Philippians

Some say “overseers and deacons” reflects later church organization and cannot have been written by Paul. However, NT churches quickly developed leadership structure. While less developed than the structures evidenced in the time of the apostolic fathers (late first century), early churches had bishops and deacons (Ac 20:17,28).

Greeting and Prayer. Paul greets his readers, expressing his gratitude (vv. 3–6) and affection (vv. 7–8) for them, followed by a prayer that their love would abound and their holiness increase (vv. 9–11).

Salutation from Paul and Timothy. Paul, along with Timothy, gives the standard early Christian greeting of grace and peace. Paul does not identify himself as an apostle but designates Timothy and himself as servants. The emphasis on service anticipates the rest of the letter, and this emphasis is seen especially in what is said of the humiliation of Christ Jesus (2:5–11). It is uncertain what level of formal church governance is implied by overseers and deacons. The former are presumably elders, who would be charged with spiritual oversight of the congregation (cf. Acts 14:23 [with note]; 20:17, 28; 1 Tim. 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9; James 5:14; 1 Pet. 5:1–4), while the latter would be entrusted with matters of practical service (cf. Acts 6:1–7; 1 Tim. 3:8–13).

Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Philippians. Paul’s letters frequently begin with thanksgiving and prayer. The prayer here helps establish the major themes of the letter.

Paul prays for the Philippians with joy, a word that will become a keynote theme in ch. 4. This joy springs from their partnership in the gospel, which involves not only their financial support of the apostle (4:15–16) but also their deep personal concern for his well-being.

Paul is sure about God’s commitment to the Philippians. The foundation for spiritual growth is recognizing that it is God who began a good work in you and will bring it to completion. Genuine spiritual progress is rooted in what God has done, is doing, and will do. His faithfulness ensures that he will be with believers until Jesus returns (the day of Jesus Christ; cf. 2:16; 1 Thess. 5:2–11; 2 Pet. 3:10–13; Rev. 20:11–21:8). They can have confidence that the God who has saved them will never let them go, and that they will inherit their eternal reward.

Again Paul expresses his warm thoughts about the Philippians and the fellowship they enjoy in God’s grace. Paul’s imprisonment would have been a source of great shame in the ancient world, but the Philippians have nonetheless stood in solidarity with him. This was no doubt an encouragement as he shared the good news with his captors and judges.

The first petition in Paul’s prayer is that God would cause the cardinal Christian virtue of love to abound more and more, and that it would be accompanied by knowledge and all discernment, so that the Philippians’ love would find expression in wise actions that would truly benefit others and glorify God. As Christians grow in their understanding of what it means to follow Jesus, they will increasingly be able to affirm and practice what is excellent. Such joyful obedience to God will give them the confidence of being found pure and blameless when Jesus returns. This does not imply instantaneous spiritual perfection but rather an increasing likeness to Christ. But fruit of righteousness is not produced in the believer’s own power. Because that fruit comes through Jesus Christ, it will result in the glory and praise of God.

Paul’s Reflections on His Imprisonment. Paul assures the Philippians that, though he is imprisoned, the gospel is still advancing (vv. 12–18). He is joyfully confident that no matter what happens, he will be delivered and Christ will be honored, because to live is Christ and to die is gain (vv. 19–26). Paul then encourages his readers to walk worthy of the gospel, even amid suffering (vv. 27–30).

Paul’s Imprisonment Has Meant Progress for the Gospel. Paul realizes that the Philippians are grieved over his imprisonment, so he encourages them by pointing out that his circumstances are furthering the proclamation of the gospel. His joy in difficult circumstances is meant to be an example to the Philippians to likewise rejoice even in difficult times. Further, Paul’s charitable attitude toward fellow believers who make life hard for him is also to function as a model for the Philippians, since it is evident that there is some disunity in the congregation (4:2–3).

The word Paul uses for the advance of the gospel (Gk. prokopēn) is the same word he will use in v. 25 for the Philippians’ “progress” in faith. He thus underscores the need to push God’s kingdom forward rather than dwelling on past or present problems.

Since Rome had not declared Christianity illegal at this time, Paul had committed no crime. He was imprisoned for Christ’s sake.

The gospel has advanced because Paul has let the whole imperial guard (Gk. praitōrion) know that he is imprisoned only because of his testimony that Jesus is Lord. The Latin word praetorium could refer to a governor’s residence and by extension those living in the residence. Those who believe that Paul wrote from Caesarea would understand the word in that sense here (see Acts 23:35). However, the word could also refer to the special guard of the emperor in Rome, as the translation above suggests. (See Introduction: Date.)

When the Christians in Rome, where Paul was imprisoned, saw his boldness even as his life was in danger, his example inspired them to be more courageous as well, so that they were much more bold in proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ.

Paul understood these preachers’ motives, which were wrong, but he affirmed the correctness of their message (unlike opponents in chap. 3).

