Philippians 1

Notes

Ver. 1, 2. Paul and Timothy—joint servants of Jesus Christ in ministering his gospel and promoting his kingdom and glory, to all the private Christians at Philippi who, by virtue of union with him, are renewed in their hearts and lives by the sanctifying Spirit of God, and devoted to his service; together with their spiritual overseers, who labour in doctrine or government, and their deacons, who take care of their poor and other temporal affairs of their church—earnestly wish the most abundant manifestations of divine favour, with all its distinguishing fruits and blessings, from our loving God and Father, as the Spring and Fountain of all grace, and from Jesus Christ, as the Fountain and Distributer thereof. 3-5. As often as I think of you, and what God has done for and by you, I cannot but bless him for putting me into the ministry, and making me instrumental in your conversion; and in all my stated and solemn addresses to him for each of you, I am delightfully constrained to praise and thank him for your gracious and continued admission, through faith, to all the rich and glorious privileges, promises, hopes, and enjoyments of the gospel state; and for your familiar communion with God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and with each other; and for your readily communicating of your substance for the support of the gospel, and to me in my sufferings for its sake; 6. Being assured, from the testimony, nature, purpose, and promise of God, and from the merits and intercession of Christ and the indwelling of his Spirit, that he who has changed your spiritual state, and begun your sanctification, honour, and comfort, will undoubtedly, in his wisdom, love, faithfulness, and power, maintain and increase it, if ye are only faithful to the truth till Christ shall come to be glorified in his saints. 7. And while you lie so much on my heart in my prayers to God for you, your patient bearing of tribulations and kind Christian sympathy with me under mine, which I suffer for the cause of Christ, together with your honourable and steadfast profession and practice of the gospel truths, make me to hope this good work of grace is really begun in most of your hearts. 8. For, affected with and in imitation of Jesus' redeeming love, God alone knows how earnestly I desire to be further instrumental in the spiritual and eternal welfare of each of you, whom I look on as his dear members. 9. And in my fervent affection I earnestly beg of him that your love to him and his Son, his Word, ordinances, ways, ministers, and people, may still more and more increase, along with and under the influence of a growing knowledge and experience of the doctrine of Christ. 10, 11. That ye may carefully examine, prove, and approve those sentiments and practices which are truly valuable and important, that so ye may be found genuine Christians—pure in heart and life, free from hypocrisy and deceit in your holy profession, and uncorrupted in your principles and designs, temper, and behaviour; and may, in the view of Christ's coming to call you to account for your conduct, constantly live in the most holy and blameless manner, doing nothing to wound your own spirits or occasion the stumbling of others—greatly abounding in the most precious fruits of all holy obedience, and in the performance of duties both to God and man, which are produced by virtue derived from Christ, and are, through his merits and intercession, acceptable to God, and tend to his honour and glory. 12-14. And that ye may not be terrified at nor discouraged by my sufferings for the cause of Christ, know that, contrary to all outward appearance or natural expectation, they have been permitted and overruled rather for the confirmation and propagation of the gospel than to the dishonour or hindrance of it, insomuch that the hardships and imprisonment which the power and presence of Christ enable me to bear with becoming patience and fortitude, are well known among all the courtiers and citizens here to be for no immorality, but merely for the sake of Christ, and have proved the happy occasion of many inquiring after and believing in him; and, through the influence of God's grace, many of my fellow-ministers, fully satisfied of the justice and excellency of my cause, and of the remarkable support and encouragement which I have received from Christ under my troubles, have been more abundantly animated and emboldened thereby to preach the gospel with greater freedom and liberty of spirit than before. 15-17. There are indeed some judaizing teachers who preach Christ as the true Messiah, and several important doctrines of salvation, from envy at my reputation and success in carrying the gospel in its peculiar doctrines to the Gentiles as well as the Jews, and in order to sink my credit and authority, and raise their own. Others preach the pure doctrines of Christ in their full extent, with freedom and delight, from love to him and his truths, and to the souls of men, and to me his apostle. The former, not from any sincere regard to Christ, his truths, or immortal souls, but from a contentious and envious disposition, in hopes that thereby they shall supplant, distress, or grieve me, or that, by the contentions which they foment, they may provoke the civil government to detain me in prison or take away my life. But the latter, from a principle of love to me, as well as to the truth itself, accounting me one appointed and qualified of God, and even imprisoned and tried for maintaining and defending the gospel of Christ. 