Philippians 1:12-30 In Chains for Christ

~ Vincent

Video Teaching
Verse-by-Verse Commentary
Full Transcript

From the Pulpit

Commentary

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.

  1. 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.

  2. “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.

  1. “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. 

  1. “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.

  2. 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.

  1. “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.

  1. “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.

  2. “…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.
  3. “…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.

Full Transcript

Last week, we began our series on the book of Philippians. We covered the fact that this is a letter from the Apostle Paul to the church at Philippi. At the time, he was in prison in Rome. They allowed him to rent a place to stay, but he could not leave, he was in chains, and he was being watched by a Roman guard at all times. He could still write letters and receive guests, but he was accruing expenses. He had to pay for the space he was in and the food he was eating. All the while, they were figuring out what they were going to do with him, and he did not know how it was going to turn out. The church at Philippi heard that Paul was in prison, and they sent some money to help him. So, Paul wrote this letter to thank them, encourage them, and teach them.

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 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.

Paul has done something wonderfully pastoral here by comforting them. Can you imagine how you might feel if the person who helped found your church suddenly ended up in prison? You would potentially be freaked out. Paul knows that, so he encourages the church at Philippi by telling them that what is happening is actually advancing the gospel, which is a good thing. People who know Jesus are encouraged because they see what Paul is able and willing to endure for Jesus, inspiring them to do even more. Meanwhile, the people who do not know Jesus, like the guards, watch him and scratch their heads, wondering what he knows that they do not and why he is going through all of this.

Suffering for Jesus creates some of the greatest heroes in Christian history—people whose stories we look at time and time again and cannot help but feel inspired by. For example, one of my favorite people who suffered for Christ has one of the best stories. His name is Paphnutius, which sounds like a silly name, though I imagine if he heard the name Vincent, he would think my name sounded kind of silly too, so we will call it even. Paphnutius was a bishop from the fourth century who lived during the Diocletian persecution. Emperor Diocletian decided he was going to fix the Roman Empire by enforcing one culture, one law, one way of being, and one faith, so he started cracking down on Christians. He demanded they make sacrifices to the Roman gods. The Christians responded that while they were happy to pray for the emperor and the prosperity of the empire, they could not sacrifice to a god that was not real. The Roman Empire decided to see how that would go for them, and a lot of people were tortured and killed.

When Paphnutius was brought in, the Romans told him to make a sacrifice to their gods. He refused, saying there is only one God, Jesus Christ, and he could not sacrifice to gods that were not real. So, they crippled him so he would never walk without trouble again. They asked him again, acknowledging his private obligations and offering that he could do whatever he wanted in private as long as he made the public sacrifice required of a Roman. He refused, stating he would not betray his God. They then gouged out his right eye and asked again if he was ready to make the sacrifices. When he maintained that he would never make those sacrifices, he was banished to the mines for hard labor for the rest of his life, never to see the sun again.

That is how it was supposed to be. A lot of people who suffer for Christ never get to see the fruits of their work, but Paphnutius did. Diocletian came and went, and eventually, a Christian emperor came to power. Under him, Christianity was no longer illegal, and he invited all the bishops to the imperial palace to make a statement about the essentials of Christianity: the Nicene Creed. Paphnutius—a man who once had the entire Roman machine against him—walked into the imperial palace, unable to walk without great struggle, his hands tired and worn from labor, with only one eye, and was honored by the emperor himself. He made a difference, and he got to see it.

While we are often comfortable talking about stories where non-Christians persecuted Christians, we miss another category that is unfortunately a source of a great deal of suffering for sincere Christians: people who claim to be Christians causing trouble for real Christians. At that same gathering in the imperial palace, a deacon named Athanasius was present, serving as the secretary and assistant to the bishop of Alexandria. He witnessed firsthand how they worked tirelessly to draft the Nicene Creed to explain the core pieces of Christianity. Part of the language put in that creed was that Jesus is God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God, begotten, not made, of the same essence of the Father. In multiple ways, they made it exceedingly clear: Jesus is God.

