The Epistle to the Philippians

I know I have posted at least the first half of this in multiple installments, but this is the entire first chapter's notes from my Sunday School class. Feedback is appreciated.

The epistle to the Philippians has very little to no controversy as to date, origin or authorship. It is universally accepted by reasonable scholars that the letter was written by the Apostle Paul during his imprisonment in Rome between 59 and 61 AD. Acts chapter 16 gives us the account of the establishment of the church at Philippi, a city located in East Macedonia in modern day Greece, by Paul and Silas during Paul’s second missionary journey in approximately 49 AD. Paul visited the city at least two more times, in 56 and 57 AD.

During Paul’s imprisonment in Rome, the Philippian church sent Paul a gift delivered by Epaphroditus, a member of the church. When Paul received the gift he sent what is essentially a thank-you note back with Epaphroditus to the church, and we have that letter in the Epistle to the Philippians.

Chapter 1

1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul addresses the church at Philippi in a friendly, familiar fashion. The church there had not questioned his authority as others in Galatia or Corinth had, so there was no need for him to belabor the point of his calling. 

He greets the church as saints in Christ Jesus, as he does in all his letters to bodies of believers. We shouldn’t overlook the implications of this word “saint”. A saint is one who is called out or set apart. All people who have repented and put their trust in Christ are called out of the world and set apart for God. There is no special status of saint as the Roman Catholic Church would say, but rather all believers everywhere and at all times are saints.

Paul also addresses the overseers and deacons. Overseer can also be translated as bishop, however, in Acts 20 Paul calls the elders, overseers. In addition to this, the pastoral epistles give the qualifications for elders and bishops, and they are virtually indistinguishable, so they may be used interchangeably.  Paul uses the plural of bishop and deacon in this passage, so we may assume that there is a plurality of overseers and deacons present at Philippi. A deacon is simply a servant of the church, and may be involved in financial distribution and other mercy ministries within the body, whereas an elder or bishop is in an authoritative role of ruling, teaching, and exhorting the body.

Paul ends his greeting with his typical “grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”. First, we see that the grace and peace we have as believers comes from God and not from the bringer of the message. While Paul had done many things for the Philippians, including bringing them the Gospel, the grace and peace they have is a gift of God brought by the means of Gospel proclamation.

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 

The apostle begins with thanksgiving to God, letting the Philippians know that he has great joy because of them and that he prays for them constantly. The joy that Paul has is a direct result of their perseverance in the faith from the day he brought the Gospel message to them until now. He speaks of this perseverance in terms of a partnership with him, and we must, as believers, see one another as partners in Gospel ministry rather that those folks we run into on Sunday morning. It should bring us great joy that we have other believers to walk in this sinful world alongside. Prayer for one another should never be seen as a burden, but as a joyful privilege, that God has provided brothers and sisters for us to lean on and to support. We should take pleasure in the triumphs of the brethren, and mourn with each other in times of loss. If we partake of the Gospel, we have a great many brothers and sisters with whom we should share our lives with, not just the doughnuts in the lobby.

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

This is why Paul thanks God for the perseverance of the Philippian believers. It is not Paul that began the good work in them, nor was it the Philippians that will bring it to completion. This is a promise that we can hang our hat on! God Himself began the work in us and He WILL see it completed. Paul leaves no room for man’s decisions in this equation. Paul can have a joyful resolution that all of those who trusted in Christ and repented of their sins will continue trusting and repenting until the day of our Lord. This concept is not new to Pauline writing, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? Romans 8:31-35

We can see now that the partnership in the Gospel is an eternal, God initiated, God sustained, thing. We should fall to our knees daily and praise God for beginning this good work in us and our brothers and sisters, as well as being faithful to complete it. 

7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

Paul is confident of the perseverance of the Philippian believers because they partake of the grace of God, with Paul, during times of persecution. The affliction of Paul’s imprisonment is a gift from God as noted by Christ in Matthew 5, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account” (v. 11) No unbeliever could see this persecution as anything other than a scandalous reproach, however, true believers have an eternal perspective on such things. 

Paul also notes the defense and confirmation of the gospel by this church. All believers are called to make a defense of their beliefs to anyone who asks. (1Peter 3:15) One of the signs of a saving faith is a desire to defend and proclaim the gospel to the world and Paul sees this in the Philippians as a sign of the grace of God working itself out in evangelism and apologetics.

