Chapter 1

Salutation

The greeting follows the typical format of an ancient letter, first identifying the sender, then the recipient, followed by a greeting. Afterwards, Paul enters into thanksgiving and a prayer.

1: “Paul and Timothy, …”

The “Paul” mentioned here is the Apostle Paul (also known as Saul) who initially persecuted the Church until an encounter with Christ on the Road to Damascus converted him to the faith, after which he became a prolific Christian missionary. It was Paul who founded the Christian congregation at Philippi.

The “Timothy” mentioned here is Paul’s spiritual son, to whom two letters of the New Testament are addressed (1 Timothy and 2 Timothy). He was a member of the missionary team who initially went with Paul to Philippi, which means that most of the Philippians would have already been well acquainted with him. Later in this letter, Paul tells the Philippians that he soon plans to send Timothy to them.

Discussion Questions
Q1. Paul was Timothy’s mentor. Who are the Paul’s in your life? Who are the people you go to when looking for guidance? Who are the people who teach you the faith and nurture you spiritually?
Q2. Timothy was Paul’s disciple. Who are the Timothy’s in your life? Who are the people that come to you for counsel? To whom do you teach the faith? Do you put yourself at the service of another?
Q3. Timothy was with Paul during this time of captivity. Do you have friends like that? Do you have fellow Christians who will stay with you and cheer you on when things get tough? Are you that person for anyone else?

1: “…servants of Christ Jesus…”

Paul would often assert his apostolic authority at the beginning of his letters, identifying himself as “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus”, particularly if he was about to tell off the recipients! He does this to remind his readers why they should listen to what he has to say.

However, Paul doesn’t do that in the letter to the Philippians. He also doesn’t do it in his correspondence with the Church at Thessalonica and also in his letter to Philemon. He doesn’t explicitly identify himself as an apostle because he doesn’t need to. The Philippians know him, they love him and he knows and loves them. He doesn’t underscore his authority. Instead, he simply speaks to them as friends.

So rather than “apostle”, Paul describes both Timothy and himself as “servants”. The Greek word used here is “doulos” which literally means “slave”. This more literal rendering of the Greek adds force to Paul’s description of himself as a “[slave] of Christ Jesus”:

A slave is committed to his master in a way that a servant is not.

A servant can quit, a slave is belongs to his master.

A servant can make demands, a slave cannot.

A servant is free to make independent choices, but a slave must disregard his own interests, be completely obedient and have his will conformed perfectly to his master.

By describing himself as a slave, Paul is succinctly explains that he has given himself to the service of the Master, belonging whole-heartedly to Jesus, by whose blood he was purchased.

Interestingly, “servant/servant of God” was a title used in the Old Testament to describe Moses, David and some of the other prophets. This idea of servanthood continues into the New Testament. In her Magnificat, Mary described herself as God’s “handmaid” and proclaimed that God exalts those who humble themselves. Likewise, Jesus taught that it is in becoming a servant that we rise to true greatness, and He gave his disciple an example to follow, demonstrated by washing their feet. In Christian history, this idea continued. Beginning with Pope Gregory I in the Sixth Century, the Popes have used the Latin title of “Servus servorum Dei”, which means “Servant of the servants of God”.

To study the Epistle of the Philippians is a study in joy. Therefore, what can we learn about Joy from Paul’s self-description? Well, that there is joy in service. Joy can be found in laying down our own demands and giving ourselves unreservedly to God.

Discussion Questions
Q1. In describing himself as a slave, what does Paul tell us about his relationship with Jesus? What does it teach us about joy?
Q2. Do you understand your relationship to Jesus in this way?

1 “…To all the saints in Christ Jesus…”

When most Catholics hear the word “saints”, they typically think of “Super Christians”. They think of those Christians of previous ages who have died and passed through the Catholic canonization process, declared to be in Heaven and are depicted in our stained glass windows and icons.

However, Paul does not use the word in this sense. When Paul uses the word “saint”, he is referring to those Christians who are still alive on this earth, in this case specifically those who are in Philippi. Other translations use the phrase “holy people” instead.

