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Philippians 2

Thu, 27 May 2010 21:52:02 +0000

Philippians 2:1-4 If therefore there is any comfort in Christ, if there is any consolation provided by love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, ² make my joy complete by being like-minded, maintaining the same love, being one in spirit and purpose³ Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; ⁴ do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Analysis of vv. 1-4:

1) By the “therefore” Paul links what he is about to say with vv. 27-30.

2) That is, it refers back to the main issue of living as citizens worthy of the gospel of Christ by standing firm in the Spirit, striving together with unity, refusing to be intimidated by the opposition, and suffering in their niche.

3) V. 1 contains a series of four conditional clauses, each beginning with “if.”

4) Although not evident in the English translation each clause sets forth a particular condition in the Greek.

5) In our verse Paul uses the so-called 1^st class condition which affirms the reality of each condition.

6) It’s important to understand that the translation “if” doesn’t introduce an element of doubt, but is actually the equivalent of an affirmative statement.

7) Paul is affirming that the Philippians already had encouragement, consolation, fellowship of the spirit, affection, and compassion.

8) Hence the sense of the first clause is “If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, and there is…”

9) Furthermore the “encouragement” is said to be “in Christ” which indicates in part that this encouragement is derived from their union with Christ.

10)The word translated “encouragement” is primarily used three different ways (paraklesis).

a) It may refer to the act of emboldening another in belief or conduct so encouragement or exhortation (1 Thess. 2:3, 1 Tim. 4:13, Heb 12:5).

b) It means a strong appeal or request (2 Cor. 8:4).

c) In other passages it means comfort, the lifting of another’s spirits (2 Cor. 7:4).

d) It is the latter meaning that better fits this context, especially when immediately following Paul’s previous statements about suffering (Philippians 1:29-2:1 For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, ³⁰ experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.2:1 If therefore there is any comfort in Christ…”).

11) As the Philippians (and Paul) would suffer for Christ, so they would also receive comfort or uplifting through Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 1:5).

12) The second clause reads, “if there is any consolation provided by love…”

13) Our term “consolation” refers to that which offers encouragement, alleviation or consolation (paramuthion).

14)The primary sense of this term is consolation in the midst of suffering or even alleviation of suffering.

15)Paul indicates that “consolation” is afforded or provided by “love” (agape).

16)However the question arises by whose love? Paul doesn’t specify, but contextually some options include:

a) The “love” the Philippians manifested toward one another (Phil. 1:9, a fruit of the FGHS, Gal. 5:22).

b) The mutual “love” between Paul and the Philippians.

i) Both parties followed God’s directive will to love one another (1 Peter 1:22).

ii) Various ways we can express love for each other as believers:

(1) Exercise patience and forbearance (Eph 4:2).

(2) Avoid showing partiality (James 2:8-9).

(3) Make sacrifices for each other (1 John 3:16-18).

(4) Address needs in LC through application (Gal. 5:13).

(5) Be gentle and humble when helping another believer to spiritually recover (Gal. 6:1).

c) God’s “love” as expressed towards the Philippians and Paul in their current struggles (cf. Rom. 5:5, 8:38-39).

i) God possesses an affinity for the positive maturing believer (1 Sam. 13:14, John 15:14, James 2:23 cf. 2 Chron 20:7, Isa. 41:8).

ii) In general God’s love is expressed towards believers in the following ways:

(1) All believers are in union with Christ at the point of saving faith (1 Cor. 12:13, Gal. 3:26-28).

(2) All the recipients of His love for us as His children due to our position in Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:5-6 cf. John 16:27).

(3) Bear in mind however that not all believers share the same amount of temporal and eternal blessings due to differences in spiritual growth and willingness to apply (Matt. 13:1-8 cf. 1 Cor. 3:11-15).

(4) Divine discipline is an expression of love (Heb. 12:6, Rev. 3:19).

(5) Ultimate vindication in ph. 3 (Rev. 3:9).

17) Regardless of option, being the object of another’s “love,” whether from God or another believer, can bring consolation to one who is suffering.

18)We ought to be ready and willing to console another believer who is suffering through difficult circumstances.

19) Do not take a wait and see, hands-off approach, get involved and determine if there any way to apply towards them (in addition to prayer, Job 2:11).

20) God’s word is a primary source of consolation for the struggling believer (Psalm 119:50-52 This is my comfort in my affliction, That Your word has revived me. ⁵¹ The arrogant utterly deride me, Yet I do not turn aside from Your law. ⁵² I have remembered Your ordinances from of old, O LORD, And comfort myself, Rom. 15:4).

21) He is attentive to the suffering of the positive or righteous believer (Psa. 34:17-19).

22)When offering consolation to a fellow believer, offer encouragement that is biblically grounded (Eph. 4:29).

23) Offering words of human viewpoint is inappropriate and is doing a great disservice to your brother or sister in Christ.

24) Again, we express love for one another by seeking to benefit and edify each other, especially in our spiritual lives.

25) Human viewpoint or wisdom doesn’t edify.

26) Moreover, we are directed to renew our thinking with the Divine viewpoint of life, trying to attain to a complete knowledge of God.

27)Instead such “worldly” encouragement corrupts and may become a stumbling block to the one whom we try to console (Eph. 5:6, Col. 2:8 cf. Matthew 16:21-23 From that time Jesus Christ began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. ²² And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” ²³ But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”).

28) Paul affirms in the third clause, “If there is any fellowship of the Spirit …”

a) The word “fellowship” occurred in 1:5 where it is translated “participation” (koinonia, revised trans: “close partnership”).

b) Here the term indicates a close relationship, association or fellowship.

c) In other passages it is used of the close fellowship of believers with one another (Acts 2:42, Gal. 2:9).

d) Take note that this close relationship or fellowship is among fellow citizens of heaven and not unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:14 cf. of unbelievers, John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies.).

e) However, here we have the “fellowship” linked with “the Spirit.”

f) Some interpreters understand “spirit” to mean “spirit” or “mind.”

g) Therefore they understand “fellowship of the spirit” to refer to some type of “spiritual fellowship” among the believers in Philippi.

h) Yet the term “fellowship” used in the NT conjunction with believer conveys the idea of “spiritual fellowship.”

i) Hence the addition “of the spirit” is redundant and unnecessary.

j) “Spirit” in this verse refers back to the same “Spirit” in which the Philippians were “standing firm” 1:27, namely the Holy Spirit.

k) As believers their fellowship in the “Spirit” began at salvation.

l) At salvation they were each born again and permanently indwelled by God the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16, 2 Tim 1:14).

i) The indwelling is an automatic, instantaneous process when one exercises saving faith (Gal. 3:2, 5, 14).

ii) This is also referred to as an “anointing” (1 John 2:20, 27).

iii) This happens for everyone who believes in Jesus Christ during our current dispensation, the Church Age.

m) By virtue of being believers, the Philippians had fellowship with the same Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7, 13 ⁷ But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good…¹³ For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit., 2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all., Ephesians 2:18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father, Ephesians 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;).

29) In the final clause, the apostle states, “If any affection and compassion.”

a) The word translated “affection” literally refers to the intestines or internal organs of the body (splagchnon, e.g. heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, Acts 1:18 Now this man acquired a field with the price of his wickedness; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out).

b) Metaphorically, the word refers to the seat of the feelings, emotions, and affections (Philippians 1:8 For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus, Philemon 1:7 For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.).

c) Paul has already made clear his own “affection” for the Philippians in 1:8.

d) In our verse it’s evident that the “affection” was reciprocal.

e) Moreover this affection was also reciprocated among the believers in Philippi.

f) In a normal royal family relationship, “affection” for one another is to be expected (2 Cor. 7:15).

g) A lack of affection is a telltale sign of spiritual maladjustment (1 John 3:17).

h) In addition to “affection” they also possessed “compassion.”

i) They displayed a genuine concern or compassion for one another as they faced opposition in Philippi, but they also had a genuine concern for the apostle in Rome.

j) Following their lead, we ought to have a genuine concern for one another, especially for a believer who is enduring various struggles (Col. 3:12).

k) As we show mercy and compassion towards others, we manifest one of our Father’s traits (2 Cor. 1:3).

30) Following his affirmations about the Philippians, Paul begins v. 2 with the exhortation, “make my joy complete.”

31) The Philippians were already a source of joy to Paul (Philippians 1:3-4 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, ⁴ always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, Philippians 1:25 And convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, Philippians 4:1 Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, so stand firm in the Lord, my beloved).

32) Nevertheless he urges them to complete his joy and indicates how that might be accomplished, namely “by being of the same mind” (lit: “You think the same”).

33) Although the imperative is in the form of a strong personal appeal to complete his joy, Paul’s primary concern is for their unified spiritual progress.

34) Here Paul refers to a certain way of looking at life, people, and circumstances.

35) It is his desire that they look at things in the same biblical manner thereby “being like-minded” (cf. 2 Cor. 13:11).

36)Paul’s appeal must not be lost on believers today.

a) In a time when evil and false doctrine is proliferating worldwide, there is an ever greater need for us to be like-minded with principles of sound doctrine.

b) We must resist setting our minds on the things of the flesh and instead set our minds on heavenly things (e.g. goals and aspirations that are in accordance with sound doctrine, Rom. 8:5, Phil. 3:15, Col. 3:2).

37) If we at FBC hope to be successful and overcome the various pressures in our Christian life, we must be “like-minded” about sound doctrine.

38) Unity in the truth of Divine viewpoint is critical.

39) There are many key areas in Scripture that we ought to have the same outlook.

40) Some basic areas include:

a) Salvation

i) Attained by faith in Christ and none other (Acts 4:12, Eph 2:8-9, Titus 3:5).

ii) Salvation is eternal (John 3:16“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.).

b) Biblical anthropology

i) Humans possess a body and soul (Matt. 10:28).

ii) In addition, to a body and soul, believers also possess a human spirit (1 Thess. 5:23).

iii) The body is material while both the soul and human spirit are immaterial (Gen. 2:7).

iv) As a consequence of the Fall, every child born into the human race is born spiritually dead and in need of a new birth (John 3:3, Rom. 5:12, 17-18).

c) The Old Sin Nature

i) Everyone is born with an OSN as a part of our genetic makeup (Psa. 51:5, Eph. 2:3, 1 John 2:16).

ii) It is not eradicated following one’s salvation (Rom. 7:7ff).

iii) It may be controlled by exercising biblical discernment and through the filling ministry of God the Holy Spirit (Rom. 13:14, Eph. 3:16, Galatians 5:24-25 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit).

iv) It is distinct from the soul (1 Peter 2:11).

d) Sound doctrine, the Word of God, or Scripture

i) It is comprised of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments.

ii) It is wholly inspired by God (2 Sam. 23:2-3, 2 Tim. 3:16-17- literally “God-breathed”).

iii) Sound doctrine contains no error or distortion of any kind (Prov. 8:6-9).

iv) The supreme importance of Bible doctrine is portrayed in the fact that God has exalted His word above His own reputation, both of which are interconnected (Psa. 138:2-“according to” is “above”).

v) Obedience to God’s word determines blessing and cursing in one’s life (cf. Deut. 30:11-18)

vi) It is God’s sovereign and directive will that all men come to a full knowledge of the entire realm of Bible doctrine (1 Tim. 2:3-4).

vii) Divine wisdom is of incomparable value (Prov. 8:11).

viii) Acquire it (Prov. 4:7).

ix) Whatever you have to sacrifice to get it, do it.

e) The local church

i) It is the biblically mandated environment where the believer might be taught sound doctrine by a qualified pastor/teacher (1 Tim. 3:15 cf. Rom. 16:4, Col. 4:15-16).

ii) Consistent attendance is commanded (Hebrews 10:23-25 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; ²⁴ and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, ²⁵ not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.).

iii) The leadership is composed of pastor-teachers and deacons (Phil. 1:1, 1 Tim. 3:2ff, Titus 1:7).

iv) The pastor-teacher or “overseer” is established by God the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:28).

v) Believers are said to be “allotted” to the charge of a pastor-teacher (1 Peter 5:1-3, technical usage of “elders”).

f) Pastor-teacher

i) Must have adequate training with an emphasis in the original languages.

ii) Must be a male.

iii) Must be diligent and communicate sound doctrine (1 Timothy 4:13-16 Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. ¹⁴ Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed upon you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. ¹⁵ Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be evident to all. ¹⁶ Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.).

iv) Must teach the realm of sound doctrine (cf Paul’s example: Acts 20:20 …how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, Acts 20:26-27 “Therefore I testify to you this day, that I am innocent of the blood of all men. ²⁷ “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.).

v) Primary responsibility is to spiritually equip the believers under his charge (Eph. 4:11-12).

g) Good works, Divine good

i) Good works are unrelated to salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹ not as a result of works, that no one should boast).

ii) However, following salvation, it is God’s directive will that believers participate in good works (Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for [the purpose of] good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them., 1 Tim. 6:18).

iii) They are required of every believer (Titus 3:1, 8, 14).

iv) Scripture emphasizes the overt application of the believer and not what he thinks or says (James 1:25, 2:14).

h) Spiritual gifts

i) Each believer has at least one gift bestowed at salvation by God the Holy Spirit.

ii) Use it, don’t neglect it.

iii) Furthermore, use it for the benefit of your fellow believers in the local church.

i) Biblical separation and the believer

i) Close friendships or fellowship with unbelievers is forbidden (2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? ¹⁵Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. ¹⁷ “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. ¹⁸ “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty.).

ii) Close friendships or fellowship with believers who are spiritually maladjusted is also forbidden (Romans 16:17Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them., 1 Cor. 5:9-13, 2 Thess. 3:6-15).

iii) Biblical separation frequently results in persecution for the believer. Nevertheless it is God’s directive will (2 Timothy 3:12 And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.).

(1) As a general principle, when we apply sound doctrine, we ought to expect a certain amount of opposition and in some cases, outright animosity.

(2) Remember the example of our Lord and consider how the world hated Him and His teaching.

(3) As His “disciples” we will receive the same treatment at the hands of the world (John 15:18-20).

(4) We ought to rejoice in our sufferings for the cause of Christ (Matt. 5:10-12 cf. Phil. 1:29, 3:8, Col. 1:24).

41)Paul has just expressed his desire that the Philippians be like-minded.

42) After expressing his desire, he elaborates how the Philippians might be “like-minded.”

43) Put another way, how were they to be like-minded?

44)What qualities ought they to exhibit?

45) First they could demonstrate their like-mindedness by “maintaining the same love.”

a) Maintaining the same love for what or for whom?

b) The context indicates that they ought to exhibit love for one another.

c) Our word “love” is the same we’ve encountered in our study up to this point (agape, 1:9, 16, 2:1).

d) It is the same “love” that is a fruit of the filling of God the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.).

e) It is the type of love is expressed by seeking the benefit of others, and is not primarily based on emotion or affection.

f) Like the Philippians, believers are to have a mutual love for one another (1 Thess. 4:9).

g) This type of love motivated Christ to lay down His life for us (1 John 3:16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.).

h) Simply, the characteristics of “agape” love include:

i) Filling of God the Holy Spirit.

ii) Seeks to benefit fellow believers and others.

iii) According to God’s standards.

iv) Proper object and motive (e.g. love is expressed by forgiving the offence of a fellow believer).

v) Expressed by application not affection (1 John 3:17 But whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Cf. Rom. 5:8).

i) The participle “maintaining” bears the force of a command.

46) Secondly their like-mindedness would be demonstrated by “being one in spirit and purpose.

a) Once again the Paul emphasizes unity among the Philippians (cf. 1:27, 2:2a).

b) The fact that Paul stresses his desire for Christian unity suggests disharmony existed among the Philippians.

c) To what level is unclear, but given his relatively light censure, the situation was not acute (Phil. 4:2 cf. Gal. 3:1).

d) They were to share the same sentiment, desire, and commitment to the plan of God.

e) Furthermore they were to do so with their whole being.

f) Likewise we ought to share a mutual, total commitment to the plan of God and make no provisions for the OSN.

47) In v. 3 Paul addresses mental attitudes that do not promote unity or like-mindedness, but instead produce discord.

48) He directs the Philippians, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit.”

a) The Greek word translated “selfishness” we’ve encountered before in 1:17 (eritheia).

b) In 1:17 it is translated “selfish ambition.”

c) The word denotes a mental attitude of selfishness with a nuance of rivalry.

d) Those with a mindset of selfishness operate in accordance with the dictates of their OSN (Gal. 5:20- trans. “disputes”).

e) Moreover selfishness or self love is prevalent in the world especially during the last days of the Church Age. Guard against it (2 Timothy 3:1 But realize this, that in the last days violent times will come. ² For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, ⁴ treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; ⁵ holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these.).

f) Such an attitude disrupts the unity of the local church (cf. James 3:16).

g) The term translated “empty conceit” means a state of pride without basis or reason (kenodoxia).

h) It is manifested in those who think too highly of themselves without cause; such an attitude is an exercise in self-delusion.

i) Scripture is replete with denouncements of pride in many forms:

i) Possessions (Psa. 49:6, 1 John 2:15-16 cf. Prov. 11:28, 1 Timothy 6:17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy).

ii) Appearance (Prov. 31:30, Ezek. 28:12-17).

iii) Military strength (Judges 7:2, Psa. 20:7 cf. 2 Chron. 32:8).

iv) Personal achievements (Dan. 4:28ff).

v) Intelligence (Prov. 3:7, Jer. 9:23, 1 Cor. 1:26).

vi) Misc warnings: Prov.11:2, 16:18, 29:23.

j) The astute believer will recognize that neither an abundance of possessions, beauty, personal achievements, nor any other area of pride commends one to God (Proverbs 8:13 “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way, And the perverted mouth, I hate).

