Philippians Verse by Verse

Grant R. Osborne

• Publisher: Lexham Press
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781683590132
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

Even though he was writing from prison, the Apostle Paul's gratitude and joy leaps off the page in his letter to the Philippians. He writes to Christians in a Greek city that he visited on his second missionary journey to thank them for their partnership with him, and also to encourage them to maintain unity in the face of forces that were trying to divide them.

In Philippians Verse by Verse, Grant R. Osborne draws on years of examining the text to offer a clear explanation of what this book meant to its original audience and what it means today. In spite of sometimes dire circumstances, readers too may experience joy, encouragement, and fellowship if they remain focused on what God has done for them in Christ.

The Osborne New Testament Commentary Series is a set of commentaries on every New Testament book for people who are looking for a straightforward explanation of the text. In each volume, Grant R. Osborne seeks to carefully exposit the text in plain language, bringing out the treasures in each book and making them accessible for today's readers.

GREETING AND PRAYER FOR LOVE AND DISCERNMENT

(1:1–11)

All of Paul’s letters follow Hellenistic letter-writing conventions by beginning with a greeting, a thanksgiving, and a prayer for the recipients’ well-being. However, Paul always goes beyond the conventional by turning the opening prayer into an introduction to the letter’s contents. He is praying that God will bless what he has to say to the Philippians. Greek letters tend to be short and stereotyped in these matters, but Paul extends these elements and turns them into a theological tour-de-force that becomes almost a table of contents for the message of the letter. He stresses servanthood and the Philippians’ partnership in the gospel, along with their close relationship to himself, and also reflects on his situation as a prisoner in Rome. Then he asks God to give them a deeper love and a greater discernment into the path of discipleship in Christ. All of this leads into the rest of the letter.

PAUL GREETS THE PHILIPPIAN CHRISTIANS (1:1–2)

The order here (author, recipient, and greetings) was common first-century practice. In this setting the apostle uses his Greek name, “Paul,” rather than his Hebrew name, “Saul,” to relate to his readers. Though Paul is the true author of this letter (he uses “I” throughout), he adds Timothy here (as in 2 Cor 1:1; Col 1:1; Phlm 1), probably because Timothy was serving as an amanuensis (or secretary) and Paul dictated the letter due to his own poor eyesight (see Gal 6:11; Col 4:18). Timothy was also an important assistant and member of Paul’s ministry team. As a young man he had joined Paul’s team at the beginning of the second missionary journey (Acts 16:1–4) and had been a close associate and friend ever since (see the commendation in Phil 2:19–24). The Philippians had probably become close to Timothy during the missionaries’ stay in Philippi (Acts 16:11–40), so Paul wanted them to know that Timothy had a part in this letter.

Paul uncharacteristically declines to emphasize his own identity as an apostle but instead chooses to label both Timothy and himself as “servants (Greek: douloi, which is better translated ‘slaves’) of Christ Jesus.” The primary aspect of the slave metaphor for first-century readers was belonging, with servanthood a secondary thrust. Slaves were owned by their master and completely under his control. Paul wanted the Philippians to know the true lordship of God and Christ. He himself was not in charge but served his Master and Lord, Christ, and belonged to him lock, stock, and barrel. Romans 6 says it well: God redeemed us from enslavement to sin so that we could become his slaves (for example, Rom 6:22). We exchanged an evil, abusive taskmaster for a loving, caring master who watches over and protects us. For Israel as well as for the church, then, slavery was a precious metaphor; in the case of the church it powerfully depicts our redemption or purchase by God and then emphasizes the importance of our surrender and obedience to God and Christ. All the great men and women of God in the Old Testament (like Abraham, Moses, and David) called themselves slaves of God—an honored designation of subservience and belonging.

Still, Paul’s choice to use the term here also emphasizes the servanthood aspect. Based on Philippians 2:1–3 it is possible that there was a power struggle going on among the leaders at Philippi. Such a conflict would have brought dissension into the life of the church, so Paul wanted to model servanthood leadership for them. Their master was clear—“Christ Jesus,” named three times in these first two verses to leave no doubt as to who was truly in charge. Christ is Lord of all, and our primary duty is to obey and emulate him in everything we do. All the problems Paul discusses in this letter were due to their failure to live out these divine directives to make Christ their Lord and Master.

The recipients were “all God’s people [literally, ‘saints’] in Christ Jesus at Philippi” (v. 2). Paul frequently addresses his recipients as “saints” (1 and 2 Cor 1:1; Rom 1:1; Eph 1:2; Col 1:2) or “holy ones,” one of the primary titles in the New Testament for those called to live as “set apart” from the world for God. God had chosen them to belong to himself and set them apart to be his special people. This is another title of honor, and together with “slave” it indicated that they were God’s special possession, called to a sacred task in serving and living for him.