8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Paul makes a most serious oath of his affection for the church at Philippi. He raises this affection to the highest level possible in connecting it to the very affection of Christ for His church. 

9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

Next, Paul returns to the prayer he began in verse 3, moving from his thankfulness for them to his petition to God on their behalf. Paul prays that the love of the church would continue to grow, but not without knowledge and discernment. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul makes the statement that love “does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with truth” (13:6). True love is not the head in the clouds lust portrayed by Hollywood romance, but rather is a sober, divinely inspired, affection that sometimes hurts. When a Christian grows in love for God and their neighbor, a desire for the exposing of lies, and the propagation of truth will inevitably follow. 

Without this love, we will approve of things that are ungodly, so Paul connects this growth in truth exalting love with approval of what is excellent, leading to purity and righteousness. We see the approval of worldly passions daily in the culture. The truth of the gospel is always in constant conflict with this world, and whenever we find ourselves comfortable in the world, we should examine ourselves to be sure that we are pursuing holiness, in keeping with God’s truth. 

11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

The righteousness that proceeds from the love Paul speaks of comes only through union with Christ. Any righteousness we possess is alien to ourselves and comes, not from law-keeping or holy living, but rather from the imputed righteousness of Christ that we receive as a free gift. (Phil. 3:9) 

We must keep in view that the love, purity, blamelessness, righteousness, etc., are all from our relationship with Christ, and are not in ourselves by nature, but rather, are gifts of God given to His children by adoption, according to the divine purpose and decree of God, who works all things according to the council of His will. (Eph. 1:11)

12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

It very well may be that the Philippian Christians were disheartened by the imprisonment and persecution of their beloved Apostle, but Paul encourages them. He tells them that his trials are serving to advance the gospel, and this indeed has been the story throughout the history of the church. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church, and the bloody persecutions endured by the saints has always been an encouragement to perseverance. If you have not already, get a copy of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, and read it. The stories of our brothers and sisters past enduring the most horrific tribulations with grace, hope and unbelievable courage will stir up anyone to be bold in the cause of Christ.

One great example of the supernatural strengthening given to the persecuted church is found in an early Christian writing known as “The Martyrdom of Polycarp”. Polycarp was a disciple of the Apostle John, and was martyred in A.D. 155. The author of the account is unknown, but it is generally accepted as contemporary to the event. The following excerpt is taken from Kirsopp Lake’s 1912 translation:

Now when he had at last finished his prayer, after remembering all who had ever even come his way, both small and great, high and low, and the whole Catholic Church throughout the world, the hour came for departure, and they set him on an ass, and led him into the city, on a "great Sabbath day." And the police captain Herod and his father Niketas met him and removed him into their carriage, and sat by his side trying to persuade him and saying: "But what harm is it to say, `Lord Caesar,' and to offer sacrifice, and so forth, and to be saved?" But he at first did not answer them, but when they continued he said: "I am not going to do what you counsel me." And they gave up the attempt to persuade him, and began to speak fiercely to him, and turned him out in such a hurry that in getting down from the carriage he scraped his shin; and without turning round, as though he had suffered nothing, he walked on promptly and quickly, and was taken to the arena, while the uproar in the arena was so great that no one could even be heard.

Now when Polycarp entered into the arena there came a voice from heaven: "Be strong, Polycarp, and play the man." And no one saw the speaker, but our friends who were there heard the voice. And next he was brought forward, and there was a great uproar of those who heard that Polycarp had been arrested. Therefore when he was brought forward the Proconsul asked him if he were Polycarp, and when he admitted it he tried to persuade him to deny, saying: "Respect your age," and so forth, as they are accustomed to say: "Swear by the genius of Caesar, repent, say: `Away with the Atheists' "; but Polycarp, with a stern countenance looked on all the crowd of lawless heathen in the arena, and waving his hand at them, he groaned and looked up to heaven and said: "Away with the Atheists." But when the Proconsul pressed him and said: "Take the oath and I let you go, revile Christ," Polycarp said: "For eighty and six years have I been his servant, and he has done me no wrong, and how can I blaspheme my King who saved me?"