49)In contrast to the attitudes of “selfishness” and “empty conceit,” Paul directs the Philippians to have an attitude of “humility” toward each other.

50) Here Paul anticipates the example set by Christ recorded in vv. 5-8.

51) “Humility of mind” indicates modesty or humble opinion of self and is the antithesis of pride and self-interest (tapeinophrosune).

52) Here, as an application of humility, Paul enjoins his audience to “regard one another as more important than himself.”

53)This is a great preventative against disharmony in the local church and should be applied regardless of social status (Rom. 12:16).

a) Although various social classes are recognized in Scripture, one’s social standing or position doesn’t confer any spiritual advantages.

b) Consider that Jesus, the Son of God, was a carpenter from a region that was widely regarded as a cultural backwater.

c) One would think if social position was a distinct advantage in God’s plan Christ would have enjoyed a slightly higher position.

d) Rather positive volition and the consistent learning and application of sound doctrine give one great advantages in this life and the life to come (1 Tim. 4:7-8).

54)Vital to regarding our positive royal family members as more important than oneself include the recognition of the following:

a) Everything that we are and all we have as believers came to us on the basis of grace (cf. 1 Cor. 15:10, Eph. 3:2, 8, 1 Tim. 1:12-16).

b) Apart from Divine assistance, we can do nothing in the Christian life (Eph. 3:16, Phil. 4:13).

c) All believers are one in Christ (Gal. 3:28).

d) Each believer possesses a gift that is essential to the local church, and every gift is important (1 Cor. 12:7ff).

e) Each believer has the opportunity and responsibility to utilize their spiritual gift to make important applications for the common good of the local church.

f) In view of this fact, there is always something to esteem in the applications of fellow believers.

g) Each one of us has a huge propensity for failure so one ought to be humble and be on the alert (Gal. 6:1).

55) Recognition of these factors ought to produce a mindset of humility and grace orientation.

56) From the spiritual standpoint, we all came from a fallen condition, so there is no room for arrogance or condescension.

57) Considering another believer as more important than self is not necessarily taking the attitude that one’s fellow believers are all better than you.

58) Instead it refers to considering the needs and concerns of others before one’s own (Romans 12:10-11 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; ¹¹ not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;).

59) Having addressed the attitude the Philippians are to have towards one another, Paul instructs them regarding their responsibility towards each other in v. 4.

60) Besides their own personal interests, each was to “look out” for the interests of others.

61)This goes beyond merely taking note of the needs of others; “looking out” implies positive action or effort to help a fellow believer.

62) Of course if one is selfish, opportunities to help frequently go unnoticed and/or unaddressed.

63)Some additional commands regarding our attitude and behavior towards each other in the local church. These commands are applicable to all believers and are essential to the good spiritual health of the local body.

a) Be diligent to preserve the unity of the local church (Eph 4:2-3).

b) We are to serve one another (Gal 5:13).

i) This is the responsibility of every believer in the local church, especially if one holds the office of deacon.

ii) How do we serve one another? Examples: Take someone to the doctor or supermarket, give another believer financial help, teach in the prep school, work on the building, yard crew, or parsonage, etc.

iii) We must not be selfish with our time.

c) Related to this point, we are to stimulate one another to love and good works (Heb. 10:24).

d) We are top bear one another’s burdens which refers to various types of suffering and difficult hardships (Gal. 6:2).

i) This may include health tests, financial test, death test, etc.

ii) How do we bear each other’s burdens? Pray for each other and be ready to encourage one another with principles of Divine viewpoint.

iii) For instance, if someone is going through a health test, pray for them and encourage them to be unafraid and trust God to work things out (Rom. 8:28).

e) Be hospitable to one another even if it’s inconvenient (1 Peter 4:9).

f) Be kind, compassionate, and forgiving to one another (Eph. 4:32).

Philippians 2:5-8 Continue having this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Analysis of vv. 5-8:

1) Some interpreters regard vv. 5-11 as a hymn due to its literary form. However this identification cannot be substantiated.

2) Regardless of literary category, the verses stand as one of the preeminent Christological passages in the N.T.

3) V. 5 is a transition point from exhortation to illustration, specifically the example set by Christ.

4) “This attitude” points backward and refers to the traits Paul has just exhorted about in vv. 2-4 (e.g. humility of mind).

5) The phrase doesn’t look forward to what Paul is about to say regarding Christ.

6) The attitude about which Paul exhorted the Philippians was also the attitude that had been adopted by Christ.

7) “Have this attitude” is a command for an action, or in this case attitude, to be continued.

8) The idea is that the Philippians were to continue having this attitude or mindset (i.e. humility of mind, etc.).

9) In v. 6 Paul makes mention of Christ’s pre-incarnate existence.

10) The apostle makes two assertions about Christ:

a) Christ “existed in the form of God.”

b) He “did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped.”

11) According to the first assertion Christ “existed in the form of God.” In what sense was Christ in the “form of God?”

a) The word translated “form” refers to the nature or character of something, or here, someone.

b) The term doesn’t denote “form” in the sense of recognizable external characteristics, but those traits or attributes that are essential to it.

c) In terms of external manifestation, God is spirit and doesn’t possess a physical form. (cf. John 4:24, Acts 17:29).

d) Scripture does ascribe to God physical characteristics. However such references are anthropomorphic and are used to aid our understanding of God. Examples:

i) Hand: portrays omnipotence manifested in divine judgment (1 Sam. 5:11, also “finger”- Ex. 8:19).

ii) Eyes: portrays omniscience (2 Chron. 16:9, Prov. 5:21, 15:3).

iii) Face: portrays justice (Psa. 34:16, 1 Peter 3:12).

e) Hence apart from various theophanies prior to His incarnation, Christ existed as spirit (examples of theophanies: Judges 6:11, 13:20).

f) Most importantly this “form” corresponds exactly to God the Father. Thus Christ possessed the same essential nature or divine essence as God the Father.

12)The word “existed” stresses continued existence.

a) Therefore Christ continues to have this divine essence from eternity past.

b) As the Son, He has always possessed the divine essence.

13)Yet it isn’t enough to simply understand that Christ preexisted His incarnation.

14)As God the Son He eternally preexisted His incarnation.

15)Some suppose that Christ preexisted His incarnation, but not eternally.

16)In other words some believe that Christ came into existence sometime prior to the virgin birth.

17)Still others believe that Christ came into existence at His birth.

18) What are the implications if Christ came into existence prior to or at His physical birth?

a) If He came into existence at His physical birth, then no eternal Trinity exists (Gen. 1:26, Isa. 48:16).

b) If He was not eternally preexistent He could not be God, since among other attributes, God is eternal (Psa. 90:2, Micah 5:2).

c) If Christ was not preexistent, this would controvert His own claims so He lied (John 8:58).

d) If He lied, then He could not be God as veracity is a divine attribute (Psa. 31:5, John 14:2, 6, Rev. 3:7).

19) Any view that holds to the notion that Christ came into existence at any point is erroneous. Scripture unequivocally affirms His eternal preexistence as God the Son (John 1:1, 14, 17:5).

20) Paul’s second assertion that Christ “did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped” proves this point.

21) As God the Son, Christ is equal with God, that is, He already possessed equality with God the Father.

a) He and God the Father are one (John 10:30).

b) Whatever the Father has, Christ possesses (John 17:10).

22)As God the Father is deity so the Son is deity (Col. 1:15, 2:9, Heb 1:3).

23) He exercises the prerogatives of deity.

a) He forgives sin (Matt. 9:2, 6).

b) He executes judgment (John 5:22).

c) He raises the dead (John 20:25, 28).

24)Our term “grasped” only occurs here in Scripture.

25)Based on our context, the phrase “did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped” refers to the fact that Christ chose not to manifest or take certain advantages of His pre-incarnate existence.

26) He didn’t selfishly seek His own advantage, but instead “emptied Himself.”

27) Paul doesn’t directly indicate that Christ emptied Himself of “something” so to think that Christ somehow diminished or lost His essence is incorrect.

28)He emptied Himself by means of “taking the form of a bond-servant.”

29) The word “form” is same word used in the phrase “He existed in the form of God” in v. 6.

30)The term refers to the essential nature or trait(s) of a bond-servant which is to serve.

31) Referring to Christ as a bond-servant stresses his utter lack of selfishness.

32)He took human form via the virgin birth and in this sense was made “in the likeness of men.”

33)“Likeness” is not an exact replica. Although Christ was true humanity, He was different. To begin with His humanity was completely free from the defilement of the OSN (Isaiah 53:9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth1 Peter 2:21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, ²² who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth).

34)Now we see that Christ possessed both the essential traits of deity and humanity.

35) He is deity and humanity united in human form. He is the unique God-man.

a) The two natures are united without any loss of any essential attributes, and the two natures maintain their separate identities.

b) Through the incarnation, the two natures were inseparably united in such a way that there was no mixture or loss of their separate identity, and without loss or transfer of any property or attribute from one nature to the other.

c) The union thus consummated in a personal or hypostatic union, in that Christ is one person, not two.

d) It should be clear that the divine attributes must necessarily belong to the corresponding divine nature and that human attributes belong to the corresponding human nature. Furthermore, the attributes of both the human and the divine nature belong to the person of Christ.

e) Because the attributes of either nature belong to Christ, Christ is theanthropic in person, but it is inaccurate to refer to His natures as being theanthropic as there is no mixture of the divine and human to form a third new substance.

f) The human nature always remains human and the divine nature always remains divine.

g) Christ is, therefore, both God and man, no less God because of His humanity and no less human because of His deity.

h) The two natures of Christ cannot lose or transfer a single attribute.

i) In the incarnation (the phase of His hypostasis from His birth to death), no attribute of the divine nature was changed, though there was a change in the manifestation of His deity.

j) This is referred to as the “kenosis” doctrine or the self-emptying of Christ.

k) In terms of manifestation, He gave up the outward appearance of deity.

l) This union should not be viewed as deity possessing humanity or humanity being indwelt by deity.

m) This union of the two natures was not one of sympathy alone or merely a harmony of will and operation.

n) Everything that Jesus Christ spoke came from one of three sources:

i) From His deity (John 8:58).

ii) From His humanity (John 19.28).

iii) From the Hypostatic Union, His whole person (Matt 11:28, John 14:6).

36)How could the eternal God take upon Himself human limitations while retaining His eternal deity?

a) Some have interpreted the significance of His self-emptying in the sense He gave up part of His deity to become man.

b) In opposition to all views which deny His deity during the incarnation, it must be pointed out that God cannot change His nature by an act of His will any more than we can change our nature.

c) This is inherent in the divine attribute of immutability which is expressly affirmed of Christ (Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever).

d) Furthermore, a loss of any Divine attribute would mean in effect that Christ was not God at all. This is contradicted by innumerable Scriptures and specifically by the gospel of John (John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”).

e) In order to take human form, it was necessary for Christ to veil His pre-incarnate glory.

f) In answer to the prayer of Christ to the Father, the eternal manifestation was restored in connection with His resurrection and ascension (John 17:5).

g) Furthermore, during the incarnation, Christ did not surrender the attributes of omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience, but He did voluntarily restrict their use.

h) Christ did not exercise His divine attributes to make His way easier, but they were abundantly displayed in His miracles (Acts 2:22).

i) Christ exercised His own power when He commanded the waves to be still and caused Lazarus to be raised from the tomb (Matt. 8:26, John 11:43).

j) Many of His miracles were performed in the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:14, 18, Acts 10:38).

k) Implicit in “emptying Himself” is the reality that Christ surrendered no attribute of deity, but that He did voluntarily restrict their independent use in keeping with His purpose of living among men and under human limitations.

37) It’s interesting to contemplate the question, “When did Christ within His humanity, become aware that He was God?

a) As His human nature developed and with it self-consciousness, He, as a man, became aware of His uniqueness.

b) He had both a divine and human self-consciousness, and these were never in conflict.

c) The self-awareness of His deity, of necessity, must have occurred early on, even as a very young boy (cf. Lk 2:42, 46-49).

38) What was the relationship of Christ’s two natures and His free will?

a) The human will of Christ was subject to real temptation. Heb. 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”

b) The divine will of Christ, His deity, was not subject to temptation (cf. James.1:13).

c) The question among orthodox theologians is not whether the humanity of Christ was really tempted, but whether, as a man, He was capable of sinning.

d) All agree that He remained sinless and had no sin nature, but there is a division over whether or not He could have sinned.

e) If Christ could tap into His deity and have infinite power to resist temptation, then how could He be on equal standing with those He is supposed to sympathize with? The sympathy would be empty.

f) Infinite power to resist temptation is called impeccability, while the ability to sin as a result of temptation is called peccability (cf. James 1:14-15).

g) With regard to all angels and all of mankind from Adam, temptability presumes peccability. Why should the humanity of Christ be the exception?

h) If, for instance, Christ was tempted at the end of the forty days, but could not have sinned, then He was not our equal in temptation.

i) In Gethsemane, it was His human will which was tempted to avoid the Cross (Matt. 26:39).

j) The argument that Christ is now impeccable in heaven, therefore He must have been impeccable while on earth is not valid. Consider the fact that believers are peccable on earth but impeccable in heaven (elect angels also seem to have gone from peccability to impeccability).

k) To argue that God would not have risked the whole plan of grace on the peccability of Christ ignores the doctrine of foreknowledge. The notion of risk is not applicable to deity.

l) Certainly the humanity of Christ, possessing no sin nature, had all the resources not to sin. However this does not preclude the ability to sin.

m) Indeed, there is no support in Scripture which declares that He could not sin, only that He did not sin (2 Cor.5:21, 1 John 3:5).

n) The deity of Christ did not, in any fashion, override His human volition in the face of temptation by giving Him infinite power to resist.

o) So why postulate that which is not the pattern for other free moral agents? It would be atypical of the human experience.

39)The opening phrase in v. 8 indicates how Christ physically appeared to others during His incarnation.

40) Paul states that He was “found in appearance as a man.”

41) The word “appearance” means outward appearance or form (schema).

42)This word doesn’t refer to Christ’s essence or nature as does the word “form” in vv. 6 and 7.

43) Therefore during the incarnation Christ possessed the same basic physical characteristics as any other member of humanity (“as a man”).

44)Christ’s humanity is as critical to the Christian faith as is His deity.

45)The evidence for His human body is as compelling as the evidence for His deity.

46)According to the Scriptures, Christ was born of a virgin, thus fulfilling in this notable historical event of His incarnation all that would normally be expected of a human birth. Physiologically, His birth was normal and not extraordinary (Isa. 7:14, Matt. 1:23 cf. Luke 2:7).

47)The Scriptures also testify that His body possessed flesh and blood (Heb.2:14; 1 John 4:2, 2 John 1:7).

48)The life of Christ subsequent to His birth in Bethlehem reveals the same normal human development and growth (Luke 2:52).

49)In His life, He experienced similar feelings and limitations as other human beings. His physical movements corresponded to a genuine human nature and human body.

50)According to Scripture, He was able to suffer pain, thirst, hunger, fatigue, pleasure, rest, death, and resurrection (John 19:18, 28).

51)Both before and after His resurrection, He could be seen and felt. His human body was tangible to human touch (Matt. 26:67, Luke 24:39, John.20:24-29).

52)His true humanity is also recognized in scripture by the human titles which were given to Him, such as “Son of Man”, “the Man Christ Jesus”, “the Son of David”, etc (Mark 2:10, 10:47).

53)The Scripture also indicates that He possessed a rational human soul (Matt.26:38, John 12:27).

54)Based on the biblical evidence, there is no question that Jesus Christ was true humanity.

55) In pondering the scheme of things one might question why it was necessary for Christ to become humanity.

a) To be our Savior (Heb. 2:15).

b) To be the mediator between God and men. A mediator must be equal with both parties (1 Tim 2:5)

c) To be the High Priest who can represent believers before God the Father (Heb. 7:12-14, 24-28, 10:5-14).

d) To be David’s Greater Son sitting on His throne. In order for the promise to be fulfilled, not only did Jesus Christ have to be true humanity, but He had to be born into the direct line of David (2 Sam. 7:8-16, Psa. 89:20-37).

56)In relation to Christ’s humanity, it’s also beneficial to examine some of the primary purposes of His incarnation.

a) To reveal God to the human race (John 1:18, 14:7-9).

b) To bypass the curse of Adam via the virgin birth (Luke 1:35 cf. Rom 5.15).

c) To be the sacrifice that made atonement for sin (Eph. 5:2, Heb. 9.26, 10:12).

d) To set an example (1 Peter 2:21, 1 John 2:6 cf. Col 1:10).

e) To destroy the works of the Devil (1 John 3:8).

f) To be a judge (John 5:22-27 “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, ²³ in order that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. ²⁴ “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. ²⁵ “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear shall live. ²⁶ “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; ²⁷ and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.).

57) In addition to taking human form, Christ further demonstrated His humility by going to the cross.

58) His humility was demonstrated by “becoming obedient to the point of death.”

59)Such was His commitment to obeying the will of the Father that Christ chose the course which led to His own death (Luke 22:42, John 5:30, 6:38).

60)He was the epitome of the faithful bond-servant and His obedience made salvation available for all (Rom. 5:19).

61) “Even death on the cross” is emphatic and stresses the stigma of shame that was attached to crucifixion, especially to the Jews (Gal. 3:13).