Everyone loved it when it was made, but as time went on, a vocal minority became upset. They questioned if Jesus was really God, arguing that a son cannot be the same as the father and that there must have been a time before Jesus existed. They argued Jesus was just a powerful figure, not truly God. This caused controversy, and some people suggested stepping back to make adjustments for the sake of peace and reconciliation. By this time, the bishop of Alexandria had passed away, and Athanasius had become the bishop. When others urged him to revisit the document and soften their stance, he refused, stating that Jesus is God and that without that truth, there was no point in doing anything.

Because he refused to compromise, the institutional church made his life very difficult. They appointed another bishop, deposed him, and had multiple emperors send him into exile. Every so often, they would bring him back to see if he had changed his mind. When he maintained his stance, they would re-exile him, sometimes even sending the army after him because he was causing too much trouble in their eyes. Athanasius did not get discouraged; whether in hiding or in exile, he continued to write to people, reminding them that Jesus is God. Eventually, the institutional church realized that the peace they had been pursuing at the cost of truth was not worth it, recognizing that he was right and that they needed to stand on that truth without compromise.

Whether suffering comes from non-Christians, people who claim to be Christians, or simple circumstances, it serves as a powerful witness. It makes non-believers stop and take notice, and it encourages believers to do even more as they see how others withstand hardship to proclaim Christ.

It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 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 important clarifications should be made here. These individuals are not preaching false doctrines; they are telling the truth, but for the wrong reasons. Augustine of Hippo, one of the foremost Christian thinkers, wrote on this topic: a teacher who teaches for the sake of truth should be loved; a hireling who teaches for gain should be tolerated; but one who teaches what is false must be expelled. Here, Paul is dealing with people doing the right things for the wrong reasons, such as out of pride or a desire for control.

I saw a similar dynamic at a previous church I served, where conflict arose in a women’s ministry because several individuals wanted to be in charge rather than simply serve. They wanted to approve programs and have everyone bow down to them, forgetting that we are there to bow down to Jesus. Paul notes that even when people act out of selfish motives, good can still come from it if Christ is preached. When a good thing comes from a good place, we can be thankful for both the source and the effect. When a good thing comes from a bad place, we do not have to be thankful for the bad source, but we can still rejoice in the positive effect that more people are learning about Jesus.

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. 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.

Paul does not know if he will be released from prison, nor does he assure people that he will be. When he says it will turn out for his deliverance or salvation, he means he knows God is working through the situation for his best and for the best of the world, even if it is not what he personally expects or wants. God’s glory can still be seen even when unexpected things happen.

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Life and death are separated by only a few words in that passage, and in our world, they are not separated by much more than that. From the day we are born, we move toward death, which is inevitable. The strongest person flexing their muscles one day could gently close their eyes for the last time the next day. Animals, empires, and ideas all eventually end. In this world, everything that lives dies. Jesus assures us that this state of affairs is not how it was supposed to be, pointing toward a reality defined by life rather than death.

To experience that life, living must be centered on Christ as the primary purpose of everything we do. Many people live for other pursuits, such as comfort, money, conflict, or pleasure. However, each of those things is temporary. The things that bring comfort will eventually be gone, wealth will become inaccessible, conflict will turn to distress, and fleeting pleasures will fade. Only Jesus is eternal. When you live for Christ, death becomes gain because it leads to eternal life.

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! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 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, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

Paul views his situation as a win-win. If he dies, he goes to be with Jesus; if he lives, he continues fruitful work that brings glory to God.

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 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. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Paul urges them not to be afraid of worldly forces, as earthly suffering and inconvenience are fleeting compared to eternal life. Facing opposition without fear demonstrates confidence in God. Suffering is inevitable in this life; the question is how we behave during it and whether we conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. As people with faith in Jesus Christ, the only thing to fear is sin, which separates us from Him. Regardless of the circumstances, if you keep your faith in Christ and live for Him, to die is gain.