CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The Letter to the Philippians

Orientation

If Galatians is Paul’s angry letter, Philippians is his letter of pure joy. It is full of sweet affection, genuine appreciation, and heartfelt love. Paul holds the Philippians close to his heart, as they have proved themselves to be his genuine partners in the gospel, showing their concern for him in various ways. And though Paul is in chains as he writes, possibly close to death, he is still able to say, “Rejoice in the Lord always!”

The Historical Origins of Philippians

This letter is famous for its hymn concerning Christ’s humility and exaltation: Jesus demonstrated true humility by lowering himself for the sake of others, then God lifted him above all others. It is also known for Paul’s critique of “confidence in the flesh,” in which he lists his own credentials as a faithful Jew but then dismisses them as rubbish compared to knowing Christ. The righteousness that comes from God is based on faith in Christ, not on human credentials and qualifications.

Philippi

Figure 17.1. Location of Philippi [© Baker Publishing Group]

Exploration—Reading Philippians

Partnership in the Gospel

READ PHILIPPIANS 1:1–11

The greeting of this letter focuses on servanthood, as Paul and Timothy are described as “servants of Christ Jesus,” and among their readers in Philippi the overseers and deacons are singled out for special mention (1:1). This focus continues into the thanksgiving (1:3–11) as Paul emphasizes the theme of partnership. Paul gives thanks for all the Philippians because of their partnership in the gospel (1:3–5). They are in Paul’s heart as his partners in grace, “both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel” (1:7). He misses them deeply (1:8), and he prays that the Philippians will continue to grow in love, knowledge, and discernment, in order to be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, filled with righteousness through Christ to the praise and glory of God (1:9–11).

The Structure of Philippians

This joyous letter has its tone set with Paul’s effusive thanksgiving for the Philippians (1:1–11). He then addresses the priority of the gospel for Paul (1:12–26) and the importance of the Philippians conducting themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel (1:27–2:18). In Timothy and Epaphroditus, Paul commends two stellar servants of the gospel (2:19–30), while urging that false teachers must be resisted and opposed (3:1–21). The letter concludes with final exhortations, thanksgiving, and greetings (4:1–23).

To Live Is Christ, to Die Is Gain

READ PHILIPPIANS 1:12–30

Paul is imprisoned because of Christ, and he regards this as good for the gospel, since everyone (including the whole imperial guard) knows why he is in chains (1:12–13). This has given confidence to others in their preaching, though not all preach with pure motives (1:14–17). But Paul’s only concern is that Christ is preached, whatever the motivation (1:18).

As for Paul himself, he hopes that Christ will be honored in his body, whether by going on living or by his death (1:20). If he goes on living, it is for Christ; if he dies, it is his personal gain (1:21). He would prefer to die and be with Christ, but he thinks he will continue living for now for the sake of others (1:22–26).

A Picture of Paul’s Life

Throughout the history of the church some parts of the Bible have had a more widespread impact than others. The Sermon on the Mount or Romans, for example, is easier to find in the history of interpretation than Amos or Jude. Despite its theological riches, one is hard-pressed to find a lot of commentaries or sermon series on Philippians. There are parts of Philippians that are obviously very important, especially the Christ hymn in 2:5–11, but in general, much of Philippians was overlooked as a candidate for commentary.

As for the Philippians, as citizens of heaven, they are to live in a way that is worthy of the gospel of Christ (1:27). This means being united in one spirit, wrestling together for the faith, and not giving in to fear (1:27–28). Sharing with Paul in the same struggles, it has been granted to the Philippians to suffer for Christ as well as to believe in him (1:29–30).

Show Humility, Like Christ

READ PHILIPPIANS 2:1–11

If the Philippians experience encouragement, consolation, fellowship, affection, and mercy because of being in Christ, Paul wants them to be united in spirit and purpose (2:1–2). For this to work, believers must not act out of selfish ambition, but in humility they are to look to the interests of others (2:3–4).

He Emptied Himself

That Jesus “emptied himself” (2:7) when he became a man has caused much debate over the centuries. Some have understood this self-emptying, or kenosis (from a Greek word translated as “emptied”), to mean that Jesus gave up his divinity when he became human; that is, he stopped being God in order to be man. But the early church rejected this understanding, asserting that Jesus gave up his divine privileges in order to become human but never stopped being fully God. Instead of enjoying his position of “equality with God” (2:6), Jesus humbled himself to become a man, a servant, and to die (2:7–8).