62) Despite the shame, Christ willingly sacrificed His life and bore our sins while He was on the cross (1 Peter 2:24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.).

63)As Christ we ought to make every effort to demonstrate humility through obedience to the will of God the Father (cf. Deut. 28:1ff, Rom. 6:12ff, Col. 1:10, 1 Thess. 4:1).

Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Analysis of vv. 9-11:

1) The inferential “therefore also” which opens v. 9 concludes the previous narrative.

2) Now Paul asserts the vindication of Christ following His self-emptying and humbling Himself in obedience through death on the cross.

3) Following these things, “God highly exalted” Christ.

4) “Highly exalted” refers to Christ’s status and indicates that God exalted Him to the highest possible degree.

5) We see His complete submission to the Father’s plan resulted in exaltation.

6) As a general principle God exalts the humble and humbles those who proudly exalt themselves (Matt. 23:12, Luke 14:11, 18:14).

7) Following Christ’s example, humility is manifested in obedience to God’s directives.

8) Conversely, disobedience to God’s directives manifests arrogance (Neh. 9:29).

a) Arrogance is a byproduct of the OSN and is initially exhibited in the mental attitude (cf. 2 Chron. 26:16).

b) The bulk of humanity is under the domination of their OSN. Consequently, the world, especially in the last days, is permeated with arrogance and blatant self-exaltation (e.g. sports, “gay pride,” Rom. 1:25-32, 2 Timothy 3:1-5 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. ² For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, ⁴ treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; ⁵ holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these).

c) We as believers must be especially careful not to get swept up in the hype and arrogance that is prevalent in the cosmos (1 John 2:15-16 cf. 2 Tim. 4:10, 1 Peter 5:6).

i) Instead, we ought to be spiritually discerning and direct our focus and energy on our spiritual growth.

ii) The adjusted CA believer will seek to exploit his privileged position in Christ. This is accomplished through the consistent intake and application of sound doctrine.

iii) The believer who fails to prioritize his life in accordance with the clear commands of Scripture and is captivated by “the things in the world” sets himself up for spiritual ruin (e.g. inconsistent attendance in Bible class in order to pursue job, career, education, etc.).

iv) The astute believer recognizes that “the things of world,” although very attractive, are also very superficial and will not satisfy.

v) As believers we must see the importance of doctrine and its efficacy (cf. Prov. 3:15, Col. 2:5).

vi) Our position is unique. We have been delivered from “the domain of darkness” and transferred into the kingdom of Christ through faith in Christ (Col. 1:13-14).

vii) Despite our continued physical residence in the world, we are now viewed as citizens of His kingdom (cf. Eph. 2:19, Phil. 3:20).

viii) We must not think and behave as we did when we lived in the realm of darkness (Rom. 12:2, Eph. 5:11, Col. 3:2, 1 Peter 1:14-16).

d) There are an abundance of principles in Scripture concerning arrogance that a believer ought to have in his “doctrinal” frame of reference. Some principles include:

i) The failure to obey doctrine is arrogant (cf. Neh. 9:16).

ii) Many in the world manifest arrogance by not seeking God even to the point of denying His existence (cf. Psa. 10:4).

iii) Fools are arrogant and careless (Prov. 14:16 cf. Prov. 1:7, Prov. 12:15).

iv) The believer must not exalt himself as do many in the world.

v) Instead, the faithful, obedient believer will be exalted by God. Such a believer may be enhanced in honor, fame, position, power, or financial prosperity (Josh. 3:7, 4:14, Psa. 37:34, 1 Chron. 14:2, 29:25, James 4:10).

vi) Emulate God’s attitude toward pride, arrogance, and evil…hate it (Prov. 8:13).

vii) The believer is not be conceited about his intellectual abilities and academic achievements (cf. Prov. 26:12, Phil 3:4-5, also Acts 26:24).

viii) In certain cases, God may afflict a believer in order to prevent arrogance (2 Cor. 12:7).

ix) If a believer has prospered financially and materially, he must not be prideful and attribute his wealth solely to his own effort.

x) Instead the believer must recognize God supplied it (1 Timothy 6:17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. cf. Job 1:1-3, 10, 21, 42:10-12).

xi) Those who are conceited commonly stir up strife (Prov. 28:25, cf. Prov. 13:10, where “presumption” is pride or insolence).

xii) We are not to boast or speak with insolent pride (Psalm 75:4-7 “I said to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ And to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn; ⁵ Do not lift up your horn on high, Do not speak with insolent pride.’” ⁶ For not from the east, nor from the west, Nor from the desert comes exaltation; ⁷ But God is the Judge; He puts down one, and exalts another.).

xiii) Especially among members of the LC (Gal. 5:26 cf. Rom. 10:12, 1 Cor. 12:13, Col. 3:11).

xiv) The believer who blindly follows his own plans without initially considering God’s directive will is arrogant (James 4:13-16).

xv)False teachers are characterized by self will and arrogance (2 Peter 2:1-20 cf. false prophets, Deut.18:20, 22).

xvi) Wayward believers who reject sound doctrine and hold to false doctrine also arrogant (1 Tim. 4:1, 2 Tim. 4:3).

xvii) Conversely the adjusted communicators of doctrine should exhibit a lack of self-will and arrogance (Titus 1:7).

xviii) We must not be motivated by pride or conceit to make various applications in our niches (Philippians 2:3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself;).

xix) Do not engage in self promotion when God blesses you (cf. Acts 14:8-18“And at Lystra there was sitting a certain man, without strength in his feet, lame from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. ⁹ This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, who, when he had fixed his gaze upon him, and had seen that he had faith to be made well, ¹⁰said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he leaped up and began to walk. ¹¹And when the multitudes saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have become like men and have come down to us.” ¹² And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. ¹³ And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. ¹⁴ But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they tore their robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out ¹⁵ and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you in order that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them. ¹⁶ “And in the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways; ¹⁷ and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” ¹⁸And even saying these things, they with difficulty restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them”, also Acts 12:21-23).

xx)Dishonor comes with pride (Proverbs 11:2-3 When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with the humble is wisdom. ³ The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the falseness of the treacherous will destroy them.).

xxi) The one who is proud will be humiliated (Prov. 29:23).

xxii) Pride goes before destruction (Prov. 16:18).

(1) The term “destruction” commonly refers to a break, breach, or collapse (sheber).

(2) In Prov. 16:18, the term is expressive of physical calamity on a personal level (cf. Prov. 18:12).

xxiii) God uses severity in His dealings with the arrogant.

xxiv) Pride is particularly offensive to God (Proverbs 16:5 Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; Assuredly, he will not be unpunished. cf. Proverbs 8:13 “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way, And the perverted mouth, I hate”).

(1) The punishment of the conceited and arrogant by God is assured.

(2) He will not put up with arrogance in the MA (Psalm 101:5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; No one who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure.).

(3) He will tear down the house of the proud (i.e. the proud will be ruined, Prov. 15:25 cf. Prov. 12:7, 14:11).

(4) He will rebuke those who go astray from the principles of sound doctrine, the arrogant (Psa. 119:21).

(5) In legal matters during the Age of Israel, a verdict rendered by a Levitical priest or judge was binding. Moreover, the one who didn’t listen to the priest or judge manifested insolence and was to be put to death (Deut. 17:9-13).

(6) The context clearly underscores how seriously God views obedience to one’s authorities (cf. Rom. 13:1-2, Heb. 13:17).

(7) In general, disobedience to one’s authorities invites DD (cf. Num. 26:9, Deut. 11:6).

(8) In the future, those who are arrogant will be overthrown by God (Isaiah 2:11-12, 13:11

9) Although not mentioned, implicit in Christ’s exaltation are His bodily resurrection, ascension, and glorification.

a) Some facts regarding His resurrection:

i) Jesus Christ dogmatically asserted the fact that He would not be conquered by the power of physical death (Matt. 16:21, 17:9, 22-23, 20:18-19, 26:29, 32; Jn. 2:18-22).

ii) The incontrovertible, historical facts surrounding Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection make this indisputable fact beyond legitimate question.

(1) His death, which was documented by both friendly and hostile witnesses.

(a) The apostle John (John 19:30, 35).

(b) His disciples (Luke 23:49, 24:18-20).

(d) The Roman centurion (Mk. 15:39).

(e) The large crowd (Luke 23:48).

(f) The leadership of the Jewish nation (Matt. 27:62-66).

(2) His burial

(a) This aspect, over which Jesus Christ obviously had no control, was the subject of Old Testament prophecy as well (Isa. 53:9).

(b) Joseph of Arimathea provided a new tomb, eliminating the general method of disposing of the bodies of criminals (Matt. 27:57-60).

(c) The actual burial is recorded in Matt. 27:59-60; it followed the certification of death, the obtaining of the body, the cleaning, and the wrapping of the body in burial wraps.

(d) It was done hurriedly since the Jewish Sabbath, which began at sundown on Friday evening, was not violated (“Judean chronology”, Luke 23:53-56).

(e) The place of burial was well known to Joseph and the women that followed the body (Matt. 27:60-61).

(f) Joseph sealed the entrance to the tomb with a large stone that was not readily moved (Matt. 27:60).

(g) The Jews insisted that Pilate post a Roman detail at the entrance of the tomb in order to prevent the disciples from stealing the body and perpetrating the hoax that Jesus had risen from the dead (Matt. 26:65-66).

(3) His bodily resurrection.

(a) None of the disciples or the women that had followed Jesus Christ throughout His ministry believed in His resurrection before the fact.

(i) In fact, the disciples were quite antagonistic to His very clear teaching that He would be delivered up to the Jews, be crucified, and raised on the third day (Matt. 16:21-22, Mark 9:9-10, Luke 18:31-34).

(ii) Following His physical death, the disciples had no confidence in His resurrection and were hiding in fear for their lives (Matt. 26:56, John 20:19).

(iii) The women that had taken the responsibility for preparing the body for burial went to the tomb early Sunday morning, fully expecting to find the dead body (Mark 16:1-8).

(iv) Peter was alone with his shame; having no faith in the resurrection of the man he had betrayed (Mark 14:72, 16:7).

(b) According to the eyewitness testimony of Peter, John, the women, and the Roman guard detail, the grave was empty on Sunday morning. (Matt. 28:11-15; John 20:2-9).

(i) A vandal would not have left the tomb in such neat condition, but would have been moving quickly to avoid detection.

(ii) The grave clothes were lying as though the body had simply passed through them and had taken the head wrap off last.

(d) The empty tomb and the angelic manifestation are the only reasonable explanations for the behavior of the guards (Matt. 28:2-4, 11ff).

(e) The broken seal and the removal of the massive, guarded stone indicate a superhuman or divine agency (Mk. 16:3-4).

(f) Post-resurrection appearances by Christ as additional proof that His resurrection is a reality:

(i) Mary Magdalene (John 20:14).

(ii) Peter (Mark 24:34).

(iii) To the five hundred (1 Cor. 15:6).

(iv) His ascension (Acts 1:3ff).

iii) Jesus Christ was the first man to ever be resurrected, and this fact has both theological and practical implications (1 Cor. 15:20).

(1) Jesus Christ is the first person to enjoy resurrection and, as such, this gives Him preeminence in all things (Col. 1:18, Rev. 1:5).

(2) Under the doctrine of primogeniture, the firstborn male in any family had the exclusive rights of inheritance, the right of ruler ship in the family, the rights as the family priest, and the right of the double portion (Gen. 27:29, 48:22, Heb. 5:5-6).

(3) His resurrection is God’s stamp of approval on His Divine Sonship (Rom. 1:4).

(4) His resurrection is central and foundational to the gospel (1 Cor. 15:4, 17-19).

(5) His resurrection is necessary for His future:

(a) Position as head of the Church (Col. 1:18).

(b) Fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 7:16-17, Psa. 89:3-4).

(d) Activities with regard to His people Israel (Isa. 9:7).

(e) Actions toward the nations (Psa. 2:8-9, Rev. 12:5).

(6) Practically, His resurrection forms that basis for our confidence in our future resurrection and inheritance in the eternal Kingdom (Rom. 8:11, 1 Cor. 15:12-19, 16-17, 1 Pet. 1:3).

(7) The reality of His and our bodily resurrection has the further practical value of encouraging us in terms of Divine good production (1 Cor. 15:58).

iv) The resurrection of Jesus Christ not only indicated God’s acceptance and approval of His person and work, it was the beginning of His exaltation as Lord and Christ (Acts 2:24-36).

v) False views of Christ’s resurrection.

(1) The enemies of Jesus Christ and the apostles could provide no effective response to refute the absolute reality of the resurrection.

(a) When Peter spoke on the day of Pentecost, there was no response to his dogmatic assertion that God had raised Jesus from the dead (Acts 2:32, 37).

(b) When presented with the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the intellectuals in Athens verbally derided Paul but could not refute his claims. (Acts 17:32).

(c) As Paul told Agrippa and Festus, the resurrection was based on words of sober truth, and the overt proofs were evident since this had not been done in a corner (Acts 26:24-26).

(2) The swoon theory postulates that Jesus Christ did not physically die on the cross, but merely passed out from fatigue and exposure, woke up in the cool tomb, revived, and escaped.

(a) This is refuted by direct eyewitness testimony of his death.

(b) It is refuted by the condition of the burial clothing.

(d) The Roman guard would have certainly noticed His escape, which they did not.

(e) There is no evidence of any kind to document His death at a later time.

(f) He convinced the disciples that He had been raised from the dead, when He had not, making Him a liar.

(3) The theft of the body theory, originally concocted by the Jewish leadership (Matt. 28:11-15).

(a) This was spread widely among the Jews.

(b) However, it is quickly refuted by the reality that the disciples were acting in cowardice and fear; they were not in a mental state to conduct so dramatic a theft under the noses of the Roman guards.

(d) Again, a thief would not have left the grave clothes in such a neat fashion.

(e) The most telling flaw is the Roman guard, placed at the tomb by the Jewish leadership, preventing anyone from stealing the body.

(4) The hallucination theory states that all resurrection appearances were individual or mass hallucinations.

(a) Hallucinations are illusory perceptions or experiences with no external cause or reality, generally caused by disorders of the nervous system, which are brought about through external causes (drugs, alcohol, etc.) or result from physical problems with the nervous system.

(b) The disciples did not manifest an imaginative nature, and consistently evidenced a pattern of taking things on a literal, physical basis.

(d) Further, hallucinations are very subjective and individual phenomena; they do not explain the variety of circumstances, locations, and numbers of people that said they observed the same thing.

(e) Even after many people said that they had seen Jesus, no one was really convinced; people tended to remain incredulous and believed only when presented with personal, persuasive proof (John 20:25).

(5) The wrong tomb theory speculates that the women went to the wrong tomb, explaining why it was empty.

(a) The women had been with Joseph when the body was buried and clearly knew the location of the tomb (Matt. 27:61).

(b) This was not a public cemetery; it was a private burial plot that was secluded and had limited access.

(c) If they went to the wrong tomb and claimed that Jesus had been raised from the dead, the Jews could easily have gone to the correct tomb and produced the dead body.

(d) This theory would suggest that the Jews had sealed the wrong tomb and that the Roman soldiers were guarding the wrong tomb. In a word, preposterous.

(e) It is contradicted by the words of the angel when he told the women to “come, see the place where He was lying” (Matt. 28:6).

(6) All of these theories arise from unbelief and are an attempt to discredit what is plainly stated in the Word of God.

(7) These theories do not effectively explain away established, verifiable, eyewitness accounts of the facts.

(8) Perhaps the most telling problem with all these theories is that no one has ever produced the dead body.

(9) They offer no explanation as to the sudden transformation of the disciples from cowards, hiding in fear, into men that were willing to risk their lives for His name.

(10) They do not explain the origin of the Church and 2000 years of Church history, throughout centuries of opposition.

(11) The reality is that only very strange, deranged people would risk their lives to perpetuate a hoax.

b) Significant facts of Christ’s ascension and glorification.

i) Christ Himself prophesied His ascension into heaven (John 6:62, 7:33, 14:12, 28).

ii) Many NT passages indicate that Christ is in heaven (Acts 2:33-36, 7:55-56, Rom. 8:34, Eph 1:20-22, 4:8-10, Phil. 3:20, 1 Thess. 1:10, 4:16, Heb. 8:1, Rev. 19:11-16).

iii) Christ’s pre-incarnate glory, temporarily restricted during His incarnation, was restored upon His ascension (John 17:5, 1 Tim. 6:15-16).

iv) He is the first resurrection man to enter heaven (1 Cor. 15:23, Col. 1:18).

v) CA believers will also possess a resurrection body and share in His glory (Rom. 8:17, 30, 1 Cor. 15:43, Phil. 3:21).

vi) Christ is now enthroned at the “right hand” of God the Father. Therefore as the glorified God-Man, Christ shares authority, glory, and honor with the Father (Luke 2:42-43, Col. 3:1, Heb. 10:12, 12:2).

vii) Furthermore Christ has authority over all creation (Colossians 2:10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;).

viii) His authority in part extends over the following:

(1) All mankind (John 17:2, Eph 1:18a).

(2) The Church (Eph.1:22b; 4:15; 5:23; Col.1:18).

(3) Over the angels (Heb. 1:4-13, 1 Peter 3:22).

ix) Christ’s current activities at the right hand:

(1) The development and growth of the Church (Acts 2:47, Col. 2:19).

(2) Bestowal of spiritual gifts (Eph.4:7, 11 cf. 1Cor.12:27-28, Rom.12:3-8).

