Philippians (written)

Monday, 26 December 2016

For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, Philippians 1:29

Paul’s words, though written to the people at Philippi in this instance, are doctrine for the church age. With this in mind, it would be ultra-mega-hyper-fantabulous for Christians to stop tearing verses out of their intended context in order to justify a “prosperity gospel,” and to keep Paul’s writings as the main guide of their church-age doctrine. This is especially so with verses like the one we now come to. How marvelous it would be if professing Christians would set aside the goofy, put away the self-centered, and assimilate truths which are intended to help us through times of trial, not claim our way out of them.

Within the past few days before analyzing this verse, a “prosperity gospel” church in Nigeria collapsed and destroyed 160 lives. They were not able to “claim” their way out of that mess, and they will all stand before God and give an account of what they believed and what doctrine they adhered to.

Paul, speaking to those at Philippi (and thus to us!) says, “For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ…” The verb is in the aorist indicative passive. It has been given since first belief, and it is a simple statement of fact. And what has been granted is “on behalf of Christ.” In other words, because of the cause of Christ, and/or in a view towards honoring Christ, this has been granted to us as believers. It is not something unexpected or unfavorable. Instead, what he will state is something we are both to expect, and something that we are to feel honored to have occur.

Continuing on, he says, “…not only to believe in Him…” This is a reference to the fact that belief in Christ is a gift and a privilege. God orchestrated the time and circumstances of our lives to give us a chance to believe. He granted this honor to us so that we might in fact believe. When we demonstrate faith in Christ, we are saved. But this is not the end of the honors that we can expect. Paul will next tell us of another great honor and privilege that we are granted on behalf of Christ. Let us try to guess what it is!

Johnny: Is it that we will always be happy and have our path filled with scented flowers?
Susan: Is it that we will be free from troubles and fill out our days in health just as Heretic Hinn implies when he is asking for donations?
Matthew: Is it that we will be rich, just like Pastor Promise told us last Sunday?
Ralph: Is it that we will have power over demons, devils, and physical afflictions so that we can claim healing? This is what Minister Marvelous said at Bible class last week *Oh boy!*

Nice try, but none of these are what Paul will tell us. Rather, he tells us that we are “also to suffer for His sake.” *Sound of crickets chirping*

Paul’s word here are consistent with other passages in the New Testament. Unlike the false teachings described above by our confused class of Christians, none of which are to be found in a proper evaluation of Scripture, Paul tells us directly and – without ambiguity or vagueness – that it is an honor and a privilege to suffer for the name of Christ. In Acts 5, the apostles who were beaten by order of the leading council in Jerusalem left rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus. In Colossians 1:24, Paul states –

“I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church…”

Peter tells his audience –

“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; ¹³ but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” 1 Peter 4:12, 13

Elsewhere as well, we are shown that to suffer for Christ and as a Christian is an honorable thing. Not all of these are prescriptive verses, but they are given to highlight that our life in Christ is not to be one which expects wealth, health, prosperity, fancy things, or any such nonsense. Instead, we have been given the high honor of emulating the Lord in His sufferings. Let us take this to heart and remove our ears from the false whisperings of teachers who would promise that the blessings of heaven will open up on us if we simply pass money to them.

Life application: As a Christian, you can expect suffering.

Lord God, Your word directly and without ambiguity promises that believers in Christ have been granted the privilege of suffering for Him. There are no promises of wealth, health, prosperity, or physical healing handed to us as guarantees. But we are guaranteed that we will suffer for His sake. And what a high honor that is. Help us to put away false teachings and to be ready for the times of trial when they come. Help us never to try to claim our way out of (or into) certain circumstances – certainly that is presumptuous and sinful. Instead, grant us wisdom to work hard for that which we want, and strength to endure well through those things which are difficult to face. To the glory of Christ alone may we act in this life that You have granted to us. Amen.

Sunday, 25 December 2016

…and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. Philippians 1:28

Paul just spoke of their need to “stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” He now adds to this by saying, “and not in any way terrified by your adversaries.” The word translated as “terrified” is found only here in the Bible. It means to be terrified as if a horse when frightened. It is then a mind of terror and confusion.

