Philippians 1:1-11 — Fellowship in the Gospel

BIG IDEA:

(AS WE LABOR TOGETHER UNTIL CHRIST RETURNS,)

FELLOWSHIP IN THE GOSPEL SPARKS THREE RESPONSES:

• JOYFUL THANKSGIVING
• INTIMATE BONDS
• PURPOSEFUL PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL MATURITY

 

INTRODUCTION:

Gordon Zerbe: You give me joy! Paul establishes a mood of affection and hopeful optimism in the opening thanksgiving and prayer as he recalls unspoken highpoints in his relationship with the congregation. He congratulates them for their overall commitment to Messiah Jesus, and his carefully crafted words make repeated allusions specifically to their recent support of his ministry while in prison, offering an indirect thanksgiving for their assistance. Most important, he identifies their provision as an expression of their partnership in the gospel—indeed a partnership of generosity—that emphatically involves all of them. Most modern English translations miss these key emphases by spiritualizing Paul’s repeated references to mutual assistance as a concrete expression of the gospel. Still, while highlighting their own good work, he also draws attention to the God who energizes all good work, the basis for his future confidence. Paul has them recall both the past and present of their relationship with him, yet he also invites them into the future, the day of Messiah Jesus, the goal of history. His confidence in them is matched by his prayer for their continued maturation. Above all, he wishes to communicate his deep affection and longing for them. . .

It is striking how subjective feeling, deep relational bonds, and gospel-oriented priorities come together in this opening. Paul does not just say, “Remember our good times together, I think of you always, thanks for your gift to me,” or the like, as would be typical of simple letters of friendship. Rather, his concern throughout is to create a framework for what relationships, corporate behavior, and disposition look like when oriented around the gospel and Messiah and the experience of divine grace. What drives Paul is concern for how the Philippians express their partnership in the gospel (1:5), their status as copartners in generosity (1: 7), and ultimately their practice of citizenship in a manner worthy of the gospel of Messiah (1:27). While there is indeed deep human feeling and longing expressed in the opening (1:7–8) and throughout the letter (1:24–26; 2:16–18, 19–30; 4:1), such affection is ultimately founded on the bowels of Messiah Jesus himself (1:8; cf. 2:1). This is what provides an occasion for thanksgiving to God. In Philippians, Christ Jesus is not only the model for the mind-set and pathway for messianic citizenship (2:5–11), but also the very resource and foundation for the individual and the community’s depth of emotional solidarity and consolation.

Charles Swindoll: Paul understood that joy doesn’t depend on our circumstances, our possessions, or other people. Joy is an attitude of the heart determined by confidence in God. Paul knew that he had no control over the struggles and strife of life. But by yielding to the Spirit’s work in his soul, Paul’s trust and hope in God could guide him like an inner compass, keeping him on joy’s course regardless of how strong the gale-force winds blew.

John MacArthur: The love bond between Paul and the Philippian believers may have been stronger than the one he had with any other church. It was in large measure because of the joy that their love brought to him that the theme of Paul’s letter to the Philippians is joy. The depth of their relationship with him encouraged the apostle during his imprisonment and added to his joy. He was concerned about their unity, their faithfulness, and many other important spiritual and practical matters. But his overriding concern was that their sorrow over his afflictions would be tempered by their joy over his faithfulness to the Lord and the great reward that awaited him in heaven. Paul wanted them not to be sad, but to share in the fullest measure his deep, abiding joy in Jesus Christ. It is a noteworthy testimony to the maturity of the Philippian believers that, although Paul warned and encouraged them, he made no mention of any theological or moral problem in the church at Philippi. That also brought the apostle joy.

Frank Thielman: The passage can be divided into three paragraphs, a greeting (1:1–2), a prayer of thanks (1:3–8), and a prayer of intercession (1:9–11). In the first paragraph Paul modifies the standard letter form for greetings to provide a model of the kind of humility he will urge upon the Philippians in later sections. In the second and third paragraphs he reshapes the typical form of the prayer section to describe the Philippians’ concern for the advancement of the gospel and his own concern for their progress in the faith. As the letter progresses beyond these initial paragraphs, it becomes clear that these themes are Paul’s primary interest. .

In this introductory section, then, Paul has given theological depth to the conventional customs for opening a letter and has sketched out the major themes of the argument to come. He has reminded the Philippians of their unity as saints and of the gracious nature of the gospel. He has provided a model of the unselfish regard for others that will preserve the unity of their congregation. He has commended them on their participation in his ministry, provided encouragement that their efforts are evidence of God’s work within them, and assured them of his prayers for their continued progress toward a successful verdict before God’s tribunal on the final day. He has therefore prepared the way for the work of encouragement and persuasion that follows in this letter.