Unlike false modesty, genuine humility involves lowering oneself in order to lift up others, as Christ demonstrated in his own life. He gave up the privileges of equality with God in order to become a man, in order to serve humanity by his death on a cross (2:5–8). But as Jesus himself taught, those who lower themselves will be exalted, and so God highly exalted Jesus, giving him the name above every name (2:9). Every knee will bow at his name, and every tongue will confess that Christ is Lord (2:10–11). This is a picture of the day on which the glory of Jesus is finally revealed to all, and all beings in heaven and earth will bow their knees in response to his majesty.

Isaiah’s Servant of the Lord

The Christ hymn in 2:5–11 contains several overtones of Isaiah’s servant of the Lord, who “poured out his life unto death” (Isa. 53:12 NIV). This person is highly exalted (Isa. 52:13; Phil. 2:9), takes the form of the servant (Isa. 52:14; Phil. 2:7), and is exalted by God (Isa. 53:12; Phil. 2:9). Isaiah even includes the phrase “every knee will bow, every tongue will swear” (Isa. 45:23; Phil. 2:10–11). Clearly, the hymn regards Jesus as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy of this servant of the Lord.

Shining Like Stars in the World

READ PHILIPPIANS 2:12–30

Paul encourages the Philippians that God is working out his will and purpose in their lives, and so they ought to live accordingly (2:12–14). In so doing, as the children of God they will shine like stars in a crooked and perverted world (2:15), holding on to the word of life (2:16).

Stellar examples of believers who shine like stars in the world include Timothy and Epaphroditus, both of whom demonstrate Christlike humility in their concern for others (2:19–30). Timothy genuinely cares for the Philippians’ interests, while Epaphroditus nearly died from his illness but was more concerned that the Philippians were worrying about him.

Knowing Christ

READ PHILIPPIANS 3:1–21

Paul warns against those who insist that gentile believers must be circumcised (3:2). Rather than putting confidence in the flesh (as with circumcision), believers worship by the Spirit (3:3). In comparison to these false teachers, Paul has more reasons for confidence in the flesh than anyone, since he is “a Hebrew born of Hebrews,” a Pharisee, formerly a zealous persecutor of the church, and blameless in law keeping (3:4–6). But all of this is nothing compared to knowing Christ (3:7–8).

Confidence in the Flesh

Paul opposes “the dogs,” “the evil workers,” “those who mutilate the flesh” (3:2). These unflattering terms refer to people who insist that gentile believers should be circumcised and put under the law of Moses. In other words, they think that gentiles need to become Jews in order to follow Christ. He calls this idea “confidence in the flesh,” since it relies on physical, outward practices to be right with God. Paul opposes this view in several of his letters, but here he gives it special treatment by drawing attention to his own credentials in Judaism. Although highly qualified in Judaism, he regards these things as meaningless, and in fact as a loss, in comparison to knowing Christ (3:7–8).

Instead of relying on the flesh, such as human achievements or Jewish identity, Paul has lost all things but is found in Christ (3:8–9). And in Christ, he has a righteousness that comes from God, not from outward, fleshly practices (3:9). Instead of pursuing further religious qualifications, Paul simply desires to know Christ more deeply, being shaped by his resurrection, sufferings, and death (3:10).

Being Found in Christ

Paul lost all things so that he may gain Christ and be “found in him” (3:9). The qualifications in Judaism that once defined him are no more, and Paul is now defined by Christ. His life and identity are found in Christ. He will therefore share in the sufferings of Christ and become conformed to his death (3:10). These ideas indicate Paul’s theology of participation with Christ: he has been connected to Christ through faith, and he shares not only in Christ’s righteousness and resurrection but also in his sufferings and death. Just as Christ himself became humble to the point of death and then was exalted (2:5–11), so Paul regards his own life taking the same cruciform shape—the way of humiliation, suffering, and death must precede resurrection and exaltation (3:10–11).

Paul has not yet fulfilled his goal, but he continues to push toward “the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus” (3:12–14). The Christian life is one of constantly moving forward toward this goal, and all mature believers should think in this way (3:15). They should live like Paul, not like the enemies of the cross, who are focused on earthly things and will one day be destroyed (3:17–19).

Paul, Augustine, and Conversion Narratives

One of the most famous and influential books in Western civilization is Augustine’s Confessions. If you haven’t yet read it, you should. The Confessions describes in a very personal and powerful way Augustine’s conversion from various philosophies and immoralities to Christianity. Augustine was not the first (or the last) to write such a conversion narrative—an autobiographical story of how someone came to see the world differently—but because of his great influence on subsequent history and theology, Augustine’s skillful and engaging version had a big impact.

