Philippians, Chapter 1
© copyright 1997 Darroll Evans, all
rights reserved
Philippians 1:1 Paul and Timotheus, the
servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at
Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
The first thing we notice is the absence of
Paul's title, Apostle.
Apostle (Gr. apostolos-apostoloV) refers to one who is sent.
In the biblical sense, it is one who is sent
to preach the gospel, and to start churches. In today’s context, an apostle is
a missionary.
It is only in Philippians, 1st and
2nd Thessalonians, and Philemon that Paul does not establish his
apostolic authority.
Paul’s authority as an apostle and the gospel
of grace were not universally accepted during his lifetime.
Paul was called and separated to the service
of Christ from his birth!
Gal
1:15 But when it pleased God, who
separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,
However, Paul was separated for the task of
preaching the gospel of grace to all men and the Gentiles in particular!
None of the other Apostles had received the
mystery of the gospel of grace!
Indeed, grace was a mystery to all but Paul!
Acts
21:20 And when they heard it, they
glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands
of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:
The Jews of his day and ours were and are
zealous for the law, but not zealous for grace!
2 Pet
3:16 As also in all his epistles,
speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be
understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also
the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
Even Peter, a spokesman for the original Apostles
considered some of Paul’s teaching to be “hard to be understood.”
No wonder that many Roman Catholics cannot
understand grace their “supposed founder” Peter could not understand grace!
Today far too many Churches teach a deadly
mixture of works and grace.
Personally, I do not know of a single
denomination in the world that relies exclusively of grace for salvation!
And yet, the Bible is explicit!
Eph
2:8-9
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is
the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
The message of grace is still not understood,
nor is it universally accepted.
Philippians is a "thank you" note
to friends and there is not need to establish authority.
When Abram began to be used by God his name
was changed to Abraham.
Jacob was changed to
Saul of Tarsus was changed to Paul.
The name Paul first appears in the New
Testament in Acts 13:9.
What does Paul mean?
According to many, Paul means small or
little.
Paul referred to himself as being the least
of the Apostles (1 Corinthians 15:9).
But, according to A. E. Knoch, "The
Address on the letter" (Concordant Publishing), Paul’s name may have
come from the Greek pauoo-pauw meaning to cease, halt,
or pause.
Paul’s ministry marks a pause in God's major
focus on the Jews.
Through Paul, the gospel of grace was opened
to the nations, the Gentiles.
That "opening" is underscored by
Paul’s name change.
Timothy is first mentioned in Acts 16:1---“Then came he to Derbe and Lystra:
and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a
certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a
Greek.”
Lystra is ancient Lycaonia (modern
Philippians begins with "Paul and
Timothy."
It is my opinion that Paul included Timothy
in the greeting to build up His protégé in the eyes of other Christians.
In verse 1, when Paul says that he and
Timothy are "servants of Jesus Christ", he was not being
poetic.
The Greek word translated
"servants" (Gr. douloi-douloi) indicates
bondservants or slaves.
Question: who is responsible for a slave’s well being?
Answer: the slave’s master.
If you are a slave to Christ Jesus, He is
responsible for your well being.
Satan’s slaves are just slaves. Christ’s
slaves are Kings and Priests.
Jesus came, and gave His life so that we may
have life and have that life more abundantly (John 10:10).
The abundant life results in raising us up.
It does not seek to lower others.
Christianity does not operate on the lowest
common denominator philosophy.
Jesus Christ willingly gave up His riches to
lift you up from your poverty.
2 Corinthians 8:9---For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you
through His poverty might become rich (NKJV).
The Greek word translated "poor"
(Gr. eptoocheuse-eptwceuse) in 2 Corinthians 8:9 speaks of becoming indigent.
Do you think of Christ as being
indigent?
In 2 Corinthians 8:9, the Greek word
translated "might become rich" (Gr. plouteeseete-plouthshte) is used as a metaphor meaning that Christ Jesus
supplied all the resources necessary to bring salvation to all.
This letter is addressed "to all the
saints in Christ Jesus, which are at
All followers of Christ are saints!
God alone appoints them.
