Philippians 1 Commentary - Classic Theology

From the Pulpit—Video & Full Transcript

Philippians 1:1-11 Background and Introduction
Philippians 1:12-30 In Chains for Christ

Commentary

Overview

This book of the Bible is an epistle, which is the Church’s word for letters in the Biblical canon.
1. Just because it’s a letter, it would be wrong to assume that it’s just a casual piece of communication to a particular group long ago.
2. This is a letter inspired by the Holy Spirit by an apostle and beneficial for the whole church.
Philippians is from the Apostle Paul to the church at Philippi.
Understanding the city, the church, and why the letter was sent helps make the context of this book clearer.

The City of Philippi

Located in Macedonia (modern-day Greece), Philippi was a Roman colony, meaning most of the citizens living there were Roman citizens, the culture was Roman, and the institutions were especially Roman, even though it was in a region that was culturally Greek.
1. It’s important to remember that just because an area was conquered by Romans, that didn’t make the citizens Roman citizens. Citizenship had to be earned with service to the Empire, such as military service or large donations.
2. Only people born to citizens were citizens from birth.
Philippi was especially proud of their Roman identity.
1. Philippi was the site of the decisive battle ending one of Rome’s civil wars, the Liberators’ Civil War, roughly 100 years before this letter was written.
  1. Julius Caesar was assassinated by senators who feared his growing power.
  2. The Imperial forces led by Octavian (later Caesar Augustus) and Julius’s right-hand man, Mark Antony, defeated the republican forces led by the assassins Brutus and Cassius and the at Philippi.
2. The cultural memory of that battle shaped the identity of the city. Imagine something like Gettysburg Pennsylvania; stars and stripes everywhere.
3. A lot of the citizens were descended from soldiers that retired after that war and settled in the region, so that military identity would also be really strong in this area.

The Founding of the Church at Phillippi

The book of Acts chapter 16 gives us an account of the founding of the Church at Philippi by the Apostle Paul during his second missionary journey.
Paul hadn’t originally planned to go to Europe. He planned on going to Asia, but the Holy Spirit stopped him and sent him a vision of a man from Macedonia calling for help. Paul consequently went to Macedonia and started the first Church on the continent of Europe.
Paul proclaims Christ to three noteworthy people in Philippi. These people are likely still living in the community as prominent members of the church that Paul is writing to.
1. Lydia: A wealthy merchant of purple fabric
  1. Purple dye was extraordinarily valuable. To produce a single ounce of purple dye, thousands of sea snails would be gathered by hand, workers would break their shells and extract fluid from their mucus-producing hypobranchial gland, and boiled for ten days with other liquids such as urine.
  2. Roman clothing had certain visual symbols based on how much imperial purple was in a garment to tell a person’s rank and social standing. Only the emperor could wear a purely imperial purple garment.
  3. Given her trade, Lydia would have been well-connected and likely very wealthy.
  4. She and her entire household heard the Gospel and were baptized.
2. A Slave Girl: Possessed by a “spirit of divination” Python” (associated with the god Apollo in Greek culture)
  1. The Greek text calls it, quite literally, a “spirit of python.” Pythons were associated with the Greek god Apollo, who was especially honored in the city of Phillipi. It’s likely that locals saw her abilities as a divine blessing, though Paul and Silas knew that it wasn’t of God.
  2. Her owners profited from her fortune-telling ability.
  3. She followed Paul and Silas declaring: “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.”
    1. Given Paul’s annoyance, one must assume this was said in a disrespectful, mocking tone.
  4. Paul cast out the demon; her owners, having lost their income, dragged Paul and Silas before magistrates where they were beaten and imprisoned.
3. The Philippian Jailer
  1. Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned in the deepest cell.
  2. That night, in the darkness of their cell, they prayed and sang hymns, reflecting a faith that is truly unshakable and joyful even in the worst of conditions.
  3. A miracle occurred! An earthquake opened all the doors and broke every chain.
  4. Paul and Silas chose to stay rather than escape. Not only did they stay, but they convinced all the other prisoners to stay too.
  5. The jailer, about to take his own life in Roman fashion (the only way to reclaim honor after such failure), was stopped by Paul.
  6. He immediately asked: “How can I be saved?” — received the gospel and was baptized.
These people are the foundation of the church. Each was hungry for the news of the gospel and responded quickly alongside their families. Imagining all three does involve a little speculation. While the slave girl is not said to have joined the church, one has to imagine that someone freed from spiritual exploitation would remember the name by which she was saved and investigate it more as time went on.

Why did Paul write this letter?