(3) As our High Priest, He intercedes for us (Rom.8:34, Heb.7:25, 9:24, 1John 2:1).

x) He will bring into subjection all those who are arrogant and oppose God upon His physical return to earth at the end of the Tribulation (Psa. 110:1, 1 Cor. 15:24-25).

xi) Opposing nations will be subjugated and He will rule from Mt. Zion (Ps.2:4-9, Isa.2:1-4, Micah.4:1-8).

10) As a part of exalting Christ, God “bestowed on Him the name which is above every name.”

11) The giving of “the name” was subsequent to the crucifixion which indicates that His personal name, Jesus, is not in view.

12) The “name which is above every name is “Lord” (cf. v. 11- lit. “the Lord is Jesus Christ”, Rev. 17:14, 19:16).

13) This name distinguishes Him for all other things and is a title that which surpasses all other titles.

14) He does not merely possess the title of “Lord,” but He is Lord, the sovereign or supreme authority over all things (Acts 2:36“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ– this Jesus whom you crucified” cf. Matt. 28:18, Eph. 1:20-21).

15) In vv. 10-12 Paul explains that God’s exaltation of Jesus has a two-fold purpose.

16) First, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.”

17) Paul doesn’t mention the name “Jesus” to indicate that “Jesus” and not “Lord” is the name above every name.

18) Furthermore, he is not indicating that everyone will bow when the personal name, “Jesus” is mentioned (i.e. at the name Jesus).

19) Rather, everyone will bow at the name of Jesus or the name belonging to Jesus. As just discussed that name is “Lord.”

20) To bow one’s knee in a literal and figurative sense means to show deference or obeisance to another in recognition of their authority (Gen. 41:43, Psa. 95:6, Rom. 14:11).

21) The apostle is skillfully interweaving Isa. 45:23 into vv. 10-11 and applying it to Jesus.

22) He declares the full scope of obeisance rendered to Jesus to be universal.

23) It encompasses every created being including:

a) “Those who are in heaven” refers to heavenly beings (i.e. elect and fallen angels).

b) Those “on earth” refer to humanity.

c) Those “under the earth” refer to dead unbelievers.

24) Paul indicates the second purpose of the exaltation in v.11.

25)Namely that “every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

26) Obeisance will be expressed not only by “bowing the knee” but also by a verbal confession.

27) Jesus will be openly acknowledged as the sovereign Lord of the universe by every created being.

28) Such universal recognition has yet to occur. However it would seem that Paul has in mind Christ’s 2^nd advent and His future Millennial rule on earth.

29) This confession is not tantamount to conversion.

30) Interestingly all will acknowledge His authority, but all will not follow Him. This is evident from the Gog and Magog rebellion at the end of the Millennium (Rev. 20:8ff).

31) Paul concludes v. 11 by emphasizing that the exaltation and the universal acknowledgement that Jesus is Lord is ultimately for the glory of God the Father.

32) The example of Christ’s humiliation and subsequent exaltation was intended to encourage the Philippians to develop a “Christ-like” humility in their Christian life.

33) We too must develop and maintain a humble attitude, especially towards each other.

Philippians 2:12-13 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, continue working out your salvation with fear and trembling; ¹³ for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Analysis of vv. 12-13:

1) On the basis of what he has just said about Christ, Paul appeals for obedience.

2) He addresses the Philippians as “my beloved” which expresses his affection for these believers.

3) Paul cites their track record of consistent obedience.

4) Moreover, he commends them for their increased obedience even while he was absent (“much more in my absence”).

5) It’s common for those under authority to obey while the “boss” is present, but when the “boss” leaves, some begin to neglect their responsibilities.

6) To their credit, this was not the situation with the Philippians. They actually increased their level of obedience.

7) Obedience to whom? In context this refers to obedience to the commands of God as taught to them by Paul (and their “overseers”).

8) The apostle commands the Philippians, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”

a) The command “work out” is to thoroughly work at something.

b) Here the Philippians were to thoroughly work out their “salvation.”

9) Superficially the concept of working out one’s salvation would seem to be at variance with God’s plan of grace. Hence the need to recognize that “salvation” has various aspects.

a) “Salvation” may be understood in a soteriological sense. That is, salvation is gained through faith in Christ minus any work on the part of the believer.

b) Paul is not addressing this aspect of salvation in our context. Besides one doesn’t work for eternal salvation and the Philippians were already saved (Eph. 2:8-9, Phil. 1:1, 5-6).

c) Another aspect involves physical deliverance or salvation (Acts 27:34, Phil. 1:19).

d) However it doesn’t fit the context to have the apostle commanding them to work out their own physical deliverance.

e) Nor does Paul refer to somehow maintaining their salvation by works. Works are irrelevant for initial salvation, and are therefore unnecessary to maintain it. God ensures our salvation (2 Cor. 1:21-22, Eph. 1:13).

f) At the point of being saved the believer is guaranteed various eternal blessings, but it also initiates new obligations for the believer to obey over the course of his life.

g) Obedience to these God-given obligations is what Paul means by “working out your salvation.”

h) Here he is emphasizing to the Philippians that their salvation ought to be demonstrated by obedient behavior, especially on a corporate level.

i) Further, this should be done consistently (“continue working out…”).

j) He desired for the Philippians the same as Peter for his audience that they “grow in respect to their salvation” (i.e. make spiritual progress after being saved, 1 Peter 2:2).

10) This is to be done “with fear and trembling.”

a) By “fear” Paul does not mean sinful fear, terror, or intimidation. Instead the word indicates in this context respect or reverence toward God (Acts 9:31, 2 Cor. 7:1 cf. Matt. 14:26).

b) “Trembling is not to be understood literally.

c) The whole phrase portrays an attitude of reverence and conscientiousness towards their God-given responsibilities as believers (cf. Eph. 6:5).

d) Reverence and conscientiousness in the CWL is manifested by obedience.

11) V. 12 introduces the basis for Paul’s imperative.

12) The Philippians were not left alone in their struggles. Paul assures them that “it is God who is at work in you.”

13)Our term “work” denotes putting capabilities into action, empowering one to be effective (cf. 1 Cor. 12:6, 11).

14) It is God who empowers them to face the pressures in Philippi and in a larger sense to progress spiritually (Eph. 3:20, Col. 1:29).

15) “To will and to work for His good pleasure” is a result of God’s empowerment via the Holy Spirit.

16) His empowerment will produce the “will” or desire to adhere to Divine viewpoint in the Philippians.

17)The Holy Spirit stirs up and strengthens believers in their desire to live righteously (Eph. 3:16).

18) Additionally, He gives believers guidance in sound doctrine and the proper application of biblical principles (John 16:13, Rom. 8:14, Gal. 5:18).

19) This desire to comply with God’s will is an initial step, but not the stopping point. The Philippians must actually “work” by obeying God’s standards.

20) He will supply all the power necessary to make any application (Phil. 4:13).

21) It’s really no different for believers today. God empowers us to live a life with doctrinal aspirations and the ability to obey His will (Psa. 40:8, 119:35).

22) If however one lacks the desire to apply God’s will then such a believer needs to wake up to the spiritual realities of the AC.

23) Merely having the desire to do God’s will without “works” is another pitfall that must be avoided (James 1:22, 2:26).

24) Engaging in good “works” is a part of the Divine Decrees from eternity past and thus constitutes a very important part of the plan of God for each believer (Eph. 2:10).

a) Although many believers opt out of good works, they are commanded of every believer (1 Tim. 2:10, Titus 3:1, 8, 14).

b) Our works are an integral part of our witness to those in and outside the plan of God (Matt. 5:16, 1 Tim. 3:7, 5:9-10, 1 Pet. 2:12).

c) Apart good works, the maturity adjustment is impossible (Luke 8:15, Col. 1:9-10).

d) Jesus taught that believers are to focus on every opportunity for good works during our time on earth (John 9:4).

e) We are to be zealous in our applications (Titus 2:14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good works.).

25) We have His full backing and support to live our lives in a Godly manner.

26) Paul indicates that it is pleasing to God to provide this empowerment to the Philippians (and to us).

27) As a general principle, God takes pleasure in the believer who obeys Him (Psa. 147:11, Prov. 11:20).

Philippians 2:14-16 Do all things without grumbling or disputing; ¹⁵ that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, ¹⁶ holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may have cause to boast because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.

Analysis of vv. 14-16:

1) Following the command, “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” Paul urges the Philippians, “Do all things without complaining or disputing.”

2) The verb “do” is a command and means “to do, perform, carry out.”

3) It may be used generically for any type of activity and here relates to the carrying out or performing of daily tasks.

4) The type of command in the Greek is frequently used of general precepts. That is, habits that should characterize one’s attitude and behavior.

5) The emphasis of the command is on the word translated “all things” which is the first word that occurs in the Greek text.

6) All things” is comprehensive and encompasses every daily activity of the Philippians (e.g. working, cooking, cleaning, etc.).

7) Every activity should be done without grumbling or disputing.

8) Many believers may suppress complaining in some areas, but “all things” leaves no exceptions.

9) Tough to obey? Yes. Impossible to obey? Absolutely not.

10) Remember God is the one who empowers us to obey His commands so it is through His strength that we can make difficult applications.

11)“Grumbling” or complaining is primarily manifested by giving voice to one’s dissatisfaction with someone or something.

12)It is important to understand that a complaint first originates in the mental attitude and then at some point is vocalized.

13)Sequentially, a mental attitude complaint precedes a verbal complaint.

14) This command is applicable to believers today.

15) For some complaining is daily activity and a regular part of their conversation with others (a.k.a. a chronic kvetcher).

16)Common areas of complaining include:

a) Finances: usually the lack thereof and taxes (cf. Luke 20:25).

b) Health: the deterioration of the body as we age brings out the worst in some (unlike Paul, 2 Cor. 4:16).

c) Weather: too hot, cold, humid, cloudy, rainy, windy, etc.

d) Complaints against the “Boss” or “boss” in Heaven and on earth respectively (i.e. the authorities in one’s life, Jonah 4:1ff).

e) To contend or quarrel with family and friends.

17) This of course is especially inappropriate for believers.

18) As we engage in daily activities, it should be done “without grumbling or disputing.”

19) Taking our queue from the Greek, we ought to make it a habit.

20) Also as a general principle, we must consistently monitor what we think, say and do. The discerning believer will ask, “Do my thoughts, manner and content of speech, or activities comply with God’s directive will?” (Deut. 30:2, 1 Chron. 28:9, Eph. 5:15, 1 Peter 1:13).

21) Although complaining is typically overt, it may be generally categorized as a sin of the tongue or verbal sin.

22) It constitutes one of three general categories of sin in the Bible; the other types include mental attitude sins and overt sins (cf. mental attitude: Matt. 15:18, overt: Rev. 2:22).

23) The three categories of sin are a byproduct of one’s soul being dominated by the OSN (cf. Rom. 8:4-8, Gal. 5:20-21, James 1:14-15).

24) Regarding sins of the tongue or verbal sin, believers are to:

a) Know what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable speech.

b) Keep it in check which occurs with spiritual growth.

c) Properly deal with it and rebound when necessary.

25) Bear in mind that the content of one’s speech reveals who is in control of your soul, the “real you” (Matt. 12:34-37, Luke 6:45).

26) Controlling one’s tongue or speech is a theme taught throughout scripture (Psa. 17:3, 39:1, 141:3, Prov. 13:2-3, 16:23-24, Eph. 4:25, Col. 4:6, Titus 2:1, 15, James 1:19, 26, 2:12, 3:1-10, 4:11).

27) The control of one’s speech is a sign of spiritual growth (Psa. 15:1-3, James 3:2).

28) Specifically, to refrain from complaining demonstrates a measure of maturity. Additionally, the one who does so will encounter far less trouble and distress in life (Prov. 21:23).

29) Complaining can have a negative impact on one’s physical health (1 Cor. 10:10).

30) Believers are commanded not to complain against one another (James 5:9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.).

31) It doesn’t contribute to the unity and cohesiveness of the LC.

32) Besides complaining, “disputing” is to be avoided (1 Tim. 2:8).

33) “Disputing” involves verbal altercations or arguments.

34) This sin is also damaging to the spiritual well-being of a LC (cf. Heb.12:15).

35) Paul placed a high priority on the unity and like-mindedness of the Philippians in view of the pressures they faced from the state.

36) Unity in sound doctrine without complaining and arguing was a key to their resistance.

37) In v. 15 Paul reveals the purpose of his command to refrain grumbling and disputing.

38) Namely that they, as children of God, might be exemplary witnesses to their pagan contemporaries in Philippi.

39) He desired them to be “blameless and innocent.”

a) Our term “blameless” means to be free from fault or blame (amemptos).

b) The word “innocent” when used of persons means to be uncontaminated by evil or innocent (akeraios).

c) The former term primarily refers to the appraisal of one’s conduct by others (Luke 1:6 cf. 1 Thess. 2:10).

d) While “innocent” refers to one’s thinking and attitudes (Rom. 16:19).

40) As “children of God” they were to be “above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.”

41) They were in a familial relationship that superseded all others, and as children of God, they were expected to be “above reproach”.

42) The word translated “above reproach” means to be without blemish or fault (amomos).

a) The term is used in reference to Christ being the unblemished Lamb of God, Who lived a life without fault (i.e. without sin, Heb. 9:14, 1 Peter 1:19).

b) However the term does not refer to being sinless, but living a life that doesn’t flagrantly violate Bible doctrine.

c) This is also God’s directive will concerning us (Eph. 1:4, 5:27, Jude 1:24).

43) The Philippians’ contemporaries are described as a “crooked and perverse generation.”

44) “Crooked” metaphorically refers to those who are unscrupulous and dishonest (skolios).

45)“Perverse” indicates that their moral standards of their contemporaries had been perverted or corrupted.

46) They eschewed Godly standards and embraced the evil, deviant standards of their society in which they lived (e.g. pagan worship, homosexuality).

47) These qualities are typical of other generations including the current one in our nation (Deut. 32:5, Luke 9:41, Acts 2:40, Rev. 18:2ff.).

48) It was against this backdrop of moral darkness that the Philippian believers were to “appear as lights in the world.”

49) Their attitudes and behavior ought to be markedly different, and in opposition to the world around them.

50) They let their light shine brightly by leading a Christian life that was blameless, innocent and above reproach.

51) We too must let our light shine by living our lives in the world according to the biblical principles we learn (Matt. 5:16, 1 Peter 2:12).

52) As we do, opportunities may be presented to give the Gospel and discuss sound doctrine (Col. 4:5).

53) Conversely, the believer who behaves according to the standards of the cosmos may compromise his ability to effectively communicate the Gospel and sound doctrine.

54) For those that observe you, the negative witness of the life over rides the witness of the lips.

55) We are to avoid behavior that would bring reproach on God and His word (cf. 1 Tim. 3:7, Titus 2:8)

56) As believers we must each ask ourselves, “Do I stand out and shine as a light in the world or blend in with the darkness?

57) Obviously the goal is to shine and not blend into darkness. Blending into the world indicates that the believer has compromised sound doctrine to some degree.

58) The Philippians were to further shine amidst their pagan contemporaries by “holding fast the word of life.”

59) To “hold fast” is to have a firm grasp on something.

60) In our verse that something is the “word of life.”

61) “The word of life” refers to the Gospel and the body of sound doctrine that the Philippians had been taught by Paul and their “overseers.”

62) For believers today, the word of life is encompassed in the 66 books of the Bible.

63) We, like the Philippians, must hold fast to sound doctrine.

64) “Holding fast” means not letting any person, distraction, suffering, testing, temptation, sporting activity or opportunity separate you from sound doctrine.

65) Do not let anything or anyone impede you from learning Bible doctrine.

66) Sadly, many believers expend a huge amount of effort pursuing activities that consistently take them out of Bible class.

67) The one who thinks or acts like worldly aspirations and activities are of greater importance than learning God’s word is deluded.

68) Other believers may attend class but be blasé in regard to the Truth because of their fondness for worldly attractions.

69) In order to obey God’s word a believer may at times have to forego attending or participating in certain events or even taking certain jobs.

70) Do you really think this too big a sacrifice? Absolutely not!

71) Consider the example of obedience set by Christ we’ve just studied (Philippians 2:7-8 “…but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”).

72) He suffered tremendously and unselfishly gave His life to obey the will of the Father.

73) Consider Paul who considered the loss of all things as inconsequential compared to the value of knowing Christ and following God’s directive will (Phil. 3:7-8).

74) The believer who loses his grip on the “word of life” will fail to reach spiritual maturity.

75) Furthermore such a believer sets himself up for hardship and discipline (Prov. 15:10, 26:3).

76) Without Bible doctrine in the soul and thinking accompanied by obedience, the believer is far more susceptible to falling prey to the schemes and doctrines of Satan (2 Cor. 2:11, Eph. 6:11-17).

77) The phrase “word of life” places emphasis on the “living” qualities of the “word.”

78) As a “living” entity the word of God is dynamic and life changing; it is the source of great temporal and eternal blessing (1 Thess. 2:13, Heb 4:12, 1 Pet. 1:23).

79) The initial spread of the Gospel in the days of the early church bears witness to its dynamic nature (Acts 6:7, 12:24, 19:20).

80) In addition to the benefits the Philippians would gain by being lights in the world and holding fast the word of life, their obedience would provide Paul with immense satisfaction.

81) The apostle states, “so that in the day of Christ I may have cause to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.”

82) The term translated “glory” refers to taking boasting in something or that which serves as the basis for boasting (“kauchema”).

