The Epistle of Paul to the Philippians: The Epistle of Christian Devotedness and Joy
Stanley Bruce Anstey
Table of Contents
The Epistle of Paul to the Philippians
INTRODUCTION
The Occasion of the Epistle
This epistle is a letter of thanksgiving from the Apostle Paul to the Philippians for their practical fellowship (supplies and perhaps a monetary gift – chap. 4:18) which they had sent to him when he was captive in Rome. In writing to the saints at Philippi, Paul took the opportunity to give them an update on his personal circumstances and to report on how the work of the Lord was progressing in Rome. Also, being aware of the persecution that the Philippians were facing on a daily basis, he included an encouraging word to stand fast in their testimony and to continue in the path of faith in spite of the adversity. He also gave them some practical advice on how the assembly could be saved from the enemy’s attempt to destroy it through internal strife.
The Philippians were Paul’s first converts in Europe. We know from the book of the Acts that he made at least three visits to that locality (Acts 16:12-40; 20:1, 3-6)—and every time that he thought of them thereafter, it brought joy to his heart (Phil. 1:4). It is clear from his remarks in the epistle that there existed great affection between him and the Philippians (chap. 1:7 – J. N. Darby Trans.). It is easily the most personal and affectionate epistle that Paul wrote to an assembly.
It is interesting that in writing to the Philippians, Paul does not quote from the Old Testament Scriptures. This may have been because they were mostly converted Gentiles who would not have been familiar with the Scriptures. It is also of note that there is very little, if any, doctrine in the epistle. Nor does he touch on the subject of sin and expiation. Rather, being deeply moved by their love and care, 800 miles from them and bound with a chain, he writes from the fullness of his heart to thank them for their gift and to encourage them in practical matters concerning walking with the Lord. We see from this that even though Paul was in captivity and no longer free to carry on his apostolic ministry among the assemblies, he took every opportunity to minister to his brethren by letter. The coming of Epaphroditus with the gift from the Philippians afforded him such an opportunity. He gave Epaphroditus this letter to take to them on his return trip to Philippi.
This so-called “prison” epistle is a complement of two other “prison” epistles (Ephesians and Colossians) which Paul wrote under divine inspiration while incarcerated in Rome. Falling on either side of this epistle in our Bibles, Ephesians and Colossians both unfold the truth of the Mystery, in its present and future aspects: Whereas, in Philippians, we see a man walking in the good of the truth of the Mystery and speaking from his personal enjoyment of it. Thus, the Philippian epistle gives us a picture of the state of soul that should mark one who knows the truth of the Mystery and lives in the good of it.
Paul’s Inner Life Unveiled—Exhibiting a Normal Christian Experience
This epistle is unique in that it gives us extraordinary insight into Paul’s inner life, in a way in which no other epistle does. In four short chapters, he makes reference to himself about 90 times! From this, we see that he felt free to speak of himself to the Philippians in a way in which one would only do with those who were his closest friends. He knew that they had him in their hearts (Phil. 1:7) and in their prayers (Phil. 1:19) and that they had proved their love to him by giving to him out of their deep poverty—and that more than once (2 Cor. 8:1-2; Phil. 4:15-16). Having this bond with the Philippians, Paul was at liberty to disclose his inner feelings and desires in an extremely open manner and in a way which he does not do with any other company of believers. He writes spontaneously and informally, as a friend pouring out his heart to those who love him. In Paul doing so, we see the experience of a man in Christ living in communion with God and in the enjoyment of his heavenly blessings.
Thus, the epistle gives us an opportunity to examine Paul’s inner thoughts and feelings and to see firsthand what should characterize the normal Christian life. Being permitted to peer into his soul, as this epistle affords us, we find that there is but one thing there—Christ! Christ and His interests were the sum and substance of his life, as he says so aptly in chapter 1:21—“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” J. N. Darby said that in this epistle “the Christian is viewed as in a race, and in that race he is entirely under the power of the Spirit of God; the flesh is not looked at as acting” (Practical Thoughts on Philippians, p. 21). He also said, “The epistle to the Philippians is a pattern of Christian experience, as it ought to be” (Miscellaneous Writings of J. N. Darby, vol. 4, p. 209). Thus, the epistle is the expression of a heart that has found Christ to be “everything” (Col. 3:11).
Christ—God’s “Touchstone”
Christ in glory is God’s “Touchstone;” He looks at everything from that one standpoint. He measures, values, and tries everything we do on earth as it stands in relation to His Son. On a daily basis, God, so to speak, comes to examine our lives. He looks for one thing—the measure in which things are done in relation to Christ. If the things we do are done for Him and for His glory (1 Cor. 10:31; Col. 3:17, 23), they will stand approved of God and will be rewarded in a coming day (2 Cor. 5:9-10). But, if the things we do don’t meet His approval, they will be rejected and burnt up, and the believer will suffer loss (1 Cor. 3:12-15). The great lesson the judgment seat of Christ teaches us is that whatever is done for Him is precious to God, and all else is valueless—as far as what we carry through into eternity. Knowing this ought to cause every sober Christian to be seriously exercised about using his time and energy rightly, and accordingly, to pray, “Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psa. 90:12). In this epistle we see a man who has done just that. He has weighed things in relation to God’s Touchstone, and he is consequently living with right priorities.
An Epistle of Joy
With such a singular and glorious occupation engaging Paul’s heart and mind, we see him rejoicing in spirit—even though he was living in very unfavourable conditions! Being in such a state of soul, we do not find him complaining of his lot in life, nor do we see him asking for a change in his circumstances. Rather, he is seen living with God above it all. And, being absorbed in his Object, he is full of joy. A quick survey of the epistle will indicate that joy is the underlying theme throughout. In fact, the words “joy” and “rejoice” are mentioned 18 times! Hence, it has been rightly called “The Epistle of Christian Devotedness and Joy.”
We learn from this that the secret to having a happy, fruitful, Christian life is to make Christ our sole Object and to dedicate ourselves to furthering His interests on earth. It is sad, but it seems that relatively few Christians have discovered this secret. (We do not mean that the person who makes Christ everything will never have a trouble or a sorrow, but that he will have Him as his dearest Friend to walk with through the ups and downs of life—and thus make it possible to have joy even in the midst of trial.) The epistle, therefore, presents a practical exhibition of the Christian walk as powered by the Holy Spirit. When we realize that these writings were the experience of a prisoner living in disadvantageous conditions, it makes the epistle that much more compelling.
A Wilderness Epistle
This epistle is one of the so-called “wilderness” epistles—1 Corinthians, Philippians, Hebrews, and 1 Peter. That is, the believer is seen on earth under testing, walking in the path of faith with Christ in heaven before him as his goal. A characteristic feature of the “wilderness” epistles is the presence of “ifs” in the text. There are actually two kinds of “ifs” in Scripture which are quite different—the “if” of condition, and the “if” of argument. An “if” of condition assumes that there is a possibility of failure occurring in the path, resulting from a person not being a real believer, or from faith in the righteous breaking down in some way. An “if” of argument, on the other hand, has to do with the writer’s laying down certain facts in his presentation, and then building on those facts to make a certain point. When this is the case, the word “since” could be substituted for “if.”
It has been often said that in Ephesians there are no “ifs” of condition. In that epistle, the saints are not viewed as being tested on earth, but rather, seated together in heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 2:6). Colossians, on the other hand, has both: there is an “if” of condition in chapter 1:23 and there are “ifs” of argument in chapters 2:20 and 3:1. Hebrews also has both kinds of “ifs.” This being a wilderness epistle, Paul does not count himself to have attained anything (Phil. 3:12). He sees himself on the road, but not there yet. Christ has laid hold of him, and he is walking the path toward that goal, which is to be with and like Christ.
From certain expressions in the epistle, it is generally gathered that Paul was reaching the close of his two years in captivity in Rome (Acts 28:30). (He had been held captive in Caesarea for two years prior to this for a total of four years – Acts 24:27.) His future at this point lay in one or the other of two things—he could be exonerated before Emperor Nero and set free, or he would be martyred. Scholars say that this was the last inspired epistle of Paul that he wrote to an assembly.
The Theme of the Chapters
Chap. 1—Christ, the purpose of the Christian life (vs. 21).
Chap. 2—Christ, the pattern for Christian life (vss. 5-8).
Chap. 3—Christ, the prize of the Christian life (vs. 14).
Chap. 4—Christ, the power of the Christian life (vs. 13).
Chap. 1—Christ, the motive for living (vs. 21).
Chap. 2—Christ, the model for living (vss. 5-8).
Chap. 3—Christ, the mark for living (vs. 14).
Chap. 4—Christ, the might for living (vs. 13).
Christ — The Purpose of the Christian Life: Philippians 1
Chapter 1
As mentioned in the Introduction, in Paul’s many references to himself, we see a man absorbed with his Object and rejoicing in his circumstances. This is normal Christianity. It is what should be the experience of every Christian. In this first chapter, we see Christ before Paul’s soul as the One who is his whole purpose for living.
The Salutation
Vss. 1-2—In addressing the saints at Philippi, Paul does not take an official title, but rather, presents himself and Timothy simply as “bond-servants of Christ Jesus” (F. W. Grant Trans.). Hence, we are not to regard the experience which he relates in the epistle as being something that is apostolic. That is, a person does not have to be an apostle to have the experience that Paul had. On the contrary, he speaks of himself as a bondman. This means that these things are within the reach of every Christian, for all believers can surrender themselves to Christ as the Lord of their lives and be bondmen in His service.
The Lord has never, at any time, commanded anyone to be His bond-servant; it is something that the believer chooses to be voluntarily when he realizes that he has been “bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23). The process of exercise that leads the believer to this surrender comes through first understanding what Christ’s work on the cross has done for us. It makes the believer “the Lord’s freedman” (1 Cor. 7:22a). Thus, we have been set free from the judgment of our sins, from sin as a master, from Satan, and from the world. But when the cost of our freedom comes home to our souls, and we realize what Christ has paid to redeem us, we will resolve to no longer use our freedom for our own interests, but for the furtherance of His interests. We, therefore, will voluntarily enlist ourselves in His service as “Christ’s bondman” (1 Cor. 7:22b). Thus, the Lord’s work on the cross received by faith makes us freedmen, but we, by our own choice, make ourselves His bondmen. This is purely an individual exercise and a decision that a person makes for himself—no one can make it for us. By stating that he and Timothy were “bond-servants,” Paul was indicating that they had both gone through this exercise and were happily putting themselves at the Lord’s disposal in His service. And, in doing so, they had discovered the secret of true joy and happiness in life!
Paul then addresses the Philippians as “saints in Christ Jesus.” A saint is a “sanctified one.” It refers to the believer being set apart (the meaning of sanctification) by God and put in a place of blessing. The expression “Christ Jesus” (the Lord’s title placed before His manhood name) refers to Him as having completed redemption and gone back into heaven as a glorified Man. His acceptance there before God has become the measure of the believer’s acceptance, for we are said to be “in Christ Jesus!” Simply put, to be “in Christ” is to be in Christ’s place before God. This is the position of all Christians. Old Testament saints were blessed of God and are in heaven now, but they are not said to be “in Christ.” Believers from other ages are accepted “with” Him (Acts 10:35), whereas only Christians are said to be accepted “in” Him (Eph. 1:6). Being “in” Christ denotes our connection with Him as a glorified Man at God’s right hand through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Thus, Christians have a special place of favour in God’s family which all others do not have.
Paul includes “the overseers and deacons” in his greeting. These men, who had the care of the flock locally, were likely the ones who had taken the initiative to organize the collection and who chose Epaphroditus to carry it to Paul. Perhaps this is why a special mention is made of them. An assembly that recognizes its leaders and functions in happy fellowship with them is usually a strong assembly.
Paul then says that “grace” and “peace” was upon them “from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ” (vs. 2). Thus, a fresh supply of divine help from above was upon the Philippians (as it is upon all Christians), and thus they could count on God’s help in going on together as an assembly. This is the first mention of “Lord” in the epistle; it is used over 50 times! This is significant; its frequent use points to the fact that if Christ’s Lordship authority is owned practically in the believer’s life, he will experience the same kind of happiness and fruitfulness that Paul had in his life.
Paul’s Thanksgiving
Vss. 3-8—Paul begins by thanking God for the Philippians. He says, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.” They had been a source of encouragement to him, and he wanted them to know it. His conversion from Judaism to Christianity had severed many strong and tender ties he had with his fellow countrymen, and he felt that loss deeply; but the love and fellowship of the Philippians worked to fill that void. They had endeared themselves to him, and he was thankful for their love and care. He also wanted them to know that he was praying for them, and thus says, “Always in every prayer of mine for you all, making request with joy.” Adding the words “with joy” means that he had happy memories of his times with them.
More particularly, Paul thanked God for their “fellowship with the gospel, from the first day until now.” This refers to their monetary support of the Lord’s servants who had gone out to preach the Word in the regions beyond. This is quite remarkable because they were a very poor assembly. They gave to the Lord’s work out of their “deep poverty,” even going “beyond their power” to do so—and they did it “with joy!” (2 Cor. 8:1-2) Paul had been the recipient of this grace by the hand of Epaphroditus (Phil. 4:18) while he was incarcerated in Rome and was now writing to thank them for their kindness. Their interest and support of the gospel had not abated “from the first day” (see Acts 16), “until now.” This was a period of about ten years—from about A. D. 51. to about A.D. 61). The Philippians had actually ministered to Paul in this way on more than one occasion (Phil. 4:14-15; 2 Cor. 11:9). This shows that their hearts were in the right place and that they were a spiritually healthy assembly. It is always a mark of spiritual decline when an assembly loses interest in the gospel. Such was not the case with the Philippians.
Note: Paul doesn’t speak of their preaching the gospel, but rather of their fellowship with the gospel. The Philippians themselves did not go out into the regions beyond to preach—they had secular responsibilities to attend to and were not free to go forth in missionary work. But their hearts were with that work and they ministered to those who did go out in that way with the gospel. Paul tells them that in doing so they were “participators” in that work of grace, and God surely would remember their sacrifice for Christ’s name (vs. 7). This shows that if we are not able to break away from our secular responsibilities to be engaged in such service, we can still be a part of that work by monetarily supporting those who are, so to speak, on “the front lines.” All such who do will share in the rewards in a coming day.
Barzillai, Shobi, and Machir are Old Testament examples of this ministry. They ministered to David and his men who were engaged in the battle, but they themselves were not directly involved in the conflict (2 Sam. 17:27-29; 19:32). David appreciated their kindness and wrote a psalm of thanksgiving about them, in what is sometimes called, “The Barzillai Psalm” (Psa. 41). In Luke 19:11-27, the Lord spoke of the value of this work behind the scenes. He indicated that if we cannot directly enter the work and “trade” with our “pound,” we can at least put it “into the bank” and collect the reward of usury when He comes again (vs. 23). It is interesting that the word in the Greek translated “bank” is similar to the word translated “fellowship” in Philippians 1:5. The Philippians were exemplary in this support work. A question we can ask ourselves in this regard is, “What fellowship do I have with the gospel?”
Vs. 6—The healthy spiritual condition of the Philippians gave Paul the confidence that they would continue in the Christian path to the end. By making such a sacrifice as they did, he knew that God had “begun a good work” in them and he was sure that it would lead to their final triumph in “the day of Jesus Christ.” As a rule, God looks at His people in view of what they will be when His work in them is complete. Thus, in looking on to their final triumph, as Paul does here, we see that he had God’s perspective of the Philippians. The beginning of God’s work in believers is new birth and its completion is not when they receive Christ as their Saviour and are sealed with the Spirit, but when they are glorified like Christ (Phil. 3:20-21) and displayed in glory in a coming day (2 Thess. 1:10).
“The day of Jesus Christ” (chap. 1:6, 10; 2:16) is that time when God will publicly display the saints with Christ in glory—the Millennium. The rewards which the saints will receive at the judgment seat of Christ will be on display then (1 Cor. 3:13; 2 Tim. 1:12; Phil. 2:16). Thus, the day of Christ will begin at the Appearing of Christ and will continue throughout the Millennium (1 Cor. 1:8; 3:13; 5:5; 2 Cor. 1:14). It is abbreviated to “that day” in some places in Paul’s epistles (2 Thess. 1:10; 2 Tim. 1:12, 18; 4:8). “The day of Christ” is not the day that the Lord spoke of in the upper room when He said, “In that day....” (John 14:20; 16:23, 26). The Lord was speaking of this present day when the Spirit would come to reside on earth in the Church. Nor is it the same day that the Old Testament prophets spoke of when they said, “In that day....” (Zech. 12:3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11; 13:1, 2, 4, etc.)—which is the Messiah’s day on earth in relation to Israel. In contrast to what the prophets spoke of, the day of Christ has to do with His heavenly glory with the Church being on display.)
We learn from this 6th verse that we are all a work in progress. This being the case, we need to have God’s perspective when we look at each other; otherwise we are likely to become critical of one another’s idiosyncrasies and character faults. We tend to see present imperfection in one another rather than what future glorification will effect. This may have been what was at the bottom of the disagreements that two sisters in the assembly at Philippi were having (chap. 4:2). Mr. Darby’s remedy for this was, “If you can’t see Christ in your brother, then see your brother in Christ.” He also said, “I see the flesh in myself and Christ in my brother” (Miscellaneous Writings, vol. 4, p. 214). Looking on God’s people in this way will deliver us from strife and contention. This is something that Paul will address in the second chapter.
Vs. 7—In keeping with this principle of looking at the saints from God’s perspective—what they will be as a finished product—Paul said, “It is meet for me to think this of you all” (vs. 7). He knew (probably through Epaphroditus) that things were not perfect in Philippi, but chose to look on them as what they would be when God’s work in them was complete. His confidence in this outcome was based on the fact that they held him in their hearts. (The KJV says “I have you in my heart”—which is certainly true, but not his point here. It should be translated the other way around—“Ye have me in your hearts.”) Their affection for him was clear evidence that they were born of God, for everyone who is born again loves those who are also begotten of God (1 John 5:1).