Paul was writing from Roman imprisonment under Emperor Nero.
He was not in a dungeon but was under house arrest — in chains, guarded 24/7, while authorities decided his fate.
He was accruing expenses: rent, food, daily needs.
The church at Philippi sent a courier from the congregation named Epaphroditus to give Paul financial support upon hearing of his need.
Paul writes to:
1. Thank them for their generosity
2. Encourage and teach them

1Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:

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

From…
1. In a modern letter or email, the person who wrote the letter is listed at the end of the letter. In this time and place, the sender was the first item in the letter, which makes a good deal more sense.
2. Paul is with his ministry partner Timothy. This is the same Timothy that he would later write 1 and 2 Timothy to.
3. “Paul is accustomed, in the inscription of his epistles, to employ titles of distinction, with the view of procuring credit for himself and his ministry, there was no need of lengthened commendations in writing to the Philippians, who had known him by experience as a true Apostle of Christ.” -Calvin, Commentary On Philippians.
To…
1. “All God’s holy people at Philippi”
  1. This is fairly standard language from Paul’s letter when addressing a congregation in a particular city.
  2. Notice the weight of the title: we are God’s holy people in whatever city where we live. That’s not just a compliment, so much as a calling that we have to strive to live into.
  3. Could we call ourselves one of God’s holy people in good conscience? If not, maybe we have some work to do.
“Overseers and deacons”
1. Paul addresses both the congregation and the church leadership.
2. Depending on the translation, this passage may read “Bishops and deacons,” rather than “overseers and deacons.”
  1. Bishop, presbyter, and deacon are all traditional church roles and come from Greek words that mean overseer, elder, and servant.
  2. While exact roles differ from tradition, the basic pattern across Christian history is a bishop oversees churches in a region, a presbyter is a person that leads a local congregation, and a deacon is someone that serves a local church in a more limited capacity.
  3. In the biblical era, the exact division between a deacon and a presbyter had not been defined. Paul often uses the two words interchangeably, such as here. If they had existed as they do today, having multiple deacons in a single city and no referenced presbyters would pose significant challenges. As it is, he appears to be addressing those in leadership roles and those in service roles.
  4. “He mentions the higher-ranking figures—saying “with the bishops,” and so forth. The question arises: why does he place the lesser before the greater? Because the people come before the prelate. Ezekiel 34:2: “Do not the shepherds feed the flocks?” For flocks are to be fed by shepherds, not the other way around.” -Aquinas, Commentary on Philippians, 1.1.6.
“Grace and peace”
1. Paul uses this exact language in every one of his letters except the book of Hebrews. Sometimes it’s more flowery, sometimes it’s simpler, but it’s usually there. This particular example is on the shorter side.
2. Rather than just wishing that the letter finds them well, Paul wishes that they know the grace and peace of God.
  1. Grace is God’s unearned favor resting on us through Christ.
  2. True peace that comes from knowing the one unchanging thing (God) in a constantly changing world is available through Christ as well.
3. “Then he mentions the good things he desires for them when he says, grace be unto you and peace. These two goods include everything: first, there is God’s grace remitting sins: for by grace you have been saved through faith (Eph 2:8); lastly, there is man’s peace: he makes peace in your borders (Ps 147:14).” -Aquinas, Commentary on Philippians, 1.1.7.

3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

“I thank my God every time I remember you…”

1. Paul doesn’t say this about every church. There are some he worries about, others that have conflicts, and some that are actively disloyal to the Gospel, but this church is a genuine source of joy to him.
2. Notice that he thanks God, not just them. He thanks the giver, rather than take joy merely in the gift of the church.
“Partners in the gospel”
1. They are not just recipients of the Gospel, but active partners with Paul in spreading it.
2. We are all called to be partners with one another, even across different callings. Some are pastors. Some are teachers. Some are evangelists. Some can give more time or money than others. Every one of us can do incredible ministry, but we need people to partner with us and encourage us to be the best God is calling us to be.
3. We have to support one another if we want to make a difference in a world where the enemy is active and would love to isolate and destroy us.
4. “And this Paul means by fellowship. They give a share to us, he means, in carnal things, and we give a share to them in spiritual things. For if God for little and worthless things grants the kingdom, His servants too, for little and material things, give a share in spiritual things.” -Chrysostom, Homily 1 on Philippians.
“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.”
1. Just as God taught the great prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 18:1-12, God molds and shapes his people through the Holy Spirit every day.
2. That work continues until the Day of Christ Jesus, or the second coming of Jesus, when all will be made perfect: no sorrow, no pain, no disease.
3. Paul’s confidence is rooted in the grace that he sees in the Philippians and the trust that he has in God. He will finish what he’s obviously started.
4. “The chief thing, indeed, to be understood here is — until the termination of the conflict. Now the conflict is terminated by death. As, however, the Spirit is accustomed to speak in this manner in reference to the last coming of Christ, it were better to extend the advancement of the grace of Christ to the resurrection of the flesh.” -Calvin, Commentary on Philippians

