Paul's Prison Epistles: Paul And The PhilippiansSample

Instructions Regarding Perseverance: Philippians 3:17-4:9

Paul’s final exhortations pertained to the challenges to perseverance, which he addressed in Philippians 3:17–4:9. These exhortations are primarily applications of his exhortation that the Philippians follow his example of perseverance.

In addressing the challenges to perseverance, Paul encouraged the Philippians not to allow false teachers, or conflict within the church, or personal hardship to cause them to falter in their faithfulness to God. And he began by focusing on the ways that false teaching could invade the church and threaten its perseverance. Consider Philippians 3:18-19, where he wrote this harsh condemnation:

Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things (Philippians 3:18-19).

Clearly these enemies of the cross of Christ were not believers. Nevertheless, they were in a position to threaten the church, perhaps because they spoke persuasively, or because they were influential in the church.

In any case, Paul insisted that believers reject the false teachings of Christ’s enemies, persevering in pure Christian faith and practice. The desire to avoid trouble and suffering was not a sufficient reason to lose faith in the gospel, and persuasive arguments were no substitute for the power of the Lord.

But Paul also warned that true believers within the church could present challenges to the perseverance to other believers. As one example of this, he mentioned a problem that existed between Euodia and Syntyche. Consider his words in Philippians 4:1-3:

Therefore … stand firm in the Lord, dear friends! I plead with Euodia and … Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord… [L]oyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel (Philippians 4:1-3).

By this conflict, Euodia and Syntyche were failing to stand firm in holy living, and by their influence they also threatened the perseverance of other believers in Philippi.

And lastly, Paul exhorted the Philippians not to allow individual hardship to hinder their perseverance. He encouraged them to adopt a joyful perspective, and not to allow anxiety to discourage them. His thoughts are represented well by these words from Philippians 4:4-7:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! … Do not be anxious about anything, but … present your requests to God. And the peace of God … will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:4-7).

Paul’s practical instruction was that believers should ask God to relieve their anxieties. In some cases, God might do this by eliminating the troubling circumstances. But it would appear that in most cases, Paul expected the change to be one of heart and mind, of attitude and perspective.