But when he persisted again, and said: "Swear by the genius of Caesar," he answered him: "If you vainly suppose that I will swear by the genius of Caesar, as you say, and pretend that you are ignorant who I am, listen plainly: I am a Christian. And if you wish to learn the doctrine of Christianity fix a day and listen." The Proconsul said: "Persuade the people." And Polycarp said: "You I should have held worthy of discussion, for we have been taught to render honour, as is meet, if it hurt us not, to princes and authorities appointed by God. But as for those, I do not count them worthy that a defense should be made to them."

And the Proconsul said: "I have wild beasts. I will deliver you to them, unless you repent." And he said: "Call for them, for repentance from better to worse is not allowed us; but it is good to change from evil to righteousness." And he said again to him: "I will cause you to be consumed by fire, if you despise the beasts, unless you repent." But Polycarp said: "You threaten with the fire that burns for a time, and is quickly quenched, for you do not know the fire which awaits the wicked in the judgment to come and in everlasting punishment. But why are you waiting? Come, do what you will.

And with these and many other words he was filled with courage and joy, and his face was full of grace so that it not only did not fall with trouble at the things said to him, but that the Proconsul, on the other hand, was astounded and sent his herald into the midst of the arena to announce three times: "Polycarp has confessed that he is a Christian." When this had been said by the herald, all the multitude of heathen and Jews living in Smyrna cried out with uncontrollable wrath and a loud shout: "This is the teacher of Asia, the father of the Christians, the destroyer of our Gods, who teaches many neither to offer sacrifice nor to worship." And when they said this, they cried out and asked Philip the Asiarch to let loose a lion on Polycarp. But he said he could not legally do this, since he had closed the Sports. Then they found it good to cry out with one mind that he should burn Polycarp alive, for the vision which had appeared to him on his pillow must be fulfilled, when he saw it burning, while he was praying, and he turned and said prophetically to those of the faithful who were with him, "I must be burnt alive."

These things then happened with so great speed, quicker than it takes to tell, and the crowd came together immediately, and prepared wood and faggots from the workshops and baths and the Jews were extremely zealous, as is their custom, in assisting at this. Now when the fire was ready he put off all his clothes, and loosened his girdle and tried also to take off his shoes, though he did not do this before, because each of the faithful was always zealous, which of them might the more quickly touch his flesh. For he had been treated with all respect because of his noble life, even before his martyrdom. Immediately therefore, he was fastened to the instruments which had been prepared for the fire, but when they were going to nail him as well he said: "Leave me thus, for He who gives me power to endure the fire, will grant me to remain in the flames unmoved even without the security you will give by the nails."

So they did not nail him, but bound him, and he put his hands behind him and was bound, as a noble ram out of a great flock, for an oblation, a whole burnt offering made ready and acceptable to God; and he looked up to heaven and said: "O Lord God Almighty, Father of thy beloved and blessed Child, Jesus Christ, through Whom we have received full knowledge of thee, the God of Angels and powers, and of all creation, and of the whole family of the righteous, who live before thee! I bless thee, that Thou hast granted me this day and hour, that I may share, among the number of the martyrs, in the cup of thy Christ, for the Resurrection to everlasting life, both of soul and body in the immortality of the Holy Spirit. And may I, today, be received among them before Thee, as a rich and acceptable sacrifice, as Thou, the God who lies not and is truth, hast prepared beforehand, and shown forth, and fulfilled. For this reason I also praise Thee for all things, I bless Thee, I glorify Thee through the everlasting and heavenly high Priest, Jesus Christ, thy beloved Child, through whom be glory to Thee with him and the Holy Spirit, both now and for the ages that are to come, Amen."

Now when he had uttered his Amen and finished his prayer, the men in charge of the fire lit it, and a great flame blazed up and we, to whom it was given to see, saw a marvel. And we have been preserved to report to others what befell. For the fire made the likeness of a room, like the sail of a vessel filled with wind, and surrounded the body of the martyr as with a wall, and he was within it not as burning flesh, but as bread that is being baked, or as gold and silver being refined in a furnace. And we perceived such a fragrant smell as the scent of incense or other costly spices.