83) However Paul refers to a legitimate boast and not to that which originates in the OSN.

84) Their obedience to God’s commands would be the basis for his boast “in the day of Christ.”

85) The apostle is here looking ahead to a day referred to as “the day of Christ.”

86) This is the time that Christ will return for the Church (i.e. the Rapture, Phil. 1:6, 10).

87) On that day each believer will come face to face with Christ and have their works judged (2 Cor. 5:10 cf. 1 Cor. 3:8ff, Rev. 22:12).

88) Those works which are judged acceptable by God’s standards will be rewarded.

a) This is also referred to as good works or Divine good production.

b) That is, the application of resident Bible doctrine by the believer who is acting under the filling ministry of God the Holy Spirit.

c) Good works must proceed from the correct internal considerations, and not be motivated by any area of OSN lust (Matt. 6:1-8, 16-18).

d) In this regard, believers may do wonderful things simply so other believers will be impressed with them and not because they are led by the Holy Spirit.

e) The pursuit of the details of life under the guise of Divine good production may meet with overt success, but it does not mean that God approves of or will reward such activity (1 Tim. 6:5).

f) Divine good may be produced mentally, verbally, and through overt application of sound doctrine.

89) Those which are unacceptable will be deemed worthless, and will therefore be unrewarded.

90) Looking back from the day of Christ, its Paul’s desire that he “did not run in vain nor toil in vain.”

91) He describes his apostolic ministry with two verbs, “run” and “toil.”

92) “Run” is to exert every effort to move forward or advance.

93) Elsewhere he uses “running” as a metaphor for living the Christian life and to portray his effort and focus in living it properly (1 Cor. 9:24-26, Gal. 5:7).

94) Running in the race known as the Christian life demands concentration, endurance, and self-discipline (Prov. 16:20, 1 Tim. 4:16, Heb. 10:36, 1 Peter 5:8).

95) There are obstacles along the entire course, beginning with one’s OSN (Heb. 12:1).

96) Paul had expended colossal amounts of physical and emotional energies on behalf of the Philippians.

97) The second verb Paul uses in relation to his ministry is “toil.”

98) The term means to work hard or to toil at something.

99) Paul’s work rate in the plan of God was exceptional (1 Cor. 4:12, 15:10, Col. 1:29).

100) He was not a lazy believer who made a half-hearted attempt to live the Christian life.

101) Further, he was diligent to work hard on his own spiritual progress as well as those under his charge.

102) Therefore, “in the day of Christ” he desires all his effort and hard work for the Philippians not to be in “vain.”

103) As a group he wanted them to endure and hold fast to the Truth until the end of their lives.

104) If they faithfully endured, they would be source of pride and joy for Paul at the Bema (cf. 1 Thess. 2:19-20).

105) If not, then in a sense all of his energy and hard work would be for nothing.

106) Paul of course would receive reward for his work during his ministry regardless of those in his canon who endured or fell away (1 Corinthians 3:6-8 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. ⁷ So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. ⁸ Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.).

107) However the goal of his hard labor among the Philippians was to provide the necessary spiritual impetus and incentive for them to persevere to the end (Phil. 4:1).

108) If they fell away, his goal would not be achieved; therefore, all his efforts on their behalf would be in vain (cf. Gal. 2:2).

109) For those that do fall away or take a lackadaisical approach to obeying God’s directive will, the day of Christ will bring about a measure of shame (1 John 2:28).

110) Like the apostle we ought to put in the hard work and effort now and reap the benefits and reward in eternity.

111) This focus on eternal rewards was certainly the focus of the great believers of history, as they made the appropriate applications in their niches (Hebrews 11:24-27 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; ²⁵ choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin; ²⁶ considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. ²⁷ By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen).

112) To these believers it was a guaranteed future reality and provided ample incentive to make the right applications.

113) We ought to have the same focus and drive.

114) Yet many believers do through their lives predominantly focused on the affairs of this life without giving due consideration to the life to come.

115) Many are unwilling to expend the energy and hard work necessary to endure the struggles in this world. Some are just lazy while others have just grown weary.

116) Time is short so we need to shake off any laziness or weariness and make a strong finish in our race (Gal. 6:9).

117) Continued diligence and hard work is a necessary in the CWL.

118) To be diligent is to eagerly undertake an activity or fulfill one’s obligations.

119) The term also bears the nuance of doing one’s best.

120) It is a quality in which we should not lag behind (cf. Rom. 12:11).

a) In context, “lagging behind” involves hesitation and reluctance to possess the proper diligence in meeting spiritual requirements (“okneros”).

b) The term translated “diligence” means an earnest commitment to fulfilling one’s duties (“spoude”).

c) Eagerness and willingness begins in the mental attitude.

121) As believers we ought to be eager to fulfill our God-given obligations (e.g. grow in grace and knowledge, consistent prayer life, separation).

122) This eagerness is critical to persevering in the world until the conclusion of our ph. 2 (Heb. 6:11, 2 Peter 1:5 cf. Prov. 4:23, 12:27).

123) One’s diligent applications may motivate a fellow believer to make applications of their own (cf. 2 Cor. 9:2).

Philippians 1

Tue, 25 May 2010 22:50:52 +0000

Philippians 1:1-2 Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons: ² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Analysis of vv. 1-2:

1) Although rare in Greco-Roman writings, Paul frequently includes his present companions in his initial introductions (cf. 1 Cor. 1:1, Col. 1:1, Philemon 1:1).

2) Here, Paul includes Timothy in the salutation.

3) This is not an indication of co-authorship as the text makes it clear that Paul is the sole author.

4) Why include Timothy?

a) There is a possibility that Timothy served as a secretary at Paul’s dictation (cf. 2 Thess. 3:17).

b) Timothy was well-known by these believers and would be dispatched shortly to Philippi (2:19-22).

c) Although he wasn’t involved with composing the epistle, Timothy would be involved by being present as secretary.

5) Interestingly Paul doesn’t assert his apostleship as in other letters (2 Cor. 1:1, Gal. 1:1, Eph. 1:1, 1 Tim. 1:1).

6) Instead, he and Timothy are self-described “bond-servants of Christ Jesus.”

7) The term “bond-servants” is the common word for “slave.” Translate “slaves.”

8) In what sense are they slaves?

a) In Paul’s day, slavery was widespread throughout the Greco-Roman world.

b) Simply, a slave was owned by, rendered obedience and service to, the master of a household. Essentially a slave belonged to another.

c) As slaves of Christ, Paul and Timothy were bound to Him as their master.

d) Their slavery to Christ is demonstrated by their diligent service on His behalf to the believers in Philippi.

9) The letter is addressed to all the believers in the city of Philippi, here referred to as “all the saints in Christ Jesus.”

10)The term is “saints” is used here and elsewhere to refer to believers (Eph. 5:3, Col. 1:2, 26, Jude 1:3).

11) The adjective “saints” may also be translated “set apart.” In this sense the Philippian believers were “set apart, dedicated or consecrated to the service of God.” Synonymous with being “set apart” is to be sanctified.

a) At the point of faith in Christ, the Philippians were positionally set apart to God. By believing in Christ all believers are set apart to God and are considered saints. This is an eternal, unalterable state (1 Cor. 1:2, 30; Col. 1:12-14 cf. Eph 1:13).

b) Experientially, believers are to be set apart to God. This is an ongoing process not a position or state.

i) As in every aspect of our Phase 2, believers are commanded to maintain the filling of God the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18 cf. Gal. 5:22-23).

ii) Consistent daily intake of sound doctrine in a local church is absolutely critical (Deut.11:18-19, Heb. 10:25 cf. Psa. 138:2).

iii) Obedience to Divine imperatives will result in being “set apart” experientially. Service is commanded, good works are required. Colossians 3:12-14 “And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; ¹³ bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.¹⁴ And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity” (Also, Rom. 6:17-19, 1 Peter 1:15-16).

12)“In Christ Jesus” indicates their privileged position as believers, in Christ.

13)The opening greeting explicitly addresses the overseers and deacons in Philippi (i.e. the leadership of the local churches).

a) Overseers and deacons are distinct from one another.

b) “Overseers”: Greek- “episkopos”, overseer, one who has the responsibility of safeguarding or ensuring that something is done in the correct way.

i) Multiple overseers in Philippi.

ii) The term typically refers to p-ts (Acts 20:28, 1 Tim. 3:2- distinct from deacons, Titus 1:7).

c) “Deacons”: Greek- “diakonos,” deacons, one who assists, a servant.

i) Multiple deacons in multiple churches in Philippi.

ii) Technically refers to a male believer who holds the office of deacon in the LC. That is, one who has the responsibility to care for and serve believers in a local church (1 Tim 3:8, 12 cf. Acts 6:1ff).

14) Grace and peace to you …” is a common greeting in Paul’s letters (Rom 1:7, 1 Cor 1:3, 2 Cor 1:2, Gal 1:3, Philemon 1:3).

15) The source or supplier of this grace and peace is God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

a) Our word translated as “grace” is “charis” and indicates favor and goodwill. It refers to the policy of God and the title of His plan.

b) Furthermore, the plan is comprised of everything God has done to bring fallen and sinful man into a just, perfect, and eternal relationship with Himself (Psa. 84:11, Prov 3:34, John 1:14-17, Eph. 1:5-6, 2:8-9, 2 Tim. 1:9).

c) “Peace” is “eirene” and is defined as a state of well being and harmony.

i) There is a peace with God which is also known as reconciliation. This peace is secured through faith in Christ (Col. 2:13-14 cf. Rom.5:1)

ii) In addition, there is a phase 2 peace which is a result of the filling of God the Holy Spirit and the knowledge of sound doctrine (Gal 5:22, 2 Pet. 1:2)

iii) Believers who follow the standard of sound doctrine through application will have peace (Gal. 6:16, Phil.4:6-7).

iv) We are to pursue peace both among ourselves and toward those on the outside (Rom.14:19, 1 Thess. 5:13, Heb 12:14, 2 Tim. 2:22).

Philippians 1:3-8 I repeatedly thank my God in all my remembrance of you, ⁴ always when offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, ⁵ on the basis of your close partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶ For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. ⁷ For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. ⁸ For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Analysis of vv. 3-8:

1) Following his salutation, Paul begins with his typical expression of thanksgiving.

2) In order to more accurately reflect the iterative nature of the Greek verb, translate, “I repeatedly thank my God…”.

3) “My God” indicates a close personal relationship.

4) We should note that Paul appropriately directs his thanksgiving and prayer to God the Father.

5) The object of his thanksgiving is the object of his “remembrance,” all the believers in Philippi.

6) In v. 4 Paul informs the Philippians that he “always” gives thanks for them while praying for them.

7) That is, when he remembers them in his prayers, he always does so with thanksgiving.

a) From this epistle and others, it’s clear that Paul had a strong and consistent prayer life.

b) This certainly is a commendable quality which a discerning believer will emulate in his Christina life.

8) Paul also points out that his prayer and thanksgiving are on behalf of “you all.”

9) Additionally, when he prays for these believers, he does so “with joy.”

10) It’s obvious that the Philippians were a source of great joy to the apostle.

a) In spite of a difficult niche, a Roman prison, Paul was able to maintain an attitude of joy.

b) He didn’t succumb to his OSN and fall into self-pity or a defeatist attitude (e.g. Why me God?).

c) Instead he manifested the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22).

d) As an apostle of God, Paul knew his ministry continued to function even in a Roman prison (Phil 1:12 cf. Acts 9:15-16).

11) To their credit the Philippians were sound in the faith thereby enabling Paul to keep watch over their souls with joy (Heb. 13:17).

12) Vv. 3-4 focused on the believers in Philippi, but his thanksgiving isn’t finished yet.

13) In v. 5 the apostle mentions the basis for his joy and an additional reason for his thanksgiving.

14) The standard translation, “in view of your participation in the gospel” is better rendered, “on the basis of your close partnership in the gospel.”

a) The preposition translated “in” doesn’t adequately convey the sense of the Greek.

b) Here, Paul is giving a reason for his thanksgiving and joy. Hence the revised translation, “on the basis of.”

c) The term translated “participation” is the Greek word which denotes “a close association involving mutual interests, a close relationship” (koinwni,a, koinonia).

d) The Philippians didn’t merely “participate” in the gospel. They had developed an enduring, close partnership with Paul over the years in the spread of the gospel.

15) Furthermore this close partnership began when they accepted the gospel and extended to the writing of the letter (i.e. “from the first day until now”).

16) Paul digresses momentarily in v. 6 to remind them of some realities regarding their spiritual life.

17)The apostle asserts his conviction that “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

a) Contextually, the subject of “He who began a good work” is God the Father (cf. 2:13).

b) Rather than “perfect it” translate “carry it to completion.”

c) Note that God is both the one who began this “good work” and the one who will “carry it to completion.”

d) It is He who is will accomplish this and not the Philippians.

e) The good work begun by God was their salvation and its completion indicates the future realization of the full benefits of their salvation (e.g. eternal reward, glorified body, etc., Rom 8:30, Phil. 3:21, 1 Peter 1:3-5).

f) This future realization occurs at “the day of Christ Jesus.

g) “The day of Christ” is reference to the Rapture and is intended to remind the
Philippians about future eschatological realties (Phil. 1:10, 2:16, 1 Cor. 1:7-8).

18) After his brief digression, Paul justifies his joyful thanksgiving for the Philippians in v. 7.

19) The term “feel” means to develop a particular mindset or attitude after careful deliberation.

20) Clearly Paul has a great deal of affection for these believers as “I have you in my heart” and v. 8 indicates, but his attitude about these believers had developed over the years as he has observed their faithfulness.

21) Again, he emphasizes that his feelings encompass “you all.”

22) The Philippians continued to be fellow partakers or partners of grace with Paul in his present imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

23)Those in Philippi experienced similar hostility and trials in their spread of the gospel as Paul.

24) In v. 8 Paul begins with an oath and unabashedly affirms his affection for all of the Philippians.

25) He had a strong desire to be reunited with them but he also desired that they continue to hold fast to the truth (cf. 4:1).

Philippians 1:9-11 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰ so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order that you might be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; ¹¹ having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Analysis of vv. 9-11:

1) Paul has already told the Philippians that he prays for them on a regular basis.

2) Now, flowing out of his expression of affection for them in v. 8, the apostle reveals the content of his prayers beginning in v. 9.

3) He prays that their “love may abound still more and more.”

4) The term translated “love” is a common word and frequently used by Paul.

5) To many people “love” is nebulous word with a variety of connotations.

6) Yet a study of this term within the NT yields some vital points.

a) “Love” is a characteristic of God’s essence and was demonstrated by the death of His Son even when we were hostile (Rom. 5:6-8, cf John 3:16).

b) It was a characteristic of Christ’s life during the incarnation (Gal. 2:20, Eph. 5:2).

c) Our love for God is expressed through obedience to His commands (1 John 5:3 cf. John 14:15).

d) It is mentioned as a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.).

e) From this we may infer that the primary connotation of “love” is not affection or some emotion.

f) Rather, love is expressed by actively seeking the benefit of another.

g) This type of love is substantial not superficial. It is backed up by action not mere talk.

h) Further, “love” emphasizes behavior according to God’s standards.

i) In this regard, believers are directed to love one another. That is, to seek the benefit of one another (1 Thess. 4:9, Phil. 2:2).

j) For their part, the Philippians had demonstrated their “love” for Paul by giving to his ministry.

7) Note that this love already existed, yet Paul prays that it will increase even more.

8) This suggests that there is always room for improvement in the CWL.

a) If we’re careless, we may become casualties in the AC at any time regardless of the level of spiritual maturity.

b) Carelessness may be manifested in part by the following: rejection of authority, missing Bible class, friendships with unbelievers, fear, hatred, etc.

9) Along with an increase in love, Paul also prays for an increase “in real knowledge and all discernment.”

a) The primary sense of our word “real knowledge” is a “full” or “complete” knowledge and not a general knowledge about something.

b) What is “real knowledge?” It is primarily a thorough and definite understanding of God, His Son, and His will as revealed in the truth of the Scriptures (Eph. 1:7, 4:13, Col. 1:9-10, 2:2, 1 Tim. 2:4, 2 Tim. 2:25, Titus 1:1).

c) This full knowledge is learned by hearing and responding to divine viewpoint.

d) The word translated “discernment” indicates the ability to understand the real nature of something, and to make decisions based on that understanding.

e) “All discernment” is the ability to make proper biblical decisions when faced with a vast array of differing and difficult choices that are routinely encountered by the believer, specifically those in Philippi.

f) Real knowledge and all discernment work in conjunction with each other (cf. Prov. 4:7).

g) Knowledge of sound doctrine enables the believer to make distinctions or to discern between what is right and wrong from God’s standpoint (cf. Heb. 5:14).

h) It ought to a believer’s ardent desire to “abound more and more” in both areas (cf. Prov. 16:16, 23:23- “wisdom” and “understanding,” Col. 1:9).

10)In v. 10 Paul begins by stating the immediate purpose why the Philippians needed real knowledge and all discernment.

11) Namely, so that they “may approve the things that are excellent.”

a) The verb translated “approved” is to form a conclusion regarding worth based on testing.

b) Biblical knowledge and discernment are absolutely necessary to test the worth of “things” and determine the essentials to living the Christian life (i.e. “the things that are excellent”).

12)The ultimate purpose in Paul’s prayer is that they will be found to be “sincere and blameless until the day of Christ.”

13)The adjective “sincere” in our context means to be morally pure, free from pretense or hidden motives.