7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

The Philippians did not abandon Paul when he was imprisoned. This wasn’t his first imprisonment, but they remained faithful supporters in both good and difficult times
His love for them isn’t built on their material gifts or their delightful personalities, but on the affection of Christ that flows through him.
“He calls not God to witness as though he should be doubted, but does this from his great affection, and his exceeding persuasion and confidence; for after saying that they had fellowship with him, he adds this also, in the tender mercies of Christ, lest they should think that his longing for them was for this cause, and not simply for their own sake. “ -Chrysostom, Homily 1 on Philippians
We are called to love with more than our own limited human love: we’re built to allow God’s love to flow through us
1. Though he was not a Christian, the quote from the medieval Islamic poet Havez puts it beautifully: “I am a hole in a flute that the Christ’s breath moves through—listen to this music.” -Hafiz, as translated by Daniel Ladinsky.

9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may 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.

“…that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best…”
1. Paul does not simply pray that they love more — he prays that their love grows in knowledge and depth of insight.
2. The issue is not whether we love. Everyone loves something. The question is: what do we love, and how do we love it?
Our affections are disordered in this fallen world.
1. We can love the talents that God gave us so much that we imagine that they’re products of our excellence, rather than his generosity.
2. We can love money so much that we find joy in hoarding it, rather than in using it to further God’s kingdom.
3. We can love food so much that we eat it just to taste it, rather than appreciating that it is God’s provision for us.
Augustine wrote on the need for Christians to learn to rightly order their affections, especially having experienced his own chaotic younger days before he knew God.
1. “I loved you far too late, beauty so old and so new—far too late. You were in me, but I was outside myself looking for you in the world. In my ugliness, I plunged into those beautiful created things which you made. You were with me, but I was not with you. Those beautiful things kept me far from you, even though they wouldn’t have existed at all if they didn’t exist in you. You called out to me and overwhelmed my deafness. Your radiance pierced my blindness. I drew in your fragrance and now pant after you. I tasted you, and now I only hunger and thirst for you. You touched me, and I am on fire to have your peace.”-Augustine, Confessions, X. 38.
2. “For he loves you too little who loves anything together with you which he does not love for your sake.” -Augustine, Confessions, X. 40.
Paul’s prays that that the obvious love in the church at Philippi continues to be rightly ordered so that they can see the giver’s glory shining through every good gift and love him all the more for it.
Someday, we’ll stand in front of Christ and look at him eye to eye. We long to hear him say “Well done, good and faithful servant,” (Matt. 25:21). Paul prays that they hear exactly that, as they live a life that loves well and is pure and righteous in Christ’s sight.

12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

Note the pastoral care Paul is offering here. At a time when this church is probably worried about him, he reminds them that by being in prison, he is doing incredible work for God. There is no need to be concerned.
“I am in chains for Christ.”
1. Many Christians have suffered for Christ. The apostles, Stephen, Perpetua and Felicity, Polycarp, the 21 martyrs in Libya, and more than could reasonably be shared in a single list.
  1. Paphnutius has an especially beautiful story, as he was someone who got to see some of the changes that his witness inspired.
    1. He was a 4th century Egyptian bishop during the Diocletian persecution.
    2. When he refused to sacrifice to the Roman gods, his legs were crippled, his right eye was torn out, and they exiled him to the mines for life.
    3. He outlasted Diocletian’s reign and when Constantine, the first Christian emperor, took the throne, he invited Paphnutius to the imperial palace to work on the Nicene Creed with the other bishops. The man who was tortured for Christ was publicly honored by the machinery that tried to destroy him.
  2. Richard Wurmbrand, a pastor that suffered enormous persecution in communist Romania, opened the organization The Voice of the Martyrs specifically to tell people the stories of persecuted Christians sharing the Gospel. These stories inspire people around the world to do more, seeing how their brothers and sisters endure for Jesus in the most challenging circumstances.
2. Christians don’t just suffer from the work of non-Christians. People that call themselves Christians often hurt others as well, such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, and John of the Cross.
  1. Athanasius, another 4th century Egyptian bishop, was exiled multiple times, had other bishops appointed to replace him, and had to hide from troops that were sent to arrest him because he affirmed that Jesus is God in an era where watering down the claims of Christ for “peace” within the church was seen as more important. Even so, he endured and helped the Church remember what it was.
3. It doesn’t matter where our suffering comes from. We might suffer because of people who call themselves Christians or non-Christians or just bad circumstances. Enduring hardships for Christ is a powerful witness.