All saints are in Christ, but what does that
mean?
It means that we are "in the presence
of" Christ.
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which
are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Because we are "in" Christ, there
is no condemning charge that may be brought against us.
Because we are "in" Christ, God’s
Holy Spirit leads us.
Because we are "in" Christ, our
lives are hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).
I offer this thought for your meditations.
The first three words of the English Bible
are "In the beginning."
The Hebrew may also be translated "In
the Firstfruits." What does that mean? Who or what is the Firstfruits?
In 1 Corinthians 15:23, Christ is identified
as the Firstfruits.
In John 1:3, 10, Christ is identified as the
agent of creation.
Add to that Romans 11:36---For of him,
and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
Christ is not only the Author and Finisher of
"our" faith (Hebrews 12:2), but He is also the Author and Finisher of
creation.
We understand what it means to be the Author,
but what does it mean to be the Finisher?
The Finisher is The Perfector.
Christ is the only One who can perfect our
faith.
He perfects our faith by taking our sins and
showing us the reality of resurrection to life.
How can he be the Perfector of creation?
1
Corinthians 15:28---“And when all
things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject
unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.”
The letter is also addressed to "bishops
and deacons."
The order in of the greeting in Philippians
1:1 may seem odd, because we assume that Bishops/Pastors, Deacons, etc. are the
headmen.
Protocol dictates that the most important
person in a group is to be addressed first. "Saint" is as high as it
gets.
Bishops and deacons are servants to the
saints.
Although the modern Church has reversed the
importance, saints were not originally meant to be servants to pastors.
Some pastors now use Church members as their
personal slaves.
Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and
Teachers are servants to the Church, working to strengthen the members.
Ephesians 4:11-12
11 And he gave some, apostles;
and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ.
The Greek word translated "Deacons" speaks of a domestic servant or
minister.
Although the title "Deacon" is not
used in Acts 6, the work is.
The original Deacons were elected to serve
the tables, distribute food and see to the necessities of Church members (Acts
6:1-6).
Matthew used the same Greek base root word to
quote Jesus.
"But, he that is greatest among you
shall be your servant" (Matthew 23:11).
Paul used the same Greek root word to
describe the Deaconess, Phebe.
"I commend unto you Phebe our sister,
which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea" (Romans
16:1).
Paul also described himself by using that
same Greek root word.
"Whereof I was made a minister,
according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual
working of his power" (Ephesians 3:7).
Philippians 1:2 Grace be unto you, and
peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace is not from Paul. It is "from God
our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ."
The traditional definition of grace is
"God’s unmerited favor."
That definition is weak, and because our
traditional definition is weak our concept of grace is weak.
Grace is God’s power at work in our lives.
It is not God’s license to sin.
Nor, does it condone sin.
God’s grace gives us the power to live
righteously.
Grace is getting something you don’t
deserve.
Ephesians 2:8---“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not
of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”
The English word "grace" appears
only 4 times in the gospels.
In the four Gospels it is never used in a sentence
spoken by Jesus Himself.
The English word "Grace" is found
once in Luke (KJV) and 3 times in John.
In each it is used to describe Jesus.
The Greek word that is often translated
"grace" (Gr. charis-cariV) is used 8
times in Luke and 4 times is the Gospel of John. Grace (English or Greek) is
not found in Matthew or Mark.
By contrast, Paul used "grace"
approximately 100 times.
The only time the KJV translators use the
English word "grace," as spoken by Jesus, is in 2 Corinthians 12:9.
Speaking to Paul, Christ said, "My
'grace' is sufficient for thee."
Next in Paul's opening, we come to peace.
God's peace is not just an absence of open
conflict.
God's peace is true serenity.
God's peace is calm in the midst of conflict,
and calm in the eye of the life's hurricanes.
Grace and Peace appear in tandem throughout
Paul's writings.
Without God's grace, true peace is
impossible.
True peace is available only through the Lord
Jesus Christ.
In verse 2, Paul refers to Jesus as "the
Lord" (Gr. Kuriou-Kuriou), indicating Jesus’
proprietorship of mankind.
