“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.” 2 Peter 1:20 – 2:1
Verses 1-2 Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: 2 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul opens this epistle with his usual greeting: grace be unto you, and peace, from God our father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace is unmerited favor from and of God in which He gives people what they do not deserve. People can do nothing to deserve salvation from sin, death and Hell, but God has freely given salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus. Mercy is where God does not give people what they deserve. All people are sinners and since the wages of sin is death, all people deserve death, but God freely gives life to those who accept Him and who are obedient to His word. Because of God’s grace, Christian believers have peace in their lives.
Timotheus was the Apostle Paul’s traveling companion and a fellow disciple and worker in the ministry of the Gospel. See chapter 16 in the book of Acts for further history of this young man, to whom was written the books of 1st and 2nd Timothy. His mother was a Jewess who believed in Jesus, but his father was a Greek man and nothing more is written about him other than he was Timotheus’ father.
Application: It is easy to conclude that the Jews were all descendants of Abraham, but they have been and are a mixed race of people. Timotheus is an example of the intermarriage that occurred constantly between those people claiming to be Jewish or Hebrew and people of other nations, tribes and tongues. The Hebrews married Egyptians while in captivity for over 400 years and have never kept their genetic line purely Syrian, the nation from which Abraham and Sarah came. Their race, regardless of their claims, is based on religion, tradition and ideologies, and not on the genetic blood line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Although discussed previously in other New Testament books, a reminder that a saint is a believer in the LORD Jesus Christ and one who is obedient to His commandments and not a dead person canonized by the Institution of Catholicism will be placed here. If you, the reader, are a child of God, you are a saint. All believers living on Earth and all believers living in Heaven are saints. If this was not true, the Apostle Paul would not have addressed his epistle or letter to “the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi”. Dead people cannot read living people’s mail.
The Greek word translated as “bishop” is “episkopos” from which comes the English word episcopal. It means an overseer. The Greek word translated as “deacons” is “diakonos” and it means one who executes the commands of another, a servant, or a minister. Originally, in the apostolic Church, deacons cared for the poor and distributed the money collected for their use.
Verses 3-6 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, 5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; 6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
The Apostle Paul often told the recipients of his epistles/letters to follow or emulate him, not because he was attempting to build a following or a movement, but because he was following Jesus and he was setting the example of how to be a Christian believer. Remember that he spent time alone with the resurrected LORD Jesus Christ after his experience and conversion on the road to Damascus. He intimately new Jesus as well as, or perhaps even better than, the other disciples such as Peter, James and John. Because of his obedience and love for the LORD, to follow the Apostle Paul’s example was to follow Jesus. That being said, notice how he treated this church at Philippi which he had established. He thanked God for them, he prayed constantly for them, and he expected them to continue in the Faith until Jesus returned, and he took time to communicate with them in a positive and encouraging manner. Each Christian believer should be praying at least for their own congregation, that it would grow in the knowledge of the LORD Jesus Christ and that it would be full of good works towards each other and towards others not yet converted and following the Christian walk. Each Christian believer should be thankful to God for a place to gather with like-minded people, and each believer should be expecting the best of those with whom they meet and worship. Criticism is easy to engage in. Positive reinforcement and attitudes require work. Think about it.