The identity of those here who preach Christ from envy and rivalry is difficult to determine. They are clearly antagonistic to Paul, and thus one could imagine they are the same “Judaizing” people mentioned in ch. 3. But it is hard to see how Paul could rejoice in the proclamation of something (namely, a return to the old covenant) which he saw as a betrayal of the good news (see esp. the letter to the Galatians). It seems more likely that these were other Christians who preached a generally sound gospel but were personally at odds with Paul. They may have dismissed him because of his poor speaking abilities (see 1 Corinthians 1–2) or his constant suffering and weakness (see 2 Corinthians); whatever their rationale, they were not motivated by love but only by a desire to harm Paul in some way. But Paul, like Jesus, is not concerned for his own interests (cf. Phil. 2:4), and he will “rejoice” as long as the gospel is progressing.

Paul’s circumstances were for the “defense of the gospel.” He wanted to make a formal presentation of Christianity’s authenticity.

Paul’s final salvation would come through remaining true to Christ in the face of difficulties. Paul did not expect to be ashamed (lit “put to shame”). Christians will be vindicated by persevering in the truth.

To Live Is Christ. Paul expresses the grounds of his confidence that he will be released from prison (see note on vv. 12–30). He assures the Philippians that he believes he will remain alive to minister to them.

Paul, who has prayed for the Philippians, now solicits their prayers for deliverance (Gk. sōtēria), a term that could mean deliverance from prison (as some commentators understand it) or that could mean deliverance in the ultimate sense of eternal salvation (as others understand it). It seems likely that Paul intentionally left some ambiguity here, in light of the mention of his imprisonment in the preceding verses (see vv. 12–14) and in light of the eternal focus in the verses that follow (e.g., Paul’s desire “to depart and be with Christ, which is far better”; v. 23). The tension between temporal deliverance and eternal salvation is, in fact, evident throughout this passage (vv. 19–26), as evidenced by Paul’s words: “whether by life or by death” (in v. 20) and “I am hard pressed between the two” (in v. 23). Although Paul seems to have alluded to his temporal deliverance, clearly his longing for eternal salvation is “far better” (v. 23). In this regard, Paul alludes to Job 13:13–18 in this passage, where Job clearly speaks of his final destiny; and Paul speaks of his hope of not being ashamed, which is elsewhere related to the final judgment (cf. Rom. 5:4–5). Either way, Paul wants the Philippians to know that even if his expected deliverance from prison fails to materialize, and he is executed, he will still be “saved” to eternal life by God.

The crucial thing for Paul is not life or death. It is maintaining his faithful witness to Christ. Or by death indicates that Paul hopes to honor Christ even in the way he eventually dies.

Paul’s life is not a matter of seeking his own comfort or advancement. It is all about seeking the advancement of Christ’s kingdom: to live is tantamount to serving Christ. In fact, to die should be seen as gain, because it would mean that Paul would be freed from his trouble-filled life on earth to rejoice in Christ’s presence.

In light of v. 21, Paul is hard pressed as to which outcome he should desire. Being with Christ now would be more attractive for him, while remaining alive (in the flesh) would enable him to help the Philippians further on their own spiritual journey. Since Paul knows that the way of Jesus is the way of service (cf. 2:5–11), he is convinced that his own preferences will be put aside so that he can remain and continue with the Philippians for their progress and joy in the faith. Paul is not merely musing on his own crisis; he is giving the Philippians a model of the service-driven life.

My desire is to depart and be with Christ indicates that when Christians die they are immediately with Christ, long before their bodies are raised from the dead (see note on 1 Cor. 15:23).

Encouragement to Walk Worthy of the Gospel. Paul’s sacrifice will be futile, however, if the Philippians do not continue to live in a way that is “worthy of the gospel of Christ.”

As the esv footnote indicates, the Greek for Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel can also be translated “only behave as citizens [Gk. politeuesthe] worthy [of the gospel],” a phrasing that nicely captures Paul’s play on words here and in 3:20, “our citizenship [Gk. politeuma] is in heaven.” Philippi prided itself on being a Roman colony, offering the honor and privilege of Roman citizenship. Paul reminds the congregation that they should look to Christ, not Caesar, for their model of behavior, since their primary allegiance is to God and his kingdom. They need to stand together with one another and with Paul in striving for the gospel. Paul’s emphasis on unity may suggest some division within the Philippian congregation (cf. 4:2–3). Perhaps the disunity is one reason he mentions the “overseers and deacons” at the outset of the letter (1:1), for they are required to minister in a way that promotes unity.

As the Philippians maintain courage in the face of their opponents, these opponents will realize that such remarkable strength could come only from God, and thus anyone who continues to oppose God’s people will be marked for destruction. “Destruction” (Gk. apōleia) here means eternal destruction, hence these are different opponents from those who antagonized Paul in vv. 15–18, who seem to have been Christians. A different city is in view as well, for here Paul speaks about what is happening in Philippi, while in vv. 15–18 his opposition is (presumably) in Rome. But God’s sustaining grace amid trouble will assure the believers of their own final salvation. Paul follows the teaching of Jesus here (Matt. 5:10–12), reminding them that persecution is a sign that they belong to Christ.

Troubles will come, because the reality is that believers in Christ will suffer for his sake. Paul teaches that both suffering and faith are gifts of God; for both, Paul says, have been granted to you. Suffering for the sake of Jesus is a great privilege (see Matt. 5:10–12; Acts 5:41). Paul again holds himself out as an example of one who has maintained his joy while experiencing the same conflict (i.e., opposition from hostile unbelievers).