Main Idea

The book of Philippians is about the Gospel - the Good News of Jesus. We respond to the Gospel by following Him and seeing our own story as an embodied expression of His.

Background

Bible Project Overview: https://bibleproject.com/guides/book-of-philippians/

Author

The book begins with the author(s) giving their names - Paul and Timothy (1:1). The following information for Paul and Timothy comes from the Anchor Bible Dictionary.

Paul

Saul of Tarsus, better known by his Greco-Roman name Paul, was one of the most influential early Christian missionaries and apostles, with his writings forming a considerable portion of the New Testament.

Paul was from the tribe of Benjamin, but also was born a citizen of Rome through Tarsus, a city in Cilicia where he was born and raised. His Roman citizenship plays an important role in Acts.

Before his encounter with the risen Jesus, Paul actively preserved and protected the religious traditions of his forefathers. Considering himself an “orthodox” Jew, he was zealously committed to eradicating apostasy. Going further than his peers, he became a member of the Pharisaic sect and took it upon himself to persecute the Christian church. 

While Paul was approaching Damascus he suddenly experienced a vision of Christ. This experience had dramatic consequences, changing his entire life, self-understanding, theological views, and goals. This encounter convinced Paul that Jesus was the Risen Lord and Messiah, and it turned him from a persecutor to a propagator of Christianity. Christ himself commissioned him to proclaim the gospel among the gentiles. Although some label this experience Paul’s “conversion,” this can be done only in retrospect, for at that time Judaism and Christianity were not yet separate religions. In reality, then, Paul changed brands of Judaism, switching from Pharisaic to Christian Judaism.

After seeing Christ he left Damascus at once and went to Arabia. This mission in Arabia, given the nature of Christ’s commission to him, must have been among gentiles, not Jews. We may also infer that Paul did not initiate this mission but joined a venture already begun by the Damascus church, an inference confirmed by the fact that Paul afterward returned to Damascus. How successful his mission to Arabia was we do not know.

Three years after his conversion Paul finally went to Jerusalem, where he met with Peter and James.  When Paul came to Jerusalem the second time “after fourteen years”, the mission to Syria and Cilicia had been carried out successfully. Paul names as his main collaborator Barnabas, a Jewish Christian like himself. According to Acts, Barnabas was Paul’s Christian mentor. The Jerusalem church had sent him to Antioch where he became the leading figure among the Jewish Christians from Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Syria/Cilicia. He went to Tarsus looking for Saul (Paul) to bring him to Antioch, where the mission to the Greeks was born and where the name “Christian” (Christianoi) first came into use. 

From here Barnabas and Saul/Paul were sent out together on a missionary campaign which first took them to Cyprus, then to Pamphylia and Pisidia. Paul then has a history of three different missionary journeys, culminating in a journey taking the offering from the Gentile churches to the poor in Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, Paul was accused of blasphemy by the Jews and arrested in the midst of a riot.

Paul then spends time in custody, standing before various Roman officials while staying in custody. Finally, Paul appealed to Caesar as a citizen of Rome, leading to him going on a journey to Rome. Acts ends with Paul imprisoned in Rome, preaching the good news. Tradition has it that Paul was martyred in Rome.

Timothy

Timothy was a missionary, fellow worker, and trusted emissary of Paul. Timothy is named with Paul as one of the authors, or co-sender of multiple letters: 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Philemon. There are also two other letters, 1 &2 Timothy, that are written from Paul to Timothy. We can see that Timothy was an important part of Paul’s ministry, simply from how much of the Pauline writings he is involved in.

Timothy was a native of Lystra in Asia Minor, the son of a Eunice, a Jewish woman, and a Greek father. His grandmother was Lois, and both Eunice and Lois were Christians. Although he was the son of a Jewish mother, he was not circumcised.

At Lystra during Paul’s second missionary journey, Timothy is chosen by Paul to accompany him. In order to make Timothy more effective in working with the Jews, Paul had Timothy circumcised.

Timothy along with Silas (= Silvanus) accompanied Paul through Asia Minor to Troas and then went over to Macedonia. At Philippi they became involved in conflict; however, Paul and Silas are the only ones mentioned as having been brought before the magistrate. Afterward they passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, eventually arriving at Thessalonica, where opposition was also encountered. Later, during their time in Athens, Paul, anxious about the newly established community at Thessalonica, sent Timothy back to them.