18. But however different the motives by which the preachers here are actuated, I am heartily glad, and hope always to be so, that the truths of Christ are preached, and himself made known to multitudes by that means. 19. For I know, from the promises of God, the revelations of his Spirit, and my own former experience, that, through your prayers for me, and the rich communications of the Spirit of Christ granted me in answer to them, that the very worst designs of my opposers shall be overruled for promoting my deliverance from prison, and be sanctified to my own and others' spiritual and eternal advantage. 20. And I firmly hope, as well as earnestly desire, that whatever my adversaries may design or do against me, I shall never be ashamed of Christ or his truths, but be enabled to go on in his work with all liberty of spirit and undaunted courage; and as, since my call to the apostleship, I have, through grace, acted to the honour of Christ, my great Master, I trust that, now and hereafter, he will, even in my weak, frail body, manifest the greatness of his power and grace, whether by my patient continuance under suffering, my further publication and defence of the gospel, and my holy life and conversation, or by my bravely owning and honouring him in enduring the most cruel and violent death for his sake. 21. For Christ, my all in all, who lives in me, and to whom I look as the source of spiritual life, is my gain in living and dying; and the glory of his name, and the winning of souls to him, is the end which I pursue in both; and death, after living in, on, and to him, would but usher me into the unspeakable reward of eternal felicity. 22. But if it please God to lengthen out my days on earth to preach and suffer for the gospel, it will promote the honour and interest of Christ, which in the end will turn to my own account; so that, were I to be left to my determination, I can hardly say whether I would choose life or death. 23, 24. For I am indeed greatly straitened and pressed in my own mind, having, on the one hand, an earnest desire to be loosed from my present encumbrances, weakness, and imperfections, and to have my soul released from this frail body, that I may enter on the immediate views and full enjoyment of Jesus Christ my Lord; and, on the other, I am willing, if it please God, to continue for a while exercising my ministry on earth, as I believe this would be most for your spiritual advantage amidst the manifold enemies and temptations which surround you. 25, 26. In this persuasion, that my future ministrations might, by the blessing of God, be useful, I am not without intimations from the Spirit of God that, notwithstanding the present threatening aspect, my life shall be for a time preserved, that by my preaching, prayer, or example, I may be instrumental in promoting your and others' edification in knowledge, faith, comfort, and holiness; and that, by my wonderful deliverances from prison, and the benefits ye receive by my visit, preaching, and converse, your delightful glory in Jesus Christ, the only Saviour, may be more abundant than ever. 27, 28. Meanwhile, to manifest the truth of your faith, and to promote your own and my comfort, take the most earnest and special heed that your traffic and behaviour in the world be answerable to your Christian state and character, and suitable to the directions, and ornamental to the principles, privileges, and obligations of the gospel of Christ, and to your holy profession thereof—that whether I should ever in this life see you again or not, I may have comfortable accounts of your spiritual concerns; that notwithstanding all the subtle and furious attempts of your enemies, under the influence of the Holy Ghost ye may persevere unshaken in one and the same evangelical spirit of liberty, truth, and love, and concur in vigorous efforts for preserving, propagating, and defending the pure, uncorrupted, and important doctrines of faith delivered in the gospel, and for rendering the grace of faith in one another lively and steadfast; and may hear that, however artful, cruel, and outrageous the adversaries of your souls and Christian profession be, ye behave amidst all their attacks with a truly Christian courage and fortitude—which to them is not a mark of your obstinacy, but an awful token that they are on the way to everlasting destruction; and to you is an evidence that God, who calls you to these trials, will tenderly carry you through unto eternal salvation! 29. For, to your distinguished honour, God, on account of Christ's merits, not only calls you to believe in him to the saving of your souls, but also patiently, and aiming at his glory, to suffer for his cause, that ye may be more illustriously glorified together with him hereafter: 30. In which ye are exercised with no other combat of trials and troubles than I myself have experienced even among you, and still am under, and yet am enabled, through grace, to sustain with holy fortitude and patience, for the same glorious cause.