15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

“Some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry…”
1. Note that this is not about false teachers. It is about people who are sharing the good news for bad reasons.
2. “The shepherd who teaches for the sake of the truth should be loved; the hireling who teaches for gain should be tolerated; but the one who teaches what is false must be expelled”- Augustine as Cited by Aquinas in Commentary on Philippians, Lecture 3, 24.
3. “Now, it sometimes happens that joy arises from a good cause, and in that case it does so directly and in itself. At other times, joy arises from an evil cause, and then it does so indirectly and accidentally. When joy comes from a good cause, we should rejoice both in the effect and in the cause, as with an act of almsgiving done for the sake of God. But when it comes from an evil cause, we should rejoice in the effect, but not in the cause.” -Aquinas, Commentary on Philippians, Lecture 3, 24.
4. It is all too common for different ministry roles to become an end to themselves, rather than a means to the end of glorifying God. Many people find personal glory in being a women’s minister or a band member or a pastor, rather than offering these things up for God’s glory. Praise God he can still use insufficient workers for His plans.

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

“To live is Christ and to die is gain.”
1. “How ominously these words follow each other in the text “live,” “die.” There is but a comma between them, and surely as it is in the words so is it in reality. How brief the distance between life and death! In fact there is none. Life is but death’s vestibule, and our pilgrimage on earth is but a journey to the grave. The pulse that preserves our being beats our death march, and the blood which circulates our life is floating it onward to the deeps of death. To-day we see our friends in health, to-morrow we hear of their decease. We clasped the hand of the strong man but yesterday, and to-day we close his eyes. We rode in the chariot of comfort but an hour ago, and in a few more hours the last black chariot must convey us to the home of all living. Oh, how closely allied is death to life! …. But blessed be God, there is one place where death is not life’s brother, where life reigns alone; “to live,” is not the first syllable which is to be followed by the next, “to die.” There is a land where deathknells are never tolled, where winding-sheets are never woven, where graves are never digged. Blest land beyond the skies! To reach it we must die. But if after death we obtain a glorious immortality, our text is indeed true: “To die is gain.” -Spurgeon, Sermon 146.
2. Paul’s deliverance is assured, whether that means freedom from prison or execution; either way, God’s salvation is at work.
Living for Christ vs. Worldly Pursuits
1. A lot of people live for comfort, money, conflict, or pleasure. All of those things are based on what we know can’t last forever.
  1. The easy life that brings us comfort won’t exist someday.
  2. We can’t take our money and possessions with us when we die.
  3. There will come a day when conflict results in no material gains– it only leads to wailing and gnashing of teeth.
  4. Pleasure based on quick thrills will dry up when the things that bring the pleasure are no longer accessible
2. Only Jesus is eternal. A hard life followed by eternal bliss is better than an easy life followed by eternal misery.
3. “Call no man happy until he is dead; because the life that is to come, if that be miserable, shall far outweigh the highest life of happiness that hath been enjoyed on earth. To estimate a man’s condition we must take it in all its length. We must not measure that one thread which reacheth from the cradle to the coffin. We must go further; we must go from the coffin to the resurrection, and from the resurrection on throughout eternity.” -Spurgeon, Sermon 146.
4. When you live for Christ, death becomes “gain” because it brings eternal life with Him.

22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

“I am torn between the two…”

1. Paul sees a “win-win”: if he dies, he is with Christ—“better by far.” If he lives, he continues “fruitful labor” for God’s glory.
2. “[I]f I am to live is the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour – This is the fruit of my living longer, that I can labour more. Glorious labour! desirable fruit!” -John Wesley, Notes on the New Testament.

27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

“Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel…”
1. “There is only one thing, Olympia, to fear, only one real temptation, and that is sin. This is the refrain I keep chanting to you ceaselessly. Fore everything else is ultimately a fable–whether you speak of plots, or enmities, or deceptions, or slanders or abuses, or accusations, or confiscations, or banishments, or sharpened swords, or high seas, or wars engulfing the entire world. Whichever of these you point to, they are transitory and perishable, and they only affect mortal bodies; they cannot in any way injure the watchful soul.” -John Chrysostom, Letter to Olympia 7, 1,C.
“…without being frightened in any way…”
1. With God on their side, believers need not fear what the world can do—pain or death are fleeting.
2. Nothing frightens people so much as seeing that their ultimate display of force doesn’t affect their opponent in the slightest. What does their foe know that they do not? Let them ponder the Gospel in these circumstances.
“…but also to suffer for him…”
1. The central question is not if you will suffer, but how you will act in that time of suffering. The only true fear worth having is the fear of sin, which separates from Jesus.

From the Pulpit—Video & Full Transcript

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