Paul tells them that through their practical fellowship with the work of the Lord, they had become “partakers [participators]” in the sufferings connected with the gospel which Paul was enduring in “bonds.” And, through that act of kindness and their consequent identification with him, they had also become “participators” with him in “the defence and confirmation of the gospel.” The gospel is defended by our verbal insistence on its truth, and it is confirmed by our walk and ways. This means that Paul not only told out the gospel, but he also showed it out with his life. The enemy is always seeking to falsify the glad tidings, either by corrupting its message through introducing error, or by trying to blacken the character of its messengers. A verbal defence of the truth of the gospel as well as a proper presentation of it displayed in Christian character is, therefore, necessary. These two things go together. Gideon’s men who had a “trumpet” in one hand and a “lamp” in the other, illustrate this important balance (Judg. 7:16). It is useless attempting a verbal defence of the gospel if what we teach is not confirmed by solid Christian character. How can we expect people to accept what we preach and teach when we walk after the ways of the world like every other person who has no faith?
Vs. 8—Paul called on God as a witness to the fact that he loved the Philippians as much as they loved him. He says, “God is my witness how I long after you all in the bowels of Christ Jesus.” “Bowels” is an old English word that describes our deepest feelings and affections. Thus, Paul genuinely loved them. It is interesting that he says that these were “the bowels of Christ Jesus.” This means that he loved them with the same character of divine love that the Lord Himself had for them.
Paul’s Prayer
Vss. 9-11—Having confirmed his love to the Philippians, Paul goes on to make known his prayer concerns for them. In doing this, they were made aware of what he desired for them. It has been said that there is no greater service that we can do for the saints of God than to pray for them. Epaphras is a wonderful example of this. He laboured “fervently” in prayer that the saints would “stand perfect and complete in all the will of God” (Col. 4:12). This, of course, shouldn’t be the only service that we do for the saints, but it’s where we should start.
Note: Paul does not ask for better living conditions for these poor saints, nor does he ask for their physical health, but prays for an increase in their spiritual intelligence and moral discernment, so that they would be able to live blamelessly and without offence in this world, and thereby render a good testimony before all. He says, “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in full knowledge and all intelligence, that ye may judge of and approve the things that are more excellent [that differ], in order that ye may be pure and without offence for Christ’s day, being complete as regards the fruit of righteousness, which is by Jesus Christ, to God’s glory and praise.” In Ephesians 1:16-23, Paul’s prayer had to do with the saints’ spiritual intelligence in doctrinal things in connection with the Mystery, but here he prays for their spiritual intelligence in connection with having moral discernment in practical matters.
This chain of things which Paul asks for the Philippians begins with their growth in “love.” This is because love is the soil in which moral discernment grows. When our love for the Lord and His people, and for the lost, burns brightly as it ought to, we will be in a right state of soul. And when this is connected with “knowledge” and “intelligence” of divine principles, we will be able to “judge of and approve the things that are more excellent” in practical matters that confront us in life. J. G. Bellett cited some examples of having this kind of moral discernment in practical matters that differ. He pointed to Daniel who would advise the king of Babylon in matters concerning the empire, but he wouldn’t eat his meat (Dan. 1:8-16; 2:27-45). And, Zerubbabel would accept the help of the king of Persia in re-building the temple (Ezra 1:4), but refuse the help of the Samaritans (Ezra 4:1-4). And again, the Jewish captives in Babylon would pray for the city of Babylon and its inhabitants (Jer. 29:7), but wouldn’t sing the songs of Zion for them (Psa. 137:1-4). (The Moral Glory of the Lord Jesus, p. 35). We might wonder why on one occasion they would associate with the Gentiles, and on another occasion, refuse to associate with them. The answer is moral discernment.
The grand purpose of having this moral and spiritual discernment is to help the saints to walk in a way that would glorify Christ. Thus, Paul says that the practical working out of these things would make the believer “pure and without offence” in this world. “Pure” is what we will be toward God (1 Peter 1:16) and “without offence” is what we will be before our fellow man (2 Cor. 6:3). This surely would have a positive effect in the present testimony of the gospel, but Paul was thinking beyond this present time to “Christ’s day,” when God will bring into public display what He has been forming in the saints. As mentioned, the day of Christ begins at His Appearing, and extends throughout the Millennium (2 Thess. 1:10). The result of having this moral discernment is that the world will see “the fruits of righteousness” in us, not only now, but also in that day, and it will redound “to God’s glory and praise.”
An Update on His Personal Circumstances in Rome
Vss. 12-20a—Paul has spoken of having “fellowship with the gospel” (vs. 5) and of the importance of “the defence and confirmation of the gospel” (vs. 7); now he speaks of “the furtherance of the gospel” (vs. 12). The Philippians were full of concern for Paul and were eager to hear of his welfare. Knowing of their concern, Paul took this opportunity to relieve their anxiety by giving them an update on his personal circumstances. It is noticeable that in doing so, he does not occupy them with his difficulties, which were considerable, but with what the Lord was doing in Rome.
There was much in Paul’s surroundings that could give a person gloom and depression. He was chained to a Roman soldier on a daily basis, awaiting his trial. His future, as to life and death, was dark and full of uncertainty; martyrdom was a very real possibility. He was without the comforts of Christian friends, for most were afraid to be identified with him (2 Tim. 1:15). (Later, when he was incarcerated again, Onesiphorus did visit him, but Paul speaks of him as an exception – 2 Tim. 1:16-18.) With all this hanging over Paul’s head, we do not find him complaining, or in sadness. He does not ask the Philippians to pray for his deliverance, or that he would have better conditions in captivity. He might have reproached himself for going to Jerusalem which led to his captivity, but he has risen above his failure and is not occupied with it. Instead of being full of gloom and sadness, we see a man living with God above his circumstances in a state of contentment. This is remarkable; he is content with who he is and where he is, for he knows that God is over all circumstances, and “His way is perfect” (Psa. 18:30). Far from being cast down with discouragement—he was rejoicing! He was bound with a chain, but his spirit remained unfettered. This shows that faith cannot be hindered by circumstances. It also shows us that circumstances don’t make a person’s state of soul—they only manifest it.
By way of Paul’s example, lessons abound here as to what the normal Christian state is. We see that one who walks with God in the power of the Spirit does not occupy others with himself, either in good things or bad. He submits to God’s hand in his life and is content in his circumstances. He does not go about bemoaning himself over his failures, but having judged it all, he goes on with his heart turned toward Christ and His interests.
The Spread of the Gospel
More than just reporting on his personal state, Paul gave the Philippians a short summary on the spread of the gospel in that area. He wanted them to know that his imprisonment had not been a hindrance to the gospel going forth. With the greatest herald of the glad tidings being unable to go forth to preach, we might have thought that such a thing would have been disastrous to the gospel testimony. But in fact, it was quite the opposite—his captivity had actually fallen out to “the furtherance of the gospel!” (vs. 12) God, who is over all circumstances, ordered things so that a new and wider sphere of preaching resulted. It is a wonderful example of how God can providentially overrule the plans of the wicked and make things turn out to the furtherance of His own interests. Asaph stated this principle of God’s providential action in Psalm 76:10. He said, “Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee: the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain.”
Paul’s captivity illustrates the fact that God does not need any one of us in His service—not even an apostle! We are thankful for the spiritual gifts that Christ the Head of the Church has given to help the members of His body grow (Eph. 4:11-15), but the success of God’s work among the saints is not dependent on those gifts. He is pleased to use us in His vineyard, and we are thankful when He does, but we should always remember that He doesn’t need us. We might not like to hear it, but no servant of the Lord is indispensable. Understanding this will deliver us from self-importance in the Lord’s work.
Two Positive Outcomes of Paul’s Captivity
Vss. 13-18—Paul goes on to state two positive outcomes that resulted from his imprisonment. The first thing was that it had become widely known (“manifest”) that he was not in captivity on account of criminal activity, but rather for his testimony for Christ. Hence, he speaks of his imprisonment as being “bonds in Christ” (vs. 13).
At that time, Paul was under house arrest and dwelt “in his own hired house” (Acts 28:30). A Roman soldier was chained to him for an allotted period of time each day, and, one after another, those soldiers got an experience that they would never forget. They witnessed firsthand a man living in constant heavenly joy. Each surely heard the gospel, and some were likely converted through the experience, though Scripture is silent as to this. Conspicuous by this absence, we learn another thing about proper Christian character: the servant of the Lord, who walks with God in the power of the Spirit, doesn’t count his converts and boast of his success in the gospel (Matt. 6:3). Such only draws attention to oneself. Rather, he goes on quietly in humble service and leaves the results to Him (Luke 17:10). (Chapter 4:22 does state that some in “Caesar’s household” were saved! How, or through whom, they were saved Paul does not say.)
It was not long before word concerning this notable prisoner had spread throughout “the whole praetorium.” This was the Imperial Guard, the Roman military headquarters, which had a barracks that housed 10,000 soldiers. (See the J. N. Darby Translation footnote.) Paul looked on each of these soldiers, not merely as future converts, but as future messengers of the gospel. Whether some soldiers were saved or not, news of Paul and of the glad tidings he preached had spread throughout the barracks and beyond it to “all other places” in Rome! Not all had believed the gospel, but it was being talked about throughout the city, and this was a good thing.
Vs. 14—The second positive outcome of Paul’s confinement was that more brethren were being stirred up to preach the Word. He said, “Many of the brethren in the Lord” were “waxing confident by my bonds” and were becoming “much more bold to speak the Word without fear.” This, too, was good.
Vs. 15—He reports that among these, there were two groups of preachers. Some were preaching Christ out “of envy and strife”—that is, with wrong and impure motives, and there were others who were preaching “of good will,” or with good intentions.
Vs. 16—Those who preached Christ “of contention” and “not sincerely” were doing it with a purpose of adding “affliction” to Paul’s “bonds.” They wanted to increase his sufferings, if possible. It is evident from this that these preachers of the gospel disliked Paul. What their issue exactly was, he does not disclose. It may have been on account of what he taught regarding the end of the first man before God (Rom. 6:6; Phil. 3:3). Perhaps they considered his teaching too severe, and that it made Christianity unpopular with the masses, and to counter this, they presented a new brand of the gospel that didn’t directly condemn man in the flesh or insist on separation from the world. It may have been that these preachers saw the gospel to be a means of making a financial profit, as was the case with some at Corinth (2 Cor. 2:17 – “make a trade of the Word of God”). This, of course, was something that Paul decried, and these things became the cause of their dislike of him. With him being incarcerated, they sought to take advantage of the situation—but their motives were ulterior.
Certain aspects of Paul’s doctrine are still unpopular among Christians today. Christendom flatly rejects much of his teaching regarding Church doctrine and practise. For instance, the mass in the Christian profession do not accept what he teaches concerning the sovereign leading of the Holy Spirit in the assembly in worship and ministry, and have introduced clericalism (the clergy/laity system) in place of it. Also, Christendom generally rejects what Paul teaches concerning Christian worship being that which does not need the Judaic practice of musical instruments, choirs, etc. Further to this, what Paul teaches concerning the sister’s place in the Church—being that which does not involve public preaching, teaching, and administration—is also rejected by the mass: Also, his teaching on the use of head-coverings, etc. Space forbids us from giving a complete list here.
The ill motives of these preachers serve to show us that Christian service can be carried on in the energy of the flesh, motivated by greed, envy, and glory-seeking. Since there is this sad possibility with every one of us, we must judge ourselves and keep humble in the Lord’s service, because our motives will one day be reviewed at the judgment seat of Christ (1 Cor. 4:5).
Vs. 17—On the happy side, many brethren had been rightly stirred up by Paul’s captivity. They preached Christ “of love,” which is the right motive to have toward God and toward lost souls. Hearing of Paul’s example of being “set for the defence of the gospel,” they took courage and were moved to a fuller trust in the Lord, and consequently, stepped out fearlessly to preach the gospel. This must have been encouraging and inspiring for the Philippians to hear.
Vs. 18—Paul says, “What then? Notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.” Impure motives and fleshly methods may have been employed by some who were preaching the gospel, but Paul was content to leave it all with the Lord. The gospel testimony was abounding; that was the important thing. The gospel may not have been on their hearts, but it was on their lips, and since Christ was being preached, Paul could rejoice. We see from this that he had no animosity toward these preachers. Far from being jealous or critical of these men who were intent on stirring up trouble for him, he is gracious; there is no trace of irritation or bitterness in his spirit. Whether the motives for preaching were false or pure, Christ was being proclaimed, and his heart was filled with joy. He says, “I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.”
We need to have this same attitude toward those in Christendom who preach with what seems to be impure motives. It may be that they serve with motives of greed, envy, and glory-seeking—or perhaps, they announce a faulty or incomplete message in the gospel. We may not feel that we can join them in their work, but we can pray that the Word preached will be multiplied in God’s hand and bear fruit in souls being saved. Let us, like Paul, rejoice that Christ is being preached and souls are being blessed.
Practical Salvation Resulting in Coming Glory
Vs. 19—Paul says, “For I know that this shall turn out for me to salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” Through the prayers of the saints and the help of the Holy Spirit, he was confident that he would get “salvation.” He couldn’t have been referring to the salvation of his soul from the penalty of his sins (Acts 16:31; 2 Tim. 1:9; 1 Peter 1:9, etc.), because he had already been saved eternally in that way. Moreover, the salvation of our souls does not depend upon the prayers of the saints or on some work of the Spirit done for us in the future—it is a present possession of the believer.
What salvation could Paul be referring to here? To answer this, we need to understand that salvation is a large, all-inclusive term in Scripture that embraces many aspects of deliverance—from salvation from the penalty of our sins, right through to our glorification, when the Lord comes. It is a mistake, therefore, to think that when the words "saved" or "salvation" appear in Scripture that it is always referring to deliverance from eternal judgment as announced in the gospel. Since there are many aspects of salvation, it is equally true to say, "I have been saved, I am being saved, and I will be saved." W. Kelly remarked, “If you try to make out that there is only one meaning of salvation in the New Testament, you are in a difficulty indeed; and you will find that there is no possibility of making the passages square. In fact, nothing is more certain and easy to ascertain, than that salvation in the New Testament is more frequently spoken of as a process incomplete as yet, a thing not finished, than as a completed end” (Lectures on Philippians, p. 43). This comment by Mr. Kelly is significant. It means that when we come across the words “saved” and “salvation” in the New Testament, more often than not, it is not referring to the salvation of our souls from the penalty of our sins! Such is the case throughout the epistle to the Philippians.
Since Paul already had a saved soul through receiving Christ as his Saviour (Acts 9), he was obviously referring to a different aspect of salvation here. Commenting on this verse, W. Potter said, “Then we have the word ‘salvation.’ We get it several times in this epistle. It is always in connection with our circumstances, and not our souls” (Gathering up the Fragments, p. 155). The context suggests that “this” in verse 19 refers to the fleshly contention of those who were opposed to him, mentioned in the previous verses. He expected to be saved in a practical sense from their evil designs to malign and hurt him, and counted on the prayers of the saints and the power of the Spirit for this deliverance. Thus, the salvation that he had before him was the complete deliverance from everything that he might encounter in life that would hinder Christ from being magnified in his body.
Some have thought that the “salvation” which Paul was speaking of here was his release from captivity. But it couldn’t be that because He speaks of salvation as something that he was sure to get, whereas in the next couple of verses he speaks of his release as being something that he was unsure of. There was a very real possibility of him dying as a martyr at the hands of the Romans. Furthermore, in the state of soul in which Paul is seen in this epistle, it would be out of character for him to be wanting a change in his circumstances. Throughout the epistle, he is seen in a state of contentment as to what God had allowed in his life (chap. 4:11).
Vs. 20—This practical “salvation” would include victory over the enemy’s attempt to cause Paul’s faith to break down and fail when tested. Hence, he adds, “According to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed.” It would have been a great triumph for Satan if he could get the greatest proponent of the Christian gospel to capitulate when his ultimate test came before the Roman tribunal. Hence, Paul’s earnest expectation and hope was that when that test came, he would have the grace not to renounce Christ: And, if it meant being killed for his testimony of Christ that he would die faithfully for the glory of God as a righteous martyr. Stephen (the first Christian martyr), whose steadfast testimony Paul had witnessed firsthand, was his great example (Acts 7). If he recanted at that crucial moment, he would surely be “ashamed” in the coming day of manifestation when the results of our lives will be on display.
He concludes by saying, “But that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.” Thus, he desired, as God gave him the grace, to continue to the end of his life with a bold and steadfast testimony for Christ. Whether he would be released or he would die as a martyr didn’t really matter to him. What did matter, and what he did care about, was that Christ would be “magnified” in his body. To magnify Christ “by life” is to cause Him to be esteemed and praised by others through our testimony of Him in life. To magnify Christ “by death” is to cause Him to be esteemed and praised by others by standing firm to our confession of faith and not recanting when threatened with the sword. People who witness such a confession will see that Christ is truly precious to us (1 Peter 2:7)—precious enough to even die for! This testimony, under the power of the Holy Spirit, will turn sinners to Christ because they will want what we have.
Vs. 21—Paul then states the grand principle of his existence: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” He did not live for money, fame, or pleasure; those things were not his object. He had but one ambition—that Christ would be magnified in his body, whether by life or by death. In speaking of life and death in this way, we see that Paul had learned to view things from God’s side. He understood that what pertained to God’s glory in Christ was the important thing in life. What concerned him was not what would be best for Paul, but what would be best for the interests of Christ—that’s what mattered to him. We see in this the utter absence of self-seeking. He was a man who was finished with himself. Self and selfish ambitions had been judged and were out of the picture (chap. 3:4-8), and he was glad that they were! With self out of the way, he saw things in life clearly—everything must center around Christ. What a wonderful state to reach in Christian experience! Let us remember that this is normal Christianity.
