INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPIANS 1 This chapter contains the inscription of the epistle; the apostle's salutation of the Philippians; an account of his thanksgivings, prayers, and affection for them, and confidence of them; a narrative of his sufferings, and the use of them; and an exhortation to a conv... [ Continue Reading ]
PAUL AND TIMOTHEUS, THE SERVANTS OF JESUS CHRIST,.... The apostle sets his own name first, as being not only superior to Timothy in age, in office, and in character, but the sole writer of this epistle. The reasons of his joining Timothy with him are, because he was with him when he first preached a... [ Continue Reading ]
GRACE BE UNTO YOU,.... This form of salutation is used by the apostle in all his epistles; Romans 1:7;... [ Continue Reading ]
I THANK MY GOD,.... After the inscription and salutation follows a thanksgiving, the object of which is God; to whom thanks is to be given at the remembrance of his name, and the perfections of his nature, and for all his mercies, temporal and spiritual. The apostle expresses his propriety and inter... [ Continue Reading ]
ALWAYS IN EVERY PRAYER OF MINE FOR YOU ALL,.... The apostle was a praying believer, and a praying minister: notwithstanding all his gifts, and graces, and high attainments, he was not above the work and duty of prayer, and in which he was sensible he stood in need of the assistance and direction of... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR YOUR FELLOWSHIP IN THE GOSPEL,.... Or "for your communication unto the Gospel"; that is, to the support of it. These Philippians were one of the churches of Macedonia the apostle so highly commends for their liberality in 2 Corinthians 8:1; they had been very communicative to him, and those that... [ Continue Reading ]
BEING CONFIDENT OF THIS VERY THING,.... The reason of his thanksgiving, and of his making request with joy continually on the behalf of this church, was the confidence and full persuasion he had of this same thing, of which he could be as much assured as of any thing in the world: THAT HE WHICH HAT... [ Continue Reading ]
EVEN AS IT IS MEET FOR ME TO THINK THIS OF YOU ALL,.... Some connect these words with Philippians 1:3; as if the apostle's sense was, that it became him to be thus affected to them, and mindful of them in his prayers, to make request for them with joy, and give thanks for their fellowship in the Gos... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR GOD IS MY RECORD,.... Which is all one as swearing by him; it is in form of an oath, being a solemn appeal to him as the searcher of hearts, for the uprightness of his mind, the sincerity of his expressions, and the strength of his affections: HOW GREATLY I LONG AFTER YOU ALL; the common member... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THIS I PRAY, THAT YOUR LOVE MAY ABOUND YET MORE AND MORE,.... As a proof of his great affection for them, he puts up this petition on their account; which supposes that they had love, as they must certainly have, since the good work of grace was begun in them; for wherever the work of the Spirit... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT YE MAY APPROVE THINGS THAT ARE EXCELLENT,.... Or "try things that differ". There are some things that differ one from other; as morality and grace, earthly things, and heavenly things, carnal and spiritual, temporal and eternal things, law and Gospel, the doctrines of men, and the doctrines of... [ Continue Reading ]
BEING FILLED WITH THE FRUITS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,.... Good works. Some think alms deeds, or acts of liberality and bounty, are here particularly intended; and that respect is had to the generosity of these Philippians to the apostle, and others: and true it is, that these are sometimes so called, as in... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT I WOULD YE SHOULD UNDERSTAND, BRETHREN,.... The church at Philippi having heard of the apostle's troubles, he was very desirous that they should have a true and right understanding of them, and especially of the use they had been of, and were like to be of more and more; and that partly that suc... [ Continue Reading ]
SO THAT MY BONDS IN CHRIST,.... What he had more darkly hinted before, he more clearly expresses here; the things that happened to him were his bonds; he was now a prisoner at Rome and in chains; though he had the liberty of dwelling alone in his own hired house, and of his friends coming to see him... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MANY OF THE BRETHREN IN THE LORD,.... This is another instance of the usefulness of the apostle's sufferings, and another proof of their being for the furtherance of the Gospel; they were not only the means of the conversion of many that were without, but were very encouraging and strengthening... [ Continue Reading ]
SOME, INDEED, PREACH CHRIST,.... That is, some of them, as the Arabic version reads; some of the brethren, that were only so in profession; wherefore these could not be the unbelieving Jews, who preached the Messiah in general, but did not believe Jesus of Nazareth to be he, and opened the prophecie... [ Continue Reading ]
