Phili 1 | TNotes | STEP | Book of Philippians — Quick facts: Purpose: To thank the Philippians for their recent gift and to encourage them to experience joy and contentment in the midst of their suffering Author: Paul Date: Traditionally, AD 60–62, but possibly earlier, around AD 53–56 Setting: Written while Paul was in prison and while the church at Philippi—which had recently sent Paul a financial gift—was also undergoing persecution Book of Philippians — Overview: Setting Philippi was a small Roman colony in the province of Macedonia in northeastern Greece. Located about ten miles inland from the Aegean Sea, Philippi was important because of its strategic position on the Via Egnatia, the major east–west Roman route through Macedonia. Philippi heard the Good News of Christ from Paul on his second missionary journey (about AD 50; see Acts 16:11-40 ). From the beginning, there was opposition to Paul’s preaching. During his brief stay there, he was thrown into prison and then asked to leave town, but not before a group of new believers had been established (Acts 16:35-40 ). Around six years later ( AD 56~57), on his third missionary journey, Paul visited Philippi again (see Acts 20:1-6 ). It is possible that, after that visit, he never saw the Philippian Christians again (but see 1 Tim 1:3 , written around AD 63). Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians while in prison. Epaphroditus had brought a monetary gift to Paul from the Philippians and was returning to Philippi, and Paul sent along with him this warm letter of encouragement for the church. Aware that the Philippians were being persecuted, he wanted to support and strengthen them, in part by sharing with them his experience as a prisoner for Christ’s sake. Summary After a brief introduction (1:1-2 ), Paul affirms his gratitude to God for the Philippians and prays for their spiritual growth (1:3-11 ). He then talks about his own experience of imprisonment and how it has resulted in the spread of the Good News (1:12-19 ). Paul’s greatest desire is to live and die for Christ, whatever his situation (1:20-26 ). The Philippians, too, must be strong in their faith as they suffer for Christ (1:27-30 ). They should warmly support one another, remembering the example of Christ, who gave up everything in sacrificing his life for theirs (2:1-18 ). Eager to know how the Philippians are doing and to tell them how he is, Paul will soon be sending Epaphroditus and Timothy to them, both of whom have proven their willingness to suffer for Christ (2:19-30 ). Paul next warns the Philippians about Jewish-Christian propaganda requiring adherence to the law of Moses (3:1-3 ). He recounts his prior way of life, in which he was consumed with following the law. Now he has come to the realization that the only important thing is knowing Christ, sharing in his suffering and death, and experiencing his resurrection power both now and in the future (3:4-11 ). All believers are to be single-minded in pursuing full life in Christ (3:12–4:1 ). In closing, Paul encourages the Philippians to fill their lives with joy, prayer, and thanksgiving, focusing their minds on God’s good gifts, even in their persecution (4:2-9 ). He thanks them for the gift they have sent. He tells them that he has learned to be content regardless of his circumstances, and he implies that they, too, should learn to live this way (4:1-20 ). As usual, Paul ends his letter with praise to God, greetings to the believers, and an invocation of the Lord’s grace (4:21-23 ). Date and Place of Writing Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon are often called the Prison Letters, as they each make reference to having been written from prison. There is no consensus on where or when the Prison Letters were written. They have traditionally been linked to Rome, where Paul was under house arrest in AD 60–62 and then later imprisoned around AD 64~65. More recently, scholars have made a case for Ephesus ( AD 53~56). During Paul’s two- to three-year stay in that city, he experienced much opposition and suffering (see Acts 19:23-41 ; 2 Cor 11:23-28 ). Literary Unity In order to account for sudden changes of content and tone in the writing (see especially 3:2–4:3 and 4:10-20 ), some have suggested that Philippians is actually a combination of several different letters or fragments joined by an anonymous editor. An early Christian writer, Polycarp, spoke of “letters” of Paul to the Philippians. Many others, however, judge this to be a single coherent letter, written by Paul, who in his letters often changes the subject unexpectedly to address new issues. Meaning and Message Paul writes from prison to Christians who are experiencing opposition, encouraging them to imitate his life and attitudes. By speaking of his own courage, commitment, confidence, and contentment even in prison, Paul encourages the Philippians to respond similarly in their situation. In doing so, he shows us that a Christian life of joy, peace, contentment, prayer, thanksgiving, and devotion to Christ can transcend all circumstances. Though Paul is in prison, he is not ashamed but rejoices that it has resulted in a greater spread of the Good News. He desires to be bold for Christ, whatever the consequences, for he knows he is called to live for Christ and he feels privileged to suffer for Christ (see 1:12-26 ). Even in prison, Paul can say that his deepest desire is to be completely filled with Christ’s life. Paul is ready to share in Christ’s suffering and death, and he is eager to experience the full power of Christ’s resurrection. Whatever happens, he will one day be raised from the dead like Christ (3:7-14 ). Meanwhile, Paul has learned to be content whatever his lot in life. He relies on Christ and has found Christ’s strength sufficient in even the most trying situations (4:11-13 ). Paul urges the Philippians to be full of joy in the Lord as they experience opposition. They are not to worry about anything, but to pray for all their needs with a heart full of gratitude to God. In this way, they will experience the deep peace of God (see 4:4-9 ). Summary for Phil 1:1-2: 1:1-2 Paul introduces his letter by listing the names of the senders and recipients of the letter, then giving an invocation of grace and peace. 1:1 Timothy was one of Paul’s most trusted co-workers and messengers. He is listed as co-sender, as he is for five other letters (2 Cor, Col, 1 Thes, 2 Thes, Phlm). • slaves of Christ Jesus: As those who belong entirely to Christ, they were completely devoted to his service (see Phil 2:20-21 ). • God’s holy people have been made holy in God’s sight by Christ’s redeeming work (see Eph 1:4 , 7 ; 5:25-27 ; Col 1:22 ), and they are being sanctified by the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in their lives (cp. Phil 4:21 ). • Philippi was a Roman colony in the province of Macedonia. The church in Philippi was the first Christian community in Greece (see Acts 16:11-40 ). • In the early church, church leaders provided spiritual leadership, while deacons attended to practical matters (see 1 Tim 3:1-13 ). There were no professional pastors or priests as there are today (cp. 1 Cor 14:26-31 ).