Stating that death for a Christian is a “gain” proves that the doctrine of “soul-sleep,” as taught in some circles, couldn’t be correct. It is said that the souls and spirits of the deceased go immediately into a state of unconsciousness wherein they don’t know or feel anything—Job 14:21, Psalm 115:17, and Ecclesiastes 9:5, are wrongly used to support this false idea. (These Scriptures speak of the dead not being aware of things that transpire on earth after they die, simply because they are not here to take account of them; they do not refer to a state of unconsciousness.) If a state of unconsciousness were the portion of the dead, then death could not be called a gain. Paul, for example, lived in happy communion with the Lord; if death were to take him, and he passed into a state of unconsciousness, it would be a huge loss to him. He would lose his happy enjoyment of fellowship with the Lord! Quite to the contrary, Paul says that death brings the believer into a new level of enjoyment of fellowship with the Lord, which he says is “very far better” than anything he could ever experience while here on earth in his body (vs. 23).
Vss. 22-23—Paul then turns to speak of his future. As mentioned already, he faced two outcomes—to be released from captivity, or to die as a martyr at the hand of the Romans. He says, “But if to live in flesh is my lot, this is for me worth the while: and what I shall choose I know not. But I am pressed by both [in a strait betwixt two], having the desire for departure and being with Christ, for it is very far better” (W. Kelly Translation). Thus, Paul was in sort of a dilemma; he wanted both things. But being in such a state of selflessness as he was, he was without a will in the matter, and thus he was content to leave the choice to the Lord. His life could be summed up as being filled with the service of the Lord, and death was simply that which would bring him into a fuller enjoyment of the Lord. To remain alive meant living for Christ, to die meant being with Christ.
There are four main passages in the New Testament that refer to the happy state of departed believers. (See Collected Writings of J. N. Darby, vol. 2, p. 293). These are:
• Luke 23:43—“with Me in paradise.”
• Acts 7:59—the spirit and soul are “received” by the Lord.
• 2 Corinthians 5:8—“present with the Lord.”
• Philippians 1:23—“with Christ, which is very far better.”
Note: in connection with this happy state of departed believers, Paul doesn’t just say that it is “far better,” as rendered in the KJV, but “very far better,” as in the W. Kelly Translation, or “very much better,” as in the J. N. Darby Translation. Note also, in establishing the fact that the state of departed believers is better than anything that we could experience while here on earth in our bodies, he is careful not to say that it is the best. This is because it is indeed better, but it is not the best. There is something awaiting the believer that is even greater than departing to be with Christ through death—it is to be with and like Christ in the glorified state (Phil. 3:21). This is the best of all! This, as we know, does not occur until the Lord calls us home at the Rapture, at which time the dead in Christ and the living saints will be glorified together (1 Thess. 4:16-17; Heb. 11:40).
“To depart to be with Christ” is a statement that refers to the intermediate or “unclothed” state of departed believers (2 Cor. 5:4); it is not speaking of their final condition of glory. Many have misunderstood this and have thought that it is referring to the believer’s departure to be with the Lord at His coming (the Rapture). But the subject here is clearly being with the Lord through death, not the Rapture. Thus, the departed saints are presently “with Christ,” but they are not in glory yet. This may sound strange to some who have the mistaken idea that glory is synonymous with heaven—an old Reformers idea. To them, it sounds like we are saying that the deceased saints are not in heaven. However, glory in reference to believers is a condition (1 Cor. 15:43, etc.), not a place in heaven where believers go when they die. The departed saints are with Christ in paradise, in heaven, in a state of indescribable bliss, but they are not in glory—that is, they are not glorified yet. That condition awaits their resurrection. J. N. Darby said, "The intermediate state, then, is not glory (for that we must wait for the body. It is raised in glory; He shall change our bodies, and fashion them like His glorious body)" (Collected Writings, vol. 31, p. 185).
Vss. 24-26— Paul recognized that remaining on earth would be more beneficial for the spiritual progress of the saints, and in the most unselfish way, says, “But remaining in the flesh is more necessary for your sakes; and having confidence of this, I know that I shall remain and abide with you all, for your progress and joy in faith; that your boasting [rejoicing] may abound in Christ Jesus through me by my presence again with you.” We cannot but be impressed with this. He did not think of his own comfort and what he would prefer, but of what would be the best for the cause of Christ in this world and the spiritual progress of the saints. This, again, is a normal Christian state.
Paul’s Exhortations to Unity in Gospel Testimony
Vss. 27-28—We now come to Paul’s exhortations. He had special concerns as to the dangers that the Philippians were facing and exhorts them to that end. First, and foremost, he insists that they conduct themselves in a worthy manner that would commend the gospel to the lost. There is no better way to do this than to have believers walk together in happy fellowship. He says, “Only conduct yourselves worthily of the glad tidings of the Christ, in order that whether coming and seeing you, or absent, I may hear of what concerns you, that ye stand firm in one spirit, with one soul, labouring [striving] together in the same conflict with the faith of the glad tidings” (vs. 27). Thus, it was imperative that they stand together, shoulder to shoulder, in happy unity before the world.
Paul desired to know the affairs of the Philippians, and told them that the report he was hoping to hear was that they were standing fast “together” in the gospel with “one spirit” and “one mind.” He mentions this because he knew that there was dissension growing in their midst, revolving around two sisters who were not getting along (chap. 4:2). He also knew that Satan would make use of something as simple as that to divide the assembly at Philippi, if he could. And this, in turn, would hinder the gospel testimony in that area. There could hardly be anything more damaging to the gospel testimony toward them who are without than strife and contention among those within the Christian ranks. If the world sees that we can’t agree on things among ourselves, how can we expect them to receive the things that we preach?
Paul also knew that walking together in a unified testimony would draw out fierce opposition to the gospel, and persecution would result. He, therefore, says that he hoped that the report he was expecting to hear of them would include the fact that in spite of the opposition, they remained unafraid of their adversaries, and consequently, were continuing on with a bold confession of Christ. He says, “And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition [destruction], but to you of salvation, and that of God” (vs. 28). The very fact that Paul calls the opposers of the gospel “adversaries” is a proof that “destruction” will be their deserved portion when judgment is meted out by the Lord. But for believers, it will be quite the opposite; the Lord’s intervention will be for our “salvation.” This is a future aspect of salvation which believers look forward to, when they will be taken out of this world altogether at the Rapture. Again, as in verse 19, Paul couldn’t have been referring to the salvation of our souls from the penalty of our sins here, because we have that already when we received Christ as our Saviour.
Suffering For Christ
Vs. 29—It is an old tactic of the enemy to discourage believers from bearing witness for Christ by threats of violence. Paul reminds the Philippians that if persecution was their lot, they needed to remember that all such suffering is really a privilege that has been “given” to us to bear for Christ, and it should be viewed as an honour. He said, “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” Our example is the apostles themselves (Acts 5:40-41). Every Christian needs to understand that suffering reproach and persecution is normal to Christianity. We cannot really escape it and still remain faithful to the Lord (2 Tim. 3:12).
Suffering “for” Christ has to do with bearing reproach and persecution on account of confessing Christ among men. There is a type of this kind of suffering in the story of David and Jonathan. David is a type of Christ and Jonathan is a type of the believer. When Jonathan identified himself publicly with David, Saul and those who followed him were infuriated, and Saul even threw a javelin at Jonathan—his own son! (1 Sam. 20:30-34) Suffering for Christ is an elective thing. That is, we can choose to avoid it if we wish, by simply refusing to confess Christ before men.
Suffering “with” Christ is a different thing (Rom. 8:17). It is unavoidable. It has to do with the believer having a divine nature through new birth and the indwelling “Spirit of Christ” (Rom. 8:9). The Spirit of Christ is a special function of the Holy Spirit which forms the feelings and sympathies of Christ in the believer. As the Lord looks out over this scene where sin has had its sad effects, He suffers in sympathy with His creatures which are suffering under the bondage of corruption. As “sons of God” and “children of God,” we are vessels of the sympathies of God (Rom. 8:14-18). Having a link in our bodies to the suffering creation and having the Spirit in us, when we see one of God’s creatures suffer, in our little measure, we suffer "with" Christ sympathetically. Since all believers have the Spirit of Christ in them, all believers, more or less, suffer in this way.
Vs. 30—While we wait for the Lord to come, it is our privilege to serve Him by witnessing for Him and spreading the Christian revelation of truth to all who will receive it. In using the words “striving” and “conflict” in this connection, Paul was not implying that we should argue and fight with those who oppose the truth. Our conflict is a spiritual thing, wherein we combat spiritual foes who have confused men’s minds with false ideas, by patiently teaching the truth to them (2 Cor. 10:4-5; Col. 1:29–2:1). There is simply no place for fleshly arguments in the work of the Lord (2 Tim. 2:14). All such activity only spoils the gospel testimony. But when serving rightly under the Lordship of Christ, we will be engaged in the same spiritual conflict that Paul was engaged in, and we will share in the same rewards in a day to come.
In summary of chapter 1, we have seen a man (Paul) who has weighed life on God’s scale, and he has rightly concluded that living for the cause of Christ is the only thing that is worth living for—and in living for Christ, he has found it to be the key to a happy, fruitful life.
Christ — The Pattern for the Christian Life: Philippians 2
Chapter 2
The enemy (Satan) was not only trying to destroy the testimony of the Philippians in that region through persecution from adversaries outside the Christian company (chap. 1), but he was also trying to destroy their testimony by stirring up dissension within the Christian company (chap. 2). Our adversary has had great success on these lines throughout the history of the Church. What persecution has not accomplished, internal dissension most surely has.
As a result of the enemy’s work within the Christian ranks, the Church has become divided on everything in principle and in practice—to the point where its public testimony has been shattered into a thousand pieces! There now exists a wide range of denominations and non-denominational Christian fellowships that are as different as “chalk and cheese.” It hardly needs to be said that this is not at all what God intended for the Church during the time of Christ’s absence. The Lord prayed that we would live and move together as “one” (John 17:11, 21, 23). He wants Christians to walk together in practical unity, even though they are spread all over the whole world, and thus express the truth of the “one body” of Christ (Eph. 4:2-4). Sad to say, our divided state has rendered to the world a distorted view of the gospel and the Christian revelation of truth. Unbelievers look at the Church as it exists today and are thoroughly confused.
We might ask, “How did all this start?” In many cases, it has resulted from Christians not being of “one spirit” and of “one mind,” as Paul insists on in this epistle (chap. 1:27; 2:2; 3:16; 4:2). Satan has made use of seemingly small disagreements and has stirred up the flesh in believers to take opposing positions on matters of doctrine and practice, and these differences have become so deeply ensconced in each that they have become irreconcilable. The current state of the Church today with all of its many divisions has been the result. The sad thing is that Satan is still working to shatter the Church even further. He has designs on every Christian fellowship, from the mega-church in a large metropolis to the seemingly insignificant little gospel hall or chapel in the countryside. His objective is to smash to pieces every testimony for Christ. Being aware of Satan’s attacks (2 Cor. 2:11), Paul gives the Philippians the divine remedy for the salvation of the assembly from the inroads of the enemy in this second chapter. Since Satan is still working to this end, what is laid out here has an important application to Christian assemblies today.
Paul alluded to the need for unity in the Christian ranks in chapter 1:27, but now launches into a lengthy dissertation on the cause and cure for contention among Christians. If the things that he is about to present are taken seriously and applied practically, the enemy would be thwarted in his attempt to destroy Christian assemblies today.
An Exhortation to Unity in Assembly Life
Vss. 1-2—In this chapter, Paul is about to exhort the Philippians to walk in practical unity (vs. 2). He is also going to tell them that this can only be achieved through each having a lowly mind (vss. 3-4). Furthermore, he will show them that that which produces humility and lowliness of mind in believers is having our attention focused on the humility of Christ, who is the pattern for lowly grace (vss. 5-8). But before Paul speaks of these things, he points to the fact that the grace needed to walk in practical unity had already been produced in the Philippians (vs. 1). The evidence of this was the love and kindness that they had freely poured out on him, in thinking of him in his need and sending a gift from so far. Paul alludes to this demonstration of grace and kindness in mentioning their “comfort in Christ,” their “consolation of love,” their “fellowship of the Spirit,” and their “bowels and compassions.” All this had been lavished upon him (vs. 1). The “if” used in the opening verse is an “if” of argument, not an “if” of condition. (See page 11.) It does not imply that there might not have been consolation in Christ, etc. The word is used here in the sense of “since.” Paul was building an argument; he was saying that since God had produced these wonderful feelings and sympathies in them toward him, he knew that they were capable of showing them to others—and particularly, to one another, which is what he really had in mind. This being the case, he says, “Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (vs. 2). It is as if he was saying, “You have shown a lot of kindness, love, and sympathy toward me, and I really appreciate it. But if you really want to make me happy and fulfill my joy, show that same grace which you have lavished on me to one another.” When such a condition is existing among believers, there will be a happy, cohesive unity which the enemy will not be able to spoil.
It seems that while the Philippians were quite free and willing to show grace and kindness to Paul, they were not so diligent in expressing it toward one another. Have we not witnessed this in Christian assemblies in our day? A traveling (“labouring”) brother comes through town, and the saints rally with a remarkable display of love and kindness toward him—in everything from delicious food to a monetary gift. But when it comes to each other, they fail to manifest that same degree of love and hospitality.
We can see from what Paul says in verse 2 concerning being “likeminded [think the same thing]” and being of “one mind [thinking one thing]” that contention often begins with brethren having different thoughts and opinions on things (1 Cor. 1:10-11). Oftentimes this comes from believers not having a proper understanding of certain principles in connection with an issue at hand, and through ignorance, they take a position on the matter that others with a fuller understanding of divine principles see to be a mistake. Then when pride gets involved, people tend to “dig in” and hold their position tenaciously, and an impasse results.
The Formula For Unity
Vss. 3-4—This could be avoided if each person in the assembly followed Paul’s word here: “Let nothing be done through [in the spirit of] strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem [the] other better [more excellent] than themselves.” In this statement, he mentions two great things that destroy assemblies from within—“strife” and “vainglory.” Strife is quarrelling and bickering, and vainglory is self-importance, or thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. Pride is behind both (Prov. 28:25; Rom. 12:3). H. Smith said, “Nearly all the discord among believers can be traced back to an unjudged vanity and self-importance of the flesh that ever seeks to be prominent and accounted great” (The Epistles of Peter, p. 21). Paul deals with strife in chapter 2 and vainglory in chapter 3. While we fully expect to see such fleshly activity in worldly circles, let us not be so naive as to think that it would only be found there. It can also be present among Christians—even the Lord’s servants, as chapter 1:15-16 indicates. In fact, in the spiritual realm, these things take on the subtlest forms. We can cloak our malice in what may look like godly concern.
Paul says that the great safeguard against these things is for each one in the assembly to walk with “lowliness of mind” and to genuinely consider his brethren as being “better [more excellent]” than himself. (This is not referring to the sphere of gift, but to moral excellence. For instance, a gifted evangelist is not being asked to imagine that a brother—who clearly does not have a gift for preaching—is a “better” preacher than he is. This simply would not be true. Paul is speaking of the moral “qualities” that God has formed in His people.)
The repeated use of the words “each” (J. N. Darby Trans.) and “everyman” (the KJV) in verses 3-4 indicate that there must be participation on the part of each person in the assembly—both the brothers and the sisters. If there is but one person who is not walking in self-judgment and lowliness, he or she could be the catalyst that Satan is looking for to stir up strife. A brother once said, “In every assembly there is ‘nitro’ and there is ‘glycerin;’ it only takes a spark to fly between the two and there will be an explosion!” Since we all have the flesh in us, we are all capable of causing that fateful spark to fly. The kind of unity that Paul is encouraging here is not a mere human arrangement whereby certain things are agreed upon to keep peace. We see this in the world—in business, politics, etc. Divine unity, on the other hand, results from true lowliness of mind.
Adding to his foregoing remark, Paul says, “Look not every man on his own things [advantages], but every man also on the things [advantages] of others” (J. N. Darby Trans. footnote). This shows that we need to have the mindset that considers not what would be the most advantageous to us, but what would be the most advantageous to others. Having a “me-first,” egotistical attitude in the assembly will surely cause friction and trouble (3 John 9). It is certainly not following after things which make for peace (Rom. 14:19).
The Pattern For Lowliness—the Condescension of Christ
Vss. 5-8—Paul proceeds to tell us how true lowliness of mind is produced—it is by meditating on the lowliness of Christ Jesus. He says, “Let this mind be in [found amongst] you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery [did not esteem it an object of rapine] to be equal with God: but made [emptied] Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made [taking His place] in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion [a figure of] as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” In these verses we have the whole course of the life of the Lord Jesus, from heaven’s heights of glory to Calvary’s depths of shame.
The great point to see in this passage is that the Lord humbled Himself and took this path voluntarily! It’s true that He came in obedience to God who sent Him, but that is not the side of things being emphasized here. It is rather, His personal willingness to go down in humble service for others. He is the supreme example of humility and selflessness. The Lord Himself said, “Learn from Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matt. 11:29).
By saying, “Let this mind be in [found amongst] you,” Paul is saying that if that same attitude (or whole way of thinking) which was in Christ was “among” the saints, it would cure any tendency toward strife and contention. The word “let” is a characteristic word in the epistles used in connection with Christian exhortations. It implies that we possess a new nature (received through new birth) that desires to do the will of God, and also that we have the Holy Spirit in us who leads us after those desires. Our part is to “let” the new life and the indwelling Spirit do the will of God through us, and not to hinder that spiritual activity.
Note: Paul does not begin by speaking of actions, but with the source of all actions—our thinking. This is where things need to be right; all right actions flow from right thinking. How then should we think? We need to think like Christ, emulating His lowly “mind.”