After his mission to the Thessalonians, Timothy returned to Paul in Corinth, bringing a report of successful missionary work. He informed Paul about “the good news” of their “faith and love,” and related how the believers remembered the apostles always and longed to see them. Such news was a source of comfort to Paul amid his own distress and afflictions. 

At some point Timothy joins Paul during his Ephesian stay of the third journey (ca. 54–57). Having heard disturbing reports about the Corinthian community, Paul decides to send Timothy from Ephesus to Corinth as well as another letter to resolve the situation.

When Paul left Corinth, bound for Jerusalem and with plans to go on to Rome and Spain, Timothy was among those who started out with him and went at least as far as Troas. It is unknown whether Timothy continued on with Paul to Jerusalem, or intended to travel farther with him.

According to later tradition preserved by Eusebius, Timothy was the first bishop of Ephesus, and it is in the context of this ministry that 1 & 2 Timothy are most likely being written.

While both Paul and Timothy are mentioned as the co-senders or co-authors of Philippians, the book is written from the perspective of an individual, and since Timothy is mentioned in the third person (2:19-23), it would seem as though Paul is the primary author.

Date/Location

Philippians is written during a period where Paul is imprisoned where there are Praetorian Guards (1:13). There are three main options when it comes to which imprisonment, and where Paul and Timothy were when Philippians was written: Rome, Ephesus, and Caesarea. All of these positions have pros and cons, and teaching from any of them is still okay and falls in the bounds of believing and trusting the Bible. While we are going to default to the Rome position, that is not to say there are no weaknesses. A summary of the positions from the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament as follows:

Rome (58-61)

This belief is that Philippians is written during Paul’s final imprisonment in Rome at the end of the book of Acts. The merits of this view are:

1. Oldest tradition, from the second century to the eighteenth, everyone accepted it was written from Rome

2. Paul was imprisoned in Rome for two years, with a soldier guarding him in house arrest, but with considerable freedom for ministry

3. Caesar’s household and the praetorium most naturally fit with Rome

4. The absence of the mention for the Jerusalem collection makes sense since Paul has already delivered it

5. Context of opposition with the ability to still do ministry makes sense here

Arguments against:

1. Distance between Philippi and Rome still difficult for emissaries to go back and forth between

2. Since Paul planned to go to Spain after his expected release from prison (as mentioned in Romans), it makes little sense that he would promise to come to the Philippians after his release

3. Praetorium often used to refer to a building in a Roman province, rather than the actual praetorian guards.

   1. The issue is that it can also refer to the guards. Which is more likely in 1:13 is a point of contention.
      

Ephesus (early to mid-50’s)

This belief first came upon in 1900’s and has picked up a following in recent decades. The merits of this position are:

1. Considerable time that Paul spent in Ephesus, much of which had significant opposition.

2. Short distance from Ephesus to Philippi

   1. This position gains more strength if you believe that Philippians is a patchwork of multiple letters that have been taken back and forth to Philippi and then pieced together.

3. Ephesian ministry was dangerous considering Priscila and Aquilla risked their necks for the apostle (Rom. 16:3-5)

4. Popular position among scholars, for example this is the position that NT Wright takes

5. Thematic connections between Philippians, Galatians, and Corinthians

6. Promise to come to the Philippians makes sense here, on the way to Spain

7. Timothy was most likely in Ephesus when Paul was in Rome, but was definitely with him in the Ephesian ministry

Arguments against:

1. No evidence of an imprisonment during the Ephesian ministry - just an assumption

2. No evidence of a praetorium in Ephesus

3. Distance not as important if the letter is one unified collection
   

Caesarea (57-58)

This belief is based on the imprisonment in Caesarea found in Acts 21:37-26:32. The merits of this position are:

1. Luke says Paul was in Herod’s praetorium in Acts 23:35. This would make sense of the reference to the Praetorian Guards in 1:13.