Book of Philippians — Quick facts:

Purpose: To thank the Philippians for their recent gift and to encourage them to experience joy and contentment in the midst of their suffering

Author: Paul

Date: Traditionally, AD 60–62, but possibly earlier, around AD 53–56

Setting: Written while Paul was in prison and while the church at Philippi—which had recently sent Paul a financial gift—was also undergoing persecution

Book of Philippians — Overview:

Setting
Philippi was a small Roman colony in the province of Macedonia in northeastern Greece. Located about ten miles inland from the Aegean Sea, Philippi was important because of its strategic position on the Via Egnatia, the major east–west Roman route through Macedonia.
Philippi heard the Good News of Christ from Paul on his second missionary journey (about AD 50; see Acts 16:11-40 ^a). From the beginning, there was opposition to Paul’s preaching. During his brief stay there, he was thrown into prison and then asked to leave town, but not before a group of new believers had been established (Acts 16:35-40 ^b).
Around six years later (AD 56~57), on his third missionary journey, Paul visited Philippi again (see Acts 20:1-6 ^c). It is possible that, after that visit, he never saw the Philippian Christians again (but see 1 Tim 1:3 ^d, written around AD 63).
Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians while in prison. Epaphroditus had brought a monetary gift to Paul from the Philippians and was returning to Philippi, and Paul sent along with him this warm letter of encouragement for the church. Aware that the Philippians were being persecuted, he wanted to support and strengthen them, in part by sharing with them his experience as a prisoner for Christ’s sake.

Summary
After a brief introduction (1:1-2 ^e), Paul affirms his gratitude to God for the Philippians and prays for their spiritual growth (1:3-11 ^f). He then talks about his own experience of imprisonment and how it has resulted in the spread of the Good News (1:12-19 ^g). Paul’s greatest desire is to live and die for Christ, whatever his situation (1:20-26 ^h). The Philippians, too, must be strong in their faith as they suffer for Christ (1:27-30 ⁱ). They should warmly support one another, remembering the example of Christ, who gave up everything in sacrificing his life for theirs (2:1-18 ^j).
Eager to know how the Philippians are doing and to tell them how he is, Paul will soon be sending Epaphroditus and Timothy to them, both of whom have proven their willingness to suffer for Christ (2:19-30 ^k).
Paul next warns the Philippians about Jewish-Christian propaganda requiring adherence to the law of Moses (3:1-3 ^l). He recounts his prior way of life, in which he was consumed with following the law. Now he has come to the realization that the only important thing is knowing Christ, sharing in his suffering and death, and experiencing his resurrection power both now and in the future (3:4-11 ^m). All believers are to be single-minded in pursuing full life in Christ (3:12–4:1 ⁿ).
In closing, Paul encourages the Philippians to fill their lives with joy, prayer, and thanksgiving, focusing their minds on God’s good gifts, even in their persecution (4:2-9 ^o). He thanks them for the gift they have sent. He tells them that he has learned to be content regardless of his circumstances, and he implies that they, too, should learn to live this way (4:1-20 ^p). As usual, Paul ends his letter with praise to God, greetings to the believers, and an invocation of the Lord’s grace (4:21-23 ^q).