Seven Downward Steps
Paul traces seven downward steps which the Lord took in His great condescension:
1) “Did not esteem it an object of rapine to be on an equality with God.”
He, as “subsisting in the form of God, did not esteem it an object of rapine to be on an equality with God.” This is a declaration of Christ’s true deity. The word “form” used in this passage is an old English word that refers to the integral matter or substance of a thing. The modern sense and usage of the word conveys a different idea. A person might be led to think that the Lord Jesus was a mere outline of God, or that He resembled God. This is not at all what Paul is saying. The Lord Jesus didn’t just resemble God—He is God! (John 1:1) Paul’s point here is that since Christ is God and shared equally in the Godhead, He did not “esteem” (consider) the glory of it to be “an object of rapine”—something to be grasped at and held on to at all cost. Thus, He was willing to relinquish what rightfully belonged to Him as God to come down to be our Saviour. This is a fact of incredible humility.
2) He “emptied Himself”
Not only was He willing to step down to reach us in our need, but He proved it by emptying Himself. Of what did He empty Himself? It was certainly not His “form” of God—His deity. (If He emptied Himself of His deity, He would cease to be God, which is impossible!) All reliable Bible teachers agree that the Lord divested Himself of His outward glory as God—the outward insignia of His Godhead deity. For example, J. N. Darby said, “Christ...emptied Himself through love, of all His outward glory” (Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, Loizeaux edition, on Philippians 2, p. 501).
It is important to understand that in emptying Himself of His outward glory, He did not cease to be all that He was as God. Similarly, a five-star general may go home at the end of a day and take off his uniform, which identifies him as such, and lay it on a chair. In doing so, he has removed the outward insignia of that distinguished position—but he is still a five-star general! Thus, the Lord laid His glory by, but not His deity. It was the glory of His positional equality with God that he emptied Himself of, not His personal equality with God. He “sold all that He had” (Matt. 13:46). This involved giving up His Godhead rights and prerogative to act as God, though He was God. This is an amazing demonstration of humility.
3) “Taking a bondman’s form”
In taking manhood into union with His person and becoming a Man (incarnation), the Lord stepped down into the place of His creatures, though He Himself was not a creature. In doing so, He veiled His deity in human flesh (John 1:14; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 10:20). As in verse 6, the word “form” here does not mean a mere outline, but the integral part and substance of a thing. Thus, while remaining to be God fully, He became a real Man—and that fully, having a human spirit, a human soul, and a human body. This union of His divine nature and His human nature is inscrutable (Matt. 11:27).
This step down involved accepting creature limitations that go with manhood. As such, He placed Himself under the authority of God as a “Bondman.” This was a new thing for Him, for He had never been in a place of subjection before; in eternity past, He was the Commander of everything in the universe! Thus, He had never known what it was to be obedient, and therefore, He “learned obedience” by His experience in being a Man (Heb. 5:8). This does not mean that He went through a process of trial and error in His learning experience, but rather, that He learned by experience what it was like to obey. Unlike other men, His obedience was perfect; there was no trial and error in it.
Being who He was, when the Lord became a Man, He could have stepped into any walk of life that He chose. He could have taken the form of a great king or an emperor, and surrounded Himself in wealth and opulence, but no, by His own act of humility, He took a bondservant’s place! Thus, He did not come to have others serve Him; He came to serve others (Matt. 20:28). He was here entirely to do His Father’s will (Psa. 40:8; Matt. 26:39). Someone once said, “Selfishness likes to be served, but love likes to serve.” This is what characterized the Lord’s life (Acts 20:35). Again, what incredible humility from such a great Person!
4) “Taking His place in the likeness of men”
This does not mean that the Lord merely looked like a man. He was “in the likeness of man” because He was a real Man. Outwardly He looked no different from any other man. He didn’t stand out among His disciples. In fact, when they came to arrest Him, Judas had to identify Him with kisses—a proof that He didn’t have a halo. However, while He was like any other man physically, He was not like any other man morally, because He didn’t have a fallen sin-nature that all other men have. His nature was holy (Luke 1:35). Therefore, He “knew no sin,” He “did no sin,” and “in Him was no sin” (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 3:4).
5) “Having been found in fashion [figure] as a Man, He humbled Himself”
As God He emptied Himself, but as Man He humbled Himself. “Humbled” is in the aorist tense in the Greek text here, meaning that it was a once-for-all thing in His life. Thus, this statement is not touching on any particular act of humility, but rather is describing the sum of His whole life as a Man. The more He humbled Himself, the more He was trampled on. His response was simply to go lower. His mind was always that of self-abnegation.
6) “Becoming obedient unto death”
This shows that there was no depth to which the Lord would not go in His condescension. It is not that He obeyed death; it had no dominion over Him, for He was immortal. He obeyed God and His obedience led Him all the way down to the point of death. He would rather die than disobey (Heb. 12:4).
Note: Paul is not speaking here of what the Lord accomplished in death to make atonement for our sins. He is setting Christ before us as our great Example to follow; we could never follow Him in what He did as the Sin-bearer in making expiation for sin. It is His humiliation that is before us, not His work of atonement.
7) “And that the death of the cross”
This step took Christ to the lowest point of His condescension. We may have thought that it would have been enough that He should die, but to die a death of shame on the cross is quite incredible. He was wrongly accused of evildoing and condemned to death (Matt. 26:59-66). He was then stripped naked (Psa. 22:17-18), nailed to a Roman cross (Psa. 22:16), and left to die (Psa. 22:19-21a). There could be nothing more humiliating.
The Lord could have died in some other way wherein His dignity would have been preserved, and there would be honour and glory connected with it before the world. He could have gone up to the top of a mountain in the sight of a great crowd, and waved to the people as a hero would do, and then triumphantly laid down and died on an altar especially prepared for that purpose. The people would have applauded the sight of such a sacrifice. But no, He died in “weakness” (2 Cor. 13:4) and in “shame” (Heb. 12:2) in the place of a criminal! (Luke 23:32-33) This is the ultimate example of humility. He was willing to abase Himself to such a degree that He would die naked upon a cross, and this so that He could be a blessing to others!
We wonder at Thy lowly mind,
And fain would like Thee be,
And all our rest and pleasure find
In learning, Lord, of Thee.
L. F. #230
Again, the great point to see in these verses is that the Lord took these downward steps willingly. He did it of His own accord—voluntarily! Paul has set Him before us as our great pattern of humility. In Christ’s example, we have the secret of deliverance from all egotism and fleshly strivings which cause disunity in the assembly. If His unselfish attitude was “among” the saints, and each did not think so much of himself that he had to hold on to his place or position in the assembly at all costs, but willingly took the low place, strife and contention would never get started. The “mind” (attitude) of Christ is in direct contrast to the spirit of self-importance that is evident among men everywhere. He went down, down, down. Are we willing to do this? Putting it into context with what has been before us in Christ’s example, if we were willing to go so far as to die for our brethren, it is unlikely that we would be found quarrelling with them!
Years ago, there was a narrow trail cut out of a cliff in the high Andes mountains which travellers would use to cross from one region to another. In many places it was just wide enough for one person to pass at a time. One day, a man with his loaded pack-mule was on the path, and turned a corner only to find another man with his fully loaded mule looking at him in the face! There was plainly not enough room for the mules to pass. The men discussed the situation. But while they were discussing it, the mules figured it out on their own. One got down on its knees and went as close as possible to the mountain, and the other stepped over it! Solving an impasse among brethren is really that simple. If it occurs, we need to be the first to go down and take the low place, and let the others step over us.
The Exaltation of Christ
Vss. 9-11—We now have God’s response to the great condescension of Christ—His exaltation. It seems as though Paul was in a hurry to get to this. He didn’t want to end on the sad note of Christ’s death of shame, and therefore, hurries to complete the subject with God’s glorious exaltation of His Son. He says, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth [infernal beings]; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Thus, we have two extremes—extreme humiliation answered by extreme exaltation. Christ’s exaltation is the fulfilment of Psalm 110:1: “Sit Thou on My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool.” Philippians 2:9-11 does not view the Lord exalted to that place on account of what He accomplished in atonement, because that is not the subject of the passage. Hebrews 10:12-13 focuses on that side of His exaltation. Rather, Christ is seen here exalted on high as God’s sign of approval of His great humility and obedience unto death. Christ sits there rightly on account of His equality with God. His Manhood name (“Jesus”) is used to emphasize the fact that He is there as a glorified Man. “A name which is above every name” does not refer to any particular name of the Lord, but rather means to have been given the highest place in heaven.
Paul speaks of three spheres of beings that will acknowledge Christ’s authority—“things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth [infernal beings].” Those “under the earth” are not a race of subterranean beings, but “infernal” beings. These are unrepentant men and fallen angels under damnation. They were not infernal when God created them but became that through rebellion. (Revelation 5:13 speaks of creatures “under the earth,” but this refers to creatures that live below the crust of the earth, such as moles, worms, etc.) The point Paul is making in mentioning these three spheres of beings is that Christ, whose authority was despised by men when He was on earth, will one day have all creatures bow the knee to Him (Isa. 45:23). There will be a complete reversal. They will bow to Him as a glorified Man!
In saying that “every knee should bow” and “every tongue confess,” Paul did not mean that all God’s creatures will eventually be saved. This is an erroneous doctrine known as Universalism. Subjugation is one thing and reconciliation is another. When reconciliation is in view, he speaks of two spheres only—heaven and earth (Col. 1:20). But when subjugation is in view, three are mentioned—the third being “infernal beings.” These lost souls will never be reconciled.
The great thing we are to learn from this passage having to do with Christ’s exaltation is that true humility will have a divine compensation. The Lord Himself taught: “Everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 18:14). God takes note of everything that His people do in humbling themselves on behalf of others. It will not be forgotten, and all such will have a reward in “that day” of coming manifestation (2 Tim. 1:12). The Apostle Peter said, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6).
The Practical Salvation of the Assembly
Vss. 12-14—Paul then turns to the practical application of these things among the Philippians. As mentioned, the enemy (Satan) had set his sights on the assembly there and was intent on destroying it through internal strife. Paul, therefore, says, “My beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings.” The assembly at Philippi needed to be saved from the evil designs of the enemy. Paul had given them the remedy in Christ’s condescension; now, with God’s help, each of them were to imitate Christ’s example of lowliness and thereby “work out” a practical “salvation” from the internal struggles they were facing. Since Paul was far away in prison, he couldn’t be there to help them, and that meant they couldn’t look to him for deliverance. They had to look to the Lord and find a godly solution among themselves for what was threatening the unity of the assembly. It was a thing that they were to do as an assembly, for the pronoun “you” is collective. Paul was confident that they would do this because he knew that God was working in them “to will and to do” what was pleasing in His sight.
We might be inclined to think that it was a pity that Paul could not have been there to help. But herein is the wisdom of God. The saints tend to lean too much on leaders and gifted men. As a result, they become dependent on them, and this can become detrimental to their spiritual development. It may be one reason why God occasionally takes away a gifted man, either through death or by the man moving to a different locality. Without Paul there at Philippi, the brethren were cast on the Lord. This is always a healthy exercise. Having an apostle present was surely a benefit to the saints (chap. 1:24), but God intended that those official offices in the Church would be phased out after the first century. After the Church was given the New Testament Scriptures, the saints were expected to have developed spiritually, enough so that they would look directly to the Head of the Church, rather than lean upon apostles, ordained elders, etc.
Regarding the “salvation” in view here, it is commonly thought that Paul was telling the Philippians that they needed to get the salvation of their souls from the penalty of their sins (which they received through believing on the Lord Jesus) worked out into their lives practically as an evidence that they were truly saved. Then people would see that they were real Christians. While this is certainly a thing to be desired, it is not what Paul was saying here. This misunderstanding comes from people trying to force one meaning of salvation into every passage of Scripture that mentions salvation. As noted in chapter 1:19, Mr. Kelly said that most of the references having to do with salvation in the New Testament do not refer to that eternal aspect presented in the gospel. The aspect of salvation in view in each passage, therefore, must be determined by the context.
An article in the periodical, Precious Things, explains the meaning of “salvation” in this 12th verse: "This verse has often been misconstrued as though it said, work for salvation, whereas what it does say is ‘work out.’ I think the verse refers to the difficulties which were present in the company at Philippi, rather than what is individual. It has been pointed out that the verb is in the plural, and when he says ‘your’ he apparently has in mind the difficulties in the assembly locally.....Salvation as referred to in this passage is not the salvation of the soul, which is obtained through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ; it is daily salvation in regard to the many difficulties which beset us in our pathway. It is becoming more obvious as we pursue this epistle that disunity was marking them, and it is from this they needed to be saved. It seems to suggest that the way of salvation out of the difficulties was for the contending party to go down in relation to self." (Precious Things, vol. 5, pp. 263-264)
H. A. Ironside said, "There is no assembly of saints on earth but will probably, sooner or later, have its internal difficulties, and the advice or command here given [in Philippians 2] applies in just such cases. It is God's way that assemblies should be put right from within, by self-judgment in His presence and submission to His Word....In verses 12-16 we see this working out of assembly salvation practically demonstrated" (Notes on Philippians, pp. 50-52).
W. MacDonald said, "They had been plagued with squabbles and strife. The Apostle had given them the remedy in each having the mind of Christ. Thus they could ‘work out’ their ‘own’ salvation, or solution of their difficulty. The ‘salvation’ spoken of here is not that of the soul, but deliverance from the snares which would hinder the Christian from doing the will of God....Salvation has many different meanings in the New Testament. The meaning in any particular case must be determined in part, at least, by the context. We believe that in this passage, "salvation" means the solution of the problem that was vexing the Philippians, that is, their contentions" (Believer's Bible Commentary, p. 1968).
F. B. Hole said, "Dangers threatened them from without, and there was this subtle danger threatening from dissension within. Let them with redoubled energy seek to have and manifest the mind that was in Christ Jesus: Thus, they would be working out their own salvation from all that threatened" (Philippians, p. 74).
A. M. S. Gooding said, "'Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.' Salvation from what? Salvation from strife, for the furtherance of the gospel is hindered when strife comes in" (The 13 Judges, p. 95).
S. Maxwell said, "The Apostle is rather saying here, I am aware of your internal problems and I have given you an example to follow (2:5-7); now work out your own salvation as an assembly. The Word clearly indicates that they needed to be saved from that which would finally be destructive to the testimony, if they did not move to end their strife" (Philippians, p. 210).
While the Philippians were going on well generally, it is evident that the enemy had been sowing seeds of discord among them, and Paul traced it to two sisters who were not getting along (chap. 4:2). If this was not resolved, the trouble would grow, and the peace and welfare of that assembly would be compromised. It is as though Paul said, "I have given you my exhortation to be of one mind by each esteeming the other better than himself, and I have also given you the perfect example in the humility of the Lord Jesus. Thus, you have the remedy for the problem in your midst, now 'work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” among yourselves. We might ask, “How exactly are we to do this?” A good place to start is to pray for the good and blessing of each brother and sister in the assembly—and especially for those who are difficult to get along with. If an impasse occurs in the assembly, be the first to go down and to acquiesce. If conscience tells us that we have offended, be quick to make an appropriate apology.
We are to do these things with “fear,” because we know that there is an ever-present enemy lurking about, looking to get a foothold somewhere. And also, it is to be done with “trembling,” because we all have the flesh in us, and that means that we could be the one whom the enemy may use to wreck the assembly. (It is certainly not “trembling” in hope of having the eternal salvation of our souls, because that aspect of salvation is not the subject here.) Since the human heart is so deceptive (Jer. 17:9), oftentimes the ones who are used of the enemy in this way, think that they are doing the right thing for God’s glory! Being in such a confused state, it is difficult to convince them otherwise.
The Candlestick Burns More Brightly
Vss. 15-16—This brings us to the conclusion of Paul’s exhortation regarding the practical salvation of the assembly. He says, “That ye may be harmless and simple, irreproachable children of God in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom ye appear as lights in the world, holding forth the Word of life, so as to be a boast for me in Christ’s day, that I have not run in vain nor laboured in vain.” This shows that if the internal problem among the Philippians was rectified, the enemy would be defeated in his attempt to tear that assembly apart. As a result, the Christian testimony in that region would burn more brightly. The Philippian assembly would become a bright and shining testimony in that community, and the gospel would sound out more distinctly and effectively. Thus, judging what is hindering unity within an assembly results in the candlestick burning more brightly. This is illustrated typically in the priests’ responsibility to regularly trim the candlestick in the tabernacle with “the tongs thereof, and the snuff dishes thereof” (Ex. 25:38). These instruments were used to take away the burnt pieces of wick, etc. which hinder the flame from burning as it should. Thus, using the tongs and snuff dishes speaks of self-judgment.
If we want blessing in the gospel and people added to the local assembly, it starts with having a unified testimony toward those in the community. G. Davison said, “The character of the company underlies the holding forth of the Word of life. Whilst gospel preaching in our meeting rooms is an individual exercise, for the assembly does not preach (though it ought to be done in fellowship with the brethren), nevertheless, the preacher will not have much freedom or blessing if he is preaching in the midst of a disunified company. We must remember that those to whom we preach are quite sensible as to whether a right character is seen in the company or in those who preach the gospel.” (Precious Things, vol. 5, p. 267)
He didn’t tell them to try to straighten out this poor old crooked world and set it right, but to “appear as lights” in it. We have the two parts of the Christian’s testimony here. There is our shining as “lights,” which is the testimony rendered by our lives (Matt. 5:14-16), and there is the “holding forth the Word of life,” which is the testimony that we speak in the gospel. The darker the world gets, morally and spiritually, the brighter our testimony should be. “Lights” is in plural, showing that each of us has a responsibly in this testimony.
Paul then speaks of his part in the Philippians’ growth and progress, and anticipated rejoicing in “the day of Christ” (the Millennium) when the results of their faith would be manifested before all, and his labours would be shown to not have been in vain. Clearly, Paul saw their progress as a reflection on his labours with them.