These holy people are once again described as being “in Christ Jesus,” emphasizing their new identity as the messianic community. The “in Christ” motif is dominant in the Prison Letters (Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, and Philippians) and emphasizes union with Christ and membership in his body, the church. To be in him is to belong to him, to be one with him, and to be part of his people. Our residence is in Christ, and since we are his, we focus on him in all we do and live every moment as Christ-people. Paul pairs this christological identification with the believers’ geographical identity as residents of Philippi (for details about the city’s background, see the introduction).

An unusual feature is the added “together with the overseers and deacons,” offices Paul mentions elsewhere only in the Pastoral Letters (for example, 1 Tim 3:1, 2, 8, 12). Many critical scholars believe that the churches Paul founded had no hierarchy of leaders until late in the first century, but Acts makes it clear that “elders” functioned almost from the beginning (Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2, 4, 6, and others), and there is little reason to doubt the historicity of these passages. The early church would naturally have followed Jewish patterns in this area, as they did in worship and church life. So this was not a later development but existed virtually from the beginning.

Interestingly, these church officers are not mentioned anywhere else in this letter. So why here? Note that the reference is actually to “all the saints along with the bishops and deacons,” followed by thanks to them for their “partnership in the gospel” (v. 5). Toward the end of the letter, in 4:14–18, the specifics are noted. They have “shared” or partnered with Paul by sending him gifts carried by Epaphroditus, whom they sent specifically to help Paul in his ministry (2:25–30). So Paul is thanking the leaders as well as the whole church for their generosity and help. He might also have been singling out these leaders because he wanted them to carry out his instructions, specifically with regard to the persecution they were enduring (1:27–30), the dissension in the church (2:1–3, 12–18; 4:2–3), and the appearance of false teachers in their midst (3:1–4:1).

The “overseers” or “bishops” were those charged with “watching over” or administering the church. Both in Acts (20:28) and in the Pastorals (1 Tim 3:2; Titus 1:7) elders are seen as carrying out this function.1 The idea is supervision, oversight, and pastoral care. The “deacon” image stems from the first-century household servant (Greek: diakonos) and likely describes those who served the church in practical ministry (Rom 16:1; 1 Tim 3:8), though the term was also used generally to refer to “ministers” in the church (Col 1:7; 1 Thess 3:2). Here these terms likely refer to those church officers who sent the gifts to Paul and whom he trusted to carry out his instructions and solve the serious problems at Philippi.

The greeting itself (v. 2) is standard in Paul’s letters. The Greek greeting “grace” (charis) and the Hebrew greeting “peace” (shalom) are not only combined here but are infused with Christian content. The qualities both Greeks and Jews wanted from life (grace and peace) were now offered them in Christ by God. Paul often stresses the Fatherhood of God in his greetings, because the saints have become the children of God through adoption (Rom 8:14–17) and now have a loving Father who cares for them and is involved deeply in their lives. Note also that this greeting does not come merely from “Christ” but from “the Lord Jesus Christ.” There is great emphasis in Philippians on the exaltation of Christ after he sacrificed himself on the cross (2:9–11), and Paul frequently emphasizes his lordship or sovereignty over this world (fifteen times in this letter). The sacrificial Lamb has become the exalted Lord.

PAUL THANKS THEM FOR SHARING IN HIS MINISTRY (1:3–8)

HIS JOY IN THEIR PARTNERSHIP (1:3–5)

Greek letters commonly included a brief and stylized wish for the well-being of the friend to whom the letter was being sent. Paul Christianizes this convention and turns it into a genuine prayer of thanksgiving, and it has a twofold purpose—praise for the good relationship Paul has with the Philippians and an introduction to major theme(s) that will come up in the letter. Paul has been especially close to this church, and they more than any other believers have kept up with Paul and been involved in his ministry from the time they got to know him. So at the beginning and end of this letter (1:3; 4:18) Paul makes it a point to thank them for the gifts they have sent him.

Three aspects of prayer are combined here—intercession, thanksgiving, and joy—all focused on the Philippians. But note that Paul is thankful not only to them; “I thank my God” acknowledges that the gift has actually come from God through them. They have been a channel through whom God has taken care of Paul. So the primary focus is God, but still Paul is extremely grateful for the Philippians, who have allowed themselves to be used by God to care for his needs.