Application: Often people think that once they have accepted Jesus into their lives, that their salvation is all that is required to happen and they will live lives on Earth with God’s blessings and then be ushered into Heaven for eternal life. This is not entirely true. Salvation is required for eternal life in Heaven, but the earthly lives have to be molded and changed and improved until the “day of Jesus Christ”, either by His return for His people or by physical death that ushers believers into His presence. Salvation is just the beginning of the “good work” that is started in each Christian believer’s life. Trials and tribulations, victories and defeats, doubts and fears, spiritual growth and Bible knowledge, joys and blessings all happen to help shape each believer into the character of the LORD Jesus Christ. This process takes a lifetime and never stops until believers shed their physical bodies on Earth and arrive in Heaven in their spiritual bodies. The Christian life is a walk through time here on Earth and believers need to be patient with the process and with the plan and guidance of the LORD. “. . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Philippians 2:12
Verses 7-8 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. 8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul’s language demonstrates his love for this church he established in Philippi around 50 AD on what was his second missionary journey. His imprisonment was because he preached the Gospel, and it was through his preaching that this church started and became established in a climate of idolatry, where the Gospel was hated and mocked, and in which the Jewish elite were constantly trying to eradicate the teachings and the followers of Jesus. This church was the first Christian church established in Europe as it was located in Greece, and it was on a significant trade route where many people came and passed through Philippi on their way to Rome. It was a Gentile church and it was a church where women played a significant role, which was quite contrary to Jewish traditions. It was part of the Apostle Paul’s life and work and in the verses above, he states that they were partakers of his grace. Because he received unmerited favor from God, so they were receiving unmerited favor and they were helping spread the Gospel message as they served the LORD Jesus Christ.
Verse 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
Love in the Christian walk is not a warm, fuzzy feeling, but it is an action. Believers do not have to like someone in order to show them the love of Christ. They just have to be obedient to the commandments of Jesus to love God and love one another: helping the helpless, being kind to the rude and disagreeable, listening to the boring and uninspiring communicator, financing those in need of assistance with food, rent or utilities, and the list goes on. Good works is the Christian believer’s hallmark. But wisdom, knowledge and good judgement need to be in place as decisions are made by believers to assist others. There is and will always be people who take advantage of the Christian believer’s good works. Helping people who are faking a need is not necessarily good for the faker or for the believer. So the Apostle Paul’s prayer is that their love for others will grow and be abundant, but that it will be accompanied by knowledge and good judgement.
Verses 10-11 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; 11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
The Greek word translated as “approve” Is “dokimazo” and it means to test, examine, prove, to scrutinize to see whether a thing is genuine or not, or to deem worthy. So with knowledge and good judgment, Christian believers can love others and not get involved with anything that might bring disgrace to the name of Jesus or to the Gospel message.
Application: An example here might be that of giving money to street beggars. Is the street beggar going to use the gift of money to buy food or to buy alcohol and/or drugs? The wise Christian will offer to take the individual to a nearby grocery store, restaurant or fast food business. This writer has done just that, only to have the individual refuse the offer. So money was withheld. That was the proper response as helping a street beggar rip off people with fake stories of hardships or helping a street beggar poison his/her body with more chemicals does not glorify the LORD.
Verses 12-14 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; 13 So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; 14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
The focus changes here as the Apostle Paul refers to himself and the situation he is in. His imprisonment was not for any crimes against others, but for preaching the Gospel to set unbelievers free from sin, death and Hell. Therefore he refers to this as his “bonds in Christ”. He penned the words, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 So the imprisonment he was experiencing was working for good or producing fruits of righteousness as the Gospel was being preached in the palace, the seat of Roman government, and in other areas. Furthermore, his imprisonment was making other believers more bold and more willing to share their faith without fear.
Verses 15-17 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: 16 The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: 17 But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.
Application: It is uncomfortable to think that anyone would preach the Gospel for personal gain. Yet the Apostle Paul clearly states that while he was in prison, this was what was happening. The Greek word translated as “contention” is “eritheia” and it means a desire to put one’s self forward, selfish, or self-promoting. Men were preaching or publicly proclaiming Jesus, but not for the furtherance of the Faith and for the building up of the Church. Their motives were insincere and their preaching was making things worse for Paul. The same thing has been happening down through the centuries and today there are people preaching Jesus for personal gain and for self-promotion. All true Christian believers need to be aware of this and be very selective as to what ministries they follow or contribute to as time is the coin of life and money belongs to the LORD and should be invested wisely. Think about it.