Three Examples of Christ-like Self-Abnegation
Vss. 17-30—In the latter half of chapter 2, the Spirit of God directs our attention to three men (Paul, Timothy, and Epaphroditus) who exhibited the lowly mind of Christ in the circumstances of their lives. It is timely that these three servants would be brought in here, for some might look at the perfect example of Christ in His self-abnegation and be inclined to think that that is an unattainable standard, since He is God manifest in flesh and we are but mere mortals. The Spirit of God seems to anticipate this and turns our attention to “men of like passions” as ourselves (Acts 14:15) and shows that it most surely can be done, if there is godly exercise.
THE EXAMPLE OF PAUL
(Vss. 17-18)—With Paul, we see a living demonstration of his statement: “Let each esteem other better [more excellent] than themselves” (vs. 3). He uses the figure of a drink offering, which he borrows from the Old Testament Levitical system, to illustrate this. A drink offering was a libation that was added to a sacrifice that an offerer brought to God (Ex. 29:40-41). He says, “Yea, and if I be offered [poured out] upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all. For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.” Paul speaks of his service for the Lord as a drink offering being “poured” out over “the sacrifice” of the Philippians—an allusion to their fellowship with the gospel, expressed in the gift they had sent to him. In true humility and self-effacing grace, he sees his life and service as being a minor addition to their sacrifice for the Lord. He maximizes their service and minimizes his own, and thus esteems their sacrifice and service as being “better” and “more excellent” than his.
Gideon did the same with the Ephraimites in Israel’s victory over the Midianites (Judg. 8:1-3). He spoke of the Ephraimites’ part in the battle being like the gleaning of grapes after the harvest (when they pick any remaining grapes from the vines) as being greater than the whole harvest of Abiezer—Gideon’s vintage. In doing this, his “soft answer” turned away their anger (Prov. 15:1).
Since Paul didn’t know how his life would end, he uses the word “if.” It could very well turn out in martyrdom; he did not know. If this was to be his lot, he would be happy for it, and would “rejoice,” because he would depart to be with Christ. He didn’t want the Philippians to look upon it as a tragedy if it were to happen but would have them to “rejoice” with him in it.
THE EXAMPLE OF TIMOTHY
(Vss. 19-24)—With Timothy, we see the exemplification of Paul’s exhortation to be of “one accord, of one mind” (vs. 2). He was “likeminded” with Paul in the service of the Lord (vs. 20). Likeminded means to be united in soul, having the same desires. When it came to all things that pertained to the Lord’s glory, Paul and Timothy were one. This is beautiful to see, for it is not always that way (Acts 15:36-41). He says, “But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state [how ye get on]. For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally [genuinely] care for your state [how ye get on], for all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.”
Timothy was a unique individual and valuable in the work of the Lord. He cared for the state of God’s people, and was willing to lay down his life to help them. This is a mark of a true shepherd. Paul intended to send Timothy to the Philippians, and hoped that he would be able to meld the hearts of the saints together in that assembly, and thus, help them dissipate the growing dissension. Paul gave his commendation of Timothy to the Philippians, stating that they themselves had known “the proof of him” in his ministry, for he had served with Paul in the gospel for about 10 years by that time (vs. 22). Paul had no other servant with him whom he could send to do this work, for the saints generally had become occupied with their own interests in life. Paul reported: “All seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.” The Lord spoke of this as “the cares and riches and pleasures of this life” (Luke 8:14). These things can be used of the enemy to take our focus away from serving the Lord. Timothy was an exception to the norm of the day.
Paul was waiting for the outcome of his appeal to Caesar, and then he would send Timothy to the Philippians (vs. 23). In the meantime, Epaphroditus would be sent with Paul’s letter.
THE EXAMPLE OF EPAPHRODITUS
(vss. 25-30)—With Epaphroditus, we have a living demonstration of Paul’s exhortation: “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (vs. 4). We see the wisdom of God in bringing Epaphroditus in here. The Philippians might have said, “Paul, it’s understandable that you could imitate the grace of Christ—you’re an apostle and Timothy is a special vessel raised up of God. But we are just regular Christians; to ask us to imitate Christ in this way is too high of a standard.” If any were inclined to think this, the Spirit of God brings in Epaphroditus here as another example of one who had the mind of Christ. He was a Philippian whom they knew well. He was a man of no extraordinary gift, yet he clearly exhibited the lowly mind of Christ. This shows us that an average Christian—even a babe in Christ—can do it. A person doesn’t have to be gifted or especially well-taught in the Scriptures to be Christ-like.
Epaphroditus was the “messenger” who carried the gift from the Philippians to Paul (vs. 25). He had become ill on the way. In fact, he nearly died, but God had mercy on him and raised him up to good health again (vs. 27). In carrying out this simple service, we see that he was more interested in helping others than pleasing himself. In this, he imitated the Lord Jesus, for Scripture says, “Christ pleased not Himself” (Rom. 15:3).
Having arrived in Rome with the gift from the Philippians, Epaphroditus was a help to Paul in ministering to his needs (vs. 25). This would be simple tasks that an attendant would do in connection with temporal things. We tend to look at such service as being insignificant, but it is striking and instructive to see how Paul speaks of this lowly messenger. Paul places him on the ground of being equal with himself, calling him a “brother” in the faith, a “fellow-worker” in the gospel, and a “fellow-soldier” in their conflict with spiritual enemies. This shows that Paul didn’t see himself as being better or more important than Epaphroditus. It demonstrates how we are to view one another. If there were more of this grace in our interactions with each other, there would be less friction that ignites contention.
Being such a selfless individual, Epaphroditus was more concerned about the Philippians’ sorrow over him than he was of his own sickness! He was “full of heaviness,” not because he had been sick, but because he had heard that they were sorrowing over him (vs. 26). He didn’t want them to be occupied with himself; all such anxiety would only distract the saints from their occupation with the Lord. Often when we are sick, all we can think of is ourselves, but not Epaphroditus, he was thinking of them, not of himself! He was truly one who looked not on “his own things,” but on “the things of others” (vs. 4). Being ready to return to his home assembly in Philippi, Paul sent along this letter of thanks with him.
Christ — The Prize of the Christian Life: Philippians 3
Chapter 3
Chapter 3 is a parenthesis (J. N. Darby, Notes and Jottings, p. 209). Before continuing his exhortations in connection with unity in the assembly in chapter 4, Paul digresses to speak of the motivating force that carries the Christian along in the path of faith. He explains in this 3rd chapter that what gives the Christian the energy to walk in that path and to do the will of God is having Christ in glory as our sole Object in life.
It is interesting that Paul does not exactly exhort the Philippians to pursue Christ in glory, but rather speaks of it from the perspective of his own experience. He tells them what having Christ as his Object has done in his life and what it was continuing to do on a on-going, daily basis. Thus, all who read this epistle have an opportunity to see what motivated him to live for the cause of Christ. He also tells us that that same energy will be found in us if we are “thus-minded” with him in the pursuit of Christ (vs. 15).
Paul has given us the Pattern for the Christian life in chapter 2—Christ’s lowly pathway in this world. Now, in chapter 3, he points us to the Object of the Christian life—Christ on high in glory. Both of these things are necessary if we are to defeat the enemy in his attempt to destroy the assembly from within. In chapter 2:3, Paul stated that assemblies are wrecked through “strife” and “vainglory.” In chapter 2, he showed us how strife can be conquered—by each in the assembly having a downward mind. Now, in chapter 3, he shows us how vainglory (self-importance) can be conquered—by each in the assembly having an upward mind. Fixing our gaze on the greatness of Christ in glory delivers the soul from all thought of self-importance. Looking at His greatness and glory, we see how very small we really are! Since no flesh can glory in His presence (1 Cor. 1:29), those who spend time there will not be thinking of themselves more highly than they ought to think (Rom. 12:3).
Christ in humiliation and Christ in exaltation are illustrated typically in the Old Testament in two foods that God gave to the children of Israel—the “manna” (Ex. 16) and the “old corn of the land” (Josh. 5:11). The manna came down from heaven and rested on the dew that fell in the wilderness; the people gathered it and ate it. It typifies Christ’s condescension as a lowly Man in this world, as seen in chapter 2 (John 6:31-35, 47-51). By meditating on His lowly pathway, we assimilate His moral perfection, and it produces moral likeness in us. The old corn of the land is what Israel ate after they crossed the Jordan river and entered the land of Canaan. Crossing Jordan typifies the believer’s identification with Christ’s death and resurrection. Canaan typifies the heavenly places where Christ is now, having been raised by God from the dead and seated at His right hand (John 12:24; Eph. 1:20). Thus, eating the old corn speaks of feeding on Christ in meditation as He is now on high as a glorified Man. Christ as the Manna is found in the four Gospels and Christ as the Old Corn is found in the Epistles. (There are some exceptions, such as Philippians 2.)
In this 3rd chapter, demonstrated in Paul’s own experience, we see the energy which carries the Christian through this world. The new life in us needs an Object, and God has provided that in Christ on high in glory (2 Cor. 3:18; Heb. 2:9; 12:3). The person who understands this, and who makes Him his sole Object, will not only be full of joy, but also full of spiritual energy. From time to time we hear of Christians in the service of the Lord speaking of getting “burned out.” With what is before us in this chapter, this should never happen. If a Christian loses his energy in the path of faith and service, it is because he has gotten his eye off the Lord in glory. He has lost his focus on Christ, and with it comes a loss of energy and a loss of joy in the soul—and discouragement won’t be very far away.
Rejoicing in the Lord
Vs. 1—In chapter 2, Paul anticipated that the saints at Philippi would “rejoice” in the happy circumstance of Epaphroditus being recovered from his sickness, when the news of it reached them (chap. 2:28-29). This is well and good, for there is certainly nothing wrong with rejoicing in our circumstances when happy and favourable things occur. But Paul now points them to a higher kind of joy—joy “in the Lord!” He says, “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.” This kind of joy is not a result of being in favourable circumstances, but is ours through communion with the Lord and being engaged with His interests. If we derive our joy from what we have in Christ, we will be able to rejoice even in difficult and trying circumstances, because our joy is set on things that are higher than things of this life. This is why Christians can go through deep trials and still maintain their spiritual equilibrium, and actually have peace at such times. Thus, these are two different kinds of rejoicing—rejoicing in our circumstances and rejoicing in things above our circumstances. We may not always have favourable circumstances to rejoice in—because some things in life are sad and bad—but we can always “rejoice in the Lord.”
Paul then says, “To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous [irksome], but for you it is safe.” He would not make excuses for taking time to remind the Philippians of the fact that there are spiritual dangers in the path, because he knew how insidious the attacks of the enemy were. It was in view of their safety that he would repeat what he had already taught them concerning these dangers. They needed to be warned of the efforts of Judaizing teachers who were moving about seeking to bring the saints into bondage. We see from this that Paul was not only interested in their salvation (chap. 2), but also their safety (chap. 3). The culprit in chapter 2 that would prevent practical salvation was internal contention. The culprit in chapter 3 that robs the saints of their joy in pursuing Christ in glory is subversive teaching that encourages the pursuit of earthly things. This shows that the servant of the Lord should never be afraid of repeating himself in his ministry, if need be.
A Threefold Warning Against Judaizing Teachers
Vss. 2-3—Paul then warns the Philippians of a line of false teaching which had come in, that if heeded, would hinder the saints’ pursuit of Christ in glory and their rejoicing in Him. Those who were propounding this evil teaching were unconverted Jews who had crept into the Christian profession. J. N. Darby said that their teaching was an “admixture of Judaizing principles with the doctrine of a glorified Christ. It was, in fact, to destroy the latter and reinstate the flesh (that is, sin and alienation from God) in its place.” (Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, Loizeaux edition, vol. 4, p. 510) It was false teaching wrapped up in such a way that an unsuspecting person might think that it was true Christian doctrine. But its great effect was to bring the saints’ focus down from Christ on high to things on earth, and thus to take away the heavenly calling and character of Christianity and make it a mere earthly religion. Having come from a Jewish background, these men had a head start on the newly converted Gentiles. They were familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures which the Gentiles had not been exposed to. These false persons took advantage of this and assumed the role of teachers, and thereby brought in their erroneous doctrines.
Paul describes these Judaizing teachers in three ways. All three things refer to the same group of men. He says:
1) “Beware of dogs”
(vs. 2a)—This refers to the true position of these men in relation to God. They had never been born again and sealed with the Holy Spirit, and thus, being unconverted, they were outside the Christian company. The term “dog” was used among the Jews to describe the unclean Gentiles who were outside the favoured nation of Israel, which was in a covenant relationship with God (Psa. 22:16, 20; 59:6, 14; 68:23; Matt. 7:6; 15:26-27; Rev. 22:15). But Paul reverses the term here and uses it to describe unconverted Jews who were unclean through not having their sins washed away in the blood of Christ. In Christianity, they were the ones who were the “dogs” and who belonged outside the fellowship of the saints. Paul was not the first one to use the term to describe Israelites; the prophet Isaiah spoke of the faithless watchman in Israel as such (Isa. 56:10-11).
2) “Beware of evil workers”
(vs. 2b)—This describes the labours of these Judaizing teachers. Their efforts were to indoctrinate the saints with their false teaching.
3) “Beware of the concision”
(vs. 2c)—“Concision” is a term of derision (likely coined by Paul himself) to describe the true character and effect of the teaching of these Judaizers. These men boasted of having the outward mark of circumcision in their flesh, but rejected what it symbolized inwardly in the complete cutting off of the flesh before God in the death of Christ (Col. 2:11). The word literally means “against cutting off.” (“Con” means “against,” and “cision” means “to cut off.”) It is a cutting at the flesh, but not going so far as to cut off the flesh in a practical sense. It stands in contrast to what “circumcision” speaks of, which is a complete cutting off of the flesh. Hence, these Judaizers believed in cutting off the grosser forms of the flesh, but still encouraged a pursuit of fleshly things—such as: religious greatness, worldly fame, monetary gain, etc.
Is Judaizing teaching a problem in the Church today? Most definitely it is; it has permeated the Christian profession at large. H. Smith said, “The Apostle’s words have, surely, a special warning for us in these last days, when this Judaizing teaching, which was such a danger to the primitive Church, has developed into Christendom becoming a corrupt mixture of Judaism and Christianity. The result is that a vast profession has arisen in which forms and ceremonies have taken the place of worship by the Spirit...having formed itself after the Jewish pattern, Christendom has become an imitation of the Jewish camp [Heb. 13:13]” (The Epistle to the Philippians, p. 17). Thus, teaching that instructs Christians to worship God after the principles of the Judaic order and which encourages worldly pursuits and earthly gain is Judaizing teaching.
A Threefold Description of True Christianity
Vs. 3—In contrast to what the Judaizing teachers were presenting, Paul describes what true Christianity is. He gives the essence of it in three distinct statements. If we were asked what Christianity really is, this 3rd verse would give the answer. Paul says, “We are the circumcision, which worship God in [by] the Spirit, and rejoice [boast] in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” Each Person in the Godhead is mentioned here as having an integral part in this new spiritual order of things. Thus, true Christianity involves the revelation of the Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Paul says, “We are the circumcision.” In stating this, he was speaking representatively of the whole Christian company as it stands before God. This was a new way of using the word, “circumcision,” for it is usually used in Scripture to signify the nation of Israel (Acts 10:45; 11:2; Rom. 15:8; Gal. 2:7-9, 12; Col. 4:11; Titus 1:10) as separated from the Gentiles, who are styled “the uncircumcision” (Gal. 2:7; Eph. 2:11). Paul is not referring to the external rite of circumcision here, but is using the word in a symbolical sense. Since circumcision literally means “to cut off completely,” Paul was using it to indicate what believers on the Lord Jesus Christ have accepted by faith in His death—the complete cutting off, and thus, the utter end of man in the flesh before God (Rom. 8:3; Col. 2:11). It also signifies a life that is separated to God practically from the activity of flesh.
Three things that describe Christianity in its essence are:
1) We “worship God in [by] the Spirit”
The Christian’s approach to God is a spiritual thing—“in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). It is a “new and living way” which does not require the rituals of earthly religion, as found in Judaism (Heb. 10:19-22). It is “new” because it is not a rehash of, or an adjunct to, Judaism, and it is “living” because a person must have a new life (through new birth) to participate in it.
2) We “rejoice [boast] in Christ Jesus”
Paul’s use of the expression “in Christ Jesus” should not be overlooked here. As mentioned in our remarks on chapter 1:1, when Scripture says “Jesus Christ” (His Manhood name before His title), it generally refers to the Lord as having come from heaven to accomplish the will of God in death and resurrection (Rom. 15:8, etc.). But when it says “Christ Jesus” (His title before His Manhood name), it is referring to the Lord as having completed the work of redemption and has gone back to heaven as a glorified Man. Since the Christian’s position before God is “in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1, etc.), and everything that he has is in that glorified Man at God’s right hand (Col. 3:1-3), we understand that Christianity is entirely a heavenly thing. Scripture indicates that the Christian’s character (1 Cor. 15:48), house (2 Cor. 5:2), blessings (Eph. 1:3), seat (Eph. 2:6), conflict (Eph. 6:10-12), citizenship (Phil. 3:20), hope (Col. 1:5), calling (Heb. 3:1), substance (Heb. 10:34), place (Heb. 12:23), inheritance (1 Peter 1:4), and final destiny (2 Cor. 5:1) are all heavenly. This is in contrast to Judaism which is an earthly religion. In Christianity, we do not boast in Moses—we “boast in Christ Jesus.” That is, all that we are and everything that we have is in heaven and is found in that heavenly Man at God’s right hand.
3) We “have no confidence in the flesh”
As a result of accepting the sentence of God’s condemnation on man in the flesh at the cross (Rom. 6:6; 8:3; Col. 2:11), believers on the Lord Jesus Christ refuse the flesh in their lives—both in a secular context as well as in a religious context. Hence, Christians do not engage in worldly pursuits which favour the inclinations of the flesh or pursue personal attainments in earthly religion.