The English word rendered here as “saints” is the Greek word “hagios“. Behind this word is the idea of being set apart for something. This is most easily seen when we look at other “holy” things in the Bible:

1. Israel was called to be a “holy nation”

2. The ministerial priests were to be “holy to their God”

3. There was a veil which divided the parts of the Tabernacle to “separate…the holy place from the most holy”

4. The 10% tithe offering which was given to God was to be “holy to the Lord”

Many other examples could be given, but we can see from the list above that in each of these cases, something is being set apart:

1. Israel was set apart from the rest of the nations to fulfill God’s mission.

2. The priests were set apart from the rest of Israel so that they could serve the Lord in this unique fashion.

3. The veils separated the different parts of the Temple, setting apart each section for its unique functions.

4. A person’s tithe was set apart from the rest of his wealth, in order to be given to the Lord.

It is worth noting that once something is holy and set apart, to treat it as something common is be sacrilegious. An example of this is when King Belshazzar used the “holy vessels” from the Temple for a party in his palace. These vessels were “holy”, set apart for liturgical use in the Temple. By treating them as common vessels he sinned gravely.

So, when something is “holy”, it is set apart for a special purpose, a special mission, and this makes it different.  From this understanding, we can see why Christians are called “saints”/holy. When we die with Christ in Baptism, we are set apart, made different. What makes us “saints” is that we are now “in Christ”.

The example par excellence is, of course, Blessed Mary. She was called called, set apart for a holy purpose, to be blessed among all women because she was to receive Christ in her womb. Christians imitate her, not by receiving Christ in their wombs, but by receiving Him into our hearts through faith and uniting ourselves to Him in the Eucharist.

Discussion Questions
Q1. What image springs to mind when you hear the word “saint”?
Q2. Do you think of yourself as a “saint”?
Q3. What is the relationship between the saints here on earth and the Saints in Heaven?

1 “…who are at Philippi…”

Paul addresses this letter to the Christians who are currently living in Philippi, a city in modern-day northern Greece.

Although this letter was originally intended for a particular group of Christians in the First Century, there is much which can be gained from it for ourselves. Every love song ever written was no doubt composed with a particular person in mind, but we naturally take our favourite songs and make them our own, applying them to our own situation and to our own beloved. If we can do that with secular songs, how much more this is true with God’s inspired word.

Discussion Questions
Q1. What do you know about Philippi?
Q2. What benefit can we have from reading a letter that Paul sent to a Christian community which lived over a millennia ago?

1: “…with the bishops and deacons…”

After saying that he’s writing to the Christians at Philippi, he explicitly refers to the “bishops and deacons”. These were the established spiritual leaders of the Philippian community.The “bishops” taught, looked after the congregation and led the worship. The order of deacons was instituted by the Apostles in soon after Pentecost and their purpose was to assist, primarily focused on care of the poor.

Given that Paul has just described himself and Timothy as “servants/[slaves]”, it is appropriate that he then speaks to the leaders of the Philippian Church, since they are primarily called to be servants.

The word “bishop” is often rendered in other translations as “overseer”. In this early era of the Church, there does not appear to be any real distinction between presbyter/priest (in Greek, “presbuteros“) and bishop (in Greek, “episkopois“). By the start of the Second Century we start to see the distinction between the two roles develop, as well as monarchical bishops (one bishop per city) becoming the norm. We find evidence of this in the epistles of St. Ignatius of Antioch.

In no other letter does Paul mention the Church leadership in the opening salutation. He probably does it in this case because he’s later going to thank them for the “gift” (collection) which they, no doubt, organized.

Discussion Questions
Q1. What did the bishops and deacons of Philippi do?
Q2. Who is your bishop? Your priest? Are there any deacons at your Church?
Q3. Why do you think Paul specifically addressed the leaders of the Philippian community in his letter?

2: “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”

“Grace” was a Greek term and “peace” was a Jewish term. Paul often combined these terms in the greetings of his letters. This is quite fitting, given that Paul was a Jew who brought the Gospel to many Gentiles. We also see this same formula in the “letters” dictated to John in the Book of Revelation.

