Notes on Philippians 1-4

by Grant Thorpe

Chapter one

The Philippians shared in the gospel with Paul, not just because they received it from him but because they were with him in proclaiming it. He could see that God was at work in them, and he knew that the love he felt for them was the love of Christ. He prayed for grace and peace to flow to them, and prayed that their love would grow in discernment because he wanted them to be free of falsehood and blame and full of righteousness when Christ returned. The kind of doing good that false teachers recommended was keeping attainable laws. Paul knew that only that which love approved would be to God's glory.

Paul was in gaol for preaching the gospel. This had deepened the faith and love of some and made them bolder to proclaim Christ. Others thought they could add to his suffering by their successes while he was absent. However, because of some and in spite of others, Christ was becoming known. He could not be sad over that! What was important was that he be save-on the last day. Vindication in this world was not in his mind. He was confident that through the prayers of the Philippians, and the Spirit of Christ, he would exalt Christ where he was, by life or death.

He was certainly willing to be with Christ. That would be his gain. He was also willing to stay in his present work, and was confident that this would happen because it was to his readers' benefit. His present life was 'Christ'-that is, from Christ, in Christ, for Christ, to Christ (as in Galatians 2:20).

For the moment, Paul was on earth but in gaol, but he would be of benefit to the Philippians right away by asking them to be united, unafraid and, like himself, willing to suffer.

Prayer

Father, the life you have given us in your Son is love from beginning to end. I thank you that Christ graciously waits to receive us, but that he also sends us on his own mission of love to the world. Father, free my heart from lesser interests. Christ is all I truly have and all I truly need. Grant that your church may be built up in this love with all discernment and good deeds and that together, we may endure and live to your glory, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Chapter two

Paul has said that for him to live is Christ, and, that the affection he has for the Philippians is the affection of Christ. He now shows us more of what this means. His concern was to help the Philippians have one mind and love and spirit and purpose; to have them thinking of and preferring one another. To do this, he needed to proclaim to them the encouragement and consoling love of Christ and fellowship of the Spirit and the affection and compassion of God. He also needed to be fully involved himself, asking them to complete the joy he already had because of them (vv. 2, 18). Thinking the same way as Christ need not be a burden, because Christ has already awakened us by love, and so, broadened our affections.

Jesus, the man, had the essential nature of deity. He expressed this deity, not by grasping it but by pouring himself out. Paul does not say he was emptied of something, especially not of deity, but that he poured out everything that he was for us. Deity has been expressed in Jesus having no rights (a slave). So he was born as a man and set about his vocation, humbling himself to the lowliest position of all so as to fulfil God's purpose for us. It is this Christ who has been raised above all other authority and been given the name 'Lord'. This is God's own name (Isaiah 42:8) and the Father proclaims it to the world as the name of his Son. 'This Son, who, in manhood, has revealed me' says God, 'is one with me as God, and he will reign and glorify me.' God's glory in heaven and earth has been secured by the man Jesus. This is what we confess, willingly. In the end, there will not be one creature who does not, willingly or unwillingly, confess the same.

So now, what could the Philippians do? Work out their own salvation! This must mean doing the things Paul has commanded above thinking of others. By nature of the case, it would not mean concentrating on their own progress. God would work in them and the focus of this work would be the things that brought God pleasure. 'No more grumbling! Rather, prove yourselves to be blameless, innocent and without blemish, like lamps in an otherwise perverse world.' These are the same kind of things Paul prayed for earlier in his letter (1:10-11). It is the way of holding firmly to the gospel. Paul could have to lay his life down for preaching the gospel and this would be his joy. Let us all rejoice in the same way and share the joy of Paul-being like Christ who emptied himself!

Timothy and Epaphroditus were of one mind with Christ and with Paul in caring for the Philippians and seeking the interests of Christ (seeking first the kingdom). Timothy showed his worth in serving with Paul as a son. Epaphroditus revealed the love of Christ in his risking his life to bring the Philippian gift to Paul, and then being more concerned for his friends than himself. The gift the Philippians had sent needed his willingness to die in order to reach Paul.

