Commentary on Philippians (Commentary on the New Testament Book #11)

Robert H. Gundry

• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN: 9781441237682
• eBook ISBN: 9781441237682
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

Delve Deeper into God's Word

In this verse-by-verse commentary, Robert Gundry offers a fresh, literal translation and a reliable exposition of Scripture for today's readers.

In this letter Paul explains his circumstances, thanks Christians living in Philippi for a recent financial gift, exhorts them to practice Christian virtues, and warns against heretics.

Pastors, Sunday school teachers, small group leaders, and laypeople will welcome Gundry's nontechnical explanations and clarifications. And Bible students at all levels will appreciate his sparkling interpretations.

This selection is from Gundry's Commentary on the New Testament.

Philippians

This letter, written while Paul was in prison, explains his circumstances, thanks Christians living in Philippi, Macedonia, for a recent financial gift, exhorts them to practice Christian virtues, and warns against heretics.

GREETINGS
Philippians 1:1–2

1:1–2: Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, along with [= including] the supervisors and assistants: 2Grace and peace to you from God, our Father, and the Lord, Jesus Christ. Though Paul’s subsequent use of “I,” “my/mine,” and “me” shows him to be the author of this letter, the inclusion of Timothy alongside him adds weight to it in that what Paul says, Timothy says too. (On Timothy, see especially Acts 16:1–3; 2 Timothy 1:3–8.) “Slaves of Christ Jesus” implies that the writing and sending of this letter carries out a work-order of Christ Jesus, so that the Philippians should pay heed to the letter’s contents. The placement of “Christ,” a title equivalent to the Hebrew “Messiah,” before “Jesus” suits the authority of Jesus in having Paul and Timothy as slaves and giving them this work to do for him. “The saints” describes the addressees as consecrated by God to himself and therefore as unlike non-Christians in this respect. “In Christ Jesus” describes the saints’ Spiritual location. That is to say, God looks on them as being in Christ Jesus, and therefore consecrated to God, because they have within them the Spirit who himself indwells Christ, so that they too indwell him (Romans 8:1–11). The second placement of “Christ” before “Jesus” suits again Jesus’ messianic authority, but this time over the saints, who are in him. “To all the saints” prepares for an upcoming, expansive compliment. “Who are in Philippi” indicates their geographical location, which is noticeably secondary to their Spiritual location in Christ Jesus (see the comments on Acts 16:11–40 for Paul and company’s evangelization of this Macedonian city). Among all the saints in Philippi Paul makes special mention of “the supervisors [of the saints] and the assistants [of the supervisors, that is, those who help them in supervision].” (The traditional translation “bishops and deacons” doesn’t adequately identify the activities of these people.) For the rest of the greeting, see the comments on Romans 1:7; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 John 3.

PAUL’S THANKSGIVING AND PRAYER FOR THE PHILIPPIANS
Philippians 1:3–11

1:3–6: I thank my God on the occasion of every remembrance of you, 4always in every supplication of mine for all you 5making the request with joy because of your sharing for the gospel from the first day until now, 6[I] being persuaded of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you [compare Galatians 3:3] will be completing [it] until the Day of Christ Jesus . . . . “Remembrance of you” refers to Paul’s remembering the Philippians, not to their remembering him. Thanking God for them when remembering them pays them a compliment, which is designed to make them receptive of what Paul will say throughout this letter. At the same time, though, God gets the credit for what it is about them that prompts Paul’s thanksgiving. To his thanksgiving Paul adds supplications—that is, prayer-requests—in behalf of the Philippians. (For what he requests, see 1:9–11.) These supplications show concern for them, but “with joy” tempers the concern with an optimism borne of their “sharing for the gospel,” which refers to their monetary contributions in support of his evangelistic work (see 4:14–15; Romans 12:13; 15:26; 2 Corinthians 8:4; 9:13; Galatians 6:6 for sharing in a monetary sense). “From the first day until now” means that the Philippians started this sharing right after their conversion and have continued it right up to the present (see also 4:14–18). Hence, the making of supplications in their behalf compensates them for this sharing. Enhancing Paul’s compliment and concern is the emphasis to be seen in the following buildup: “on the occasion of every remembrance of you, always in every supplication of mine for all you.” (The italicized words rest on forms of a single, repeated word in Paul’s Greek.) And “my God” indicates that even in Paul’s most intimate moments with God, thanksgiving and concern for the Philippians always play a part.