The word “grace” means “gift”. This Greek word “charis” is the basis of the English word “charm” and connotes joy and beauty. When we speak of God’s grace, we speak of something free and unearned. It is what we have received through Christ.

Although a Greek word “eirene” is used in this passage for “peace”, no doubt the Hebrew word “shalom” was in the back of Paul’s mind. This peace is not simply an absence of conflict, but an abiding comfort, peace within myself, between myself and my neighbour and between myself and God.

Together, these two words, “grace” and “peace”, speak both of God’s character and the prize won for us by Christ.

Discussion Questions
Q1. What do you understand by the words “grace” and “peace”?
Q2. In what way to do we receive “grace” and “peace”? 

 

Paul’s Prayer for the Philippians

Following the usual convention of the time, Paul now offers thanksgiving and prayer.

3: “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy…”

Paul tells the Philippians that he thanks God for them.

The Greek here is somewhat ambiguous. Paul might be saying that he thanks God for the Philippians whenever he remembers them, but it might actually mean that he thanks God for the Philippians whenever they remember him! Given that this book of the Bible is a “thank you” letter, this is certainly a possibility, although most translations don’t take this approach.

Regardless of how you translate this passage, it is clear that whenever there is some kind of remembrance, Paul thanks God for the Philippians and he prays with joy. This is how Paul opens this letter, by telling the Philippians about the place they have in his heart. As mentioned before, a study in Philippians is a study in joy and from these verses we see that joy is to be found in relationships. This joy starts to take root when we keep others in our thoughts and prayers.

Assignment
Spend five minutes each day next week in prayer, thanking God for the people He has placed in your life, particularly those with whom you work and serve in the Church.

Discussion Questions
Q1. What does this have to tell us about a source of joy?
Q2. Is there anyone in your life that fills you with thankfulness to God?
Q3. Paul says that he constantly prays for the Philippians. Do you pray for others on a regular basis? Is there anyone you’d be resistant to pray for?

4: “…thankful for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now”

Although Paul is an Apostle and was the founder of the Philippian congregation, he sees the Philippians as partners in the Gospel. This demonstrates his humility. Not only do they aid him in his ministry, they share with Paul the common mission to proclaim the Good News.

Paul makes reference to “the first day”, which refers to the time when Paul himself brought the Gospel to Philippi. He may be recalling the kindness of the jailer, the fact the Lydia opened up her home to them, as well as their repeated financial support. He praises the Philippians for the steadfastness they have shown ever since then. We know that the Philippian congregation received persecution right from its inception.

Memory Verse
“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,  thankful for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” – Philippians 1:3-5

Discussion Questions
Q1. Who are some of the people who have stood by you, in life and in your ministry? Do they know that you’re thankful for them? Do you thank God for them?

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

This verse is one of my favourites in this letter and it’s a great verse to memorize. Paul says that he’s confident that Jesus will sustain the Philippian church.

The Greek words rendered as “began” and “carry…to completion” are technical terms used to describe the process of beginning and ending a sacrifice (“Enarchomai” and “Epiteleó“). This dovetails with Paul’s exhortation to the Romans to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice…your spiritual worship”. Christians are meant to imitate Christ and to offer their entire lives, body and soul, as a sacrifice to God. The “good work” of which Paul speaks is therefore the salvation and sanctification of the Philippians.

The phrase “the day of Christ Jesus” is a reference to the Day of Judgement when Christ will come to judge the world.

Paul is confident that the journey which began in Baptism will come to completion. It is important to notice where Paul places his confidence. He places his confidence in God as it is God who is doing this work in the Philippians. The Philippians themselves certainly participate in this salvation, but ultimately it is an action of God’s grace.

Memory Verse
“And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” – Philippians 1:6

Discussion Question
Q1. Do you trust in God’s work in your life?
Q2. How might this verse be encouraging when you are struggling, either in ministry or in living out the Christian life?

7:  “It is right for me to feel thus 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”

The Greek here is a little ambiguous. It could mean that either Paul has the Philippians in his heart, or the Philippians have Paul in theirs. Personally, I think the above rendering of the RSV makes the most sense.