At length the lawless men, seeing that his body could not be consumed by the fire, commanded an executioner to go up and stab him with a dagger, and when he did this, there came out a dove, and much blood, so that the fire was quenched and all the crowd marveled that there was such a difference between the unbelievers and the elect. And of the elect was he indeed one, the wonderful martyr, Polycarp, who in our days was an apostolic and prophetic teacher, bishop of the Catholic Church in Smyrna.

The word translated as “imperial guard” in verse 13 refers to the tent of the general in a Roman camp. When Paul used the term here, he was imprisoned in Rome, so the “tent of the general” would be the house of Caesar Nero, himself. The fact that the gospel had spread through even the household of Nero was a miracle, and had demonstrated to the brothers that God will triumph no matter the power of His enemies, granting them a boldness in proclaiming the gospel they would have never had otherwise. 

15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.       

This passage is difficult mainly because we don’t know who the contentious preachers were or what exactly they had against Paul. We do know from verse 14 that Paul’s imprisonment stirred up brothers to preach the gospel, and from vv.15-17, that some of those who were compelled to preach had insincere motives. What we cannot infer from the passage is that the insincere men were preaching false doctrine. Verse 18 makes it clear that Paul rejoiced in the message of these men, even if they were intending to afflict him. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul makes it clear how he feels about false doctrine, and, needless to say, he didn’t rejoice in it. 

The direct application we should take from this is simple: Do not attack those who preach the gospel correctly, even if you don’t agree with their methods or their personalities. We should never tolerate wolves among the sheep, but disagreement on secondary issues, or even a belief that someone has bad motives is not reason to divide. This can be difficult when you factor in pride, but if Paul could rejoice in the preaching of men who hated him, because they preached Christ, we should do no less.

Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.

Paul is rejoicing in the fact that Christ is proclaimed even when motives are false. He stirs the Philippians to pray fervently, for he knows that through their prayers and the power of the Holy Spirit he will not be put to shame by the evil intentions of the insincere preachers, but rather Christ will be glorified by Paul’s life or his death. Either way, the result is Christ being glorified, and we should pray for that end, regardless of the circumstances.

21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.

To live is to serve Christ fruitfully, for the Christian, but to die is to be with Christ in glory. Both are wonderful callings but it is difficult for Paul to determine which he would prefer. He would prefer, for purely selfish reasons, to simply die and be at rest in Christ, but he knows how much the Philippians desire to be served by him. 

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 in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

Paul’s mind is made up! He will continue with the Philippians if possible, so that they may glory in Christ for his coming to them. It is more important to Paul that his spiritual children progress in the faith than for him to be released from his persecution. This is the heart of a true shepard. 

27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 

Paul connects a life worthy of the gospel to standing firm and striving in unity for the faith of the gospel. The perfect life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ should drive us to put aside our differences and strive together for the faith. Contention and backbiting are antithetical to the unity Paul speaks of, and therefore not worthy of the gospel. We should examine ourselves carefully whenever there are differences that threaten to divide the body. If the disagreement is concerning gospel essentials, we must contend for the faith (Jude vs.3), however if the disagreement is petty or nonessential we must seek reconciliation and unity or risk losing the gospel-worthiness that Paul seeks from the Philippians. The faith of the gospel should unite true believers with unbreakable bonds to fight the common enemies of all believers, namely, the world, the flesh, and the devil. The bonds that bind believers together should also alienate unbelievers and relegate them to the enemy camp until God grants them repentance and they share in the faith.

28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 

Paul exhorts the church to not be afraid of their enemies, even though the persecution being experienced by them would terrify most people into hysteria. He shows the Philippians that the wicked persecutors would see in their calm endurance the destruction that will surely come to all enemies of God. 

This endurance is also evidence to the wicked of the salvation of the saints. This salvation is obviously from God, and that is evident to the persecutors because of the fact that with the exception of a work of God Himself, no one would stand firm in the face of the horrible fate many believers experience. The testimony of amazing peace that many martyrs have displayed has resulted in the conversion of countless people throughout church history.

29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

The reason that the believers can stand firm in the face of persecution is not that they are exceptionally strong in and of themselves. The suffering they experience was sovereignly decreed from eternity past, as much as their very salvation. Paul makes it clear that faith is granted by God, but that is inextricably connected to suffering for Christ’s sake. So that they may not feel that Paul’s doctrine is something abstract and disconnected from actual experience, he testifies to his own affliction as proof of the truths he has been expounding.