14)The second adjective “blameless” means without fault because of not giving offense or causing someone else to stumble.

15)In order to be sincere and blameless at the future day of Christ, the Philippians were to live their Christian lives with pure motives, being careful not to cause offense to others through word or conduct in the present (cf. Phil. 2:15).

16) Paul further hopes that in “the day of Christ”, they will arrive “having been filled with the fruit of righteousness.”

17) Using imagery drawn from agriculture, the apostle portrays the Philippians as fruit trees loaded, or filled with a full crop of fruit.

18) On the day of Christ, three primary factors will determine if the Philippians (and we) will be filled with the fruit of righteousness: consistent filling of God the Holy Spirit, good works, and Godly conduct (Gal. 5:22, Col. 1:6, 10, Heb. 12:11).

19)Further, Paul indicates that the production of this “fruit” is obtained through our relationship with Jesus Christ.

20)In concluding v. 11 Paul indicates that the aim of being filled with the fruit of righteousness is ultimately for the praise and glory of God (cf. 1 Cor. 10:31, 2 Cor. 4:15).

Philippians 1:12-14 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, ¹³ so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, ¹⁴ and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.

Analysis of vv. 12-14:

1) In v. 12 Paul informs the Philippians about the situation in Rome.

2) The apostle’s irrepressible sense of purpose comes to the fore.

3) His personal concerns are subordinate to the progress of God’s plan. Namely in the spread of the gospel.

4) Instead of being a hindrance, his imprisonment had resulted in greater progress and opportunity to spread the gospel.

5) As events transpired in Rome it became evident that he is a prisoner not for any crime he committed, political or otherwise, but simply for being a believer in Jesus Christ.

6) Specifically, this was a fact that became “well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else.”

7) The “praetorian guard” served as the Caesar’s personal guard.

a) They were composed of nine cohorts or units of 1,000 men each.

b) At various times the guard was used as a political weapon by the Caesars (e.g. assassination of rivals).

c) Their power grew so that in the 1^st century AD they removed and installed emperors.

8) In Rome they would have guarded Paul around the clock.

9) They also allowed him access to visitors and to attend to other matters pertaining to his ministry (Acts 28:16ff).

10) The guards would rotate in shifts so that eventually the “whole” guard would have known the reason for his imprisonment.

11)Besides the praetorian guard, his imprisonment as a believer also became well known “to everyone else.”

12) We may surmise that that “everyone else” refers to persons outside the guard involved with imperial affairs in Rome.

13) In v. 14 we see that Paul’s imprisonment had some very positive effects on the community of believers in Rome.

14)Believers in Rome were facing increased hostility.

15)Suspicions and persecutions against Christians in Rome were on the rise. In a few years time, in 64 AD, Rome would be devastated by fire and Christians would serve as a scapegoat for Nero.

16) As a result many were burned or fed to wild animals.

17) Now they had renewed confidence and were emboldened to fearlessly speak the word of God.

18) Paul’s circumstances and witness provided great encouragement to the Roman believers.

Philippians 1:15-18 Some, to be sure, are proclaiming Christ even from envy and rivalry, but some also from good will; ¹⁶ the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; ¹⁷ the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. ¹⁸ What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ continues to be proclaimed; and in this I rejoice, yes, and I will rejoice.

Analysis of vv. 15-18:

1) Those who had been emboldened by Paul’s imprisonment were proclaiming Christ for different reasons.

a) Impure/improper: envy and strife, selfish ambition, pretense.

b) Pure/proper: good will, love, truth.

2) Some with improper reasons proclaimed Christ “even from envy and strife.”

a) “Even” is emphatic.

b) Our term “envy” means ill-will or jealousy.

c) The word translated “strife” means to engage in rivalries; it refers to conflict resulting from rivalry. Translate “rivalry.”

d) Both terms are products of the OSN and so are included in lists of sin (Rom. 1:29, Gal. 5:20-21, 1 Tim. 6:7).

e) The focus of their jealousy and rivalry was Paul.

f) Evidently some believers in Rome were envious of the apostle’s reputation and influence.

g) Out of jealousy, they viewed Paul’s imprisonment as their opportunity to shine and build up their own reputation.

h) Rather than sympathetically viewing Paul as a fellow slave of Christ, they considered him a personal rival.

3) Other believers were motivated by good intent or “good will.”

a) These didn’t jealously view Paul as a rival.

b) Instead they recognize that Paul has been impeded in evangelizing publicly so they increased their efforts to take up the slack.

4) Vv. 16-17 detail how each group relates to the apostle’s imprisonment.

5) The latter group composed of his friends, were motivated “out of love.”

a) They openly bore the fruit of Spirit (Gal. 5:22, Col. 1:8).

b) Their motives were pure, and in context they were motivated out of love for Paul.

6) Along with Paul they understood that he was appointed by God to defend the Gospel (Acts 9:15, 26:16-17).

7) In this regard he would be defending it at the highest level of the Roman Empire, to Nero himself (Acts 25:11-12).

8) From the Roman viewpoint Paul is on trial for adhering to a “religion” that is unapproved and possibly seditious.[1]

9) From Paul’s viewpoint, the Gospel itself is on trial and his circumstances had been “arranged” so he could defend it.

10) Those who proclaimed Christ from the first group did so from the OSN.

11) They were motivated by “selfish ambition.”

12) Our words “selfish ambition” is one word in the Greek which denotes an attitude of self-seeking or self-interest.

13) While their rival Paul was in prison they sought to grab some attention and prestige in their ministries.

14) Clearly this is sinful and an illegitimate motivation for application in the CWL (2 Cor. 12:20, Gal. 5:20, Phil. 2:3, James 3:14, 16).

15) They supposed by gaining some notoriety this would distress Paul.

16) Their supposition was ill-founded!

17) While they focused on Paul, his imprisonment, and putting pressure on him, the apostle focused on his ministry in prison and making a defense of the Gospel.

18) As a result Paul was insulated from their petty tactics.

19) He recognizes that regardless of motivations for proclaiming Christ, “whether in pretense or in truth” the gospel is still being proclaimed.

20) From his view this is a cause for rejoicing. That is, that the Gospel was being publicly declared.

21) We must note that Paul doesn’t disparage the content of the message proclaimed by his rivals just their motivations.

22) Although they evangelized with impure motives, their message was sound.

23) Evidently these rivals in Rome were not related to those later mentioned in this letter nor of same ilk as those he faced in Galatia (Phil. 1:28-30, 2:21, 3:2, 18-19, Gal. 5:7-12, 6:11-13).

24) They had a personal issue with Paul and were motivated by self-interest, but didn’t advocate or promote false doctrine.

Philippians 1:19-20 For I know that this shall turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, ²⁰ according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I shall not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ shall even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

Analysis of vv. 19-20:

1) Paul begins v. 19 with an explanation of the reason for his continued rejoicing in the preceding verse.

2) Part of his rejoicing was due to Christ being proclaimed, but another reason was his anticipated deliverance following his defense.

3) He credits two important contributing factors to his release: the prayers of the believers in Philippi and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

a) The Philippians sought his release through prayer.

b) This serves as an excellent example of believers praying for the benefit of a fellow believer in difficulty not to mention their spiritual leader.

c) The second factor in his release was the “provision” of God the Holy Spirit (i.e. the Spirit of Jesus Christ).

i) Of course being supplied with GHS had many positive ramifications for the apostle.

ii) Apart from the prayers of the Philippians, Paul was dependant on the Holy Spirit to function in his ministry, especially in his current circumstances.

4) In v. 20 Paul expresses “earnest expectation and hope” that he will not be shamed or disgraced.

a) To have an “earnest expectation” is to eagerly await something, literally, “watching with head stretched forward alertly.”

b) The word “hope” means a confident expectation, and not wishfulness or wishful thinking.

c) Here as in many passages in the NT, the term conveys the highest degree of certainty about future circumstances (cf. Rom. 12:12, 15:4).

d) What was the source of Paul’s confidence? He trusted God to arrange the outcome of the situation according to His perfect, directive will as the apostle witnessed repeatedly over his life (cf. 2 Cor. 1:8-10, Phil 4:13, 2 Tim. 4:17).

5) Paul would not be put to shame by any opposing arguments to his defense or by a failure to trust God.

6) Rather than being shamed in his defense, he intended to boldly set forth the particulars of the Gospel.

7) Our term “boldness” connotes public openness, outspokenness, and courage before whom someone is speaking (Acts 2:29, 4:13, 28:31).

8) His boldness wasn’t a form of machismo or some misguided confidence in his own ability as an orator.

9) He didn’t put any confidence in his “flesh”, but instead was dependent on God and the ministry of the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 4:31, Eph. 6:19-20, Phil. 3:3, Col. 4:3-4, 1 Thess. 2:2).

10) This certainly was a trademark of Paul’s. Namely that he boldly proclaimed the gospel and divine viewpoint in his ministry (Acts 26:26).

11)From Paul’s viewpoint, Christ would be exalted if he lived or if he was martyred.

a) If he lived then He would be exalted through the apostle’s continued ministry.

b) If he died then through the apostle’s continued faithful witness until his appointed time to die (i.e. his execution).

12) In either outcome Paul was confident he would also be vindicated.

Philippians 1:21-24 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ²² But if I am to live on in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. ²³ But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; ²⁴ yet to remain on in the body is more necessary for your sake.

Analysis of vv. 21-24:

1) Although the apostle anticipates his release, the final words of v. 20 raised the possibility of execution.

2) In v. 21 he begins to explain his desire for Christ to be exalted whether he is executed or freed.

3) For Paul it’s a win, win scenario.

4) The translation “for to me” doesn’t reflect emphasis of the Greek.

5) “To me” is emphatic so a better translation is “For as far as I’m personally concerned…”

6) His affirmations in v. 21 are concise and singularly focused.

7) If released as expected, Paul would continue living completely focused on Christ, participating in His sufferings, and serving Him in spreading sound doctrine (Phil. 2:24, 3:10, cf. Gal. 2:20).

8) In essence, Paul’s thoughts, energies, and priorities were fixed on Christ.

9) The name “Christ” sums up the apostle’s relationship to God: personal devotion, commitment, service, apostleship, everything.[2]

10)While he lived Paul continued to meet the challenge issued by Christ to His disciples in the Gospels (Matthew 16:24-25 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. ²⁵ “For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it., cf. Luke 14:27-28 “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. ²⁸ “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?).

11) At the end of his life, Paul would confidently assert that he had fought the good fight in his Christian life (2 Timothy 4:6-8 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; ⁸ in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.).

12)Such was the apostle’s commitment to the plan of God that even if he was executed there was great “gain.”

13) This second affirmation isn’t to be viewed as a death wish or dissatisfaction with his present circumstances or a desire to leave the pressures of his ministry behind.

14) It’s an honest assessment of one whose immediate future in the body is somewhat tenuous, but whose eternal future with Christ is guaranteed.

15) In a sense, through death the goal of his “living in the body” will be attained. That is, Paul will finally have “gained” Christ (cf. v. 23).

16) In v. 22, Paul expresses his expectations for the future if he continues to live.

17) He expects that his ministry will result in “fruitful labor.”

18) Here he contemplates the merits of the two alternatives: gaining Christ through death or fruitful labor for Christ.

19) His quandary in 22b is hypothetical, but if he really had choice it would be difficult to choose between the two alternatives.

20) Depending on a given perspective, either living life for Christ or gaining Christ through death is to be preferred.

21) Nevertheless, if Paul had to choose between the two, he would opt for death in order to be with Christ.

22) He emphatically declares that this would be “very much better.”

23) Again it’s not that he desires death or martyrdom, but rather the wonderful prospect of being eternally with Christ.

24)Although death would be personally advantageous to Paul, he recognized that his continued life in the body would be advantageous to the Philippians.

25) He maintained focus on his divinely appointed ministry and those under his charge, seeking to benefit them and not self.

Philippians 1:25-26 And convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that your proud confidence may abound in Christ Jesus through me by my coming to you again.

Analysis of vv. 25-26:

1) Paul states his conviction that “I know that I shall remain and continue with you all.”

2) “Remain and continue” is a play on words in the Greek and is literally “remain and remain on.”

3) The apostle is convinced that he will “remain” in the sense of remain alive and secondly, he will remain in the sense of remaining or staying with them.[3]

4) He further states the reason of the necessity of remaining with them, namely “for your progress and joy in the faith.”

5) The pronoun “your” is in the emphatic position which puts the accent on the Philippians.

6) Again Paul stresses his personal concern that it is for their sakes or spiritual benefit that he would stay with them.

7) He was committed to instructing, exhorting, encouraging, and using whatever biblical means necessary to further their spiritual advancement in the faith.

8) “The faith” here refers to the body of sound doctrine and not merely the Gospel.

9) Such “progress” would be evident by an increased love for one another, an increase real knowledge and discernment, in humility and lack of selfishness, looking out for the needs of each other, a lack of complaining, a focus on their eternal life niche, etc (Phil. 1:9-10, 2:2-4, 14, 3:14-21).

10) As the Philippians made progress in the faith they would also experience joy.

11) From the biblical perspective, joy or happiness is not a transient emotion which changes according to one’s circumstances (cf. 2 Cor. 7:4, 8:2).

12)It is experienced by the believer who habitually learns and applies sound doctrine (in the sphere of the faith, Psa. 19:8, Prov. 16:20, John 17:13, James 1:25).

13) Paul expresses the ultimate purpose for his return and their progress and joy in v. 26, namely that their “proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.”

a) The Greek text differs from the standard translation.

b) The verse should be translated, “so that your proud confidence may abound in Christ Jesus through me by my coming to you again.”

14)The term “proud confidence” means a boast or expression of pride.

15)A boast in our verse doesn’t mean to arrogantly brag about something or to be conceited in a sinful sense (cf. 1 Cor. 5:6, 1 Tim. 6:17).

16) Rather it means putting one’s complete confidence in someone with a nuance of praise. In this case, the object of their confidence and praise is Jesus Christ.

17) Furthermore it his wish that this “proud confidence” should abound or overflow.

18) The occasion would be when Paul returned to be face to face with the Philippians.

Philippians 1:27-30 Only continue living as citizens in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ; so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; ²⁸ in no way alarmed by your opponents– which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. ²⁹ For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, ³⁰ experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

Analysis of vv. 27-30:

1) After having discussed his own affairs, Paul moves directly to the present situation in Philippi.

2) The transition in this case is quite sudden.

3) He opens with the imperative, “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”

4) The translation of the imperative “conduct yourselves” needs further elaboration.

5) When Paul intends to convey the general idea of conduct or behavior, he typically uses the metaphor of “walking” (peripateo, 1 Thess. 2:12, Col. 1:10, Eph. 4:1, cf. Phil. 3:17-18).

6) However in v. 27 Paul uses an unusual Greek verb when instructing the Philippians (politeuomai, occurs only 2x in NT, but commonly used by other Greco-Roman authors.).

7) The verb literally means “to live in the city state as a free citizen.”

8) Furthermore, Paul uses the particular form of the verb that means “to take an active part in the affairs of one’s city or “polis.” Hence to live as a citizen.

9) From the Greco-Roman viewpoint, the city state was not merely the place of one’s residence.

10) It was the place where a citizen could develop and maximize his personal abilities not for himself or by himself, but with the cooperation of other citizens and for the good of the state.

11) Consequently, “to live as a citizen” meant certain rights and privileges, but also duties and responsibilities.

12) By his use of this verb, the apostle is making a reference to the Philippian’s “dual citizenship.”[4]

a) Philippi enjoyed a privileged status as a Roman colony through the decree of Octavian, so its people had Roman citizenship conferred upon them.

b) Yet they were also citizens of heaven by virtue of their faith in Christ and subsequent incorporation in to the body of Christ (cf. Phil 3:20).

c) Although their Roman citizenship is relevant, Paul emphasizes the latter.

d) Roman citizenship was temporal while the other was eternal.

e) Translate “Only continue living as citizens in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”

13)Paul’s imperative would be full of significance in light of their privileged status as Roman citizens, and now informing them of their responsibilities to their new heavenly “polis” and to fellow believers.

14)They were expected to take an active part in the affairs of this new “polis.”

15) With “in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” Paul defines the parameters and nature of the new “polis” of which they are citizens and to which they have new obligations.[5]

16) How were the Philippians to comply with this command?

17)In other words, how were they to live in a manner worthy of the gospel?

18) They were to live as good citizens of this new state by upholding in word and deed the “laws” of this unique state while on earth (e.g. righteousness, peace, love, concern for one another, being like-minded in regard to sound doctrine, good works).

19) We ought to heed Paul’s imperative in our own Christian lives.

20) After all, we also possess citizenship in heaven.

21) As citizens we have the same obligation and duty “to live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”

22) Specifically we have an obligation to uphold a standard of behavior that is compatible with God’s directive will.

23) Sound doctrine instructs us how we can be good citizens of heaven while living out our life on earth. Examples:

a) Fulfilling one’s responsibilities towards fellow believers or “citizens”:

i) Love for each other (John 15:12, 1 Peter 1:22).

ii) Be kind and forgiving (Eph. 4:32, Col. 3:13).

iii) Bear one another’s burdens (e.g. financial, material, spiritual, etc. Gal. 6:2 cf. Phil. 4:15).

iv) Build each other up (Rom. 14:19, 1 Thess. 5:11, Jude 1:20).

v) Encourage mutual good works (Heb. 10:24).

vi) Give a genuine greeting (Rom. 16:16, 1 Cor. 16:20).

b) Focus on heavenly rather than earthly things (Col. 1:2-3, Phil. 3:18-20, 1 John 2:15 cf. Rom 12:2, James 4:4).

c) Do not repay evil for evil (1 Thess. 5:15).

d) Hold fast to divine viewpoint and avoid evil (Rom. 12:9, 21, 16:19, 1 Thess. 5:21-22 cf. Psa. 34:14).

e) Obedience to earthly authorities (Rom. 13:1, 1 Peter 2:18).

f) Use one’s spiritual gift (1 Tim. 4:14, 2 Tim. 1:6).

g) Be spiritually alert (Luke 21:36, 1 Cor. 16:13, Eph: 5:15-16, Phil. 3:2).