Paul affirms what he’s said previously about the Philippians and expresses the affection they share. Again, if we’re looking for the secret of joy in this letter, then it would appear that joy is to be found by bringing other people into your heart.

The Philippians are partners with Paul in several ways: in grace, in the Gospel, in Christ and in suffering.

He makes that the point that, whatever the circumstances, they share in God’s grace with him, whether Paul is being persecuted (“imprisonment”), engaged in apologetics (“defense”) or building up the Church (“confirmation”), the Philippians share in the same grace. The very fact that the Philippians have remembered Paul and sent him a gift by the hand of Epaphroditus is evidence of this.

Discussion Questions
Q1. Do you regard yourself as being connected to other Christians in the same way Paul describes his relationship to the Philippians?

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

By calling God as his witness, Paul is using an abbreviated oath formula to emphasize his love for the Philippians.

He says that he yearns for them with the “affection of Christ Jesus” . The English here has been cleaned-up somewhat to save our sensitive 21st Century ears! The Greek word used here is the word “splagchnon” which means “bowels”! Back in the First Century, you didn’t just love someone with your heart, but with your upper intestines, heart, liver and lungs! Paul is literally saying that he yearns from the Philippians with the “bowels” of Christ Jesus! That’s actually how the King James Version renders it! This might seem odd to us, but for Greeks the bowels (and not the heart) was regarded as the seat of the emotions. Paul is saying that he has the very deepest love for this congregation, “the affection of Christ Jesus”. In modern parlance we’d say that Paul loves them with Christ’s own Sacred Heart.

Discussion Questions
Q1. Do you have those you yearn for “with the affection of Christ Jesus”?

9-11: And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

After giving his thanksgiving, Paul now turns to the prayer portion of the letter…

Paul prays that the Philippians may increase in love, knowledge and discernment. He prays for this because it will result in the Philippians’ insight of good and evil, allowing them to remain pure and righteousness.

It is worth remembering that the Philippian church was one of Paul’s favourites. They had comparatively very few problems for him to address. Despite this, he still desires their continued growth. The Fourth Century Bishop, St. John Chrysostom paraphrased these verses thus:

“I both glorify God and offer prayers for you. The fact that you are already advancing in excellence does not prevent my praying further for you.” – Saint John Chrysostom (A.D. 398-404), Homilies on the Epistle to the Philippians, 2,1,4

Paul wants that congregation’s “love” to increase, but this is not a sappy or sentimental kind of love. The Greek word used here is “agape“. This is the kind of love that Jesus demonstrated for us on the cross. Paul wants this kind of love to grow in the Philippian community.

When Paul prays that the Philippians will “approve what is excellent”, he’s wanting them to be discerning and to make good choices. The sense behind the word (“dokimazein”) has the connotations of testing of metal in order to assess whether or not it is genuine. This is the kind of discernment Paul wants for the Philippians.

The Greek word “eilikrines” rendered here as “pure” in the RSV-CE has the idea of being “sun-tested” (“eile-krines”). In the ancient world, when a fine pottery was cracked in the kiln, the potter would sometimes fill the crack with wax and, after painting, the customers would be none the wiser. However, when tested by the light and held up to the sun, the fault would be seen as the sun shone through. This idea is communicated in the KJV which uses the word “sincere”, which is from the Latin “sine cera”, meaning “without wax”.  Paul wants the Philippians to be sin cera, without wax, sun-tested, sincere, pure, genuine.

Paul wants the righteousness of the Philippians to be “fruit[ful]”. He may well have in mind what is known as the “fruit of the Spirit“. Paul prays for all these things “to the glory and praise of God”. If the Philippians are transformed by grace and this grace is manifested in their lives, it will which point others to God:

“Enjoy these gifts! Keep your faith uncontaminated! Present the fruit of righteousness to God, so that God will be celebrated by all.” – Theodoret of Cyprus (ca. A.D. 450), On Ephesians, 1,11

Memory Verse
And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God – Philippians 1:9-11

Assignment
Do some ninja intercession! The next time you’re in a line at Subways, Starbucks etc, pray for the people around you one-by-one! Pray that they would be blessed by God, that their “love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment”, that they will be able to “approve what is excellent…filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God”.