Prayer

Father, your Son has broken into our selfishness. In him you have proclaimed your Godhead among us: your compassion, your sacrifice, your focus on our need, your purpose to have us in your own image. With all your church, I call Christ Lord for he has revealed your glory and will not rest until every knee bows to him, and to you. Let his mind be formed in me. Show me the things of others, the things of Christ, for his name's sake. Amen.

Chapter three

Paul has written about joyfully sharing the gospel under pressure. This is so important that he repeats it. We should not complain, but rather, rejoice as we live in a perverse world. However, he now speaks about one of the perversities: people from Jerusalem who were insisting that all believers be circumcised. He says, in effect, 'Israel's faith has come to its goal in Christ. In him we have true circumcision, true worship and true glory. Those who insist on the empty shell are evil workers.'

Paul knew what trusting in his own culture and effort was all about. He had done it for years and excelled in it. Now he regarded everything but trusting in Christ as a loss rather than a gain. He had lost everything for believing this and didn't consider it a loss. Christ had completely satisfied him and everything he now had he had in Christ. He had righteousness, a gift from God, donated because of the faithfulness of Christ and received by relying on him for it. Everything in Paul was stretched out to know this above everything else. He wanted to fully 'capture' his sharing in his death, and finally, through continued faith, his sharing in the Resurrection of Christ.

It was this gaining of Christ which had become the goal of Paul's life. As distinct from the Judaisers who thought they could attain perfection, he was still striving to fully lay hold of the Christ who had laid hold of him. He did not speak out of insecurity but out of desire to fully know and fully please the Christ who had taken hold of him. Paul would not say that any Christian had any more of Christ than another, however, true perfection was this striving to lay hold of Christ. Those who understood this should hold onto what they had attained. Minor differences of opinion about obtaining the prize of God's upward call would be overcome because God would show each one the truth.

Paul's example was vital to convey the exact nature of Christian living. The Philippians should be readily able to recognise those who differed from it. The opponents of the Cross, who indulged their own appetites, were not Christians because they had no shame over their evil behaviour (cf. Rom. 6:21). Paul wept over them suggesting they claimed to be Christian even if not part of the assembly Paul spoke of so warmly at the beginning of the letter. They could have been libertines or Judaisers. Both groups were more linked to this world than to the heavenly Christ and they gloried in what was shameful (whether their lusts or their self justifying works) rather than anticipating the Christ who would bring them to their true glory in the Resurrection.

Prayer

Father, you have taught me that there is nothing I need for life and godliness that you have not already provided in your Son. In him, my hard heart has been taught to love and I have been marked as one of your own. The Spirit brings me to true worship as I rejoice in Christ. Teach me, with all your people, to walk by this faith and to grow in it. Help us all to recognise those who lead us back to ourselves and to the 'safe systems' so loved by this present world. I trust in you Father, for you can subdue all things to yourself through Jesus Christ, in whose name I pray. Amen.

Chapter four

The way to stand firm in the Lord is 'in this way', the way of being more held than holding on, but eagerly desiring to come to the goal of being in Christ, the way of avoiding enemies of the Cross and eagerly awaiting the return of Christ. Some would need the help of Paul's associate at Philippi (is his name 'Yokefellow'?) to live in harmony, but they were fondly remembered by Paul as fellow workers and true believers.

Nothing was to take away their joy or their gentle spirit or their peace of mind. How could this be so? The Lord was near! Their prayers could be made with gratefulness. God's peace was upon them and he would guard their hearts and minds in Christ. They were to think on praiseworthy things, and on the teaching Paul had given them, and the very God of peace would be with them.

Paul was a model of carefulness in the way he received a gift sent by the Philippians. He displayed his complete trust in God for all things. Because he did this, the gift from his friends could be received exactly as it was, a gift to God and a refreshment to the spirit of Paul, not just a filling of his belly or a relieving of his anxiety.

Prayer

Holy Father, you have made our hearts glad by your love! Right now and in the midst of our human struggles and pressing necessities, we can have joy and peace. You keep us in and by your Son. Help us all to stand firm in this truth. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all his people, and may our words and deeds assist each other to continue in faith and love. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.