THE ONE PREACH CHRIST OF CONTENTION,.... That is, those that preached of envy and strife, an not of good will to Christ, to the Gospel, to the souls of men, or to the apostle; and though they preached Christ, yet NOT SINCERELY or "purely"; not but that they delivered the sincere milk of the word, a... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THE OTHER OF LOVE,.... Those that were truly brethren in the Lord, who had received the grace of God in truth, to whom the Gospel was come in power, and who had a spiritual and experimental knowledge of Christ, and of the mysteries of his grace; these preached Christ of love, "out of the love of... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT THEN? NOTWITHSTANDING EVERY WAY,.... What follows from hence? what is to be concluded from all this? what is to be thought or said in this case? this, that notwithstanding these brethren acted on those different principles, and with those different views: WHETHER IN PRETENCE: of love to Christ... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR I KNOW THAT THIS SHALL TURN TO MY SALVATION,.... Or "to salvation", to the salvation of others; that is, the preaching of Christ by these men, though designed by them to the hurt of the apostle; yet he knew that by the power and grace of God it should be made useful to the conversion, and for th... [ Continue Reading ]
ACCORDING TO MY EARNEST EXPECTATION AND [MY] HOPE,.... These words are so placed as that they may refer both to what goes before and what follows after; and the sense be either that the apostle had earnest expectation and hope, even a strong confidence of his salvation, or deliverance from his confi... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR TO ME TO LIVE IS CHRIST,.... Christ was his life "efficiently", the efficient cause and author of his spiritual life; he spoke it into him, produced it in him, and disciplined him with it: and he was his life, objectively, the matter and object of his life, that on which he lived; yea, it was no... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT IF I LIVE IN THE FLESH,.... To be in the flesh sometimes signifies to be in a state of nature and unregeneracy, and to live in and after the flesh, to live according to the dictates of corrupt nature; but here it signifies living in the body, or the life which is in the flesh, as the Syriac vers... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR I AM IN A STRAIT BETWIXT TWO,.... Life and death; or between these "two counsels", as the Arabic version reads; two thoughts and desires of the mind, a desire to live for the reasons above, and a desire to die for a reason following. The apostle was pressed with a difficulty in his mind about th... [ Continue Reading ]
NEVERTHELESS TO ABIDE IN THE FLESH,.... To continue in the body, not always, but a little longer, [IS] MORE NEEDFUL FOR YOU; for their comfort, edification, and instruction, their further profiting: and increase in faith, and the joy of it. The Syriac version renders the words thus, "but business f... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HAVING THIS CONFIDENCE, I KNOW THAT I SHALL ABIDE,.... In the flesh, in the body, live a little longer in the world. These words must be understood either of a certain infallible knowledge, arising from a divine revelation, and a firm persuasion and confidence founded upon that which the apostle... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT YOUR REJOICING MAY BE MORE ABUNDANT,.... They had rejoiced greatly on his account already, blessing God that ever they had seen his face, or heard his voice; as they had great reason to do, he being the happy instrument of first bringing the Gospel to them, and of their conversion; and now he h... [ Continue Reading ]
ONLY LET YOUR CONVERSATION BE AS IT BECOMETH THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST,.... Or "behave as citizens worthy of the Gospel"; for not so much their outward conversation in the world is here intended, which ought to be in wisdom towards them that are without; so as to give no offence to any, and to put to, si... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IN NOTHING TERRIFIED BY YOUR ADVERSARIES,.... Not by Satan, though a roaring lion, for Christ is greater than he; nor by the world which Christ has overcome; nor by false teachers, though men of art and cunning; nor by violent persecutors, who can do no more than kill, the body; let not the powe... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR UNTO YOU IT IS GIVEN IN THE BEHALF OF CHRIST,.... For the sake of his Gospel, for the good of his interest, and the glory of his name. The Alexandrian copy reads, "to us it is given", c. NOT ONLY TO BELIEVE IN HIM for faith in Christ, which is not merely believing that he is the Christ, and all... [ Continue Reading ]
HAVING THE SAME CONFLICT,.... For it seems that the Philippians were now under persecution for the Gospel of Christ; but this was no new or strange thing; it was the same the apostle was under formerly, and at that time: WHICH YE SAW IN ME, AND NOW HEAR [TO BE] IN ME; when he and Silas were at Phil... [ Continue Reading ]