2. The imprisonment in Caesarea was at least two years long, long enough to accommodate multiple trips back and forth to Philippi by Paul’s associates

3. Paul had a good bit of liberty, and friends to care for his needs

4. Paul gave a defense and was still in prison

5. Paul’s anticipation of being released soon and able to visit Philippi fits

6. The cause of the imprisonment matches Paul’s polemic against those of “the circumcision” in 3:3.

7. Paul never mentions the collection, something that he mentions a lot during his Ephesian ministry, which suggests a date after the collection had been completed.

8. Promise to come to the Philippians makes sense here, on the way to Spain

Arguments against this view:

1. Distance between Caesarea to Philippi would make travel back and forth more difficult than Ephesus or Rome

2. Paul’s talking about the spread of the gospel through Caesar’s household seems to be a big deal that would excite and impress the Philippians, and that doesn’t seem to carry the same weight in Caesarea

3. The opposition in Caesarea doesn’t seem to match the type of persecution talked about in 1:30

4. Minority view in scholarship

Audience

Philippi

• Founded in 360 BCE as a Thracian settlement of Greek colonists from the island of Thaos, conquered by Philip II of Macedon in 365 BCE.

  • Philip named it after himself, built walls, and increased its population, turning it into an economic and military center.

• Near a large, fertile plain, a mountain with a mine of gold and silver, a swamp, and a port. Located on the Via Egnatia starting in 145-130 BCE.

• In 42 BCE the Battle of Philippi occurred between Brutus and Cassius against Marc Antony and Octavian. 

  • Philippi was renamed Colonia Victrix Philippensium, was made a Roman colony

    • Colonists had Italian legal status, and certain tax exemptions

  • After 31 BCE when Octavian defeated Antony, Philippi was renamed against to Colonia Iulia Augusta Philippensis

• By the time of Paul, Philippia was about 10,000 people, about 1/10 the size of Thessalonica, ninety miles west. There would be about another 5,000 people living in the suburbs immediately outside the city, and a total of around forty-six thousand lived in a 1900 square kilometer territory

  • Estimated population breakdown according to Peter Oakes:

    • Elite: 3%

    • Colonist Farmers: 20% (half owning, half renting)

    • Service Groups: 37% (mix of Greek and Roman)

    • Slaves: 20%

    • Poor: 20% (mostly Greek)

• The Philippians had become thoroughly Roman, despite being in Macedonia

  • Most inscriptions from the 1st century are in Latin, not Greek

  • There was a cohort of praetorians

  • The ruling class were Latin in language, culturally Italian, and politically Roman

• The religion of the city was typically Greco-Roman pagan, with as many as thirty-five different deities venerated in Philippi

  • Nevertheless, the Roman state religions–especially the imperial cult–seem to have dominated the heart of the city. Philippi’s grand place in Roman history and its association with Octavian, fostered devotion to Augustus, his wife Livia, and other members of the Augustus’ family.

    • Government and religion were mixed, with the head of the administration also serving as a high priest of the emperor cult.
      

Church in Philippi in Acts

• Acts 16: Paul’s Second Missionary Journey

  • Came because of a vision of a Macedonian man saying come and help us

  • Started by going to a place of prayer on the riverside and speaking to the women assembled on the Sabbath, not the synagogue

    • Lydia, a worshipper of God and a seller of purple fabric from Thyatira, hosted Paul and company, and presumably the first church

  • Interaction with the demon-possessed slave

    • A slave woman with a spirit of divination followed the group for days yelling out that they were servants of the Most High God who proclaim a way of salvation.

    • Paul got annoyed and cast out the demon, ruining the woman’s owner’s profit.

    • They were then accused of being Jews who were proclaiming customs and practices that were “unlawful to accept” for the Romans.

      • The crowd and chief magistrates beat them and threw them in prison.

    • Around midnight Paul and Silas were singing hymns of praise, an earthquake freed them and all the prisoners.

      • The jailer and his household converted because Paul and company didn’t flee the jail

    • The chief magistrates find out that Paul is a Roman citizen and that it was their actions that were unlawful for Romans, and they pleaded with the group to leave the city. After visiting the church in Lydia’s house, they left for Thessalonica.

• Acts 20: Paul’s Third Missionary Journey

  • Stop off in Macedonia and encourage the saints

  • Sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread on the way to Troas

Genre

Philippians is one of the Pauline Epistles. This means that it is a letter (epistle) that was written by the Apostle Paul (Pauline).