There are two ways the next phrase can be read: It could center on their gift (“for your every remembrance of me”) or on Paul’s reminiscences (“every time I remember you”). The Greek could read either way, but everywhere else Paul uses this phrase (Rom 1:9; Eph 1:16; 1 Thess 1:2; 3:6; 2 Tim 1:3; Phlm 4) it refers to himself, and that is likely the case here as well. Paul often thought of the Philippians’ concern and generosity, and this led in every instance to thanksgiving. Paul was a prayer warrior, and an essential part of that regular prayer was thanksgiving.

Moreover, Paul was a general optimist who dwelled on the positives, and as such he adds in verse 4 three further aspects of his prayer life:

1.Its frequency—Thanksgiving, Paul says, takes place “in all my prayers” as an ongoing response to his deep friendship with this church. It must be understood that “always” (Greek: pantote) does not mean unceasingly but rather denotes in this context regular prayer. Remembering the Philippians was a part of his daily prayer life.

2.Its focus—His prayer was regularly “for all of you.” He kept the Philippians always in his mind and heart and so prayed for each one as often as he could. Paul was more than a general prayer warrior; he was a personal prayer warrior who frequently brought the members of this congregation and their needs to God’s attention.

3.The joy with which he prayed—Even though the church of Philippi had many problems, as we will see, Paul was filled with joy as he reflected on the many good things God was doing among them and on all the good they were doing for him. The grace note of joy reverberates through the letter, surfacing fourteen times; it was the primary emotion Paul felt when he thought of these believers, and that is reflected in his prayers. The Christian life is by definition a life of joy, but often individual situations are filled with grief and pain (Heb 12:11). However, when we recognize the sovereign hand of God in our lives (Rom 8:28) all trials lead to joy (Jas 1:2; 1 Pet 1:6). This is how Paul felt about the Philippians. He experienced sorrow when he reflected on their problems (3:18) but rejoiced because God was in charge of even these painful areas.

In verse 5 we find the particular reason for Paul’s joy on this occasion—“your partnership in the gospel.” He uses a well-known Greek word, koinōnia, that connotes a deep-seated “fellowship,” as well as a sharing in an enterprise. So he was rejoicing that the Philippian believers had partnered with him in proclaiming the gospel in their area and had shared in his own ministry of proclamation through their support, both via financial giving and in their personal prayers and encouragement. Theirs was a twofold fellowship with Paul: they partnered with him both in his ministry and in their own ministry of sharing the good news of Christ (see my comments on v. 7, below).

PAUL’S CONFIDENCE IN GOD’S WORK AMONG THEM (1:6)

Paul’s joy in every situation was based on a deep-seated confidence in God, a realization that “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.” This is why adverse circumstances and sorrows could not deter the basic joy with which Paul approached life. Yes, the Philippian church was dealing with dissension, many of its members were enduring severe persecution, and false teachers were threatening its stability. However, Paul totally trusted that the Lord of the universe remained in charge and that he and his love would never desert them (Rom 8:31, 35, 39). So his indefatigable joy was grounded in his indestructible confidence in God.

God’s good work (see 2:13) in their midst had begun with the arrival of the gospel and had led first to their conversion and then to the work of the Spirit in their lives. It embraced the spiritual growth of the people, their life of sanctification, and their partnership in the gospel. God’s good work included the suffering they had experienced, for it constituted a “fellowship of suffering” with Christ (3:10), as well as with Paul. They were pressured both from outside (1:28) and from inside (4:2–3) their church, but through it all God was at work, and the end result was guaranteed because they knew he would “carry it to completion”—would bring it to the God-intended end his will had determined. We too can know that our final victory is completely certain so long as we rely on God, for the future is entirely in his hands. We fail only when we forget that reality and try to run our own lives.

This good work of God on our behalf will continue “until the day of Jesus Christ,” the end of history and the beginning of eternity. When God created the universe, he knew the fall would occur and determined that he would have to personally enter this world and pay the price for our sins so we could be redeemed. So the beginning of this world already awaited its end, when that redemption would be complete and evil would once and for all time be destroyed. The same is true with our individual lives. God is watching over and preparing us for that day when Christ returns and this world ends. He is ever vigilant, so his good work on our behalf is unceasing (Rom 8:31–39). Our responsibility is to surrender completely to him and to determine that at all times we will rely on his strength rather than on our own (Eph 6:10–12).

HIS DEEP AFFECTION FOR THEM (1:7–8)

Paul’s expression of thanksgiving is finished, and so he reminisces briefly about his deep affection for the Philippian church, saying, “It is right for me to feel this way about all of you,” a reference to the deep-seated joy he felt2 every time he thought of them. This church more than any other had stayed solidly behind Paul, supporting him throughout his ordeal. It is difficult for us to imagine all that he had to endure. We tend to get upset every time some little thing goes wrong, even to the point of accusing God of a...