In summary, real Christianity has to do with believers on the Lord Jesus accepting God’s sentence of condemnation on the flesh and finding their all in Christ above, and having the indwelling Spirit, they worship God spiritually, rather than through the outward ordinances and rituals of earthly religion.
Pure Christianity, as Paul has set forth in verse 3, was something that the Judaizing teachers were opposed to. Being unconverted, they did not have a clear view of the world and the flesh, and of God’s judgment on them. Nor did they have the faith to understand and appreciate the believer’s position before God “in Christ Jesus” and our associated blessings in Him, as He sits there. They saw Christianity as an opportunity to “make a trade of the Word of God” (2 Cor. 2:17)—that is, as a business endeavour wherein one could have his livelihood! They imagined that Christianity was an earthly religion that was a mere extension of Judaism. With this false view of Christianity, these Judaizers encouraged believers to pursue the “finer things” of the flesh, both in religion and in the world. The whole thrust of their teaching in essence was to encourage believers to put their “confidence in the flesh.” They were clearly against a complete cutting off of the flesh in practise, which true circumcision signifies. Hence, these false teachers were a hindrance to the practise of true Christianity, and this is why Paul took a moment to warn the saints of them.
True Circumcision—the Complete Cutting Off of the Flesh
Vss. 4-7—To illustrate true circumcision, Paul brings in his personal history. He says, “Though I might also have confidence in the flesh; if any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock [race] of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the Law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the Church; touching the righteousness which is in the Law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” In hearing this, Paul’s detractors might have accused him of being proud of what he had given up for the Lord. But that was not why he mentioned his personal history. He brought it in for two important reasons:
Firstly, it was to show that true circumcision involves a complete cutting off of the flesh, which his life clearly demonstrates. God has passed judgment on the flesh in its entirety at the cross (Rom. 6:6; 8:3; Col. 2:11). This included the so-called “good” things that the flesh might do, as well as its “bad” things. Such being the case, Paul refused the flesh in every way in his life, not just in its grosser forms.
If there ever was a case in which a person’s flesh could be trusted to do “good” things and please God, it would have been in Saul of Tarsus. His life exhibited “the best of the flesh.” His flesh had been under divine cultivation from birth. He was born under the Law and raised in a covenant relationship with Jehovah, and that in the strictest sect of Judaism—the Pharisees. As far as his conscience was concerned, he thought he had kept the righteous requirements of the Law blamelessly. In pursuing a life in religion, he strove to be a top man in Judaism and to have the acclamation and notoriety that went with it. Others could boast of attainments in that religion, but he could say, “I more.” To speak of vainglory (self-importance), this man was full of it in his unconverted days! He was “an insolent overbearing man” (1 Tim. 1:13).
Thus, Paul’s credentials, as far as the flesh is concerned, were as good as it gets. But in reality, before God, he was a religious bigot who was full of self-righteous pride. Of course, he didn’t see it as such at the time. He actually thought he was pleasing God! But this just shows us how untrustworthy and deceptive the flesh is. His life proves that the flesh can be cloaked in religious activity and be very deceiving. In fact, spiritual pride that drives a person to seek a place of importance among men in a religious context is usually the most difficult kind of pride to identify in oneself. Others will see it in us, but sadly, we usually can’t. Paul gives a list of some religious things in which he proudly boasted before he was converted that blinded him as to his true state:
• “Circumcised the eighth day”—The outward rite of literal circumcision was the sign of a person being in a covenant relationship with God. This is the pride of relationship.
• “Of the stock [race] of Israel”—This is racial pride.
• “Of the tribe of Benjamin”—This is a reference to the faithfulness of this tribe to stand with Judah at the time when the nation split into two kingdoms under Rehoboam and Jeroboam. It is pride of faithfulness.
• “An Hebrew of the Hebrews”—This is ancestral family pride.
• “As touching the Law, a Pharisee”—This is the pride of orthodoxy.
• “Concerning zeal, persecuting the Church”—This is the pride of religious zeal.
• “Touching the righteousness which is in the Law, blameless”—This is the pride of morality.
Saul of Tarsus was quite a specimen of religious uprightness, but, as noted above, it was all just pride. What he needed to learn (and what we need to learn as well) was that “man at his best state is altogether vanity” (Psa. 39:5), and that all those so-called “good” things that he had done with religious exactitude had been judged by God at the cross, and were utterly worthless in His sight. By the sovereign grace of God, this happened in a dramatic fashion when he went to Damascus (Acts 9).
And thus the eternal counsels ran,
“Almighty Love, arrest that man!”
E. G. #88
Two things happened on that remarkable day: “a light” from heaven shone down upon him and he heard “a voice” from heaven calling to him. All at once, he made a two-fold discovery: The light caused him to see himself as God saw him—as a sinner! The voice calling to him made him conscious that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed Christ, the Saviour of sinners! Thus, the chief of sinners met the Saviour of sinners, and immediately, he confessed Him as his “Lord!”
Paul went for three days without eyesight. During that time, before he received the Holy Spirit, he went through the experience described in Romans 7:7-25. In those three days, he learned in the presence of God that all of the flesh is incurably bad and utterly untrustworthy. He emerged from that experience saying, “I know that in me (that is in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing” (Rom. 7:18). He had learned that there was not one thing in his flesh that was good. Whether it is the vileness of the flesh, or the flesh in a religious context, all aspects of it are incurably bad, and therefore, it must be refused in every sense in practical Christian living. This is the true meaning of “circumcision” which Paul speaks of in verse 3.
The second reason why Paul brought in his personal history was to show that learning to have “no confidence in the flesh” doesn’t necessarily need to take a long time. It does not have to be a long, protracted thing. Paul’s own case shows that it may be learned in a very profound way in a very short period of time. He learned this great lesson in three days! Such is the experience of normal Christianity. While this is a fact, most of us are slow to believe God’s testimony concerning the flesh, and it often takes some time and experience before we are willing to accept what God has said about the flesh and no longer put our confidence in it. This shows that it’s one thing to give mental assent to these things as a matter of doctrine, and quite another to know the truth of it practically.
F. B. Hole said, “But what a lot of time is usually spent in learning not to trust the flesh, and in passing a ‘vote of confidence’ in it. What experiences often have to be gone through! The kind of experiences we refer to are detailed for us in Romans 7, and the lesson is one that cannot be learned theoretically merely, it must be learned experimentally. There is no need that we should take a long time to learn the lesson, but as a matter of fact, we usually do....As soon as the three days of his [Paul’s] blindness were over, his boasting in Christ Jesus began. In those three days, this great lesson was learned.” (Philippians, pp. 78-79)
A New Object—Christ
Vss. 8-14—In the preceding verses, Paul has told us what he did in renouncing all for Christ, but he didn’t exactly tell us what caused him to do it. We know, as we have noted from the history of his conversion in Acts 9, it was because he had gotten a glimpse of Christ in glory. Immediately, Christ became his new Object in life. By the time he had received his eyesight, his whole course of thinking and purpose for living had been revolutionized.
He mentions two things that worked to change the course of his life: He says, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung [filth], that I may win [gain] Christ.” Firstly, he saw in God’s light (when blinded for three days) that those things which he had been building his hopes upon for eternity were utterly worthless. Consequently, he gave it all up as “loss.” Secondly, he had a new aspiration—he wanted “the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.” Thus, there had been a re-evaluation of everything in his life, and it started him on a new course altogether. Straightway, he preached Christ in the synagogues of Damascus (Acts 9:20).
Never for a moment did he go back on this great renunciation. In fact, as he continued in the Christian path of faith and service, he only became more convinced of his decision to renounce those things. In verse 7, he said, “I counted...” but in verse 8, he says, “I count....” This spans a period in his life of about 30 years. He counted all things as loss when he was first converted in Damascus, but now when writing this epistle to the Philippians some 30 years later, he still was counting them as such! There is, however, this difference: what he saw in those things to be “loss” then, he now saw as “filth!” The KJV says “dung,” but it should be translated “filth.” Dung can be useful for some things (fuel, fertilizer, etc.), but filth can be used for nothing. Having walked in communion with the Lord those many years, Paul saw the worthlessness of those things more clearly than ever and appropriately labelled them as such. Moreover, at the beginning of his Christian experience, he spoke of those things which he had given up as “what things,” but now having trodden the path for some time, he says that he was counting “all things” as loss for Christ. This shows that as he walked with the Lord, there was progress in his exercise of soul.
What empowered him onward in this path? It was not that he had merely changed religions; he had been won over by a Person—Christ, the Son of God! He could say, “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). It was the constraining “love of Christ” that motivated him (2 Cor. 5:14).
Seven New Desires
Having this new Object in his life, we see by Paul’s example what having that goal effects in those who are therewith occupied. He had completely new desires—all of which were centered in Christ. Being occupied with this new Object produced an endless supply of energy that kept him running the Christian race. In keeping with the character of the epistle, he doesn't tell the Philippians to pursue Christ in glory, but rather, speaks of it as a matter of his own experience. Thus, he speaks from the perspective of what it produced in his life, knowing that by reiterating his experience would cause them to desire the same (Song of Sol. 6:1).
In this next series of verses, Paul speaks of seven new desires in his life, all of which resulted from him having this new Object. These were things which he was pressing on to in the Christian race:
1) “That I may win [gain] Christ”
(vs. 8)—In stating this, Paul was not saying that he hoped to gain Christ as his Saviour through renouncing his former life; Christ had been his Saviour for 30 years! Such is a Catholic idea; they erroneously teach that a person gains Christ and eternal salvation through works. They encourage people to renounce all things in life and retire to a monastery or a convent where they engage in a regimen of good works in hope of securing the salvation for their souls.
The verse being in the present tense, indicates that Paul’s having Christ for his gain was a present exercise as well as that which he had in Him through receiving Him as his Saviour many years earlier. Paul saw those things that he once pursued as a hindrance to the immeasurable benefits there were in knowing and following Christ. He realized that to “gain” practically in his experience with Christ, he needed to keep fleshly attainments, such as what he had renounced, in the dunghill—and that is exactly what he did for the rest of his days on earth.
2) To be “found in Him not having mine own righteousness”
(vs. 9)—This statement does not mean that Paul wasn’t reckoned righteous before God, and was, therefore, diligently striving for it and hoping that it would one day be his at the end of his pathway. Again, Roman Catholicism would teach this, but Scripture doesn’t. Paul was already reckoned righteous before God as a result of being justified by faith (Rom. 4:5; 5:1). Rather, he was referring to having it as a glorified man in the day of Christ. He didn’t want to be there with a legal righteousness that resulted from his own works (if it were possible), but in the righteousness which is in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21). Thus, he wanted to be with Christ in glory without having anything that he could point to that would give him credit for his being there, so that Christ would get all the credit, and all the glory and praise would go to Him.
3) “That I might know Him”
(vs. 10a)—In the meantime, while on the road to being with Christ in the glorified state, Paul’s great and burning desire was to know Christ more intimately. Note: he didn’t say that he desired to know things about Him, as a matter of facts, but rather that he might know Him. This refers to a personal acquaintance with Christ which only comes through the experience of walking with Him in the circumstances of life.
4) “And the power of His resurrection”
(vs. 10b)—There has been some deliberation among expositors as to whether this is referring to literal resurrection or to the power of resurrection life working in a believer in a practical way. Since it is mentioned in the text before Paul speaks of the possibility of his dying for Christ, we take it that he is speaking of the spiritual power of resurrection life being manifested in his life. J. N. Darby agrees with this: “Ques. What is ‘the power of resurrection’ in Philippians? Ans. ... That I may act and walk through this world in the power of resurrection which makes death and all things else nothing to me.” (Notes and Jottings, p. 441)
In Ephesians 1:19-21, Paul mentions that the power of God which raised Christ from the dead is now “to us-ward who believe.” That is, it is effectual in the lives of believers who walk in the Spirit, and thus, they manifest resurrection life in their mortal bodies. Paul wanted to experience this practical power of resurrection life as a present living thing in his life (Gal. 2:20). This is illustrated typically in Elisha taking up Elijah’s mantle at Jordan and going forth in that power and being a blessing to others (2 Kings 2:9-15).
5) “And the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death”
(vs. 10c)—Living in the power of resurrection life, and manifesting that life in our walk and ways, will naturally draw out persecution from unbelievers. Paul speaks of this opposition that Christians have in the path as “fellowship” with the “sufferings” of Christ. This is because when we suffer for Christ, we are actually experiencing the same character of sufferings that He encountered from wicked men (2 Cor. 1:5; 4:10; Gal. 6:17; Col. 1:24). These sufferings are His non-atoning sufferings, for no creature can partake in the atoning work of Christ (Mark 10:38). As a rule, when Scripture speaks of Christ “suffering” (singular), it has to do with expiation (Heb. 2:9), but when it speaks of Christ’s “sufferings” (plural), it is His martyrdom sufferings (Heb. 2:10), which believers partake in when they suffer for Him.
Paul’s whole desire was to be like Christ in every possible way. It was His passion. (Again, this is normal Christianity.) He wanted to reach Christ in glory, and with that end in view, he was prepared to be “conformed” to Christ’s “death,” and to die as a martyr to reach that destiny. Living a life of devotion to Christ as Paul did, there was a very real possibility of this happening. It is like he said, “If I die in the hands of evil men, then I’ll just be that much more like Christ, for He was killed by wicked men too! Nothing would please me more than to reach Christ in glory by the very path that He took to get there!”
6) “If any way [means] I might arrive at the resurrection from among the dead”
(vs. 11)—If indeed it was the will of God for Paul to die through his testimony for Christ, he was willing for it (2 Cor. 5:8), because then he would experience the literal power of resurrection, as Christ did when He was raised from the dead. This would only make him that much more like Christ!
Scripture indicates that there are two resurrections which will occur about a thousand years apart (John 5:29). These are the resurrection of “the just and unjust” (Acts 24:15). This is something that the Old Testament saints did not know about; they only knew of resurrection in a general way (John 11:24). The gospel has thrown light on this subject (2 Tim. 1:10), and we now know that there are two resurrections:
The first resurrection, which has to do with raising the righteous, is spoken of as being a resurrection “from among the dead” in J. N. Darby’s translation. Thus, it is a selective thing; the righteous dead will be selected out from among the wicked dead, and raised to life. This “out-resurrection,” as it is sometimes called, was first taught by the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 17:9), and then later by the apostles (Rom. 6:4; 1 Cor. 15:20; Eph. 1:20; Phil. 3:11; Col. 1:18, etc.). It has three phases:
• “Christ the firstfruits” (1 Cor. 15:23a). This occurred when the Lord rose from among the dead (Matt. 28:1-6). The character of His resurrection is a sample of that which will follow for the righteous. Hence, He is “the firstfruits” of this resurrection.
• “They that are Christ’s at His coming” (1 Cor. 15:23b). This refers to saints from Old Testament and New Testament times being raised at the Rapture (1 Thess. 4:15-18; Heb. 11:40).
• “They lived and reigned with Christ” (Rev. 20:4). Faithful Jews and Gentiles who will die during Daniel’s 70th week will be raised at the end of the Great Tribulation, thus completing the first resurrection (Rev. 14:13).
The second resurrection (of the unjust) will occur at the end of the Millennium, which is at the end of time (Rev. 20:5, 11-15). At that moment, the wicked dead will be raised and judged before the Great White Throne, and then assigned to a lost eternity in the lake of fire (Hell).
7) “That I may apprehend [lay hold of] that for which also I am apprehended of [laid hold of by] Christ Jesus”
As Paul went along in the path of faith, he sought to grow in his apprehension of the glorious end to which he was destined by the grace of God. The “prize” that he pursued was to be with and like Christ in glory. This was something that all the saints will obtain when the Lord comes (2 Thess. 2:14). He acknowledged that at that point in his Christian experience he did not have “possession” of the prize yet—“Not that I have already obtained the prize, or am already perfected.” (Perfection, in the way in which he speaks of it here, is to have full conformity to Christ in the glorified state – vs. 21.) But Paul wanted a deeper knowledge of why he was apprehended by Christ, and thus said, “That I may apprehend [lay hold of] that for which also I am apprehended of [laid hold of by] Christ Jesus” (vs. 12 – W. Kelly Trans.).
The revelation of the Mystery disclosed in Ephesians and Colossians unfolds God’s “purpose of the ages” (Eph. 3:11). It is stated in those epistles mostly as a matter of doctrine, so Paul was cognizant of those things, having been the writer of them. But he wanted more; he wanted to know the heart of the One who chose him for that place that he will have with Christ in the coming day of manifestation. Having not reached the divine end to which he had been called, he pressed onward in the path of faith in his quest for a deeper understanding of it.
Vss. 13-14—Paul’s pursuit of his goal of reaching Christ in glory was the singular focus of his life. He had removed every extraneous thing out of his life so that he could give all of his attention to the pursuit of that one thing. He said, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended [laid hold]: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward [pursue] the mark [goal] for the prize of the high calling [calling on high] of God in Christ Jesus.” Again, to have such a singular focus is normal Christianity—we should all have that kind of focus on Christ!
Paul knew that the biggest hindrance to pursuing Christ in glory was putting “confidence in the flesh,” in one earthly pursuit or another (vs. 4). This was the very thing that the Judaizing teachers were promoting, and thus, they were a plague to Christianity. They needed to be identified as evil workers and treated as such (Gal. 5:7-10). Paul’s message was quite the opposite; it had to do with “forgetting those things which are behind....” This refers to the ambition that he once had to be a great man in the religious world. This statement is often taken out of context and applied to bad things that a person may have done, or to sad things that he may have experienced in his life. To comfort himself regarding those things, the person will quote this statement about forgetting. However, Paul is not speaking of forgetting sad and bad things; he is speaking of letting go of the so-called “good” things that he once pursued that distinguished him among his peers—things that the flesh could take pride in and that the world would admire.