Date and Place of Writing
Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon are often called the Prison Letters, as they each make reference to having been written from prison. There is no consensus on where or when the Prison Letters were written. They have traditionally been linked to Rome, where Paul was under house arrest in AD 60–62 and then later imprisoned around AD 64~65. More recently, scholars have made a case for Ephesus (AD 53~56). During Paul’s two- to three-year stay in that city, he experienced much opposition and suffering (see Acts 19:23-41 ^r; 2 Cor 11:23-28 ^s).

Literary Unity
In order to account for sudden changes of content and tone in the writing (see especially 3:2–4:3 ^t and 4:10-20 ^u), some have suggested that Philippians is actually a combination of several different letters or fragments joined by an anonymous editor. An early Christian writer, Polycarp, spoke of “letters” of Paul to the Philippians. Many others, however, judge this to be a single coherent letter, written by Paul, who in his letters often changes the subject unexpectedly to address new issues.

Meaning and Message
Paul writes from prison to Christians who are experiencing opposition, encouraging them to imitate his life and attitudes. By speaking of his own courage, commitment, confidence, and contentment even in prison, Paul encourages the Philippians to respond similarly in their situation. In doing so, he shows us that a Christian life of joy, peace, contentment, prayer, thanksgiving, and devotion to Christ can transcend all circumstances.
Though Paul is in prison, he is not ashamed but rejoices that it has resulted in a greater spread of the Good News. He desires to be bold for Christ, whatever the consequences, for he knows he is called to live for Christ and he feels privileged to suffer for Christ (see 1:12-26 ^v). Even in prison, Paul can say that his deepest desire is to be completely filled with Christ’s life. Paul is ready to share in Christ’s suffering and death, and he is eager to experience the full power of Christ’s resurrection. Whatever happens, he will one day be raised from the dead like Christ (3:7-14 ^w). Meanwhile, Paul has learned to be content whatever his lot in life. He relies on Christ and has found Christ’s strength sufficient in even the most trying situations (4:11-13 ^x).
Paul urges the Philippians to be full of joy in the Lord as they experience opposition. They are not to worry about anything, but to pray for all their needs with a heart full of gratitude to God. In this way, they will experience the deep peace of God (see 4:4-9 ^y).

Summary for Phil 1:1-2: 1:1-2 ^z Paul introduces his letter by listing the names of the senders and recipients of the letter, then giving an invocation of grace and peace. 1:1 ^aa Timothy was one of Paul’s most trusted co-workers and messengers. He is listed as co-sender, as he is for five other letters (2 Cor, Col, 1 Thes, 2 Thes, Phlm).

• slaves of Christ Jesus: As those who belong entirely to Christ, they were completely devoted to his service (see Phil 2:20-21 ^ab).

• God’s holy people have been made holy in God’s sight by Christ’s redeeming work (see Eph 1:4 ^ac, 7 ^ad; 5:25-27 ^ae; Col 1:22 ^af), and they are being sanctified by the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in their lives (cp. Phil 4:21 ^ag).

• Philippi was a Roman colony in the province of Macedonia. The church in Philippi was the first Christian community in Greece (see Acts 16:11-40 ^ah).

• In the early church, church leaders provided spiritual leadership, while deacons attended to practical matters (see 1 Tim 3:1-13 ^ai). There were no professional pastors or priests as there are today (cp. 1 Cor 14:26-31 ^aj).
1:2 ^ak Grace is undeserved blessing that comes from God; peace is well-being and contentedness rooted in the Good News and brought about by the Holy Spirit (see Gal 5:22 ^al). These qualities are gifts from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (see Rom 5:1-2 ^am).
Summary for Phil 1:3-11: 1:3-11 ^an Following his usual practice, Paul thanks God for the recipients and prays for them.
Summary for Phil 1:4-6: 1:4-6 ^ao Paul’s joy derived from how the Philippians had joined him as partners in spreading the Good News and from his confidence that God would continue his good work in them.
1:5 ^ap Their partnership included financial support (see 4:10-20 ^aq).
1:6 ^ar God, who began the good work within you: God takes the initiative to work his salvation in people (see Rom 9:16 ^as; Eph 1:3-8 ^at, 11 ^au; 2:4-10 ^av), so he can be trusted to continue his work of changing people into the likeness of his Son (see Rom 8:29 ^aw; Eph 4:13 ^ax, 15 ^ay).
1:7 ^az You share with me the special favor of God: Perhaps their lives were blessed because of Paul’s suffering and witness; perhaps they had suffered together with him (see 1:29 ^ba).
Summary for Phil 1:9-10: 1:9-10 ^bb Love is a fruit of Christ’s Spirit within believers (Rom 5:5 ^bc; Gal 5:22 ^bd).

