Background
When Paul visited Macedonia during his second missionary journey, he founded the first Christian congregation on European soil at Philippi (Acts 16:6-40). He had a special, supportive relationship with the Philippians (Phil. 1:5, 4:15) and visited the church again during his third missionary journey (Acts 20:1, 6).
Paul was in prison awaiting trial when he wrote his epistle to the Philippians, probably about A.D. 61 or 62. The Philippian church came to Paul’s aid by sending a gift (Phil. 4:10-20) through Epaphroditus. During his stay with Paul, Epaphroditus fell ill but after his recovery, Paul sent his back to Philippi with this letter. Paul wanted to relieved the anxiety of the Philippians over their beloved fellow-worker (Phil. 2:25-30).
The focus of Philippians is the Christ-centered life, the hallmark of which is joy. Paul has surrendered everything to Christ and can say “for me, to live is Christ.”
Synposis
Paul begins by thanking God for the Philippians (1:3) and expressing confidence that “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (1:6). Paul expresses how close the Philippian church is to his heart and his affection for them (1:7-8). He prays that “your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and discernment” (1:9), urging them to continue to pursue excellence (1:10-11).
Paul goes on to assure that his circumstances and imprisonment have resulted in greater progress of the gospel (1:12-17). He rejoices that Christ is being proclaimed (1:18) and acknowledges that Christ will be exalted in his being, whether by life or by death. He confidently proclaims that “for me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (1:21). He is torn between living and continuing to labor for Christ and dying to be with Christ (1:23-24). No matter what happens to him, Paul encourages the Philippians to remain steadfast in the face of opposition and coming persecution (1:25-30).
Having the Mind of Christ
Paul exhorts the Philippians to maintain a spirit of unity and mutual concern by embracing the attitude of humility (2:1-4), the greatest example of which is the incarnation and crucifixion of Christ (2:5-11). This passage expresses the very mind of Christ, who did not try to grasp for equality with God but instead, being God, poured Himself out and took the form of a slave, to the point of dying the death of a common criminal.
Paul asks the Philippians to apply Christ’s attitude to their lives (2:12-18). He gives two more examples of sacrifice as reflected in the ministries of Timothy (2:19-24) and Epaphroditus (2:25-30).
Having the Knowledge of Christ
Paul exhorts the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord and to beware of evil workers (3:1-2). He reminds them of their position in Christ and cautions against the continuing problem of legalism (3:3-6). He imparts the lesson he has personally learned in 3:7-11:
But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, to be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, so that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Paul acknowledges that while he has not yet attained the resurrection, he will “press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus” (3:12). He forgets what lies behind and reaches forward to what lies ahead: “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (3:14). He pleads with the Philippians to follow his example and behave like citizens of heaven (3:15-21).
Having the Peace of Christ
In a series of exhortations, Paul urges the Philippians to have peace with each other by living a lifestyle of unity, prayerful dependence, and holiness (4:1-13). He encourages them to rejoice because the Lord is near (4:4-5). He shares the prescription for anxiety: prayer (4:6-7) and thinking on “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if any thing worthy of praise” (4:8). God’s peace is the reward for practicing these things (4:7,9).
Paul rejoices over the gift given to him by the Philippians, but explains that it is the power of Christ that enables him to live above his dire circumstances (4:10-20), boldly stating: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (4:13). He closes the epistle with greetings and a benediction — “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit” (4:23).
Relevance
Philippians may be one of the most encouraging and practical books in the Bible. Even in the midst of less-than-desirable circumstances, Paul remains joyful and confident in Christ. The book of Philippians illuminates how — despite our circumstances — we may have the mind of Christ, the knowledge of Christ, and peace of Christ. If we were to live daily with the attitude Paul exhorts in Philippians, our lives would be full of joy and neverending worship to God.
Food for Thought
When I am anxious, do I turn to prayer and good thoughts, or do I wallow in self-pity, fret, and try to solve my problems myself?
Would those around me consider me to be a joyful person? In other words, is the joy of Christ evident in my life?
When I face difficult circumstances, can I express complete confidence in the Lord and take comfort in Christ’s amazing love for me?
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