Verses 18-20 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. 19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
The Apostle Paul’s attitude was still a positive one, even though it bothered him that there were insincere preachers. He realized that in a pagan world, people were hearing the Gospel even if the preacher was not preaching out of love for Jesus, but for personal reasons. That preaching along with preaching from men called by the LORD for the ministry was getting the Word to the people. Remember that the New Testament had not been completed and compiled and that all information had to be given and gotten through the spoken word, so the masses had to be informed somehow. Today, it is easier to recognize those preaching for a living versus those preaching the truth from a servant’s heart as the entire Bible is available and people’s words and actions can be compared to Scripture.
Notice the humility of the Apostle Paul. His only goal was to magnify Jesus Christ and to spread the Gospel. The Greek word translated as “magnified” is “megaluno” and it means to make great, to declare great, to esteem highly, to extol, to celebrate, and to get glory and praise. He always put the LORD Jesus Christ first, before anything or anyone else including his own life. He knew his time on Earth was drawing to a close, and he wanted even his death to bring glory to Jesus.
Verse 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
As far as this Apostle was concerned, living was for one purpose only: for serving Jesus Christ. But death had its advantage to life as he would spend eternity in the presence of the LORD Jesus Christ who is God, very God.
Verses 22-26 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. 23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: 24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. 25 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; 26 That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.
Application: This mental and emotional battle that the Apostle Paul wrote about in the verses above is one that the true Christian believer should also have. This physical life on Earth should not be so personally important as to make dying an unwanted and fearful event. Dying means living forever with Jesus. For the true believer, the battle should be between staying on Earth for the benefit of others versus going to be with Jesus forever. The things of the world should not be so attractive that the believer does not want to die and leave the things behind.
Verse 27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
The exhortation here is that living in a Christ-like fashion should be normal for believers and not something that is done when others, such as the Apostle Paul, are watching. The believers at Philippi were encouraged to be of one mind which can only happen when people are walking in the Spirit which unifies, rather than walking in their own flesh or power. When people calling themselves Christian fail to walk as Jesus Christ did, others hear about them, and their words or actions can bring dishonor to the cause of the LORD Jesus Christ and to the Church.
Application: What does it mean to “walk in the Spirit”? Simply put, it is where and when a person allows the Holy Ghost/Spirit to direct their daily lives. Nothing is done without consulting Him. “Should I go to town this morning or wait until tomorrow?” or “Should I invest in this ministry or not?” or “Is this a good time to call my friend?” and so forth. This constant consulting of the Holy Ghost/Spirit, which is of Jesus Christ, allows the believer to pray constantly, a command from the Apostle Paul, and to be guided down the right path each day. As this is practiced, it becomes very apparent that when making decisions about even the tiniest little thing without asking the Holy Ghost/Spirit for His leading, those decisions are never very wise or have the best outcome. The Holy Ghost/Spirit, Jesus and Father God are all the same God. He knows the future. Who better to consult: self with limited knowledge and insight, or God who knows everything? “Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Verses 28-30 And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. 29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; 30 Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me. (Philippians 1)
The Greek word translated as “adversaries” is “antikeimai” and it means to oppose, be adverse to, or to withstand. Notice that the Apostle Paul uses the plural of the word adversary. So an adversary for the Christian believer is anything that opposes or withstands and offers strong resistance, and there are many. The sin nature or the flesh can be an adversary. The world and all that it offers can be an adversary. The believer’s own family can be an adversary. Religions can be an adversary. Satanic governments can be an adversary. And Satan and his fallen angels or devils are definitely an adversary. The Apostle Paul is telling the Philippians to not be frightened by anything. The opposition is because of the believer’s Faith. The Church is evidence (token) to the unbeliever of the destruction which consists of eternal misery in Hell (perdition). So of course there is going to be opposition and resultant suffering, just as there was opposition towards Jesus Christ which resulted in His willingly suffering death on the cross. The Apostle Paul suffered attacks from adversaries throughout his ministry, and so he was able to state that true believers will have the same conflict: the desire to stay physically on the Earth in ministry to Jesus Christ with all of its opposition, or the desire to leave spiritually the Earth and spend eternity in the presence of Jesus Christ.