We are not to be startled and terrified in such a way when facing our adversaries. For those in Philippi, they had both the Judaizers and the pagans as their enemies. These people came at them in hopes of terrifying them, probably to undermine their faith so that they would then follow them, as a horse is eventually subdued and led away. But he has already told them to “stand fast” and to be “striving together.” In so doing, they will not be susceptible to being so terrified.

Their ability to not be terrified in this way was to be “to them a proof of perdition.” Their enemies were on the wrong path, and in their inability to shake the resolve of the faithful, it was to demonstrate that fact. This would leave them with two choices: 1) They could repent of their ways and turn to the truth of Christ, or 2) they could continue down the path to perdition, meaning condemnation and an eternal swim in the Lake of Fire.

And not only was this a proof of their perdition, but it was also a proof of the believer’s state concerning salvation. If one stands fast, there must be something that they are standing fast on. If they were “striving together for the sake of the gospel,” it means that they were aware of the gospel, they understood its meaning and ramifications, and they were able to keep it faithfully.

These two things, the fear of perdition for those opposed to the gospel, and the hope of salvation for those who were saved by the gospel, are tokens “from God.” The one will stand as a witness against the lost when they stand before Him, and the other will stand as a witness for the saved when they come before Him. The gospel is the token of condemnation for some and of salvation for others. It is like the pillar of cloud described by Moses –

“Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.” Exodus 14:20

Life application: Don’t be led astray by universalist teachings which say that everyone eventually goes to heaven. That is proven false here, and in numerous other verses of Scripture. It is a heretical lie. Stand fast on the gospel which says that only those who come to Christ will be saved.

Glorious God Almighty, it is a comfort to know the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to understand that it means salvation for mankind, if we will but receive the Gift and accept it. The message itself is a witness against those who reject it, and it is a token of salvation to those who receive it. Thank You for the surety we possess through this marvelous message of peace and reconciliation with You! Thank You for Jesus who has made all things new. Amen.

Saturday, 24 December 2016

Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, Philippians 1:27

Paul has just penned his certainty that he will remain in his earthly body and continue with those at Philippi “for progress and joy of faith.” After this, he noted that this rejoicing would abound “in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again.” Having said that, he now gives words of exhortation for them to consider.

He begins with “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ.” The word he uses for “your conduct” is politeuomai. It specifically means, “to live as a citizen.” Most translations make this word to indicate “conduct” or “manner of life,” but Paul was probably thinking more on the idea of citizenship itself. Thus, the NLT translates this verse as –

“Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ.” NLT

The word is only used elsewhere in Acts 23:1 where Paul was thinking on the same terms. He was a citizen of Rome and had exercised his citizenship as a Roman to make an appeal for his case directly to Caesar. Therefore, he was living his citizenship in Rome, as well as his citizenship in heaven, in order to meet the goals of the gospel. This is  certainly what he is thinking now, because he uses a variant of this word again in verse 3:20 where he says, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ…”

In this letter to Philippi, he is writing to a location mostly inhabited by Roman citizens. This is because Philippi was a Roman colony. He had even declared his own Roman citizenship there in Acts 16 –

“But Paul said to them, ‘They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.’” Acts 16:37

Understanding this, we can see that in his words to this group, he was reminding them that even if some of them were Roman citizens, they had a higher citizenship by which they should conduct their lives. He then explains the reason for this – “…so that whether I come and see you or am absent, that you stand fast in one spirit.” There was to be no division among them based on their earthly status.

Those who were citizens of Rome were to be in the same spirit with those who were slaves. The principle passes down to us today. We are to be united without regard to social status, fame, or any other lesser division. Rather, we are to be “in one spirit.” The spirit is the higher connection to God which comes through faith in Christ. A person who is not in Christ is “dead” in his spirit, but through Christ, the spirit is quickened to life and the connection to God is repaired to the state it was originally intended to be. In this spiritual connection, believers are to be united as one.

Further, he notes that they are to be “with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” The word translated as “mind” here is psuché. It refers specifically to the “soul.” As the spirit is the higher connection to God, the soul is the human connection to one another. In essence, we could think of Paul’s intent here as – “Let your spiritual connection to God be as one, and let your earthly lives strive together for the faith of the gospel.” There was to be a uniting of their spiritual and earthly efforts for harmony among one another, and for that harmony to be employed in their earthly conduct in order to build one another up in the faith.