24) Various marks of a bad citizen:

a) Suffering as a criminal (1 Peter 4:15).

b) Pursuit of worldly desires (Titus 2:12).

c) Friendships with “fools” (Prov. 13:20).

d) Selfishness (Deut. 15:9, Phil. 2:3, James 3:16 cf. 1 John 3:17).

e) Arrogance (Prov. 30:32)

f) Laziness (Prov. 19:15 cf. 2 Tim. 2:15).

25) Our daily lives ought to bear witness to our heavenly citizenship and that we are representatives of Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:20, Eph. 6:20).

26) Our conduct is conspicuous before those in the world including family, friends, employer, employee, teachers, casual acquaintances, etc.

27) Let it be conspicuous for obedience to the Truth and not for participation in evil.

28) Paul gives the reason for his exhortation, namely that he hopes to hear a positive report about their affairs whether he was present or absent.

29) He goes on to cite three coinciding concerns he hopes to hear.

30) First, he desires to hear that they are “standing firm in one spirit.”

a) Here “standing firm” figuratively means to be firmly committed and spiritually stable when faced with opposition (steko, cf. 1 Thess. 2:15).

b) Many interpreters take the phrase “in one spirit” to refer to a unified attitude or disposition on the part of the Philippians.

c) However Paul doesn’t use the word “spirit” in this manner without a modifier specifying what kind of spirit (e.g. Rom. 11:8- “stupor”, 1 Cor. 4:21- “gentleness”).

d) Rather, “one spirit” refers to the one Spirit, God the Holy Spirit.

e) In the one Spirit they had all been incorporated into the body of Christ and in the one Spirit they could continue “standing firm” and be strengthened (cf. 1 Cor. 12:13, Eph. 3:16).

31) Secondly, Paul desired to hear that they were “with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”

a) “With one mind” is literally “with one soul” which describes unity in thinking and purpose.

b) “Striving together” carries the sense of struggling or fighting side by side (Phil. 4:3- “shared my struggle”).

c) “The faith of the gospel” indicates the principles of the faith contained in the gospel.

d) Hence they were to be unified in their thinking and common struggle for the cause of the gospel in Philippi.

e) Evidently the gospel message was under attack.

f) Only by standing firm in the Holy Spirit would the Philippians present a unified front in their struggle against their opponents.

32) Thirdly, Paul wished them to be “in no way alarmed by your opponents.”

a) The term translated “alarmed” was used originally to refer to horses which had been frightened or spooked (pturomai).

b) Here the primary meaning is to be intimidated as a result of fear.

c) The term “opponents” carries the sense of one who bears hostility towards another in attitude and behavior (antikeimai).

d) The apostle urges the Philippian believers not to be intimidated in anyway regardless of how formidable their opponents.

e) As the Philippians, we ought to expect opposition when we bear witness of the Truth (cf. 1 Cor. 16:9)

f) Furthermore, when we experience hostility because of our faith, fear or intimidation is never the proper response when facing an opponent (cf. Luke 21:25, Gal. 2:12ff, 1 Peter 3:14, Rev. 2:10).

g) Since the opponents would be well known by the Philippians, it wasn’t necessary for Paul to identify them.

h) We may infer, as they are antagonistic to the believers and the gospel, that they are unbelieving opponents outside the church.

i) Looking ahead to v. 30, Paul gives us a clue by his statement “…experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.”

j) They were experiencing the same struggle against opposition that they had previously seen Paul experience while in Philippi.

k) Moreover it was the same struggle that Paul was presently experiencing in Rome.

l) In both cases the struggle involved conflict with the state as opposed to conflict with Jewish opponents (Acts 16:21ff, Phil. 1:7 cf. Acts 17:5, Gal. 2:12).

m) It’s probable that other citizens in Philippi, those loyal to the Emperor and Rome, comprised a major bloc of opposition to these believers.

33) V. 28b which states, “which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God” is parenthetical.

a) The “which” with which Paul begins refers to the Philippians satisfying the three concerns he had just addressed (i.e. “standing firm in the one Spirit,” “with one mind striving together…,” and being “in no way alarmed by your opponents…”).

b) Success in these three matters would be a “sign of destruction” to their opponents.

c) That is, their failure to intimidate and break the resolve of the Philippian believers was a proof of their ultimate destruction as opponents of God.

d) The word “destruction” denotes the utter ruin of those who don’t believe in Jesus Christ (Matt. 7:13, Rom. 9:22).

e) It doesn’t indicate an extinction of existence, but an eternal state of torment and separation from God (cf. Isa. 14:9, Matt. 13:42, Luke 16:22-26 “Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. ²³ “And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom. ²⁴ “And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue; for I am in agony in this flame.’ ²⁵ “But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. ²⁶ ‘And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, in order that those who wish to come over from here to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.).

f) In contrast with “destruction,” compliance with Paul’s urgings by these believers served as proof of their “salvation.”

g) The phrase “and that too, from God” indicates that in addition to salvation, the ability to stand firm, strive together in unity, and maintain courage under pressure is ultimately from God.

h) He supplied the Philippians, as he does so with us, all the necessary resources and strength to handle worldly opposition from any quarter no matter how severe (2 Cor. 1:8).

34) In v. 29 Paul explains that two things have been “granted” to the believers in Philippi

35) Here the verb “granted” indicates that which has been graciously granted.

36) First, they graciously given the opportunity to believe in Christ and become recipients of eternal salvation.

37) An eternal salvation which is impossible to earn, nevertheless it was freely offered to fallen mankind on the basis of grace (Eph. 2:4-9).

38)Second, they had been graciously granted the opportunity “to suffer” for Christ’s sake.

39)They were suffering because of their faith, proclamation of the gospel, and their devotion to Christ.

40) Believing and suffering go hand in hand (2 Tim. 1:8-12).

41) The suffering here is undeserved and potentially served as a catalyst for spiritual growth (cf. Heb. 2:10, 5:8, James 1:2-4).

42)The maturing believer views suffering for Christ as a privilege and opportunity for blessing (Matt. 5:11).

43) Christ set an example for us to follow (Luke 9:22, 1 Peter 2:21).

44) In this matter of suffering these believers were experiencing the same “conflict” Paul had initially endured upon arriving in Philippi and was now presently enduring in Rome (Acts 16:19-24).

45) As previously discussed this suffering was primarily at the hands of the state.

End: Chapter 1

[1]Gordon D. Fee, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, New International Commentary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), 120.

[2] Ibid, 141

[3] Ibid, 151

[4] Ibid, 161

[5] Ibid, 162

Introduction to Philippians

Thu, 20 May 2010 22:13:30 +0000

1) Philippi

a) A city of Macedonia originally founded as Krenides by Greek colonists in ~360 BC.[1]

b) Philippi was 9 miles from the coastal port of Neapolis, modern day Kavalla.

c) The city was later taken over and renamed by Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great (356 BC).[2]

d) It possessed a strategic location:

i) Adjacent to well-watered, fertile land, the plain of Datos.

ii) It was on the natural land route from Europe to Asia.

iii) Nearby to rich mineral deposits including gold.

e) All Macedonia including Philippi came under Roman control in 168 BC.

f) Eventually Macedonia became a Roman province that was divided into four parts.

g) According to Luke, Philippi was a leading city in the district of Macedonia (Acts 16:12).

h) In 42 BC two major battles were fought on the adjacent plain.

i) The armies of Cassius and Brutus, the assassins of Julius Caesar were opposed by the armies of Octavian, later the emperor Augustus, and Mark Antony.

ii) Octavian and Mark Antony prevailed.

iii) Following the victories, Octavian honored Philippi by classifying the city as a Roman military colony (Colonia Augusta Julia Philippensis).

iv) This special act endowed the populace of Philippi with full Roman citizenship.

v) Philippi was also granted the honor of ius italicum (Italic right).

(1) Although physically situated in Macedonia, legally the city was considered Roman soil.

(2) The citizens were governed under Roman law rather than local or Hellenistic law.

(3) Colonists could purchase, own, or transfer property and had the right of pursue civil lawsuits.

(4) Citizens were also exempt from certain taxes.

i) Octavian also settled the city and surrounding geographical area with discharged veterans from the war.

j) These former allies turned against one another and in 30 BC Octavian defeated Mark Antony at nearby Actium.

k) In a shrewd political move, Octavian settled Philippi with the defeated veterans of Antony’s army.

l) These settlements created loyalty from those who had fought with him and from those who had just fought against him.

2) The authorship of Philippians.

a) The letter was written by the apostle Paul.

b) Personal background

i) Paul was a Jew born in Tarsus, capital of Cilicia, in Asia Minor (Acts 21:39).

ii) Tarsus was considered a cosmopolitan city with varied cultural influences (oriental, Hellenic etc…)

iii) The city was known as an important center for learning, especially philosophy.

c) Paul was “brought up” in Jerusalem and was educated in the Law by the renowned Pharisee, Gamaliel (Acts 22:3, 26:4 cf. Acts 7:20-21).

d) Paul possessed impeccable credentials. He was “a Hebrew of Hebrews” (Philip. 3:5-6)

e) In addition, he was a Roman citizen (Acts 22:29)

f) The approximate age of Paul at the time of the epistle to the Philippians:

i) Paul (Saul) is “a young man” at the stoning of Stephen which occurred in 35 AD (Acts 7:58).

ii) The word “young man” is the Greek noun “neanias.” This word occurs 3x in the NT: Acts 7:58, 20:9, 23:17.

iii) The primary definition is a youth or young man between the ages of 24-40 yrs. old.

iv) According to Jewish custom, young men entered life as a “rabbi” in the sect of the Pharisees at approx. 30 years old. This would reduce Paul’s age range to 30-40 years old.

v) By the time of the stoning of Stephen in 35 AD, Paul would have been between 30-40 years old. Also, this would remain within the age range of 24-40 years old which is required by the noun “neanias.”

g) Paul authored this epistle in ~61-62 AD along with Colossians, Philemon, and Ephesians. This was during his first Roman imprisonment which occurred after his third missionary journey. In Philemon 1:9, Paul refers to himself as “aged” (Greek: “presbutes” – : Lk 1:18, Titus 2:2, Phlm. 1:9). The noun is defined as an old man or aged person. Grammatically, trying to establish his exact age for “presbutes” is unviable. However consider the following:

i) There is a span of 26 years from the stoning of Stephen to the writing of Philippians.

ii) Now we know that if Paul was between 30-40 years old in 35 AD, and 26 years are added, then in 61 AD, he would be 56-66 years old. Also, certain extra-biblical Greek sources indicate “aged” refers to a man between 50-56 yrs old.

h) Although Timothy is mentioned in v. 1, Paul is solely responsible for the content of the letter.

i) The authenticity of Pauline authorship is corroborated by the early church writers Polycarp and Irenaeus.[3]

3) Addressees.

a) Paul addressed the letter to the community of believers living in Philippi (i.e. “to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi…”).

b) It was in Philippi that Paul first proclaimed the Gospel in Europe.

i) Strategically situated on the Egnatian Way, the city was primarily a military and agricultural center rather than a commercial hub.

ii) The primary responsibility of the colony was to ward off barbarian attacks and preserve the peace.

c) The church in Philippi had been founded on Paul’s 2^nd missionary journey in ~50 AD (Acts 16:11-40).

d) The population was primarily a mixture of Roman colonists and native Macedonians.

e) Evidently the composition of the membership was predominantly Gentile.

f) As a privileged Roman colony with numerous re-settled veterans, the standards and practices of Rome dominated (Acts 16:20-21, 35, 37).

g) The official language was Latin, but knowledge of koine Greek was essential for the citizens. Inscriptions in both languages have been discovered in the ruins.

h) Strong bonds were formed between Paul and the Philippians church.

i) Paul’s affection for these believers is evident throughout the text (cf. 2 Cor. 8:1-5).

ii) Furthermore, they were generous in their monetary support of the apostle during his journeys (Phil. 4:15ff also 2 Cor. 11:9).

iii) After its establishment, Paul visited the church on several occasions (Acts 20:1-6, 2 Cor. 2:13, 7:5).

iv) He also maintained frequent communications with them (Acts 18:5, 19:22, Phil. 2:25).

4) The time of writing.

a) At the time of writing, Paul is clearly incarcerated (Phil. 1:7, 13-14, 17).

b) There are some rival theories regarding the place of origin which include Ephesus, Caesarea or Rome.

i) Ephesus:

(1) Although Paul was there for 3 yrs., there is no proof that Paul was imprisoned for a prolonged period.

(2) Luke are not known to be with Paul in Ephesus (Acts 20:31, Phil. 1:1).

(3) There is no solid evidence that a praetorium existed in Ephesus. Ergo there would be no praetorian guard.

ii) Caesarea:

(1) When compared with the other “prison epistles,” Paul expected his release from imprisonment. If Paul had been expecting release in Caesarea, he also would probably expect to be lynched (Phil. 1:25, 2:24, Philemon 1:22).

(2) In any case, Paul “left” Caesarea as a prisoner in route to Rome. This was due to his appeal to Caesar with Porcius Festus who had succeeded Felix as procurator in Caesarea in late 59 AD (Acts 23:12-23, 26:32).

c) Rome:

i) The internal evidence in the letter favors a Roman imprisonment.

ii) References to the “whole praetorian guard” and “Caesar’s household” imply that Rome is the place of writing (Phil. 1:13, 4:22).

iii) Although the word “praetorium” may refer to a governor’s palace, the term more naturally refers to Caesar’s imperial guard stationed in Rome, especially preceded by the adjective “whole.”

iv) Furthermore, the epistle is linked to Philemon, another prison epistle. Examine the parallels:

(1) Timothy is mentioned in the greeting (Phil. 1:1, Philemon 1:1)

(2) Paul is imprisoned in both epistles (Phil 1:7, 13-14, 17, Philemon 1:1, 23)

(3) Paul expects his release from prison (Phil 1:25, Philemon 1:22)

d) Paul was sent to Rome by Porcius Festus in late 59 AD. Allowing for reasonable travel time to include violent storms, ship wrecks, snake bites etc., Paul would have arrived in Rome ~60 AD (Acts 27-28:4).

e) Conclusion: Philippians, as one of the prison epistles along with Colossians, Philemon, and Ephesians was authored by Paul during his first Roman imprisonment; an imprisonment which spanned the years 60-62 AD.

f) Nero was in power at the time of writing (r: 54-69 AD).

5) The purpose of the letter.

a) The immediate purpose for the writing of the letter was the return of Epaphroditus following his near fatal illness in Rome (Phil. 2:25).

b) The Philippian believers were facing opposition, and Paul sought to provide encouragement (Phil. 1:27-28).

c) He also provided exhortation in order to quell an internal spat between two believers (Phil. 4:2).

d) Paul acknowledged the monetary support of the believers in Philippi (Phil. 4:10ff).

6) General characteristics of the letter.

a) The letter was highly personal in nature. Paul frequently addresses the recipients as “brethren” and “beloved” (1:12, 2:12, 3:1, 13, 17, 4:1, 8).

b) Joyfulness is a major theme within the letter (1:4, 18, 25, 2:17-18, 28-29, 3:1, 4:1, 4, 10).

c) The letter contains profound Christological details concerning the pre-existence, incarnation, and exaltation of Jesus Christ (2:5-11).

7) Content- General Outline

a) Introductory section.

i) Salutation, 1:1-2

ii) Thanksgiving and prayer, 1:3-11.

b) News and directives

i) Paul’s affairs, 1:12-26.

ii) Directives for the church, 1:27-2:18.

iii) News about Timothy and Epaphroditus, 2:19-30.

c) Warning against error.

i) The inadequacy of the flesh, 3:1-4a.

ii) The example of Paul, 3:4b-14.

iii) Application and appeal for harmony, 3:15-4:3.

d) Concluding matters.

i) Final exhortations, 4:4-9.

ii) Gratitude for support, 4:10-20.

iii) Final greetings, 4:21-23.

[1] Gordon D. Fee, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1995), 25.

[2] Ibid

[3] Peter Kirby, “Polycarp to the Philippians,” Early Christian Writings, 2006; available on http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/polycarp-lightfoot.html; Internet; accessed 29 January 2010; Christian Classics Ethereal Library, Irenaeus, Against Heresies, III, xii. 9, IV, xxiv, 2; http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.ix.iv.xiii.html; http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.ix.vi.xxv.html; Internet; accessed 29 January 2010.

Philippians 2 audio Updated 06/13/10

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 02:02:49 +0000

http://www.aliveandpowerful.com/teaching/general/philippians-2

Ruth 1

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:09:35 +0000

Ruth 1:1-2 Now it came about in the days when the judges governed, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons. ² And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi; and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. Now they entered the land of Moab and remained there.

Analysis of vv. 1-2:

1) The author sets the timeframe of the book with his opening statement, “Now it came about in the days when the judges governed” (lit: “in the days of the judging of the judges”).