Discussion Question
Q1. Consider the things that Paul prays for here. Do you pray for these things? For yourself? For your friends? What about for those we don’t like (later we’re going to find out that there are some problems in the Philippian church)?

Paul’s Present Circumstances

We so often think that joy comes from good circumstances and, to be fair, circumstances certainly can have a relationship to the joy we experience. However, in this section Paul shows us that circumstances do not necessarily dictate our joy. In fact, the circumstances which one might think would steal our joy, may, when viewed correctly, bring us joy instead.

12: “I want you to know, brethren, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel…”

Paul says that his captivity in Rome (“what has happened to me”) has turned out differently from what many would expect. Rather than being a bad thing, it has actually been used to spread the Good News! Rather than wallowing in self-pity, Paul has used his time in captivity to bring more people to Jesus.

To the world, Paul’s imprisonment would have looked like a failure, but when seen with the eyes of faith, it becomes a great blessing. This example of Paul should give us great hope, since it shows that God can use the most unlikely circumstances to bring about His redemptive work. When he wrote to the Romans, Paul famously said “in everything God works for good with those who love him”. This doesn’t mean that everything will work out happily for Christians, as demonstrated by the fact that virtually all of the Apostles died poor martyrs. Rather, it says that God uses everything, even our suffering, towards the ultimate good.

The word rendered here as “advance” is the Greek word “prokope” which would typically refer to the cutting away of obstacles to allow for the advancement of an army.

Discussion Questions
Q1. How do circumstances dictate your joy?
Q2. What can we learn from Paul?

13:-14 “…so that it has become known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ; and most of the brethren have been made confident in the Lord because of my imprisonment, and are much more bold to speak the word of God without fear”

Paul explains that because he has been imprisoned two things have happened:

1. Many have come to hear the Gospel.  Paul says that the entire “praetorian guard” has heard about Christ. It is quite likely that they were assigned to guard Paul during his captivity. This is one of the strongest indicators that Paul wrote this letter from Rome, since these soldiers were primarily stationed at the Emperor’s palace. The guards were a large number (~10,000-16,000) of elite soldiers, something between our modern-day Special Forces and the Secret Service, instituted by Augustus. In later years they grew extremely powerful and commanded great influence over the choice of Caesar.

It was to the Praetorian Prefect that Paul was handed over when he arrived in Rome. Then, for his two year captivity, he was chained one-by-one to a soldier from the Praetorian guard. It is most likely this way that many came first to hear the Gospel.

However, it is not just the Praetorian Guard. The imperial household has also heard about Christ (“all the rest”). From what Paul writes later in this letter, it seems that a number of conversions have taken place in the Imperial Court.

About fifty years after Paul penned this letter, St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote to the Church of Rome and from what he said it appears that there were Christians to be found in the upper echelons of Roman Society. Could it be that this came about as a result of Paul’s missionary efforts during his incarceration?

2. Other Christians have become emboldened. A surprising result of Paul’s captivity is that it has increased the courage of the Christians in Rome (“brethren”).

We might think that Roman Christians would keep a low profile following Paul’s imprisonment. However, their reaction is the complete opposite! Inspired by Paul’s example, they boldly proclaim the Gospel without fear of the authorities. They don’t want Paul’s imprisonment to slow the spread of the Gospel.

I’m reminded of one of the events in the life of Napoleon when, at a critical point in a battle, he grabbed the flag and ran towards the enemy. His troops, driven by their love for their commander and inspired by his bravery, surged forward, resulting in the battle being won. Seeing Paul run ahead with the standard, the Roman Christians are spurred on.

So, despite being Paul being fettered, the Gospel is not. To many, Paul’s imprisonment looked like a failure, but Paul joyfully looked beyond his current suffering and saw the eternal consequences of what was happening, and how God was using it to bring about His Kingdom.

Discussion Question
Q1. How do you handle suffering? Does the way you live cause other people to meet Jesus?
Q2. Have you been persecuted for your faith? How have you responded to this?