Christ Jesus paid the full and complete price
for our sins.
I John 2:2---“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for
ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
Christ redeemed us!
Galatians 3:13a--- “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law,
being made a curse for us.”
The redemption price was His life!
1 Timothy 2:6a---“[Christ Jesus] Who gave himself a ransom for all.”
We are Christ's "purchased possession."
Ephesians 1:13-14
13 [Christ Jesus]In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of
truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye
were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his
glory.
We have also become Jesus' spiritual
siblings.
Hebrews 2:10---“For it became him, for whom are all things, and by
whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of
their salvation perfect through sufferings.”
Most Churches started by Paul were the result
of Sabbath meetings with local Jews.
The
You will find the story in Acts 16.
If the Philippian Jews met in Synagogue there was a Minyan.
If there was no Synagogue, there was probably
no Minyan.
What is a Minyan?
It is a group of 10 adult male Jews.
That group is a necessity for the
establishment of a Synagogue.
Evidently a Minyan did not exist in
The first member of the
The next member that we know about was the
jailer.
He was probably a Gentile (16:25-34).
That reflects God's established order.
Romans 1:16---“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it
is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew
first, and also to the Greek.”
Philippians 1:3 I thank my God upon every
remembrance of you,
"I thank" indicates gratitude.
Paul was thankful---to God---for the
friendship and fellowship of the Philippians.
“Remembrance” speaks of Paul’s mentioning,
which came in the form of prayer to God for their well being.
Jesus is, at this very moment, interceding
for you (Romans 8:34).
Are you interceding for you family and
friends?
When Paul considered what the Philippians had
done for him in the work of spreading the gospel, he gave thanks.
Philippians 1:4 Always in every prayer of
mine for you all making request with joy,
“Always” speaks of Paul’s attitude of
intercessory prayer.
Instead of saying that you have so much to do
that you cannot take time to pray.
The truth is that we have so much to do each
day that we cannot get it all done without prayer.
Christians are sustained through daily
prayer.
Paul’s prayers were made with joy (Gr.
charas-caraV), or calm delight.
Does that mean Paul was weak or unemotional
in His prayers?
Absolutely not!
The person who is not moved by the fact that
(in prayer) he/she is speaking with the Creator of the universe is devoid of
all true knowledge and understanding.
How do you pray?
Do you plead for this and that?
Most people do.
Or, do you thank God for what He has given
you?
I know that the Bible admonishes us that we
have not because we ask not (James 4:2).
But, if we spend all our time begging for
things, we miss the opportunity to thank God for what He has given.
There must be a balance.
Philippians 1:5 For your fellowship in the
gospel from the first day until now;
The fellowship between Paul and the
Philippians was based on the gospel.
Christ took your sins and nailed them to the
cross! In His resurrection, Christ defeated our archenemy, death.
The gospel or good news is that we who
acknowledge Christ have been born again, remade, renewed in Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:17---“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
There is great debate today concerning
evangelism of the gospel.
How can the heathen of this age understand
evangelism when most Christians do not understand it?
Let me use the Jewish community as an
example.
That once great evangelistic community is now
devoid of evangelism, because they do not understand it.
Evangelism is not salesmanship!
Christian evangelism is simply telling what
God did for us personally and
inviting others to Trust God and believe in the Savior, Christ Jesus.
Personal experience with Christ Jesus is the
heart of evangelism.
The man born blind (John 9) and the demoniac
(Mark 5) are examples of true evangelism.
Philippians 1:6 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:
"Being confident" expresses the
idea of full trust and belief, coupled with obedience.
Paul's confidence was not in his abilities,
or background.
His confidence was in the work of God through
Christ Jesus.
We often hear of earthquakes.
Buildings shake and fall!
No matter how hard the shaking is, the work
of God through Christ Jesus shall stand firm!
The Holy Spirit is our guarantee that all
righteousness shall be performed in us until the day when Christ comes to claim
his own (Ephesians 1:13-14).
Philippians 1:7 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.
"Meet" (Gr. dikaoin-dikaoin) is not meat!
Meet indicates that is was
"correct" for Paul to think the way he did.