• growing in knowledge and understanding: In this way, believers can understand what really matters (see Rom 12:2 ^be) and live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return (cp. 1 Thes 3:12-13 ^bf; 5:23 ^bg).
1:11 ^bh Righteous character cannot be produced by human effort; it comes only through the Spirit of Christ working in people’s hearts.

• Glory and praise to God is the ultimate purpose for which God’s people live (see Eph 1:6 ^bi, 12 ^bj, 14 ^bk).
Summary for Phil 1:12-19: 1:12-19 ^bl Paul rejoiced that his imprisonment had resulted in the spread of the Good News. 1:12 ^bm my dear brothers and sisters: Greek adelphoi, a generic term commonly used to address members of the same family, both male and female.

• Everything that has happened to me here refers to Paul’s imprisonment.

• has helped to spread the Good News: See Acts 28:17-31 ^bn for an example of this.
1:13 ^bo The whole palace guard were workers in the emperor’s or provincial governor’s official residence (see 4:22 ^bp).

• Paul was in prison because of Christ—that is, because of preaching the Good News of Christ (cp. Acts 21:26–28:31 ^bq).
1:14 ^br As a result of Paul’s courage and boldness, the believers (literally the brothers in the Lord; see study note on 1:12) had become more daring and less fearful in proclaiming God’s message. Paul’s boldness was contagious.
Summary for Phil 1:15-18: 1:15-18 ^bs some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry: They evidently were believers who were critical of Paul (cp. 2 Cor 10–13 ^bt; Gal 4:12-20 ^bu; 5:7-12 ^bv). Even so, the message about Christ was being preached, so Paul rejoiced.
1:19 ^bw this will lead to my deliverance: Paul expected to be released from prison soon (see 1:25-26 ^bx; 2:24 ^by; contrast 2 Tim 4:6 ^bz, written from prison at a later time when Paul expected death).
1:21 ^ca dying is even better: For believers, death holds no fear, as death leads directly into the presence of Christ (see 1:23 ^cb; cp. John 5:24 ^cc; 11:25-26 ^cd; Rom 8:38-39 ^ce).
1:23 ^cf I long to go and be with Christ: Death leads believers immediately into the Lord’s presence (cp. 3:20-21 ^cg; 1 Cor 15:20-23 ^ch, 51-52 ^ci; 2 Cor 5:1-8 ^cj; 1 Thes 4:13-17 ^ck).
1:25 ^cl The well-being of the church is more important to Paul than his own desire to be with Christ.

• experience the joy of your faith: Believers are encouraged to find joy even in the midst of suffering (see 4:4 ^cm; John 15:11 ^cn, 20 ^co; 16:20-24 ^cp; 1 Thes 5:16 ^cq).
Summary for Phil 1:27-30: 1:27-30 ^cr Paul encourages the Philippian Christians to live in a way that is worthy of the Good News (cp. Eph 4:1 ^cs; Col 1:10 ^ct; 1 Thes 2:12 ^cu), particularly by standing strong despite persecution. 1:27 ^cv As foreigners in this world, the Philippian believers are to live as citizens of heaven (cp. 3:20 ^cw; 1 Pet 2:9-11 ^cx).
1:28 ^cy a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved: As translated, the persecutors would be convicted by the Philippians’ example. The same Greek phrase could also be translated a sign to them that you are going to be destroyed, but a sign to you that you are going to be saved. By that interpretation, the persecutors would remain blind to the truth (cp. 2 Cor 2:15-16 ^cz).
1:29 ^da the privilege of suffering: What the world considers dishonorable, Christians consider an honor because it is for him—it honors Christ.
1:30 ^db We are in this struggle together: Both Paul and the Philippians faced strong opposition—Paul was in prison, and the Philippians were being persecuted.

• You have seen my struggle in the past: See Acts 16:11-40 ^dc; cp. 1 Thes 2:2 ^dd.