Philippians
Christ is everything we need: the joy of a life whose purpose, pattern, prize, and power is Christ.
Philippians is a thank-you letter from prison. The church at Philippi, the first Paul planted in Europe, had supported him from the beginning. When they heard he was a prisoner in Rome, they sent a gift by Epaphroditus, who fell sick almost unto death while delivering it. Paul writes to thank them, report on his circumstances, and send Epaphroditus home.
The letter overflows with joy. The words joy and rejoice appear about sixteen times, though Paul is chained to a soldier and uncertain whether he will live or die. His secret is that Christ is his life: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (1:21). His imprisonment has furthered the gospel, and whether by life or by death, Christ will be magnified.
Philippians also contains one of the greatest passages on the person of Christ. Urging humility and unity, Paul describes Christ, who was “in the form of God,” emptying Himself, taking the form of a servant, and humbling Himself to the death of the cross; therefore God has highly exalted Him, and every knee shall bow (2:5–11). The church had no great doctrinal errors, only a few tensions, and Paul pleads with them to be of one mind in the Lord.
Writer: Paul
Written: AD 62–64
Name: Addressed to Philippi, the Macedonian city named for Philip.
Title and authorship
The epistle to the saints at Philippi, a city founded by Philip of Macedon (father of Alexander the Great) and made a Roman colony. The name Philippos means “lover of horses.”
Paul wrote the letter (1:1) with Timothy. The King James subscription notes it was written from Rome by Epaphroditus, who carried it (2:25–30).
Historical background
Paul’s first Roman imprisonment, about AD 62–64, the second of the prison epistles. The church at Philippi began during the second journey (Acts 16) with Lydia, a demon-possessed girl, and a jailer.
The saints at Philippi with the bishops and deacons (1:1), a church that had supported Paul from the beginning (4:15–16).
A Roman colony
Philippi became a Roman colony after the battle of Philippi in 42 BC, when Antony and Octavian defeated Brutus and Cassius. Veterans settled there, and its citizens enjoyed the rights of Romans. It was “the chief city of that part of Macedonia” and a little Rome in the Greek world (Acts 16:12, 21).
The praetorium
Paul’s bonds were known “in all the palace” (1:13), literally the praetorium or praetorian guard, and there were saints “of Caesar’s household” (4:22). Soldiers chained to Paul in shifts heard the gospel daily.
Epaphroditus
Epaphroditus carried the Philippians’ gift to Rome, fell sick “nigh unto death,” and recovered by God’s mercy. Paul sent him back with this letter, calling him “my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier” (2:25).
Key passages
Philippians 1:21
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
Philippians 2:5–8
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who humbled Himself unto the death of the cross.
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Outline
1 · Christ our life
Imprisonment becomes an opportunity for gospel progress and courageous witness.
2 · Christ our mind
His humility calls believers to selfless service, illustrated by Timothy and Epaphroditus.
3 · Christ our goal
Confidence in religious status gives way to knowing Christ and pressing toward the mark.
4 · Christ our strength
Peace, contentment, and faithful giving express a life secured in him.
Original language
χαρά / χαίρω (chara / chairo, G5479) — “joy, rejoice”
The noun and verb occur about sixteen times. Joy in Philippians is not dependent on circumstances but on the Lord: “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice” (4:4).
κενόω (kenoo, G2758) — “made himself of no reputation”
Literally “emptied himself.” Christ did not cease to be God but laid aside the outward display of His glory and the independent use of His rights, taking the form of a servant.
μορφή (morphe, G3444) — “form”
The essential form that expresses what a thing truly is. Christ was in the form of God—truly God—and took the form of a servant—truly a servant.
πολίτευμα (politeuma, G4175) — “conversation (citizenship)”
“Our conversation is in heaven” (3:20): our commonwealth, citizenship, or manner of life as citizens. Philippi’s citizens prized their Roman citizenship; believers’ citizenship is in heaven.
Doctrinal study
The kenosis and exaltation
Christ, being in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to hold onto at the cost of our redemption. He took the form of a servant, was made in the likeness of men, and humbled Himself to the cross. God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name above every name, before which every knee will bow (2:9–11; Isaiah 45:23).
The righteousness which is of God
Paul counted his Jewish credentials—circumcision, pedigree, Pharisaic zeal, blameless legal righteousness—as dung, that he might win Christ and be found in Him, “not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ” (3:9).
Waiting for the Saviour
Our citizenship is in heaven, “from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body” (3:20–21). The hope of His coming shapes the believer’s present life.
Commentary notes
Four chapters, four minds
Chapter 1: Christ our life—the single mind (1:21). Chapter 2: Christ our pattern—the submissive mind (2:5). Chapter 3: Christ our prize—the spiritual mind (3:10). Chapter 4: Christ our power—the secure mind (4:13).
No doctrinal crisis
Philippians addresses no major doctrinal error or scandal. Its problems were a disagreement between two women, Euodias and Syntyche (4:2), and a warning about Judaizers and enemies of the cross. It shows what a healthy church looks like.
Contentment
“I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (4:11). Contentment is learned, and its secret is the strength of Christ (4:13) and the provision of God “according to his riches in glory” (4:19).
Christ in the book
- Christ our life (1:21)
- The servant who humbled Himself and was highly exalted (2:5–11)
- The prize of the high calling (3:14)
- The Saviour we look for from heaven (3:20)
Applications
Historical
- Paul writes to thank the church for its support, inform them of his circumstances, and encourage them to live in the joy that comes from minds captivated by Christ.
- The church began in the setting described in Acts 16 and continued to support Paul’s work beyond its own city.
- The letter thanks the church and reassures it concerning Epaphroditus.
Doctrinal
- Like the Philadelphia period of church history, a church can enjoy fruitfulness and joy in the midst of difficulty as long as its focus is on Christ, His gospel, and His glory. Philippians also teaches the believer’s heavenly citizenship and the coming of the Saviour who will change our vile body (3:20–21).
- The incarnation and humiliation of Christ lead to his exaltation and universal acknowledgment as Lord.
- Righteousness in Christ takes the place of confidence in inherited privilege or personal religious achievement.
Devotional
- The kind of mind that enables the believer to live in joy is a mind fixed on Jesus Christ alone—single, submissive, spiritual, and secure.
- The example of Christ’s humility requires consideration for others and reconciliation between those who share in the work of the gospel.
- Paul directs believers to bring their needs to God in prayer, attend to what is worthy, and learn contentment through dependence on Christ.
- Support for faithful gospel workers is a share in the fruit of their ministry.
Answering the critics
Critics generally accept Paul’s authorship; debate concerns the place of writing (Rome, Ephesus, or Caesarea) and whether the letter combines fragments.
The letter contains no major treatise to attack and has been left almost untouched. References to the praetorium and Caesar’s household fit Rome, and the letter reads as a single, warm, unified whole.