Life application: There is nothing wrong with living out our earthly lives as citizens of the country in which we live, as long as we realize that our true citizenship is in heaven. The earthly citizenship should never be conducted without considering the heavenly. And this goes for personal conduct as well as interactions with other believers.

Lord God, though we live in this world and are citizens of various nations, in Christ we are one and we are to direct our lives first and foremost in regards to our heavenly citizenship. Help us to live out our personal lives in this way, and help us to conduct our personal interactions with other believers in this manner as well. Let us not divide our allegiance to You in ways which are not glorifying of You or which are not helpful to our fellows in Christ. Amen.

Thursday, 22 December 2016

And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith, Philippians 1:25

As noted in the previous verse, there is a hint of the overriding of the Spirit in Paul’s words. He may not be speaking as if he is fully aware of the matter in his human nature, and yet his words are being directed by the Spirit. This is evidenced by the fact that they are included in the pages of the Bible. There are other times where Paul spoke of the future as if he was certain of a matter, and yet his words were proven incorrect. This occurs when the narrative is speaking about what he is saying, and it is intended to show that he and the other apostles and prophets were not fully aware of the future in their humanity. And yet, when writing or prophesying, they were guided by the Spirit. It is an amazing thing to see unfold in Scripture!

In this feeling of surety which is both lacking in his humanity, and yet prophetic because of the prompting of the Spirit, he states, “And being confident of this…” In these words, he yields himself to the prompting which is from the Spirit. Again, this must be the case as the words are now included in Scripture. And yet, other scholars disagree and state that he is simply voicing a confidence which is one of continued uncertainty. Because of this, the next words have to be somewhat manipulated. He says, “I know that I shall remain and continue with you all.”

Albert Barnes states, “The word “know,” however, … is not to be pressed as denoting absolute necessity – for it appears from Philippians 1:27 and Philippians 2:17, that there was some ground for doubt whether he would live – but is to be taken in a popular sense, as denoting good courage, and an earnest hope that he would be permitted to live and visit them.” This is a possible explanation of Paul’s words, but it does not coincide with the conflict which he was struggling with. It was suddenly resolved with the words of this verse. Further, if Paul had instead died, the words which he wrote, as part of an epistle of doctrine to the Philippians, would have been proven false. Such would not be the case if it was inspired by the Spirit.

And so, in his confidence, he notes that he will continue with these disciples “for your progress and joy of faith.” It was necessary for their continued doctrinal education that he stay. The Spirit had so indicated it, and he came to realize that this was true. And in receiving this, it would strengthen their joy of faith. Faith is something we possess in varying measure. When our faith is weak, our joy in what our faith is directed to is weak. But when our faith is strong, our joy in what it is directed to is also strong.

If we are certain of the outcome of a presidential race, having faith that our candidate will win, we will be joyous in that fact. However, as the odds of probability drop, so will our level of joy in what lies ahead. Paul understood that he had not yet given the full measure of doctrinal knowledge out that would be necessary for full joy and confidence in the work of the Lord. And so, as led by the Spirit, he assured his audience (and thus us!) that he would continue on until that work was complete.

Life application: If the surety of our “joy of faith” is based on our knowledge of the work of Christ, and if that knowledge is only imparted to us in the pages of Scripture, then why on earth would we not want to know this marvelous body of doctrine completely and perfectly? How sad it is that Christians waffle in their faith because they are not well-grounded in the word of that faith! Whose fault is it then when we struggle with life’s uncertainties? Read the word! Study to show yourself approved!

Lord God, we all have varying levels of faith. Some of  us are weak in our faith; others are strong. Those who are weak, are like little boats tossed about on a giant sea of confusion. And whose fault is that? You have given us everything we need to know for life, doctrine, and fully-assured faith right in the pages of the Bible. And yet, so many would rather remain on the sea of chaos, struggling with every little thing that happens, than to devote the time and hard work necessary to be well-grounded in Your word. That is a sad thing to consider. Help us to be people of faith by being people of sound doctrine. To Your glory! Amen.