Ver. 4. Let this apostolic memorandum impress upon every Christian's spirit the duty and extent of intercessory prayer. How expressive are the words, 'Always!'—'in every prayer!'—'for you all.' C.

Ver. 7. My grace. Cheerfulness and patience in suffering for the gospel, Ac. 5. 41; Ro. 5. 3; 8. 17, 18; 12. 12; 2 Co. 6. 10. C.

Ver. 8. In the bowels, &c. Rather, 'with the bowels of Jesus Christ'—with such love and tenderness as he feels for all his members, Ep. 5. 25, 29, 30, 32. C.

Ver. 10. Sincere. The English word literally signifies 'without wax'—in allusion to the finishing of cloth with gummy materials, that fill up and hide their deficiencies till carefully examined by looking through them in sunlight.—The Greek might be translated 'sun-judged.' C.

Ver. 11. The fruits of righteousness. Fruits of that justification which springs from 'the righteousness of God,' Ro. 3. 21, 22; which are chiefly 'peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, growth in grace, and perseverance therein unto the end.' C.

Ver. 15. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife. Envying Paul's popularity, they suppressed their own judaizing sentiments, and adopted his theme—Christ—that so they might raise up opposition to him, and transfer his influence to themselves. C.

Ver. 16. Either by strengthening the hands of his adversaries, or, as many, both ancient and modern, think, these contentious preachers sought to have severity of treatment added to confinement. But how their preaching of Christ could effect this object does not appear. C.

Ver. 19. The supply or 'leading' of that Holy Spirit from whom your prayer proceeds. C.

Ver. 21. This is a sentence of confessed difficulty, of which two views are taken by expositors. 'The apostle's meaning,' says Valpy, 'is not that Christ was his life, and death his gain; but that both in life and death Christ was his gain;' in which view he is supported by Beza's translation, Pierce, &c. On the other hand, Bloomfield, following Chrysostom and Theodoret, explains it thus: 'For as to me, to live (if I live) will be Christ (he will be my life, in him I shall live); and (if I die) to die will be gain (since I shall be relieved from trouble).' But as mere release can be no gain, might not this view be better stated thus: 'To me to live is Christ (living in me), to die is gain (for I die but to live with him)?' See Phi. 1. 23. C.

Ver. 28. To the blaspheming Jews and persecuting Gentiles our firmness appears obstinacy and madness, and 'a token of (your) perdition;' but to you the grace of patience, which you feel to be the gift of God, is an evident token of your final salvation. C.

Reflections.—In great kindness hath Christ furnished his church with all needful officers to take care of their spiritual and temporal concerns. Hopeful are daily fervent prayers for necessary blessings to such as are sanctified in Christ; and thrice happy those churches wherein all the members appear such. The free favour of Christ and his Father flows out delightfully in their spiritual peace, and to bless the work begun in their hearts. It is very refreshing for ministers to observe their hearers walking in the fellowship of the gospel, and unitedly increasing and abounding in sincerity, light, love, and holy conversation, to the glory of God through Christ, and as a mean of preparing them for his great coming.—For deep is the concern which faithful ministers have for the spiritual edification and comfort of their hearers; and great is the delight they take to share with them in it, and to help in promoting it!—Alas! that ever the gospel of God's grace and salvation should be preached from envy or contention! But how amiable when it is preached with fidelity, and with sincere affection to Christ, and to his servants, people, and cause. It is very encouraging when God makes the sufferings of his ministers to turn out for the spread and success of the gospel. And honourable is it when they rejoice to be debased that Christ may be exalted and souls edified; and, through love to him, are in a strait whether they should desire the immediate enjoyment of Christ, or for a time to continue in a suffering state on earth for the service of his church. Thrice happy is it when, through Jesus' merits and grace, the prayers of Christians draw down rich supplies of grace on their ministers; and when, with remarkable unanimity, they cordially believe, boldly profess, uprightly practise, and are ready cheerfully to suffer for the truth !—What fearful ruin must await the adversaries of such!