The rhetorical style of Philippians is rightly called “a hortatory letter of friendship”, focused and centered on the Gospel. This means that it is a letter based and rooted in friendship and fellowship, built and centered in the Gospel, intending to persuade and convince us to live into that truth.

Outline

• Introduction (1:1-11)

• Main Body (1:12-4:9)

  • The Advance of the Gospel (1:12-26)

  • The Example of Christ (1:27-2:18)

  • The Examples of Timothy and Epaphroditus (2:19-30)

  • The Example of Paul (3:1-4:9)

• Closing (4:10-23)

  • Thanksgiving for Fellowship (4:10-20)

  • Final Greetings (4:21-23)

Themes

The Gospel

The Greek word euangelion (good news or gospel evangelium in Latin) was not originally a Christian word at all. It was a street word common in the Roman Empire (often in the plural form euangelia–like our “news” or “new things”) for a public announcement of some event that had taken place and was  claimed to be good news for everybody. It would be proclaimed, for example, when a battle was won (good news, of course, provided you supported the winner) or a new emperor came to power, or in the wake of some great imperial accomplishment (real or alleged), like bringing peace to the whole world (as Augustus Caesar claimed)....For the apostles had an euangelion to proclaim that far surpassed any announcement by the Roman Empire. Their good news was not about some claimed achievement by a mere Caesar. Theirs was good news about something the one, true, living God had done in the course of eye-witnessed public events in real history. It is important to realize that the word we translate as “gospel” has this primary meaning: the announcing, as good news, of something that has already happened, actual events that you need to know about, events that are for your benefit if you respond rightly to the announcement. - Christopher Wright

Priene Inscription: “Providence has ordered all things and set them in order by giving us Caesar Augustus, whom she has filled with virtue that he might benefit all humanity, and has sent him as a savior for us and our descendants, that he might end war and bring order to all things … The birthday of the god was the beginning of the good news [gospel] for the world …” - BibleProject, Rise of the Messiah

We love the story the gospel tells. The gospel announces as good news the historical events of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. As the son of David, the promised Messiah King, Jesus is the one through whom alone God established his kingdom and acted for the salvation of the world, enabling all nations on earth to be blessed, as he promised Abraham. Paul defines the gospel in stating that ‘Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third dat, according to the scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter and then to the Twelve.’ The gospel declares that, on the cross of Christ, God took upon himself in the person of his Son and in our place, the judgment our sin deserves. In the same greate saving act, completed, vindicated and declared through the resurrection, God won the decisive victory over Satan, death, and all evil powers, liberated us from their power and fear, and ensured their eventual destruction. God accomplished the reconciliation of believers with himself and with one another across all boundaries and enmities. God also accomplished his purpose of the ultimate reconciliation of all creation, and in the bodily resurrection of Jesus has given us the first fruits of the new creation. ‘God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself.’ How we love the gospel story! - Cape Town Commitment, Third Lausanne Congress

The Gospel is the announcement that God’s Kingdom has come in the life, death, resurrection, [and ascension] of Jesus of Nazareth, the Lord and Messiah, in fulfillment of Israel’s Scriptures. The gospel evokes faith, repentance, and discipleship - its accompanying effects include salvation and the gift of the Holy Spirit. - Mike Bird

NT Wright and Mike Bird on “The Gospel at Work in Philippi”

• I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. (Phil 1.4-5)

• It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. (Phil 1.7)

• Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. (Phil 1.12)

• 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…knowing that I am put here for the defence of the gospel. (Phil. 1.14, 16)

• Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ…striving together as one for the faith of the gospel. (Phil. 1.27)

• But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. (Phil. 2.22)

• Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel. (Phil. 4.3)

• You Philippians indeed know that in the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you alone. (Phil. 4.15, NRSV)