15-17: “Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of partisanship, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment”

Paul’s incarceration seems to have provoked two different reactions:

1. Some preach Christ out of good will. As we saw in the previous verse, Paul’s imprisonment has inspired boldness in many of Rome’s Christians to preach without fear. They do this “from good will”. However…

2. Others preach Christ out of envy and rivalry. Elsewhere in his writings, Paul speaks about those who teach false doctrine, but he doesn’t seem to have those people in mind here. Paul seems to suggest that there are a group of people who are teaching the truth, but doing so with impure motives. He says that they do this due to “partisanship”, “thinking to afflict [him]”. What might Paul mean by this?

(a) Some didn’t like Paul. We all know that Paul wasn’t the easiest guy to get along with. It may have been that some thought that they could encourage the authorities to make an example of Paul. They may have hoped to see Paul humbled through torture, or perhaps exiled so that they themselves could steal the limelight. Speaking of which…

(b) Some were ambitious. Although people could still visit Paul, his freedom was seriously restricted. The hope of accolade and renown may have started to consume the hearts of some young, hot-shot preachers who saw themselves in competition with Paul, thinking that now was the time to make a name for themselves and to step out from the shadow of the great Apostle Paul. They may have hoped that when Paul saw their popularity increase he would find it galling. The word rendered here as “partisanship” is the Greek worth “eritheia” which was originally used to describe someone who worked for pay. Not exactly the highest of motives. Self-seeking careerists.

Discussion Questions
Q1. How do you handle difficulties within your parish?
Q2. Do you have mixed motives in ministry?

18: What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in that I rejoice.

Paul’s attitude here is brilliant! Paul experiences joy when the Gospel is preached. He doesn’t seem to really care about the less-than-perfect motives of these preachers. All he cares about is the Gospel being proclaimed! Paul isn’t endorsing false motives, he’s just simply communicating his priorities and, for Paul, the number one priority was always the preaching of the Gospel. Although he wouldn’t have been happy with their motives, he viewed that as secondary. Who knows, they may have even had their motives cleansed through their own preaching?

It is worth remembering that God can work through those with poor motives. For example, many conversions have come about through the ministries of people who later were revealed to be money-grabbing charlatans. Many people have been fed with the Eucharist and received absolution for their sins from priests who cared more about their own position in society than the spiritual health of their flocks. God still managed to work through them.

Have you ever come into contact with a catechist or a youth minister who, while being exceptionally talented might be relishing in the praise and attention they get as a result of their ministry? It’s far from ideal(!) obviously, and we would hope that such motives would be purified, but I do wonder if Paul would tell us first to rejoice in the fact that the Gospel is being preached and people are growing in their faith…

Discussion Questions
Q1. Can you look past the mixed motives of others and rejoice in seeing the good that is done?

19: “Yes, and I shall rejoice…

There Paul goes again with joy!

19: For I know that through your prayers…

Despite being an apostle and having great authority, Paul never shrinks from asking for the prayers of others. Paul knows that the Philippians pray for him, a sure sign of friendship.

19: …and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ

We are more familiar with hearing the phrase “Spirit of God” or “Holy Spirit” rather than the phrase which Paul uses, “the Spirit of Jesus”, which he uses interchangeably. In John’s Gospel, the sending of the Spirit is spoken of both in terms of the Father and the Son.

19: …this will turn out for my deliverance…”

Paul expresses his confidence in the prayers of the Philippians and in the assistance of the Spirit. What does people mean when he says that this will “turn out for my deliverance”. The are several options:

(i) his deliverance from earthly prison

(ii) his heavenly salvation or more generally

(iii) his own general good

(iv) the Greek (LXX) version of Job. If this is what Paul had in mind, then he is comparing himself to Job who had to defend himself against the accusations of his “friends” who are trying to convince him that his suffering must be punishment from God for some unconfessed sin. Job, like Paul, puts has confidence that God will vindicate his innocence.

I think the last suggestion is the strongest as it also encompasses elements of the previous options.