Philippians 3:4–14 contains a microversion of Paul’s conversion story (see also Acts 9:1–18; 22:6–16; 26:12–20). In language that could not be more stark or shocking, Paul describes his former life within Judaism (in which he was something of a rock star) as dung and garbage compared to his personal relationship with (knowledge of) Jesus Christ. This vision of radical conversion and commitment to Christ has influenced millions of Christians ever since, providing language to frame the experience of coming to know and follow the risen Christ.

Instead of being focused on earthly things, believers are citizens of heaven (cf. 1:27) and so “eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (3:20). With loyalty to heaven rather than earth, believers have their eyes fixed there in anticipation of Christ, who will transform their bodies to be like his when he returns (3:21).

Rejoice in the Lord!

READ PHILIPPIANS 4:1–9

Paul longs for his readers to stand firm in the Lord, remembering the things he has just talked about (4:1). This will have some implications for everyday life, such as reconciling differences, as Paul wants the two women Euodia and Syntyche to do (4:2–3). Whatever circumstances we might face (and remember that Paul is in prison as he writes), there is reason to “rejoice in the Lord always” (4:4). Believers have no reason for worry, and they ought to entrust their concerns to God in prayer (4:6), who will give peace to our troubled hearts (4:7).

Standing firm in the Lord also means focusing on things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy—following Paul’s example (4:8–9).

Figure 17.2. Theater at Philippi [Shutterstock / Georgios Tsichlis]

Real Partnership

READ PHILIPPIANS 4:10–20

Paul does not hesitate to make his love and appreciation known to the Philippians. They have shown genuine concern for him (4:10) and provided for his needs (4:15–18). While appreciating the Philippians’ generosity toward him, he knows how to make do with whatever he has, having learned “the secret of being content” (4:11–12). God supplies Paul’s needs (4:13) and will look after the Philippians too (4:19).

A Fragrant Offering

Paul’s description of the Philippians’ gift as a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God (4:18) connects to Old Testament ceremonial texts such as Exodus 29:18, in which a sacrificial animal presented to the Lord as a burnt offering is pleasing to him. But here Paul uses such language for a monetary gift, not an animal sacrifice. It seems that, for Paul, Israel’s sacrificial system has been transformed and applied to the Christian church so that believers are able to make offerings pleasing to the Lord in more general ways. These are not offered for cleansing from sin (like burnt sacrifices in the Old Testament), but nevertheless are given out of a desire to please the Lord.

Final Greetings

READ PHILIPPIANS 4:21–23

The letter concludes with greetings from those with Paul, including “those who belong to Caesar’s household,” which seems to refer to believers who work for Caesar managing his vast estates (4:22).

Implementation—Reading Philippians as Christian Scripture Today

The letter to the Philippians gives us insight into Paul’s heart for people and into what it means to share in partnership in the gospel. Paul does not draw on the Philippians’ resources as a disinterested fundraiser, but considers their sharing with him as an expression of love—love for Paul and love for Christ. It encourages us today to consider financial and prayer support for missionaries and other Christian workers as a genuine expression of partnership in their ministry.

Philippians also points to the surpassing glory of the exalted Christ, who humbled himself, suffered, and was lifted up. Believers will share in that same pattern of suffering before glory, and that gives us reason to rejoice in all situations. Though we may suffer, as Paul was indeed suffering when he wrote the letter, we know that suffering is followed by glory.

Moreover, it is through faith in the exalted Christ that we receive righteousness from God. It is not gained through Jewish identity, or any other qualifications or human achievements, but only in Christ. Being found in Christ is the ultimate key to our sense of identity, which can no longer be found in external factors or human status.

For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 1:21
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. 2:3
I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith. 3:8–9
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 4:4

Christian Reading Questions

Put into your own words what Paul means when he says “to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). What might this look like in your own life?
Read Philippians 2:1–11, 19–30; 4:10–19 and reflect on what it means to demonstrate true humility in our relationships with others.
What might be modern equivalents of Paul’s “reasons for confidence in the flesh” (Phil. 3:4–6)?
Trace the theme of partnership throughout Philippians. What exactly is partnership, according to Paul, and what does it involve?

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN The Letter to the Philippians

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The Letter to the Philippians