Speaking of Paul, though he had planted many churches and written some letters before Matthew produced his record of Jesus’ mandate on the Mount of Ascension, his driving ambition resonates strongly with the emphasis we are stressing here. This can be seen when we read (twice) that his missional goal was to bring about “the obedience of faith” among all nations (Rom 1:5; 16:26). Indeed, Paul insisted that the gospel was something to be obeyed, not just believed (Rom 15:18-19; 2 Cor 9:13; 2 Thess 1:8). This understanding of the gospel as a matter of obedience, not just belief, is shared by Peter (1 Peter 4:17), James (2:14-26), John (1 John 2:3; 3:21-24; 5:1-3), and the writer to the Hebrews (Heb 5:9; and, of course, it goes back to Jesus himself (e.g., Matt 7:21-27; 28:20; Luke 11:28; John 14:23-24). The gospel that is intrinsically verbal (as an announcement of good news) is just as intrinsically ethical (as a demand for response). So then, since the gospel itself requires obedience, and since the Great Commission mandates teaching obedience, mission that has any claim to be faithfully carrying out the Great Commission cannot just be about preaching a message and teaching the faith. It is about practical obedience to the lordship of Christ in every area of life in this world–practial obedience that is being modeled, taught, learned, and practiced. Or, in Christ’s own words, it is about “observ[ing] all that I have commanded you”. All of it. - Christopher Wright

The Gospel (euangelion) in the New Testament

• The Gospel of the Kingdom

  • Matthew 4:23, 9:35, 24:14

• This Gospel

  • Matthew 26:13 (about the Anointing at Bethany)

• The Gospel of Jesus Christ

  • Mark 1:1

• The Gospel of His [God’s] Son

  • Romans 1:9

• The Gospel of Christ

  • Romans 15:19; 1 Corinthians 9:12; 2 Corinthians 2:12, 9:13, 10:14; Galatians 1:7; Philippians 1:27; 1 Thessalonians 3:2

• The Gospel of the Glory of Christ

  • 2 Corinthians 4:4

• The Gospel of our Lord

  • 2 Thessalonians 1:8

• The Gospel of God

  • Mark 1:14; Romans 1:1, 15:16; 2 Corinthians 11:7; 1 Thessalonians 2:2, 2:8-9; 1 Peter 4:17; 

• The Gospel of the Glory of the Blessed God

  • 1 Timothy 1:11

• The Gospel

  • Mark 1:15, 8:35, 10:29, 13:10, 14:9 (Parallel to This Gospel); Acts 15:7; Romans 1:16, 10:16, 11:28; 1 Corinthians 4:15, 9:14, 9:18 (x2); 9:23; 15:1; 2 Corinthians 8:18; Galatians 1:11, 2:2, 2:5, 2:7, 2:14; Ephesians 3:6. 6:19; Philippians 1:5, 1:7, 1:12, 1:16; 1:27, 2:22, 4:3, 4:15; Colossians 1:5, 1:23; 1 Thessalonians 2:4; 2 Timothy 1:8, 1:10; Philemon 1:13

• The Gospel of Grace

  • Acts 20:24

• My/Our (Paul’s) Gospel

  • Romans 2:16, 16:25; 2 Corinthians 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:5; 2 Thessalonians 2:14; 2 Timothy 2:8

• Different Gospel

  • 2 Corinthians 11:4; Galatians 1:6-7

• The Gospel of Your Salvation

  • Ephesians 1:13

• The Gospel of Peace

  • Ephesians 6:15

• Eternal Gospel

  • Revelation 14:6
    

Citizens of the Kingdom

Philippi was a city that was very proud of its Roman citizenship. When Paul says that our citizenship is in heaven (3.20), he is emphasizing that the Messiah, who reigns in heaven, and who will one day return from heaven, is the object of our hope and loyalty. There was nothing wrong with being a Roman citizen, just as there is nothing wrong with being a British or even Australian citizen. But when the gospel of Jesus is unveiled it reveals the true empire, the true citizenship, the true lord, and in that light all the pretensions of empire, not least the arrogant and blasphemous claims of the emperor himself, or the propaganda of power-hungry presidents, are exposed as folly. The church’s vocation is not to bless the power, policies, and pantheon of civic leaders, but to measure them by the standard of Christ, to pursue the things that make for peace and justice, and to proclaim that all will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. The church was never meant to be the religious department of any empire, but always to be building for the true kingdom, setting up an embassy for the one true lord, living lives according to his symbols, his teaching, his story, and no other. If that means suffering, that will mean following the pattern of the Messiah, and confidently expecting his rescue and reward. The church’s loyalty cannot be auctioned off to those who promise it political influence; nor can its core convictions be pummelled into submission to fit the reigning zeitgeist. For citizens of heaven, the gospel should be declared, not domesticated. - NT Wright and Mike Bird