We see a progression of exercise here in regard to the former things that Paul had pursued. When he was first converted, he treated those things as “loss;” then in moving along in his Christian experience, he saw them for what they really were—as “filth.” Now he speaks of those things as something that he was “forgetting” altogether. Note: “forgetting” and “reaching forth” are stated in the present tense. This shows that it was an on-going exercise in his life. It teaches us that there is no time for idling in our Christian lives, because if we pause in our pursuit of Christ, even a little, we will likely return to the former things we once pursued.
Paul pressed “toward the mark [goal].” This does not mean that he was trying to make the day of reaching Christ in glory nearer than God’s appointed time; it happens for all believers at the same time—at the Rapture. The goal was to have full conformity to Christ. To press toward it is to seek in every way possible to be like Him morally and spiritually now. And, since in that day we will “know” even as we are “known” (1 Cor. 13:12), the more we grow in our apprehension of that knowledge now, in that sense, we are getting closer to that day when we will have full knowledge.
The phrase: “the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (rendered as such in the KJV) could be misleading. A person might think that Paul was speaking of trying to win the top-most prize that will be given out in heaven to the most devoted servant of the Lord. If this was what he was referring to, then he really hadn’t judged his former desires of the flesh to be the best and to have the highest place of honour in Judaism—it’s just that now he was pursuing it in Christianity. However, that rendering in the KJV is not the best translation. The verse should read: “the calling on high.” It refers to the Christian’s heavenly calling of being with and like Christ where He is on high. It is the portion of all believers, not just for one person who has excelled above his brethren in faith and good works. “High” simply means “above,” as in heaven. The sense in which Paul uses the word “prize” refers to what all Christians receive in that coming day.
Thus, we see from these seven new desires of Paul that there had been a complete renovation in his whole purpose of living. These things are not extraordinary exercises that would only be found in an apostle, but are what characterize normal Christianity. Thus, we should all have these desires!
Three States of Mind in Relation to Pursuing Christ in Glory
Vss. 15-21—In the closing verses of chapter 3, Paul alludes to the fact that in every Christian company there will be different stages of spiritual growth and progress among the saints. Some will have been saved recently and others will have been on the path for many years. Under normal conditions, the mindset of each concerning the pursuit of Christ in glory will be varied accordingly. But this is not always the case; sometimes ones who have been on the path for some time are quite elementary in their understanding of the Christian revelation and are under-developed spiritually, and correspondingly, the measure of their intensity in pursuing Christ in glory will reflect it. Paul shows here that while this variation may exist, there is no reason why all in the assembly can’t walk together in happy unity, and each accept one another for where they are at in their spiritual progress. If we are not careful as to this, Satan will use these differences to divide the saints.
Paul speaks of three states of mind that reflect this difference among the saints, and exhorts each accordingly:
1) THUS MINDED
(vs. 15a)—He says, “Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded.” The way in which Paul uses the word “perfect” in this passage might be confusing. In verse 12, he had just spoken of the saints not being “perfected” yet—himself included. Now in verse 15, he alludes to saints who are “perfect,” and includes himself. This may sound contradictory, but he is really speaking of two different aspects of perfection. In verse 12, it is in connection with reaching the glorified state wherein the saints will have full conformity to Christ. This will occur at the Rapture (vs. 21). In verse 15, it is a present thing in connection with being full-grown or mature in divine things.
Paul’s point here is that spiritually mature believers will manifest their maturity by being “thus minded” with him. They will have the same singularity of focus in their lives, because they, like him, will have laid aside extraneous things and are pursuing Christ in glory as their one object. If we are not “perfect” in this sense, it is not a problem of capacity, but of desire. If we have the desire, the Holy Spirit will form the capacity in our hearts, and we will thirst for more of Christ and His things, and this in turn will result in spiritual maturity. Capacity for divine things does not depend on natural ability—such as having intellectual powers. There are many in the Christian path who have considerable intellectual powers, but are quite elementary. They have not developed spiritually as they could have, had they been more devoted. Consequently, they are not in the state of being thus minded with Paul in practical Christian living. In the sense in which Paul speaks of being perfect here, even new converts can be thus minded. It is not a matter of knowledge, but of heart.
2) OTHERWISE MINDED
(Vss. 15b-17)—Paul goes on and says, “If in anything ye may be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.” This shows that he realized that not all believers are at the same level of progress and attainment in their Christian experience. There are many who are truly following Christ, but they don’t have the same singularity of focus on Christ in glory that Paul had. He calls them “otherwise minded.” Most Christians today probably fall into this category. Such have not gone through the exercises of soul that lead to having Christ as the sole Object of their lives. Thus, they have in their lives a mixture of earthly things and pursuits along with genuine affection for Christ. Paul was confident that as they walked in the path of faith with God, and matured accordingly, He would “reveal” to them that those earthly pursuits are really just distractions that hinder the soul in the pursuit of Christ in glory—and they would lay them aside, as he did. Satan knows this, and does all he can to entangle the believer in all sorts of pursuits and endeavours which are not easy to extricate oneself from.
It is beautiful to see how gracious Paul is toward those who were otherwise minded. He doesn’t scold them with deprecating words, or despise them for their lack of exercise in divine things. Rather, he speaks to them graciously and encourages them to live up to what they had attained. He says, “Nevertheless, whereunto we have already attained, let us walk by [in] the same rule [steps].” (The statement that follows, “Let us mind the same thing,” is found in the KJV, but it does not have much, if any, manuscript authority, and accordingly is left out of the J. N. Darby Translation.) Paul’s point here is that even though we are all at different levels of spiritual attainment, we can all still walk together in happy unity if we all have an upward mind toward Christ in glory.
This gracious spirit is a needed thing as we walk with our brethren, because there is a tendency to put pressure on those of lesser spiritual attainment and force them into a mold that outwardly conforms them to what we think a Christian ought to be. But if such a thing is not produced by the person’s heart being moved by grace and through personal exercise, it will result in their living beyond where they really are in their souls. Christian living will become a legal thing to them. In our zeal to see them go on and to be thus minded with Paul, we may inadvertently put them in a place of danger wherein they could have a spiritual crash. Instead of laying burdens on them and exhorting them to live in things beyond where they really are in their souls, we need to follow Paul’s example. He encouraged all such to walk with the Lord in what they had “already attained,” and left it to God to “reveal” to them the more excellent way, as they grew in grace. Paul’s spirit of grace toward otherwise minded believers, exemplifies how more spiritually advanced saints ought to treat those of lesser attainment than themselves. If this were followed in our daily interactions with one another, it would defuse a lot of internal strife and contention in our assembly life.
The example of Elisha in his dealings with Naaman illustrates the wisdom that we ought to have in treating those who are otherwise minded (2 Kings 5:18-19). When Naaman weighed the matter of going into the house of Rimmon, Elisha said to him, “Go in peace.” He didn’t say yes or no, but left him with the Lord who would make it clear to him what was the right thing to do.
Paul’s advice to all otherwise minded believers was, “Brethren, be followers [imitators] together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample [model]” (vs. 17). Christ was to be their Object, but they also had Paul and those who were thus minded with him as their “model” for Christian living. This shows that the most helpful thing that we can do for the saints is to go on with the Lord ourselves. Example is a powerful influence with others (Acts 20:20, 35).
3) EARTHLY MINDED
(vss. 18-19)—Paul passes on to speak of a third mindset—those who “mind earthly things.” He says, (“For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose God [god] is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.”) Paul speaks of this group in a parenthesis, because they are not true believers, as those in the other two classes. This can be seen by the fact that he says their “end is destruction.” They were merely professing believers moving in the Christian circle. If they didn’t get saved while they had opportunity to do so, they would pass into a lost eternity.
So solemn and serious were the movements of these earthly minded ones that Paul tells the Philippians that just in his having to remind them of these persons made him weep. It is striking that in this epistle which has such a strong underlying theme of joy and rejoicing running throughout it that Paul would be found “weeping.” But such was the case with these whom he calls, “enemies of the cross of Christ.” These people were the lifeless professors who imbibed the doctrine of the Judaizing teachers mentioned in verse 2. They hated and rejected God’s judgment of the first order of man under Adam at the cross, and had for their object the pursuit of earthly things. Paul said that they “glory in their shame.” That is, they speak freely of their past without regret or shame. Thus, these earthly minded ones showed no sign of repentance. (Paul spoke of his past pursuits, but did so to show that he had passed judgment on it all.)
While these people were merely professing believers, and were not real at all, true believers can be influenced by their ways and become thoroughly earthy minded. All such will not, of course, lose their soul’s eternal salvation, but in taking such a course, they should be warned and rebuked.
F. G. Patterson mentioned a type of these three states of mind in the Christian profession in his book, Lectures on the Church of God (pp. 50-52). In connection with taking possession of the land of Canaan, the various tribes of Israel fell into three categories, according to their desire. There were 2½ tribes (Judah, Ephraim, and the half tribe of Manasseh) that wanted what had been given them by the Lord, and they went up directly and took their inheritance (Josh. 15-17). These would answer to “thus minded” Christians. Then, there were seven tribes (Benjamin, Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan) who were slow in going up to take their portion of the land. These answer to “otherwise minded” Christians. They needed some stirring up, which Joshua did by sending 21 men (three from each tribe) to go ahead into the land and to describe the good things that they saw there in a book. When they returned, they read the book before the people and this stirred them up to desire the pleasant land. This is a picture of what good ministry will do for the saints. The seven tribes thereupon rose up and went in and possessed their inheritance (Josh. 18-19). Lastly, there were 2½ tribes (Reuben, Gad, and the other half tribe of Manasseh) who did not want Canaan as their inheritance, but chose the plains of Moab on the other side of Jordan (Josh. 22). These answer to those who “mind earthly things.”
The Divine End of the Christian Path—Glorification
Vss. 20-21—The chapter closes with Paul noting two distinctly different ends to those in the Christian profession. In verse 19, he has spoken of the destiny of those who were earthly minded professors, stating that their “end is destruction” (vs. 19). Being that they have no faith, they are corrupters of the house of God, and as such, they will be judged (1 Cor. 3:17). Now in verses 20-21, he speaks of the destiny of true believers. He says, “For our commonwealth has its existence in the heavens, from which also we await the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour, who shall transform our body of humiliation into conformity to His body of glory, according to the working of the power which He has even to subdue all things to Himself.” There could not be a greater contrast. The lifeless professor will have his portion under damnation in hell, and the believer will have his portion with and like Christ in heaven! This is the prize that awaits each saint of God.
We may be citizens of some country on earth, but our true “commonwealth” is in heaven. It is our fatherland and our home. We are simply waiting for the “Saviour” to come and take us there. This is a future aspect of salvation which all believers will experience when the Rapture occurs (Rom. 13:11; Heb. 9:28; 1 Peter 1:5). Paul explains that we will not go home to heaven in the condition in which our bodies are presently in. There must of necessity be a physical transformation by which our “body of humiliation” will be “changed” into the likeness of the Lord’s “body of glory” (1 Cor. 15:51-56). This has to do with the saints’ bodies having His likeness in substance; we will each retain our individual appearance, and thus will be recognized as such—as the disciples recognized Moses and Elijah on the mount of transfiguration (Luke 9:30).
The KJV says, “Our vile body,” but this could be misleading. While “vile” might have been an acceptable word to use 400 years ago (when the translation was made), today the word conveys a different thought. A better translation is: “body of humiliation.” Our bodies have become such through the fall of Adam and the resulting effects of sin in the creation. Consequently, our bodies are subject to sickness, decay, and death (Eccl. 12:1-7). In the modern sense of the word, there is nothing vile or evil about the human body; the evil lies in the wrong uses to which it is put. Thus, the human body is never said to be sinful. (Romans 6:6 speaks of “the body of sin,” but it is not referring to the human body, but rather to the totality of sin as a system in the creation. Using the word “body” the way Paul does in Romans 6:6, we might say similarly, “The body of a river,” or “The body of scientific knowledge,” etc.) Our human bodies have been involved in many sinful acts (for which we are responsible), but they are not said to be sinful in themselves. If our bodies were sinful, they could not be presented to God to be used in the service of the Lord (Rom. 12:1).
Christians often speak of receiving a “new” body when the Lord comes, but this could convey the idea that we will get another body, which is not true. Scripture does not say that the saints will get “new” bodies, but rather, that their bodies will be "changed" (Job 14:14; 1 Cor. 15:51-52; Phil. 3:21). The very same body which was buried will be raised, but in an altogether different condition of glorification. 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 states this clearly. It says that the same body that is “sown” in the earth in burial will rise again. (Note: the use of the word “it” in that passage refers to both burying and raising.) If the saints are to receive a new, or another body when the Lord comes, then, taken to its logical conclusion, He really doesn’t raise the bodies in which they once lived. This denies resurrection. To avoid any idea like this, Scripture is careful never to say that we get “new” bodies.
When the Lord walked on this earth, His human body was not that of “humiliation,” neither was it a “body of glory.” His body was holy and immortal (Luke 1:35). It wasn’t until He rose from the dead that His body was glorified. Scripture says that He was “received up in glory” (1 Tim. 3:16). That is, He went up to heaven in a glorified state.
The right posture for the believer is to “look for the Saviour” to come. Our next move is to be called away from this earth at any moment.
Christ — The Power of the Christian Life: Philippians 4
Chapter 4
In this chapter, Paul speaks of Christ as the One who strengthens the believer and enables him to rise above the many adverse things that he faces in the path of faith (vs. 13). Thus, the Christian who has made Christ in glory his Object as portrayed in chapter 3, is seen in chapter 4 as being superior to his circumstances. Being in a “thus minded” state, the Holy Spirit is at liberty to enlarge the believer’s capacity for divine things. And when the believer is taken up with those things, his spirit is lifted above the difficult circumstances of life and empowered in the path. Living with such divine support, the believer is freed from the cares of this life and is at peace, and thus content in his circumstances—regardless of what they are. What can men do with such a person? They can take away his money, his earthly possessions, even his liberty, but none of these things disturb his peace and joy—he goes on rejoicing in the Lord! It is not that he is insensible to his earthly necessities, but that his joy is not dependent upon his circumstances. And, if men were to kill him, they would only send him to where he wants to go! Thus, living in such a state, the believer is superior to his circumstances. Again, this is presented from the perspective of Paul’s own experience with the Lord, but it can be the experience of every thus minded Christian too.
Peace Among Brethren
Vss. 1-3—Before speaking of this, Paul resumes, and herein concludes his exhortations to the Philippians in chapter 2 concerning the growing dissension in their midst. As noted earlier, chapter 3 is a parenthesis, and therefore, the first three verses of chapter 4 are a fitting conclusion to the subject.
In addressing the problem of the rift in their midst, Paul first assures the Philippians of the place they had in his affections, and then proceeds to beseech them with “the meekness and gentleness of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:1). This is wisdom; it would prepare the Philippians to receive what he was about to say. Thus, he proceeds with expressions of deepest affection: “Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.” He “longed” to see the Philippians and speaks of them as his present “joy,” and at the judgment seat of Christ, his future “crown.” Thus, the servant of the Lord looks on to the judgment seat to see the fruit of his labours and his converts there (1 Thess. 2:19).
In view of the persecution they were experiencing from unbelieving men without (chap. 1:28) and the subversive teaching of the Judaizers within the Christian ranks (chap. 3:2), Paul exhorted the Philippians to “stand fast in the Lord.” He did not ask them to stand fast in their own strength, but in the Lord. When we place ourselves practically under His Lordship, we can expect to have His support in seeking to be faithful. Paul desired that they would do just that and draw upon His divine help in standing fast. Note: he didn’t say, “Stand fast in the meeting!”—and thus, make attendance at the assembly meetings the objective. While regular attendance at the meetings of the assembly is important (Heb. 10:25), if our steadfastness is not “in the Lord” and derived from the constraining power of His love (2 Cor. 5:14-15), such a comment would be putting attendance at the meetings ahead of the Lord. This tends to make meeting attendance a legal thing, and if that were the case, our convictions concerning attendance could break down at some point.
In the earlier chapters of the epistle, Paul did not put his finger on the problem of dissension directly, but touched on things that, if heeded, would produce unity in the assembly. Those principles having to do with unity laid the foundation for his final word of exhortation here. Paul knew the situation there at Philippi and had the two sisters who were at the bottom of the trouble on his heart from the beginning, but now addresses them directly by name. He exhorts, “I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.” These sisters had somehow fallen out with each other. They probably had a difference of opinion on some issue and it polarized them. Paul urged them to resolve it, not through some human arrangement, but “in the Lord.” Thus, they were to submit to His authority when His mind was made known in the matter. To help them reach this end, Paul implores his “true yokefellow” and asks him to “help” in the matter by giving his godly advice. Most expositors say that he was likely referring to Epaphroditus. We see the wisdom of God in mentioning the involvement of the yokefellow. By asking him to intervene, and including it in the letter, the two sisters could not accuse him of meddling with their problem—he had been asked by the Apostle to do so! It seems that Paul knew that his yokefellow had the issue straight, and could count on him to help them resolve the matter.
Paul said that those sisters “laboured” with him “in the gospel.” This does not mean that they took to the pulpit and preached to an audience, as Paul may have done. Such conduct is contrary to what he taught in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and 1 Timothy 2:12. Public teaching and preaching is not a work that God has given to sisters in Christian service, but sisters certainly have an important role in gospel work. They have access to situations that men do not have, and can share the good news on a personal level, which is often the most effective way.
Paul mentions that the names of his “fellow-labours” were in “the book of life”—indeed the names of all the saints are there! Merely professing believers, in a sense, write their names there too by making a profession of having life—but since they are not true believers, their names will be erased. When the Lord was on the cross, he prayed that God would blot out of the book the names of those who are faithless (Psa. 69:28). By the time the Great White Throne Judgment takes place, all such names will have been removed, and only the names of the real will be there. If God has written a person’s name in the book of life, it is because he is a true believer, and his name will never be blotted out (Rev. 3:5). (See Collected Writings of J. N. Darby, vol. 26, pp. 243-244.)