Paul reminded the Philippians that they were
"partakers" of his grace.
Or, did he?
Partakers (Gr. sungkoinoonois-sungkoinwnoiV) would have been better rendered "sharers."
They were literally "fellowshipping
with", or "sharers with" Paul in the grace of God.
The prefix attached to the Greek word comes
from sun-sun.
It indicates something that is so close to
the original that there is no discernible difference.
Later, we will discuss Paul’s bonds.
Philippians 1:8 For God is my record, how
greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
Paul called upon God Himself to be a “record,” or witness to his love for the
He said, "I long after you all in the
bowels of Jesus Christ."
It means that Paul cherished the Philippians
with the heart/love of Christ.
Verses 9 through 11 constitute a very
beautiful prayer.
Abound (Gr. perisseuee-perisseuh) is much more than just abound.
The Greek text asks God to cause our love to super-abound in divine knowledge and
moral perception.
Satan is the great deceiver.
It is essential that Christians be able to
know what is going on around them.
Every day we walk among the deceivers and the
deceived.
We need the ability to properly discern
spiritual things so that we may approve things that are excellent in God’s
sight.
Approve indicates a testing.
God is not afraid of our tests, and we should
not fear His tests.
Teachers give tests to assess the student’s
progress.
We need to give our approval to things that
stand up under great testing.
1Thessalonians 5:21---Test all things; hold fast what is good. (NKJV)
We do that so that we "may be sincere
and without offence till the day of Christ."
What does it mean to be sincere?
The term originated in ancient days.
When buying pottery, the buyer would take the
pottery out into bright sunlight.
If the buyer could find no flaws in the
pottery it was said to be sincere.
When submitted to Son-Light, Saints shall be
judged to be sincere before God.
“Offence” speaks of blame.
As Christians, we are without blame.
When we acknowledge Christ Jesus as Lord we become
blameless before God.
Saints are also to be "filled with the
fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise
of God."
The Greek text says that we have been crammed
full of the fruit (singular) of righteousness.
We have heard of the fruit of the Spirit.
But what is the fruit of righteousness?
The Holy Spirit produces this fruit in our
lives.
That fruit consists of those things that are
produced within us that bring glory to God.
Here is how we may use Paul’s prayer:
I pray, that your [name of loved one] love
may super-abound in knowledge and in all judgment; That [name of loved one] may
approve things that are excellent; that he/she may be sincere and without
offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness,
which are by [through] Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
Philippians 1:12 But I would ye should
understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out
rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;
“Furtherance” implies advancement.
Does your life bring about the advancement of
the gospel?
This section deals with Paul's imprisonment.
It is perhaps the least understood part of
biblical history.
The first thing we need to understand is that
our modern view and Paul's view are not in sync.
Most preach mythology and ignore the
Scripture.
Paul saw the seemingly adverse circumstances
as the things that happened to him for the "furtherance of the
gospel."
I will explain that.
Due to false accusations, a small army
guarded Paul for His safety.
Acts 23:23---And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make
ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten,
and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night.
Since it was illegal to bind a Roman citizen,
it is highly unlikely that he was taken to
The Captain of the Roman Guard that saved
Paul's life in
Acts 22:29---“Then straightway they departed from him which should
have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he
was a Roman, and because he had bound him.”
Such indiscretions were not taken lightly!
In
However, during that time he could talk to
whomever he wanted whenever he wanted.
Think about it, a prisoner living in a palace,
with a personal bodyguard.
Paul qualifies the next verse.
He says that his bonds are "in
Christ," and that is evident to all in the palace.
Philippians 1:13 So that my bonds in
Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;
Most commentaries tell about Paul's imaginary
physical bonds when it is apparent to anyone that speaks and reads English that
Paul is writing about his bonds were in Christ.
“Manifest” means that Paul’s attachment to Christ
was apparent, and clearly understood by all.
Philippians 1:14 And many of the brethren
in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word
without fear.
Because of Paul’s bonds in Christ many other
Christians became bold in their testimony.
Because of Paul, they spoke without fear.
Philippians 1:15-17
15 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.
