Chapter One
Greeting to Believers in Philippi
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 and Timothy are the senders of this epistle, they refer to themselves as servants (Greek doulos, a word that can be translated as slave, bond-servant, or servant, depending on context, click here to read more about that word). They address it to all of the believers at Philippi, including the church leadership. They extend grace and peace from God the Father and from Jesus the Christ.
Thanksgiving and Prayer of Blessing
1:3 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.
Paul thanks God for them, he remembers them fondly as he prays for them everyday. And that those prayers are truly a joy for him since it reminds him of their willingness to work with him promoting the gospel message from the beginning. Prayer should never be a burden, but for Paul when it was time for him to lift up the believers in Philippi in prayer, it brought a certain joy to him as they were very dear to him.
1:6 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.
Most Christians have heard this important verse. First thing to note is that he is one-hundred percent sure that this is how God works. That the good work that God began in every believer, the process of sanctification (being made holy and righteous), will brought to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. The second thing to notice is that it is God doing the work. The process of sanctification is often confusing to believers as there is a component that is involves our effort, but that is in regard to our fellowship with God, not our salvation. The moment believers accept the free gift of salvation through Jesus, we are positionally saved, our spirit is cleansed. But our bodies remain sinful and from that moment on until we die (or Jesus comes to get us) we are slowly changed to be more like Jesus. As we recognize how sin creates a barrier in our fellowship with Jesus we strive to minimize the weight of that sin (see Hebrews 12:1-2). However, when that day comes (death or rapture) we won’t be “half-baked,” God will finish what He started and we will receive our glorified bodies (one without sin) and spend eternity with Jesus in heaven.
The reference to the “day of Jesus Christ,” and the references to the “day of Christ,” in verse ten below and in 1 Corinthians 1:8, all point to a time of hope when our struggles are over, not condemnation. These should not be considered the same as “the Day of our Lord” (click here to read more).
1:7 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 explains that he feels this affection for them because they were all partakers (Greek synkoinōnous, a joint participation, a partner) with him of grace, both while he was in prison and when involved in the defense (Greek apologia, to give an answer to defend your beliefs) and confirmation (Greek bebaiōsei, to ratify, prove to be true) of the gospel.
1:8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 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, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
To establish that his feelings were truly legit, Paul says that God is his witness, that he yearns (Greek epipothō, having great affection for) for them with the affection that can only come from Jesus. Paul offers a prayer of blessing that their love will continue to grow along with their knowledge and discernment so that they will live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ (see verse six above). And he further asks God to bless them by filling them with the fruit of righteousness that comes from Jesus. The term “fruit of righteousness” can be found in the Old Testament (see Proverbs 11:30; Amos 6:12), in the New Testament it relates to not only the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23), it also encapsulates all of the benefits of being children of God and of course salvation. All to the glory and praise of God.
Considerations
Knowledge and Discernment
There are three English words that are often used as synonyms for each other but are actually very different in their meaning an application, those are knowledge, wisdom, and discernment. In the simplest of terms knowledge is about knowing information, wisdom is about knowing how to use that information, and discernment is about knowing what information is true and what is not. As Christians we all have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us and one of the many benefits (fruit of righteousness) is that all three are available to us. James wrote, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.” (James 1:5-8, NLT) So ask! And just like every other prayer, expect an answer!
The Advancement of the Gospel
1:12 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.
Paul wants them to know that all of the things that happened to him served to advance the gospel including all the guards and other inmates in the praetorium (official residence of Roman governors) where he was being held. Paul’s incarceration has also emboldened fellow believers to speak out and to tell others about the gospel.
1:15 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 selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18a What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
Paul makes an unusual observation, that there are some preaching the gospel from envy and rivalry. That the reason they are preaching is so that they can afflict him with more pain and trouble. Just as Paul reported in his first letter to the church in Corinth that there were some that were in favor of Paul and there were some that were against him (or at least they favored others, see 1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:22), that they preached out of selfish ambition. This seems inconceivable to many modern readers, but sadly envy in Christianity still exists today. Churches, pastors, preachers, teachers, and ministries should not be fighting each other or attempt to “out do” those in the same area, we can only please God by listening and doing as the Holy Spirit guides. Follow Him and everything else will be taken care of. Paul notes that he was tolerant as long as those that opposed him were proclaiming the true gospel of Christ. But for us today that may not always be the case with today’s rivalries, so pay attention to the theology being taught!
But Paul also mentions that there were some that were motivated by good will and love. And that they knew he was in prison for defending the gospel. Paul then proclaims that regardless of motive, whether in pretense (Greek prophasei, to pretend to be engaged in a particular activity, an outward show or pretext to cover one’s actual intent) or in truth, he rejoices because Christ is proclaimed.
To Live Is Christ
1:18b 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.
