An apostle celebrates the joy of life in Christ.
In his letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul focuses on the Christ-centered life, the hallmark of which is joy—a remarkable theme given that he may have been writing while awaiting execution, likely in Rome (Phil. 1:13, 23; 4:22).
The church at Philippi was the first founded on European soil (Acts 16:6–15). This Roman military colony was situated on a major trade route and was home to many wealthy merchants. Paul’s first convert was a businesswoman who sold purple, a dye that was as valuable as gold and was used for tribute and international trade (16:14).
Paul neither condemned the wealthy nor attacked profitable commerce. He instead emphasized the preeminence of Christ. Paul knew what it was like to possess status and power (Phil. 3:4–6), but he had surrendered everything to Christ. He could say that “to me, to live is Christ” (1:21), and that his “chains are in Christ” (1:13). He could “count all things loss” to gain Christ (3:8). The Lord had taken hold of Paul (3:12), and the apostle’s sole passion was to bring Him glory (3:8, 9).
Paul longed for his friends to enjoy this luminous experience of Christ. He prayed that they would abound in Christ’s love (1:9), adopt Christ’s mind (2:5–11), and follow in Christ’s footsteps, entering into His suffering, death, and resurrection (3:10, 11). Paul urged the Philippians to make their relationship with Christ part of daily life by becoming increasingly likeminded with Him (2:5–11). Paul may have quoted an early hymn of the church in this passage—possibly even one of the songs he sang while he and Silas were imprisoned during his first visit to Philippi (Acts 16:25).
Paul most likely wrote this letter around A.D. 60. About ten years earlier, he had helped to start the church at Philippi during his second missionary journey (16:11–40). Both he and the Philippian congregation treasured their relationship (Phil. 1:5; 4:15), and Paul returned to the city during his third missionary journey (Acts 20:1, 6). During Paul’s imprisonment in Rome, the Philippians sent a gift to comfort him (Phil. 4:18). Epaphroditus, the Philippians’ courier, fell ill after delivering the gift, but when he recovered he returned to Philippi bearing this letter (2:25–30).
Key Verses in Philippians
• “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).
• “To me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).
• “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5).
• “What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ” (Phil. 3:7).
• “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14).
• “Let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6, 7).
• “Whatever things are true … noble … just … pure … lovely … of good report … meditate on these things” (Phil. 4:8).
• “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).