Those that preached in Paul’s day may be
placed into two groups. Some preached due to envy, and some due to good will.
Paul was not universally accepted as an Apostle.
The message of grace is not universally
accepted today.
Many claim to teach and to preach grace, but
few are willing to go where grace leads!
Recently, one Pastor was disenfranchised from
those he respected because he finally understood the power of grace and taught
it.
A friend of mine was disenfranchised from his
Church, because he believed too much in the power of God in Christ.
There are many that profess the
"full" gospel, but few actually are!
Philippians 1:18 What then?
notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is
preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.
Paul's attitude was that regardless of the
speaker’s motives, he rejoiced when Christ was preached.
Paul was a rare fellow. He would not have fit
in today!
“I therein do
rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.”
Literal: “In this
rejoice, and I also will rejoice.”
(Gr. en toutoo
chairoo alla kai chareesomai-en toutw alla kai carhsomai)
Rejoicing is being
filled with joy.
We should be filled
with joy that Christ paid the full and complete price to redeem us from sin.
Philippians 1:19-26
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.
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22 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.
This section deals with the expectancy of
salvation.
Paul begins this section by proclaiming,
"I know that this shall turn to my salvation/legal deliverance through
your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ."
Paul knew that all would turn out as God had
planned.
That is a truth few accept.
That being true, there was no way that he
would not benefit from his experiences.
Assurance is a wonderful word.
It is an even more wonderful Christian
concept!
Do you live in assurance?
John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and
him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
Hebrews 13:5b for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor
forsake thee.
I John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the
name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye
may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Paul had God’s assurance, and that is
sufficient for meeting any need.
How many of us live with daily assurance?
Philippians 1:20 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.
Why was Paul so concerned about being ashamed?
The Greek word translated "ashamed"
carries with it the concept of disfigurement.
Rejection of Christ brings on spiritual
disfigurement.
Paul’s greatest desire was to serve Christ
Jesus, and it did not matter whether that service was in this life or the next.
Verse 21 is the greatest single proclamation
in Philippians. "For to me to live
is Christ, and to die is gain."
Paul was making a choice. Would he stay, or go to the next level?
22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the
fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
According to the KJV, Paul wrote, "I wot
not," that means "I don't know."
Paul was leaving his future in God’s hands.
I believe that Christ gave him a choice.
He could leave or stay.
For our benefit and that of the Philippians,
he chose to stay.
Again, the joy is calm delight.
Do you understand that we may have faith
without having the joy of faith?
Gloom and doom Christians have lost the joy
of their salvation, but that can happen to any of us.
David wrote, “Restore unto me the joy of thy
salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” (Ps 51:12)
Philippians
1:26 That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming
to you again.
“Rejoicing,” in this use speaks of boasting
of what Christ has done for us.
Paul made his decision so that the
Philippians' rejoicing may super-abound.
Philippians 1:27 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;
Verse 27 seems to be one of those rare
stand-alone verses.
“Conversation” indicates the social conduct
of our lives.
Our social conduct should be worthy of the
Gospel of Christ.
Paul counseled the Philippians to "stand
fast," or persevere in spiritual unity.
Philippians 1:28 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.
Worry and fear are not Christian virtues!
We are not to be terrified, or scared by what
we experience.
Paul wrote to Timothy, saying that God has
not given us a spirit of fear [timidity], but of power, and love, and a sound
mind [self-control] (2 Timothy 1:7).
Fear grips many that attend church.
That is not the way of Christ.
Christ Jesus offers us spiritual safety.
However, that safety does not give us
immunity from suffering.
Philippians 1:29 For unto you it is given
in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his
sake
“Suffering” is not a popular Christian
doctrine.
We are children of the promise, "I will
never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5).
The literal translation is, "I will never-never,
leave you—never-never forsake you."
When you suffer for Christ, remember the
words "fear not" appear in the KJV over sixty times. Perhaps God is
trying to tell us something!
Philippians 1:30 Having the same conflict
which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
“Conflict” indicates a battle.
If you are in Christ, you will experience a
life-long conflict with the forces of Satan and human nature.