Caesar or Jesus

It’s critical to remember that when we talk about the Lordship of Christ, this was not just a theological or “religious” position. In the ancient world, and in many parts of our world still today, religion and politics were deeply interwoven. In general, Rome was pretty religiously tolerant. This was because they saw divine favor as necessary for the continued prosperity and conquest of Rome. As long as a people were willing to sacrifice to the pantheon of Roman gods, especially the cult of the emperor, to maintain social, economic, and military success, they could continue to practice their own religion as well, as long as it was to get those gods “on side” with Rome as well. 

A special compensation was made for the Jews due to the antiquity of their religion, but they were still called to make prayers on behalf of the emperor and state. The Jews were seen as a peculiar minority throughout the empire. Not only did they have regular uprisings and revolts in their homeland, as many Messianic figures would rise up and attempt to lead a revolution, but even the Hellenistic Jews in the Diaspora would still often keep themselves apart and act strangely in the eyes of their Gentile neighbors.

They were still “othered” even when given dispensation, until they became more trouble than they were worth first in 70 AD (Destruction of Jerusalem) and then in 132-136 AD (Bar Kokhba Revolt). That said, even in Philippi, when Paul was preaching, they were taken by the crowd who who were afraid of losing profit and said, “These men, Jews as they are, are causing our city trouble, and they are proclaiming customs that are not for us to accept or to practice, since we are Romans.” (Acts 16:17-18) The anti-semitism was always right below the surface.

As long as Christianity was seen just as a sect of Judaism, it retained some of the special dispensation for the Jews. Many of the Roman authorities would dismiss complaints brought before them as just a matter of Jews disagreeing over “their law” (Acts 18:12-16; 23:26-29; Acts 24:1-22; Acts 26:30-32). However, the proclamation of Jesus was the Messianic King was already setting him in opposition to Caesar. This is made explicit in John 19 :12-15 during the crucifixion: As a result of this, Pilate made efforts to release Him; but the Jews shouted, saying, “If you release this Man, you are not a friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar!” Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement—but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he *said to the Jews, “Look, your King!” So they shouted, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king except Caesar.” Kingship over a region in the empire had to be bestowed by the emperor, the “true” king of kings and lord of lords. The formal charge that Pilate placed upon Jesus was “Jesus, King of the Jews”. The crucifixion was capital punishment, dished out to someone who was “disloyal” to the Roman powers that be.

For the early Christians to claim that Jesus, this crucified criminal, was in fact raised from the dead by God, and was himself King of Kings and Lord of Lords, God Incarnate, the ruler of the whole world, and that Jew and Gentile alike was to find their fullness and wholeness in Him, and that He would return to establish His Kingdom forever and ever,  was a revolutionary, counter-cultural, and politically charged statement. In Philippi, a place where the imperial cult was highly influential and tied to patriotism, when Paul writes, “Jesus is Lord” he also intended “and Caesar is not.” - Cohick

This is important for all Christians everywhere and everywhen. In the second century, Mathetes wrote the following to Diognetus: Christians are not different from the rest of men in nationality, speech, or customs; they do not live in states of their own, nor do they use a special language, nor adopt a peculiar way of life…Whether fortune has given them a home in a Greek or foreign city, they follow local custom in the matter of dress, food, and way of life; yet the character of the culture they reveal is marvellous and, it must be admitted, unusual. They live, each in his native land—but as though they were not really at home there. They share in all duties like citizens and suffer all hardships like strangers. Every foreign land is for them a fatherland and every fatherland a foreign land…They dwell on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the laws that men make, but their lives are better than the laws.

No matter how much we love our country - republic, democracy, empire, or kingdom - we are first citizens of heaven, because our King is in heaven, until the day He returns and all the Kingdoms of this Earth become His (Revelation 11:15).