Paul’s persuasion rests on their sharing as evidence that God has begun a good work in them and will continue to do so until it’s complete at “the Day of Christ Jesus,” which is the day of his return, when salvation is finalized. Ordinarily “a good work” means a good deed done by a human being. Why then does Paul use the expression here for what God is doing? Answer: Because the sharing of financial resources for evangelism is a good deed that not only gives evidence of salvation but that also, like salvation itself, is engendered by God (compare Ephesians 2:10; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Genesis 1:31–2:3). Just as in Paul’s thanking God, then, God gets the credit for the good work, the good deed. “Will be completing [it] until the Day of Christ Jesus” suggests that God will continue his good work of inducing the Philippians to support evangelism financially till the second coming, when evangelism will cease, and that God will do so to generate further evidence of their salvation, which will then reach completion (compare the use of “complete” in connection with financial sharing in Romans 15:28; 2 Corinthians 8:6, 11). “This very thing” underlines the completion, of which Paul is persuaded.

1:7–8: just as it’s right for me to have this attitude about all you, because I have you in my heart, all you being sharers together with me of grace both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8For God [is] my witness, how I’m longing for all you in the vitals of Christ Jesus. “Just as it’s right for me to have this attitude about you” harks back to Paul’s persuasion that God will be completing in the Philippians the good work he has begun in them (1:6). “Because I have you in my heart” adds affection to thought and makes the affection a trigger of the thought. “Grace” means “favor.” The grace of salvation is ill-deserved favor. But “in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel” alludes to the Philippians’ “sharing [their financial resources] for the gospel from the first day [when Paul was still free to defend and confirm the gospel] till now [while he’s bound in prison]” (1:5). Moreover, Paul uses “grace” for God’s having favored him with an apostolic ministry (Romans 1:5; 12:3; 15:15; 1 Corinthians 3:10; Galatians 2:9), and also for God’s favoring Christians with the ministry of sharing their financial resources (see with comments 2 Corinthians 8:1–2, 4, 6–7, 19; 9:8, 14). So “sharers together with [me] of my grace” means that by exercising the grace of sharing their financial resources with Paul they’ve shared with him in the grace of his apostolic ministry.

“In the defense and confirmation of the gospel” probably alludes to his battle against the so-called Judaizers (for which see especially Galatians) in preparation for his warning the Philippians against them (3:1–2). “For God is my witness” introduces with emphasis an explanation of Paul’s having the Philippians in his heart. “How I’m longing for all you” explains it. He doesn’t say he’s longing to see them, though doubtless he does long to. He longs for them themselves (as though he wants to hug them, we might say [compare 2:24]). “The vitals” are internal organs, used here and elsewhere as a figure of speech for deep affection. Paul doesn’t say “in my vitals,” as he does in Philemon 12, 20. He says “in the vitals of Christ Jesus” to equate his longing for the Philippians with the affections for them of Christ Jesus himself. For if he’s in Christ, as he certainly is, he participates in Christ’s affections (compare Philemon 20, where Paul says “my vitals” but adds “in Christ”). No fewer than three occurrences in these verses of “all you,” added to “all the saints” and “all you” in 1:2, 4, enhance further Paul’s complimenting the Philippians so as to gain from them a receptive hearing of the letter.

1:9–11: And I’m praying this: that your love may flourish still more and more in knowledge and total perception 10so that you may be approving the things which are superlative in order that you may be sterling and irreproachable for the Day of Christ, 11[you] filled with the fruit [consisting] of righteousness, the [fruit borne] through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. Here Paul spells out the supplications he mentioned in 1:3. He has been referencing the Philippians’ sharing of financial resources for evangelism, has expressed confidence that God will continue inducing them to do so, and elsewhere associates the sharing of financial resources with love (see 2 Corinthians 8:7–8, 24). So Paul’s praying that the Philippians’ “love may flourish still more and more” asks God for increased as well as continued such sharing for the gospel on the Philippians’ part. But Paul sets such love in the framework of “knowledge and total perception,” for knowledge of the gospel and perception of people’s need to hear it will lead to the flourishing of this financial love “still more and more.” “Total perception” accents the recognition of people’s need to hear the gospel.

“So that you may be approving the things which are superlative” expands Paul’s purview to include not only financial love but also moral excellence in general. “Approving” means putting behaviors to a moral test and then putting into practice those behaviors that pass the test (compare Romans 2:18; 12:2). Beyond the purpose of such approval lies the purpose of being “sterling and irreproachable for the Day of Christ [= with a view to being found genuinely blameless when he returns to judge us (2 Corinthians 5:10)]” because of being “filled with the fruit [consisting] of righteousness.” For “fruit” as a figure of speech for behavior and its outcome see 1:22; Romans 6:21–22; Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 5:9 (in addition to passages outside Paul’s letters). For “fruit” as a figure of speech for sharing financial resources see 4:17; Romans 1:13 (with comments); 15:28. For “righteousness” as the sharing of financial resources see 2 Corinthians 9:9–10. For “righteousness” as right conduct in general see (among other passages) Romans 6:13–20; 2 Corinthians 6:7, 14; Ephesians 4:24; 5:9; 6:14; 1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:22; 3:16. “Filled with the fruit of righteousness” points to having an abundance of righteous conduct, including that of sharing fi...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Philippians
• Back Cover