2) There was a “famine” in the land (msn, b['r, raab, famine, hunger).

3) No causes are given for the famine in the text. Some possibilities:

a) Since this was during the period of the judges, the famine may have been caused by the depredations of the Midianites and their allies prior to Gideon’s judgeship (Judges 6:1ff).

b) This in turn had been brought about because of Israel’s apostasy and persistent idolatry.

c) In other passages famines were sent upon the land by God as judgment for sin (e.g. idolatry, 1 Kings 16:30-17:1, Jer. 44:27 cf. Deut. 28:48, 32:24, 2 Kings 8:1, Jer. 11:22).

d) In light of the prevailing apostasy in Israel during this period, disobedience to God is evidently the primary cause of the famine.

4) Due to the famine, a man and his family left Bethlehem in Judah in order to sojourn in the land of Moab.

5) Presumably, Moab was unaffected by the famine or least not as severely.

6) The man’s family included his wife and two sons.

7) The phrase translated “in the land” refers to fields, pastures or territories of a tribe or of a people (ydEäf.B, bisadey- plural form).

8) Here the author uses it as a generic reference and not a specific location in Moab.

9) The basic meaning of the term translated “sojourn” is to dwell as an alien or to live among people who are not blood relatives (Gen 19:9, Judges 19:1, 16).

10) This family of sojourners, since they lived among people to whom they had no blood ties or tribal association, had only the rights and status accorded them by the native populace, the Moabites.

11)Apparently at this point in time Israel and Moab were at peace (cf. Judges 3:12).

12) In v. 2 the family is identified as Elimelech, the husband, and his wife, Naomi along with their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion.

a) Elimelech, %l,m,ylia: God is King.

b) Naomi, ymi[\n: good, pleasant.

c) Mahlon, !Alx.m and Chilion, !Ayl.K: meaning uncertain.

13) They are also identified as “Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah” (ytir'p.a,, Ephrathi).

14) The designation “Ephrathite” refers to the following:

a) Members of the tribe of Ephraim (Judges 12:5, 1 Kings 11:26).

b) Ephrath(ah) was also an alternate name for Bethlehem (Gen. 35:19, Judges 4:11).

c) However, here the term refers a portion of people, perhaps a clan, which made up the population of Bethlehem (1 Sam. 17:12, Micah 5:2).

15)“Bethlehem in Judah” is distinguished from the lesser known town in the territory of Zebulon in Northern Israel (Josh. 19:15).

16) The author’s general introductory statements make no mention whether the move to Moab was right or wrong.

17) However the unfolding events indicate that the move to Moab certainly wasn’t blessed by God and ended in calamity.

18) Following the theme of the Judges period, Elimelech “did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).

19) In this case, abandoning Israel and taking up residence in the midst of a pagan nation, even during a famine, suggests a lack of faith (cf. Psa. 33:19, 37:19).

Ruth 1:3-5 Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she herself was left alone with her two sons. ⁴ And they married Moabite women; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. And they lived there about ten years. ⁵ Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; and the woman was left alone without her two children and her husband.

Analysis of vv. 3-5:

1) V. 3 begins with death of Naomi’s husband, Elimelech.

2) The Hebrew text is emphatic and the verb “was left” (rav, shaar) indicates the static action of surviving an elimination process.

3) Here, Naomi survived her husband and was left alone with her two sons. Translate, “She herself was left alone with her two sons.”

4) “And they married Moabite women.” is a translation of the Hebrew idiom, “they lifted up for themselves Moabite women.”

5) The wives are identified as Orpah, hP'êr>[, and Ruth, tWr, respectively.

6) The precise meaning of their names is uncertain.

7) Although not denounced in the text and not specifically included in Deuteronomy, marrying Moabite women or pagan women in general was not acceptable (Deut. 7:3, Ezra 9:1-2 Now when these things had been completed, the princes approached me, saying, "The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, according to their abominations, those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. ² "For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has intermingled with the peoples of the lands; indeed, the hands of the princes and the rulers have been foremost in this unfaithfulness." Also 1 Kings 11:1ff, Neh. 13:23).

8) It is probable that the Hebrew form of the verb, “lived” indicates that it was the two sons and Naomi who lived there for ten years, rather than that the sons were married to the Moabite women for ten years.

9) V. 5 opens with the unexpected and unexplained death of Naomi’s sons.

10) Now, Naomi, referred to as “the woman,” was left alone without her children and her husband.

11) “Her children” expresses the poignancy of Naomi’s loss rather than the ordinary, “sons.”

12) Evidently her sons were without any offspring.

13) Vv. 3-5 contain parallels which highlight the theme of death and deprivation.[1]

a) V. 3: Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left alone with her two sons.

b) V. 5: Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; and the woman was left alone without of her two children and her husband.

14) Although there is no mention in the text that the death of Elimelech and the two sons was Divine punishment, they had pursued their own plans in disregard of God’s directive will by abandoning Israel and marrying pagan women respectively.

Ruth 1:6-7 Then she herself arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the land of Moab, for she had heard in the land of Moab that YHWH had visited His people in giving them food. ⁷ So she departed from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.

Analysis of vv. 6-7:

1) Following the unexpected deaths of her husband and sons, Naomi made preparations to leave.

2) She intended to return to her homeland, Israel.

3) The conjunction, “for” begins a causal clause that indicates the primary reason for Naomi’s return.

4) While in Moab, Naomi had heard that God blessed His famished people with food.

5) The author indicates that “YHWH had visited His people in giving them food.”

a) The basic meaning of the term translated “visited” (dq;P’, paqad) is to exercise oversight over a subordinate, either in the form of making a careful inspection or of taking action to cause a considerable change in the circumstances of the subordinate.

b) The change may be for better or worse. In our context the change in Israel, specifically Judah, was definitely for the better.

c) “His people” refers to the Jews. This designation portrays the covenant relationship between God and the Jews (AMê[, ami, Gen. 17:1-9, Ex. 19:3-8, Josh. 24:1ff).

d) They are His people and He is their God (Lev. 26:12).

e) As far as the covenant is concerned, God has always been faithful to the Jews in spite of their unfaithfulness to Him (Lev. 26:44-45, Psa. 78:1ff).

f) This is especially evident during the Judges period even when the nation was mired in depravity.

g) Here, God provided them with food and in other passages, multiple deliverances from oppressors during this bleak period (Judges 2:1, 10-18).

h) His purpose in visiting or inspecting Israel was to give them food (tteîl, la’theth, Qal inftv of purpose, “in order to give…”).

6) Naomi departed Moab with her daughters-in-law and headed back to Judah.

7) In vv. 6-7, the author is focusing on Naomi and not the daughter’s-in-law as she is the subject of the clauses, “she herself arose,” “she might return,” and “she had heard,” and “she departed.”

8) Naomi’s intentions are clear, but those of Ruth and Orpah are uncertain at this point.

Ruth 1:8-10 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go, return each of you to her mother's house. May YHWH deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. ⁹ "May YHWH grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband." Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. ¹⁰ And they said to her, "No, but we will surely return with you to your people."

Analysis of vv. 8-10:

1) On their journey back to Judah, Naomi urged both Ruth and Orpah to return to their mother’s house.

2) The usual would be a return to their father’s house. Naomi appears to emphasizing that these young widows should return to their mother’s house and not stay with their mother-in-law.

3) Her parting wish was that YHWH would “deal kindly” with them as they had with her sons when they were alive and her.

4) The Hebrew term translated “kindly” has a wide range of meanings (ds,x,, chesed).

5) Depending on the context, it may also be translated as “lovingkindness, kindness, mercy, loyalty, unchanging love.”

a) Human relationships (Gen. 47:29, Ruth 3:10).

b) God to man (Ruth 2:20, Psa. 13:5, Lam. 3:22).

6) To demonstrate “kindness” as did Ruth and Orpah, was commendable (Prov. 3:3).

7) Naomi also expressed the hope that God would give them “rest” in a home with a new husband.

8) “Rest” connotes a settled, protected and secure life (hx'Wnm., menuchah, cf. 1 Chron. 22:9).

9) After these pronouncements, Naomi kissed them good-bye, at which point, they all began to sob loudly.

10) The Hebrew indicates all the women were crying not just the daughters-in-law.

11) It was a heart wrenching farewell for all.

12) However, in v. 10, Ruth and Orpah refused to be separated from Naomi.

13) In the Hebrew, the preposition “with you” precedes the verb, “we will return” which further emphasizes their faithfulness, ds,x,, chesed to Naomi (lit: “No, with you we will return to your people!”, cf. Gen. 17:4).

Ruth 1:11-13 But Naomi said, "Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? ¹² "Return, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight and also bear sons, ¹³ would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters; for it is exceedingly more bitter for me than for you, for the hand of YHWH has gone forth against me."

Analysis of vv. 11-13:

1) Even after their pledge of loyalty, Naomi again instructs her daughters-in-law to return to their families.

2) She immediately poses some arguments to dissuade them.

3) Naomi’s arguments assume the law of the levirate marriage.

4) The levirate law provided for the marriage of a childless widow to a brother-in-law or to the closest male relative (Deut. 25:5-10, Ruth 4:1ff).

5) Naomi rhetorically points out that she is not pregnant with sons who, as the younger siblings of Mahlon and Chilion, would be obligated to marry their widowed sisters-in-law according to the levirate law (cf. Luke 20:28).

6) Yet again in v. 12, she forcefully orders them, “Return my daughters! Go…”

7) She asserts, “I am too old to have a husband.” That is, she is past the age of childbearing.

8) In order to reinforce her statement, she poses an impossible scenario in order stress why they should leave her.

9) Even if she was married and gave birth to sons that very night, did Ruth and Orpah really intend to wait and remain unmarried until the sons were grown? Of course not.

10) Her point was that it would be absurd to wait.

11) Furthermore, she concluded that her circumstances were far harder than that of her daughters-in-law.

12) “Harder for me” is literally “exceedingly more bitter for me.” The latter translation more accurately reflects Naomi’s mental attitude (cf. Ruth 1:20).

13) Additionally she attributed her current predicament to “the hand of YHWH” which is a figurative expression for Divine punishment (Deut. 2:15, 1 Sam. 12:15).

14) She viewed Him as sovereign and actively involved in her circumstances, but not in a positive sense.

15)Naomi appears insensitive to their grief. They had, after all, been recently widowed.

16) However due to their youth, they could expect to remarry and bear children.

Ruth 1:14-18 And they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. ¹⁵ Then she said, "Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law." ¹⁶ But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. ¹⁷ "Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may YHWH do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me." ¹⁸ When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.

Analysis of vv. 14-18:

1) The women cried following the hopeless situation Naomi had just described to them.

2) The idiom “lifted up their voices and wept” also in v. 9, means to sob or cry loudly.

3) The adverb translated “again” does not mean that the women had once more resumed crying. Rather it stresses the continuance of their crying. Translate, “still more.”[2]

4) Orpah decided to leave and gave a farewell kiss to Naomi.

5) However Ruth “clung” to her mother-in-law.

6) The Hebrew word order which places “Ruth” before the verb “clung,” expresses the simultaneous actions of the daughters-in-law as well as contrasting their responses.

7) That is, while Orpah bid farewell and left, Ruth physically embraced, “clung” to Naomi and remained.

8) Our term “clung” also carries the sense of clinging to someone in affection and loyalty (qb;D’, dabaq, Gen. 2:24, loyalty to God: Deut. 10:20, 11:22).

9) Naomi urged Ruth to follow her sister-in-law’s example and return to her people and gods.

10) The term translated “sister-in-law” occurs five times and may also used as a technical term to mean “brother’s widow or wife” in connection with the law of the levirate (tm,bey, yebemeth, Deuteronomy 25:7-9 “But if the man does not desire to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to establish a name for his brother in Israel; he is not willing to perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.’ ⁸ “Then the elders of his city shall summon him and speak to him. And if he persists and says, ‘I do not desire to take her,’ ⁹ then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the sight of the elders, and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face; and she shall declare, ‘Thus it is done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.).

11) This was hardly sound advice by Naomi, who at this point was consumed with bitterness.

12) To return to her family and the worship of idols, here referred to as “gods,” was not in Ruth’s best interests.

13) Clearly Naomi wasn’t making any effort to proselytize Ruth.

14) In response to the erroneous advice, Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you.”

15) Furthermore, Ruth expressed her complete commitment and devotion by swearing an oath.

16) She pledged her future with Naomi to share her home and circumstances, not just until their return to Bethlehem, but after as well.

17) She confessed allegiance to the people of Israel and to God thereby renouncing her Moabite heritage and pagan worship (“Your people, my people and your God, my God).

18) She was making a complete break from the past and everything that was familiar to her.

19) Her allegiance to God is a statement of saving faith.

20)She made this decision without any encouragement from Naomi. In fact, the decision was made despite Naomi’s strenuous encouragement to do the opposite.

21) In addition to committing her life to Naomi until death, Ruth included the place of burial (“Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried”).

22) To conclude the oath, Ruth calls down judgment upon herself from her “new” God, YHWH, if she leaves Naomi except by death.

23) The implication is that the judgment would be severe.

24) Her words provide one of the most striking examples of love and sacrifice, for she cast aside concern for her own future and security.

25) Bear in mind that two widows on their own didn’t face a future brimming with options.

26) In response to Ruth’s unselfish promise of devotion, the expected response from Naomi would be gratitude and thanksgiving. This was far from what transpired.

27) Not only did Naomi fail to express gratitude, she didn’t say a word and silently acquiesced in the face of Ruth’s determination.

28) The lack of reaction to Ruth’s commitment clearly manifests that Naomi is overcome by bitterness.

29) At this point she cannot appreciate the significance of her daughter-in-law’s commitment.

Ruth 1:19-22 So they both went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came about when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was stirred because of them, and the women said, “Is this Naomi?” ²⁰ And she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. ²¹ “I went out full, but YHWH has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since YHWH has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?” ²² So Naomi returned, and with her Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, who returned from the land of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

Analysis of vv. 19-22:

1) Naomi and Ruth resumed their journey and traveled to Bethlehem in Judah.

2) When they arrived at Bethlehem, “all the city was stirred because of them.”

a) “All the city” is a synecdoche, a figure of speech in which the whole stands for a part or vice versa.

b) The author refers to a large part of the inhabitants, specifically to the women of Bethlehem.

c) This is demonstrated by use of the feminine form in the following Hebrew verb correctly translated, “the women said.”

d) The term “stirred” used to describe the reaction of the town is “to murmur, be in an uproar, to make a great noise” (1 Sam. 4:5, Micah 2:12).

e) The term conveys delighted excitement at Naomi’s homecoming.

3) The question, “Is this Naomi?” expresses a surprised and joyous recognition in the sense of “Can this really be Naomi?” or “Why, it’s Naomi!”

4) To the women she retorted, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara…”

5) Here Naomi engages in a play on words. “Naomi” means “pleasant”, while “Mara” means “bitter.”

6) An alternate translation is “Don’t call me ‘Pleasant’; call me ‘Bitter’!”

7) Her reason was that the “Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.”

a) As a synonym for YHWH, Naomi uses the name, “Almighty” (yD;v, Shaddai).

b) The Divine title in our context connotes judgment and power (cf. Job 5:17, 40:2, Joel 1:15).

c) She has expanded upon her complaint. In v. 13 Naomi attributes the cause of her complaint somewhat obliquely to God.

d) In our verse, the verb “to be bitter” is in the causative form with “Almighty” as the subject.

e) She is now directly charging God with causing her life to be very bitter (cf. Job 27:2 where Job makes a similar accusation).

8) Naomi becomes more specific in her complaint against God in v. 21.

9) She begins by contrasting her former and current states, “I went out full, but YHWH has brought me back empty.”

a) The word “full” figuratively refers to having a husband, sons and being satisfied with life.

b) Whereas “empty” means she was a widow, without family and in a state of anguish.

c) Further, she viewed God as the cause of her emptiness.

10) Portraying herself as a defendant in a legal case, Naomi insisted that she not be called “Pleasant” since YHWH had “witnessed” against her and “the Almighty has afflicted me.”

11) “Witnessed” is used technically and means “to give evidence or testify against” someone (hn”[, anah, Ex. 23:2).

12) “Afflicted” often designates experiences that entail physical harm and/or emotional pain with the latter applying to Naomi ([[;r', raa, cf. Gen 43:6, Num. 11:10-11, 1 Kings 17:20).

13) As the subject of “witnessed” and “afflicted”, Naomi portrays God as giving irrefutable testimony against her and then executing judgment on her.

14) Interestingly, Naomi doesn’t rail against fate or chance.

15) Rather she lays the responsibility for her seemingly “empty” life at God’s feet.

16) She ascribes full sovereignty to God and openly even forcefully voices her complaint.

17) Additionally, she was completely absorbed in misery that she fails even to acknowledge the presence of Ruth, the one who had just devoted her life to her.

18)In Ruth we see an admirable example of self-sacrifice, who placed the needs of another above her own, even thought is wasn’t particularly appreciated.

19) This is certainly is a quality we ought to emulate as believers (Rom. 12:1, 13, Titus 3:14, Heb. 13:16 cf. 1 John 3:17).

20) V. 22 summarizes the preceding events of the first chapter with the additional fact that their return coincided with the beginning of the barley harvest (i.e. March-April).

21) This sets the stage for the events that follow in the harvest field in the next chapter.

End: Chapter 1.

[1] Frederic Bush, Word Biblical Commentary: Ruth/Esther (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996), 60.

[2] Frederic Bush, Word Biblical Commentary: Ruth/Esther (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996), 81.