Fellowship and Joy

For Paul koinonia or fellowship, was a word primarily referring to participating in something rather than sharing something in common with others. So, we participate in the spread of the Gospel (1:5), we participate in the life of Jesus (3:10-14; 4:21, cf. 1 Cor 1.9). Fellowship is a source of joy, an encouragement in the midst of the discouragement of the fallen world. Fellowship is what is at the heart of the Trinity - unity and participation in life and love. That overflowing joy makes itself manifest in the creation. The fallen world is disunited, divided, out of fellowship. Joy makes itself real in the reunification, the unity built on the work of Christ, the call of the Father, and the power of the Spirit. - Fee

Hopeful Outcomes

Participate in the Gospel

Paul’s focus throughout this book is on the Gospel. The Gospel is being preached and proclaimed in word and in deed, and needs to spread to everyone, even those who are imprisoning him. We are to conduct our lives as worthy of the gospel (1:27), and to share in the ministry of the gospel.

Find Joy in Fellowship

Most Christians think of ‘fellowship’ as a Christian version of ‘friendship’, which is a start but doesn’t go nearly far enough. Fellowship is not simply what you do over coffee after church, but what the church does (for instance) with the missionaries it supports, and with the poor in its own community. Churches are called to ‘fellowship in the gospel’ entailing giving to and receiving from gospel-workers, local and overseas, to promote the gospel. The fellowship Paul enjoyed with the Philippians continued even while he was in prison, and that has served as a model of the church’s work ever since.

Even in his imprisonment, Paul is not angry and bitter, rather he is joyful and full of energy because he gets to share in the sufferings of Christ, proclaim the gospel to those around him, and engage in the fellowship of the saints - even with those distant in Philippi. The fellowship of the saints is a cause for joy, even in suffering.

Imitate Christ

The centerpiece of the whole book is the “Christ Hymn” in chapter 2. Here, Paul shares the story of the incarnation, humiliation, and exaltation of Christ and sets it as the model for the life of the Christian.

For Paul, this imitation finds its fullness in the theological principle of the Christian (and the Church) being in Christ. In Philippians alone we see:

• 1:1 — "Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons"

• 1:13 — "so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else" (the cause of is added by the NASB for clarity)

• 1:14 — "and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear"

• 1:26 — "so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again"

• 2:1 — "Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion"

• 2:5 — "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus"

• 2:19 — "But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition"

• 2:24 — "and I trust in the Lord that I myself also will be coming shortly"

• 3:1 — "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you"

• 3:3 — "for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh"

• 3:9 — "and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith"

• 3:14 — "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus"

• 4:1 — "Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved"

• 4:2 — "I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord"

• 4:4 — "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!"

• 4:7 — "And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"

• 4:10 — "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity"

• 4:19 — "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus"

• 4:21 — "Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you"
  

Christ is the model, but also by His Spirit, we are incorporated into His story and made imitators of Him. Thus we imitate Christ, and we also imitate those who are imitating Christ, like Paul, Timothy, and Epaphroditus.

Resources Used

• https://bibleproject.com/guides/book-of-philippians/

• https://bibleproject.com/classroom/rise-of-the-messiah/notebook

• https://certificate.ridley.edu.au/courses/take/knowing-god/lessons/4996894-video-lecture-1b

• Cohick, Lynn H. The Story of God Bible Commentary: Philippians. Edited by McKnight. Scot, Zondervan, 2013.

• Edwards, Mark J., and Thomas C. Oden, editors. Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians. InterVarsity Press, 2005.

• Fee, Gordon D. Philippians. IVP Academic, 1999.

• Freedman, David Noel, et al., editors. The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, Doubleday, 1992.

• Guthrie, George H. Philippians. Zondervan Academic, 2023.

• Motyer, J. A. The Message of Philippians. InterVarsity Press, 1984.

• Wright, Christopher J. H. The Great Story and the Great Commission: Participating in the Biblical Drama of Mission. Edited by H. Daniel Zacharias, Baker Publishing Group, 2024.

• Wright, Nicholas Thomas. Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters : Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. SPCK, 2004.

• Wright, N. T., and Michael F. Bird. The New Testament in Its World: An Introduction to the History, Literature, and Theology of the First Christians. Zondervan, 2019.