Philippians Philippians
Philippians
Introduction
At a Glance
Author: The apostle Paul
Audience: The church of Philippi
Date: AD 60–62
Type of Literature: A letter
Major Themes: The gospel of joy, Christ’s lordship, Christian conduct, and Christ’s community and identity
Outline:
Letter Opening — 1:1–11
Paul’s Gospel Priority — 1:12–26
Gospel-Living Conduct — 1:27–2:18
Examples of Gospel-Living — 2:19–30
Paul’s Gospel Experience — 3:1–21
Final Encouragements — 4:1–9
Letter Closing — 4:10–23
About Philippians
What joy and glory came out of Paul’s prison cell! Most of us would be thinking of ourselves and how we could get out; but Paul wanted to send to the Philippian church the revelation of joy!
The church of Philippi began because of a supernatural vision experienced by Paul while he was ministering at Troas (Acts 16:8–10). He had a vision in the night of a man from Macedonia who stood at his bedside pleading with him to come and give them the gospel.
It was in Philippi that Paul was arrested for preaching the gospel. Thrown in a prison cell and beaten, he and his coworker Silas began to sing songs of joy and praise to the Most High God! This caused a tremendous miracle as the prison doors were flung open and they escaped—but not before leading their jailor to Christ! Perhaps the jailor was the very man Paul had seen in his vision.
Philippi is where Paul met Lydia, a businesswoman who apparently led an import/export business from that city. The miracles of God birthed a church among the Philippians, and Paul longs to encourage them to never give up and to keep rejoicing in all things.
Paul’s words point us to heaven. He teaches us that our true life is not only in this world, but it is in the heavenly calling, the heavenly realm, and in our heavenly life that was given to us through Christ, the heavenly Man. He left heaven to redeem us and reveal the heart of God, the heart of a servant. He gave us new birth that we would be heavenly lights in this dark world as witnesses of Christ’s power to change our lives.
There is a good and glorious work that Christ has begun in our hearts and promises to complete once he is fully unveiled. Philippians teaches us how important it is to be joyful throughout our journey of becoming like Christ. The words joy and rejoicing occur eighteen times in this book. So read this heavenly letter of joy and be encouraged.
Purpose
This could be considered a letter written to friends. Throughout his Philippian letter, Paul speaks of unity and teaches how the church should live as one in the fellowship of Jesus Christ. We also discover in this, the warmest of Paul’s letters, many truths about Jesus Christ, his humiliation and exaltation on high. Paul tells us that God seated us in the heavenly realm in his place of authority and power. No wonder we should have joy in our hearts!
Author and Audience
Paul wrote this letter of heavenly joy about AD 60, while Timothy was visiting him in prison. Carried by one of the Philippian church leaders, Epaphroditus, it was delivered to the believers to be read publicly to all. He also wrote it to friends, to partners in the gospel, in the city of Philippi. Paul was motivated to write to these friends because of concerns he had over their disunity, suffering, and opponents. There were also two aspects of his imprisonment that cause him to write the letter: the gospel’s advance while he was kept in chains, as well as the gift from the Philippian church. He wrote this letter to express his joyful faith in Christ Jesus while in prison and to communicate his appreciation and love for his generous friends in Philippi.
Major Themes
The Joyous Gospel of Christ. Paul’s main theme in this letter is the gospel, a word that appears more often in this letter than any of his other letters. He is specifically concerned with believers’ ongoing relationship with Christ on the other side of their acceptance of the gospel. He is also concerned with the advancement of the gospel, that Jesus’ story of rescue and forgiveness goes out into all the world. The words “joy” and “gladness” are found nineteen times in this book!
The Lordship of Christ. At the heart of this letter is the famed Christ Hymn (2:6–11)—a soaring melody of worship, adoration, and revelation of the majesty and superiority of Christ as Lord over all. This hymn expresses in lofty, lyrical language the story of Jesus from his preexistent glory to the universal praise of him as Lord paved by his obedience to death on the cross.
The Conduct of Christ. Those who have received and believed the gospel are called to live according to the gospel, to conduct their lives in such a way that they live for Christ. For Paul, such a life is a process of seizing the surpassing worth of Christ and being seized by him. It is also a progressive pursuit of Christ in which we daily die with him in order to experience the fullness of his new life.
The Community of Christ. The community of Christ is the new people of God. Paul contrasts this new people with those in the old community who tried to bring non-Jewish Christians into the circle of Judaism. He also contrasts this community with the world, reminding believers that we are citizens of heaven who submit to the lordship of Christ. Finally, he reminds believers of their unity as brothers and sisters within God’s household.
Philippians
Heaven’s Joy
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