Discussion Questions
Q1. How does Paul refer to the Holy Spirit?
Q2. What deliverance do you think Paul is speaking about?

20: “…as it is my eager expectation and hope that I shall 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.

Given the current sufferings of his current circumstances, Paul might be tempted to shrink from proclaiming the Gospel, either through fear or disheartenment. Paul hopes that this will not happen and that whether he lives or dies, Christ will be glorified. What a great attitude to have!

21: For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Here Paul’s expresses his attitude towards life and death:

1. Life
Jesus is the focus of his life. Life apart from Christ has no meaning or purpose.

2. Death
To die means the greatest blessing, union with Christ. His spirit will leave his body (until the Resurrection) and he will be with God. If Paul is put to death he will win the martyr’s crown.

This is going to be the focus of Paul’s dilemma, as we will see next…

Memory Verse
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain – Philippians 1:21

Discussion Questions
Q1. How might you honor God in your body? Why might this require courage?
Q2. What do you think it means “to live is Christ, ad to die is gain”?

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

Here we see the dilemma Paul finds himself experiencing, a tug-of-war between two options:

1. Life
If Paul remains alive he will be able to continue to preach and serve the the Church, the Philippians in particular.

2. Death
If he is martyred (“depart and be with Christ”), he gets to be with Christ. Paul appears to have a preference for this option. The Greek word “analuo” rendered here as “to depart” has some vivid connotations:

(a) Departure of a ship (pulling up anchor, throwing off moor ropes and raising the sail)

(b) Striking camp

Both of these communicate the idea of leaving some temporary dwelling and setting out on a journey to a future destination.

This is a dilemma because, as we have already seen, God will be glorified by both outcomes!

25-26: Convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

Paul appears to suggest that he thinks he will not be martyred. Although martyrdom is attractive to him, it is better for others if he remains. This is a reason for which the Philippians should rejoice.

Paul strongly suggests here that he will see the Philippians again and he reiterates this later in the letter. Assuming Paul is correct in his assumption, this is why some scholars don’t think this letter was written from Rome because towards the end of Acts (prior to the writing of this letter) Paul doesn’t seem to think that he would be heading eastwards ever again.

It is also noteworthy that Paul wants the Philippians to “progress and joy in the faith”. Although that congregation was good in so many ways, Paul still wants more for them.

Discussion Questions
Q1. Why does Paul have a preference for martyrdom?
Q2. What is drawing Paul to stay?

27-28: “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ…

The phrase “manner of life” comes from the Greek word “politeuomai“, which means to  means “to conduct oneself as a citizen”. This is a telling phrase given the Philippian pride in their status as a Roman colony.

27-28 “… so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear omen to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God”

Paul is calling for steadfastness, whether he is around them or not. It reminds me of the saying that “To see the true character of the man, see what he does when he thinks no one is looking…”.

Specifically, Paul then exhorts them to unity (“one spirit…one mind striving side by side”). This means that the Philippians must put aside petty grievances within their community.

Paul speaks of their unity in the face of “opponents”. These opponents would predominantly have been faithful Romans who objected to the Christians calling anyone but Caesar “Lord“. However, Paul says that the unity of the Church will will be a “omen”/sign of the destruction of their enemies and the salvation of the Church.

Memory Verse
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ… – Philippians 1:27

Discussion Questions
Q1. How united is your group/community/parish?

29-30: 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, engaged in the same conflict which you saw and now hear to be mine.

Rather surprisingly, Paul not only sees faith as a gift of God, but suffering for Christ! Elsewhere in Scripture we find out why:

1. Suffering cleanses us from selfishness

2. Suffering invites us to share in the redemptive work of Christ

3. Suffering shows the Gospel to the world. There are many stories from the Early Church which involve Pagans being moved to conversion through the witness of Christian martyrom.

It appears that the Philippian church was not without persecution and tells them that they’re involved with the same struggles Paul experienced at the founding of their church ten years ago (“the same conflict which you saw”), as well as Paul’s suffering in Rome (“now hear to be mine”).

Discussion Questions
Q1. What can be some of the benefits of suffering?

More questions can be found here.

Welcome | Introduction | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4