We have no record of whether this contention in Philippi was ever resolved. However, the purpose of it being recorded in Scripture is to give the Church at large God’s remedy for internal strife and contention within an assembly.
Peace in Present Circumstances
Vss. 4-9—The subject of Christ being the power or strength for Christian living properly begins here at verse 4. Paul now gives a lovely addendum to his remarks on unity among brethren. This next series of verses has to do with having peace in our present circumstances. At first glance, this may seem as though he is changing subjects, but what he adds here is related to the foregoing.
All will agree that there is much to test and try our spirits in everyday life on Planet Earth. But God does not want us to live in trepidation and anxiety, as other men do, and has provided a means by which we can live free from the stresses of life, and thus be able to attend upon the Lord without distraction. When a believer is not at peace in himself and in his personal circumstances, he is likely to bring his anxiety, impatience, and frustration with him wherever he goes—in his home life, in the work-place, and in the assembly. And if this is so, he will likely be a source of agitation among his brethren and may upset the peace in the assembly. God has anticipated this problem and in this next series of verses gives us the way in which we can live free from anxiety.
The Cure For Anxiety
Paul proceeds to give a number of things that could be called “The Cure for Anxiety.”
Firstly, he says, “Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, rejoice” (vs. 4). Thus, we are to maintain a spirit of rejoicing at all times. It should be the normal state of our daily life, and it will be when we walk in communion with the Lord. This is important because when the difficult and trying things of life come along, we will be in a right state of soul to handle them. We may excuse our lack of rejoicing, and say, “I can’t help it because of all the negative things that keep happening to me.” The Lord understands our human frailty, and when we get discouraged in the way, He pours the comforts of God into our souls. But at the same time, Paul’s exhortation here shows that we are responsible to put forth an effort to maintain a happy state of soul. He puts the onus on us to be rejoicing “always.” It is the normal Christian state. This does not mean that we are to be insensible to sorrow and distress, but that in times of sorrow and distress, those things won’t cause us to lose our confidence in God (Luke 22:32). Thus, regardless of how dark our circumstances may be, we can always rejoice in the Lord.
Secondly, Paul says, “Let your moderation [gentleness] be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand [near]” (vs. 5). Other translations render the word “moderation” as “mildness” or as “yieldingness.” This indicates that we are to live in a spirit of mildness or yieldingness that accepts our circumstances from God without resistance and rebellion. Knowing that “all things work together for good to them that love God” helps us to submit to what the Lord has allowed in our life (Rom. 8:28).
The J. N. Darby Translation footnote says that an alternate reading for “moderation” could be “not insisting on one’s rights.” This suggests that we may be in a situation where we feel that we have been taken advantage of by someone, and are tempted to assert our rights and fight back. Paul explains that we don’t need to get agitated in such circumstances, and feel that we have to do something about it—because “the Lord is at hand!” He is about to come back at any moment, and knowing this, we can leave the whole thing to Him to sort out rightly. H. Smith said, “In His own time, the Lord will deal with all the evil and bring in all the blessing; His coming is near. It is not for believers, then, to interfere with the government of the world, nor to assert their rights and fight for them.” (The Epistle to the Philippians, p. 23)
“The Lord is at hand” was a watchword used among the first century Christians to cheer one another in the path. It was a welcomed reminder to them that the Lord’s coming was near. Paul used a Greek transliteration of the Aramaic form of it in 1 Corinthians 16:22, when he said, “Maranatha.” This means “O Lord come.” His point in using it here in Philippians 4 is to show that we can afford to yield in the trying situations in life—even if certain people have been quite unjust to us—because the Lord is coming, and He will set it all straight then. In view of the nearness of the Lord’s coming, our differences and quarrels are insignificant and trifling. Moreover, the person who is characterized by the mildness and yieldingness that Paul speaks of here is not likely to stir up strife among his brethren. A meek spirit promotes unity and peace. On the other hand, a person with an unyielding spirit, who is always insisting on his rights (real or imaginary), will be a difficult person to walk with in the assembly. This may have been the root of the problem in Philippi.
Thirdly (Vss. 6-9), we are to bring everything in our lives to God in prayer—and particularly those things that are troubling and upsetting to us. He says, “Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving; let your requests be made known unto God” (vs. 6). Thus, God wants us to be free of care. This doesn’t mean that we can be careless in our responsibilities in life; Paul is speaking about being free of agitation, fretting, and worry. God wants us to be carefree, not careless. We are to give our burdens and our cares to the Lord in prayer. He wants us to cast them all upon Him (1 Peter 5:7; Psa. 55:22). The word “everything” in this verse means big things as well as small things. There is nothing too little to take to the Lord in prayer.
What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear:
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit;
Oh, what needless pain we bear!
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.
E.G. #282
“Prayer” is a formal stating of things to God, whereas “supplication” is the continual appealing to Him regarding a matter. Thus, prayer is general; supplication is specific. In supplication, we “pour out” our hearts before Him with earnest entreaties (Psa. 62:8; James 5:16). Then, there is also to be “thanksgiving.” To thank the Lord in the matter, even before He has answered, manifests faith—and God honours faith (1 Thess. 5:18; Heb. 11:6).
Moreover, Paul encourages us to make our “requests” known to God concerning those things. Our prayer requests may not be answered in the way in which we may wish them to be—for we might ask “amiss” (James 4:3) and such may not be “according to His will” (1 John 5:14-15). But there is a certain relief in just unburdening ourselves before the Lord and making our requests known to Him. He has promised to carry His people through the deep “waters” of life (Isa. 43:2; 63:9) and to calm our spirits in troublous times—“In the multitude of my anxious thoughts within me Thy comforts have delighted my soul” (Psa. 94:19). W. Kelly said, “‘The Lord is at hand.’ He has not come yet, but you can go to Him now and lay all your requests before Him, assured that He is near, that He is coming” (Lectures on Philippians, p. 69). A summary of verse 6 is:
• Anxious for nothing.
• Prayerful in everything.
• Thankful for anything.
The Lord Himself said, “Neither be ye of doubtful mind [in anxiety]” (Luke 12:29). Worrying and fretting about something troublesome in our lives is sin, because it denies the love of God, the wisdom of God, and the power of God. It questions whether He really loves us after all, and it questions whether He really knows what He is doing in our lives, and it also implies that He is not able to look after us, as He has promised to do.
Vs. 7—As mentioned, God doesn’t promise to grant all our requests, but He does promise to give us His peace. Paul says, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep [guard] your hearts and minds [thoughts] through Christ Jesus.” The kind of peace that Paul refers to here is a practical thing. It is not the same as “peace with God,” which has to do with our acceptance before God through being justified by faith (Rom. 5:1). As believers on the Lord Jesus Christ, we can never lose our peace with God, for it is inseparably connected to the eternal salvation of our souls which can never be lost. But a believer on the Lord Jesus may not live with the peace of God in his soul, and, like Martha, will be “careful and troubled about many things” (Luke 10:41). This is because he does not give his burdens to the Lord in prayer, as Paul enjoins here.
The peace of God is the state of tranquility in which God Himself dwells. Nothing disturbs the peace that surrounds His throne. He rests in perfect calmness and in a state of unchangeable serenity. No circumstance on earth can shake Him, for He is above it all. He sees and knows all the suffering, sorrow, violence, etc., that goes on in this world and is not indifferent to it. He will intervene to set it all right one day, at the Appearing of Christ. And while we wait for our call home to heaven (the Rapture), God would have us to live in the very peace in which He Himself dwells, so that our hearts and minds wouldn’t be disturbed by the troublesome things that come our way on earth.
Paul says that the peace of God will “keep [guard] your hearts and minds [thoughts].” Note: guarding our “hearts” is put before the guarding of our “thoughts.” This shows that if our affections are right—being centered on Christ—our thoughts will be right too (Prov. 4:23). Thus, he says that it is “through Christ Jesus.” If our minds are “stayed” on Him and on His things, then the storms of life can blow, but we will be sustained in the midst of them (Isa. 26:3). It is an unexplainable peace that “surpasses every understanding” and it is known only by those who experience it by doing these things which Paul exhorts. “The peace of Christ” (John 14:27; Col. 3:15) is a slightly different aspect of practical peace. It refers to the peace in which the Lord Himself lived when He walked through this world. No one saw trouble as He did, and none suffered like Him. The animosity He faced due to the hatred and the rejection of men weighed upon His heart. Yet He took it all in perfect calmness, without being stoical. This calmness came from His accepting of those circumstances from the hand of His Father in perfect submission (Matt. 11:26). Upon leaving this world, He promised to give this peace to His followers (John 14:27) because they would have to pass through the same hostile world. The difference between “the peace of Christ” and “the peace of God” is that the peace of God results when we bring our troubles and difficulties to God in prayer; whereas the peace of Christ results from taking our troubles and difficulties from God in submission.
Fourthly (vs. 8), after giving our troubles to the Lord in prayer, we are to consciously turn our thoughts to brighter and better things, and think on them. Paul says, “Finally [for the rest], brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest [noble], whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely [amiable], whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” These “things” that Paul exhorts us to think on are not exactly the natural joys of earth that we might turn our thoughts towards to cheer ourselves up; they are the moral excellencies of Christ. All of these things were found in Him in perfection when He walked here on earth. However, the context of the epistle—which has much to do with peace and unity among the saints—suggests that it is to be thinking of those moral characteristics, not so much as they are found in Christ personally, but as they are found in our brethren. Thus, we are not to dwell on the shortcomings and personal idiosyncrasies of our brethren that might irritate us, but rather to “think on” the features of Christ that God is forming in them. Whatever moral excellence there is in them and whatever “praise” that it deserves, we are to think on those things. In view of the fact that we have wandering minds that usually tend toward negative things, C. H. Brown said that we may have to reset our thoughts 50 times in a day.
Lastly (vs 9), we are to follow the example of Paul and to be busy using our time and energy in the service of the Lord. He says, “Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” Being busy in the service of the Lord is important because idleness only gives opportunity for our thoughts go back to our troubles and problems. Perhaps we have all said at one time or another, “I’ve tried to think on good and happy things, but those disturbing things that bother me keep coming back to my mind.” This is usually said by someone who is not busy enough. The answer is to keep busy in the things of the Lord. There is so much to do. The Lord Himself said, “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (John 4:35).
The promise here is that we will also have “the God of peace” with us in our circumstances. That is, He will grant us a special sense of His presence and it will keep us going—even in the most difficult times. Compare Daniel 3:24-25. W. Scott said, “Oh to have Him as your travelling companion; constantly at your side; your Guide; Keeper, and Friend—the God of peace!” (Young Christian, vol. 5, p. 128). When we dwell in the conscious presence of “the God of peace,” who or what can trouble us? This is God’s prescription for peace in our present circumstances.
Summary of the Cure For Anxiety
• Rejoice in the things that you have in the Lord.
• Maintain a spirit of yieldingness in all circumstances and toward all persons.
• Carry everything that troubles you to the Lord in prayer.
• Think on the features of Christ in your brethren.
• Be busy in the things of the Lord.
Paul’s Acknowledgment and Thanksgiving for the Gift
Vss. 10-23—Paul draws his letter to a close by making a direct reference to their gift and his gratitude for it. He had alluded to the gift a few times earlier in the epistle (chaps. 1:5; 2:1, 17, 25), but he now formally thanks them. He says, “But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now however at length ye have revived your thinking [care] of me, though surely ye did also think of me, but lacked opportunity.” It is interesting to note that Paul waited to the last to mention his gratitude for their gift. This was not because he was indifferent about it, but because he considered the things which he addressed earlier in the epistle pertaining to their spiritual welfare more important than his own physical comforts. This shows that he cared more about them than he did of himself!
He “rejoiced” not because he had gotten a gift from the Philippians, but because their love for him had “flourished” and had manifested itself. He valued their gift, but he valued more the sympathy and love that was behind it. His joy was not so much because he had been relieved in his circumstances, but because their love for him had “revived.” Paul knew that they had sort of forgotten him, and implies it in saying, “Now at last...”—that is, that they finally came through with their support. He gently reproaches them in this, but then quickly excuses them by adding, “But ye lacked opportunity....”
The Secret of Contentment
Vss. 11-13—In these closing words of the epistle, we see in Paul one who was superior to his circumstances. He says, “Not that I speak in respect of want [privation]: for I have learned, in whatsoever state [circumstances] I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” All through this passage, Paul speaks in the singular. He says, “I,” not “we.” He has tasted for himself the goodness of God. God’s unfailing faithfulness had been his daily portion. Even if others had forgotten him and he had been neglected, he had learned from experience that God is faithful. Paul learned to be “content” with whatever his earthly lot was in life. This was not something natural to him any more than it is to us—he had “learned” it under God’s hand in God’s school. He had proved by experience that God was able to sustain him in all circumstances.
To be “abased” (have little) or to “abound” (have an abundance) is not the measure of God’s care, because He always loves and cares for His people. If God withholds His hand today, it is but to give double tomorrow. The wilderness journey and its experiences only prove God’s faithfulness to carry His people through the trials of life. In our sorrows and difficulties we learn to draw from the resources that we have in Him—that is, His comforts, His goodness, His mercy, etc. Thus, we learn from experience that He is sufficient for all things in life, and we discover how good of a God He really is. The challenge in Christian living is not to try to eliminate every uncomfortable thing in our lives, but to seek to glorify God in the circumstances in which His wisdom has put us. The trials and sorrows of the wilderness are not given to rob us of our joy in the Lord, but to prove His faithfulness in the midst of them.
Fittingly, Paul concludes by saying, “I have strength for all things in Him that gives me power” (vs. 13). He was not boasting here; he was simply stating that whatever life could throw at him, with the faithfulness of God working on his behalf, he was superior to it and could handle it through God’s grace. Thus, Paul’s peace and joy was not dependent upon material possessions and creature comforts. Since this “power” which enabled him to live above his circumstances was not his own, but something given to him, all the glory would go to the One who gave it—“Christ.”
Vss. 14-20—Paul then acknowledges their grace and kindness toward him: “But ye have done well in that ye did take part [communicate] with my affliction” (vs. 14). All such well-doing will be remembered by God and rewarded accordingly as a simple matter of sowing and reaping (Gal. 6:9). But Paul goes further. He not only acknowledges their grace and kindness, he praises them, telling them that they had excelled above the other assemblies in this regard. “Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church [assembly] communicated [anything] with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity [needs]” (vss. 15-16). This latter statement is quite remarkable. Paul was only in Thessalonica for three Sabbath days (Acts 17:2), yet while there, they sent him a gift twice! And this they did out of their deep poverty! (2 Cor. 8:2) This shows their sincerity. Paul’s comments to the Philippians here would surely encourage them to continue in this good work.
Their gift is one of two ways in which Christians can give monetarily. There is: collective assembly giving, as was the case here (Phil. 4:15-18), and there is also giving on an individual level (Gal. 6:6). Assembly giving would come out of the “collection” made by the saints on the first day of the week (1 Cor. 16:1-3).
Vss. 17-18—Paul assures them that he was not grovelling for a gift, but desired fruit to be accrued to their account. He says, “Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.” Thus, Paul was thinking of their spiritual gain, not his monetary gain. It takes faith on the part of the giver to believe that God will put his alms-giving to his account in heaven (Luke 12:33). But when simple faith is active, and we believe what God says about rewarding the giver, we will do it gladly. Hudson Taylor said that the problem that lies at the bottom of the Church’s lack of support in the Lord’s work is not insufficient funds, but unconsecrated funds!
Paul adds, “But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God.” In stating this, he made it clear that their gift had met his need, and he didn’t need anything more from them. This remark was important because after what he had said about giving and receiving, it might have looked as though he wanted more gifts from them—but in this statement he made it clear that it was not necessary. It seems strange in today’s modern world of Christian ministry to find a servant not begging the saints to give more—but such was Paul’s state. He had enough and was therewith content. Today’s servants could take a lesson here.
By making reference to the “things” which they had sent suggests that they gave more than money to him. Their gift was a “sacrifice acceptable” to God and also something “well-pleasing” to God. It is one of three kinds of sacrifices in Christianity:
• GIVING PRAISE—“The sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name” (Heb. 13:15; 1 Peter 2:5).
• GIVING MATERIALLY—“Communicating of your substance...for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Heb. 13:16; Phil. 4:18).
• GIVING OUR LIVES (our time and energy)—“Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God” (Rom. 12:1).
Vss. 19-20—To encourage the Philippians in what they had done in supporting the Lord’s work, Paul not only assured them that God would reward them in a coming day, but that God would also make up to them what they had sacrificed in a material way to support him in his labours. He said, “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by [in] Christ Jesus.” This shows that the old adage, “God is no man’s debtor,” is true indeed. As it has often been pointed out that Paul did not say that God would supply all their fleshly wants (if they had any), but that He would supply all of their needs. And, this would be “according to His riches in glory,” not according to their earthly wants or according to Paul’s wishes for them. By stating this, Paul recognized that God knew what was best for the Philippians, and therefore, he would gladly leave it all in His hand to supply them materially according to what His perfect wisdom deemed best. Paul says, “My God,” not “your God,” because he was speaking from the perspective of personal experience. He had personally proven the truth of verse 19.
A short doxology of praise was in order here, and Paul, therefore, appropriately adds, “Now unto God and our Father be glory forever and ever. Amen” (vs. 20).
Paul’s Closing Salutations
Vss. 21-23—In closing, Paul sent his greetings to “all the saints” in Philippi, and also passed greetings on from the saints in Rome—and remarkably, “specially those of the household of Caesar!” The gospel had somehow reached the servants in the emperor’s house and they had gotten saved! Such is the grace of God! Thus, we need the mercy of God to supply our bodily needs and “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” to keep our spirits.