing the importance of abiding in Jesus collectively as a
church.
Paul was saying even though, Rome was beginning to turn
against the Christians, remain strong in faith and the gospel. Paul goes on to note a country which turns
away from God and His people, brings about its own destruction.
As a nation, have we turned our backs on God and His
gospel? If so what will our nations fate
be?
29 For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
Why does God allow His people to suffer? I don’t believe God relishes our
suffering. He does however, relish those
who would sacrifice for Christ’s sake.
Through trials and tribulations our faith is strengthened.
All of us at one time or another will, or have already felt,
the scorn and isolation of living a Christian life. We do not suffer as others
do in this world as the media tells us of torture and beheadings. We still free to worship as we please. However we have witnessed Christ Jesus driven
out of all public place for the sake of a very few. I feel that if we do not repent as a nation,
and turn back to God we will suffer the same fate as Rome.
CREDITS AND CITATIONS
[2]- Greek translation are derived from Crosswire.org/study
bible and Strong’s Ehaustive concordance
[3] – Wikipedia.org
[7]- Commentary by Adam Clarke
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