Regardless of the situation or whether people are for or against him personally, Paul rejoiced knowing the gospel was being preached. He tells the believers in Philippi that through their prayers and the aid of the Holy Spirit it will lead to his deliverance. There is some debate as to what Paul is referring to when he wrote regarding his deliverance. Some believe that it pertains to vindication before Caesar, some think he was referring to his ministry of preaching the gospel that regardless of the pains and bruises along the way that it proved valuable to the kingdom. And then there are some that believe he is referring to his salvation, but that is not likely as he taught often that salvation is not earned. Regardless of interpretation, Paul recognized that he always honored Jesus, and He will continue to be honored whether he lives or dies. He explains this now in the remainder of this chapter.
1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
“To live is Christ,” is often expressed by Christians, but many fail to truly live as they should. Perhaps to clarify, Paul should have written, “for a person to live is to serve Christ,” or “only in serving Christ can one truly live.”[1] To live is to bring glory and honor to Jesus by following and serving Him. Paul understood that by being alive we have the opportunity to tell others about Jesus, to represent Him on earth, that was his priority. The English preacher Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) wrote the following commentary on this verse:
If he lived, he lived to know more of Christ, studying His person, and learning by his happy experience so that he increased in his knowledge of his Lord and Savior. If he lived, he lived to imitate Christ more closely, becoming more and more conformed to His image. If he lived, he lived to make Christ more and more known to others, and to enjoy Christ more himself. In these four senses, he might well say, “For to me to live is Christ”—to know Christ more, to imitate Christ more, to preach Christ more, and to enjoy Christ more.[2]
But Paul then writes, “to die is gain,” you don’t hear too many proclaiming that openly. What does Paul mean? Is he encouraging death? No! But he is saying that death is no threat as it presents a more advantageous alternative, being with Jesus in heaven. But that will take us out of the kingdom building process. It is important for us to remember that ’transition’ is not up to us, God decides when that will occur. Spurgeon continues:
This is one of the gospel riddles, which only the Christian can truly understand. To die is not gain if I look upon the merely visible. To die is loss; it is not gain. But death, Paul felt, would free him from all sin, and from all doubts as to his state in the present and the future. It would be gain to him, for then he would no longer be tossed upon the stormy sea. He would be safe upon the land where he was bound. It would be gain to him, for then he would be free from all temptations both from within and from without. It would be gain to him, for then he would be delivered from all his enemies. There would be no cruel Nero, no blaspheming Jews, no false brothers then. It would be gain to him, for then he would be delivered from all suffering: there would be no more shipwrecks, no more being beaten with rods, or being stoned. Dying, too, would be gain for him, for he would then be free from all fear of death. Having once died, he would die no more forever. It would be gain to him, for he would find in heaven better and more perfect friends than he would leave behind on earth. And he would find, above all, his Savior, and be a partaker of His glory.[3]
1:22 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. 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 understood that God had him still alive for a reason (he certainly experienced and survived more life-threatening moments than most believers, see 2 Corinthians 11:16-33). He sees that since he is alive God has more labor for him, which he says will be fruitful. But if he had to choose, life or death, from his perspective, he is hard pressed between the two. He desires to depart and be with Jesus, as that would be favorable for him. However, to remain alive would be better for them regarding their spiritual growth and experiencing joy serving God in faith. Therefore, he is convinced he will remain alive.
1:27 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, 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 desires that all of the Philippi believers, and all of his readers, to live a life “worthy of the Gospel of Christ.” We are reminded in 1 Corinthians 5:20 that we are ambassadors for Christ, here he is telling us that we should live like an ambassador. First, follow Jesus through the Word of God, and be receptive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He tells the Philippians that this should true regardless of him being present or not. He wants to hear that they were standing firm together in one spirit, and one accord, fighting for the faith in the gospel message, working together in unity. And second, not be intimidated by any opposition. Which will be a sure sign for the opponents to see that they will be the ones that will be destroyed, but as for the believers, they will be saved.
1:29 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.
In his epistle to the church in Rome, Paul wrote, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:16-17, ESV, see also 2 Corinthians 1:7) And here in Philippians, we read that we are to believe in Jesus (have faith in Him), but also to suffer for His sake, that believers are to engage in the same conflicts that he encountered and are still experiencing. Some ask is suffering a requirement? This is not simple to answer. When we accept Jesus as our Savior through faith, that belief indeed is all that we need for salvation (see Ephesians 2:4-8) and become children of God (as shown in Romans 8:16-17 above, see also John 4:12). But we are also given ‘targets’ (okay not literally, but we become targets for the enemy) that identify us as God’s children and therefore will face persecution (see Matthew 10:22-25; 11:29-30; John 16:2-3; Acts 9:15-16; 2 Timothy 3:12).
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[1] Loh, I.-J., & Nida, E. A. (1995). A handbook on Paul’s letter to the Philippians (p. 19). United Bible Societies
[2] Spurgeon, C. (2014). Spurgeon Commentary: Philippians (E. Ritzema, Ed.; p. 25). Lexham Press.
[3] Spurgeon, C. (2014). Spurgeon Commentary: Philippians (E. Ritzema, Ed.; pp. 25–26). Lexham Press.