(:1-2)  OPENING TO THE EPISTLE

A.  (:1) The Partners in Fellowship in the Gospel

1.   Ministry Team Sending the Letter

  a.  Ministry Identification

            “Paul and Timothy,”

Despite Paul’s prominence as the apostle to the Gentiles, he always maintained the spirit of teamwork (rather than dominating in some type of hierarchical fashion)

F. F. Bruce: Paul is the sole author of the letter, even if Timothy’s name is conjoined with his in the prescript.

Turner: Timothy, who was not an apostle and did not have Paul’s authority, was considered by Paul to be his equal when it came to servanthood.

Gordon Zerbe: Paul includes Timothy as co-sender, thereby testifying to Timothy’s close working relationship with Paul, yet also acknowledging his role in the founding of the congregation (Acts 16) and endorsing his anticipated ministry among the Philippian congregation on Paul’s behalf (2:19–24; see TBC on 2:19–30, “Timothy”). Although he names Timothy as a co-sender, Paul remains the actual author of the letter as the one addressing the Philippian community, as the one composing the letter, and as the primary one with a crucial relationship with the Philippian assembly (e.g., 1:25, 27; 2:12, 19; 4:10–20). Paul takes the role of the sole writer in 1:3, communicating in the first-person singular (“I,” not “we”). Later he shares information about Timothy, providing a character reference in the third person (“he”) while continuing to speak of himself in the first person (2:19–24).

Moises Silva: We may then recognize that the apostle, by joining Timothy’s name to his, calls upon his coworker as a corroborating witness of the truths he expounds. Timothy, in turn, lends his influence and authority to Paul’s words, which he commends as an expression of his own thoughts.

Gerald Hawthorne: Why then did the apostle choose to share, for this one time, his otherwise carefully and jealously guarded “uniqueness”? The best explanation seems to be that Paul, by such condescension, was able most effectively to teach the Philippians a lesson they needed to learn—“that relationships in the bosom of the church between collaborators were not those of authority, superiority or inferiority but of humble equality” (Collange, 36; cf. Phil 2:6–11).

b.  Ministry Commitment

“bondservants of Christ Jesus“

Dedicated to the will of another; frees one up for fellowship;

Based on true unity (both seeking the same goal) rather than conflict over selfish desires and ambitions

Gordon Zerbe: Paul’s self-presentation is brief and provocative. Both he and his co-sender Timothy are slaves of Messiah Jesus. This depiction is crucial for Paul’s persuasive purposes in Philippians. A pivotal theme to come is how, in the realm of Christ, Paul inverts prevailing social assumptions about what counts for real status in Roman Philippi, and thus what constitutes grounds for either shame or boasting (esp. 2:2–11; 3:2–14, 18–21; cf. shame and boasting in 1:20, 26). Not accidentally, the word slave (doulos) will occur one more time in the letter: in the letter’s shocking centerpiece, which declares the exemplary pathway of Messiah (2:5–11). Jesus is the one who has deliberately taken the form of a slave (2:7) as the necessary self-humbling course that precedes his own exaltation and acclamation from all humankind (2:9–11; 3:19–21). Moreover, that messianic example will be modeled both in the life and ministry of Paul (3:2–17; 4:9) and in the ministry of Timothy (2:19–23), who as a son with a father has served as a slave [douleuō] with me for the gospel (v. 22). Both Paul and Timothy, then, display the way of lowly status divestment (2:20–22; 3:3–11) instead of selfish, rivalrous ambition (1:15–17; 2:3–4, 20–21), thereby embracing Messiah’s cause and pathway.

Ben Witherington: Paul is, then, modeling servant leadership here, a model he wants Euodia and Syntyche, among others, to follow. He interjects the note of humility and humble service, of having the same mind and attitude as Christ, at the outset of this discourse. Paul is happy to call other leaders his fellow servants of Christ (see Col. 1:7 and 4:7), and here he shares the title with Timothy. What we see here already is a trans-valuation of values. While many Greco-Romans would despise and see as shameful being called a slave or a servant in light of the character and example of Christ, the title takes on just the opposite nuance — it is an honor because Christ took it upon himself (see, e.g., Mark 10:45). This is part of the countercultural values that Paul is trying to reinforce for and in the Philippian community. He does indeed seem to believe that the key to human freedom is serving the right master — in this case Christ rather than any of the gods of this world. The Book of Common Prayer puts it right: “in his service is perfect freedom.” Paul is not suggesting that being the servant of Christ is somehow exclusive to his own calling. “Paul’s use of the title of slaves for himself and Timothy points to their total subjection to the will of their master: they were not autonomous; they were subject to the claims of the one who owned them.”

George Hunsinger: Paul and Timothy’s unity is derived from a higher authority. Whatever differences may have existed between an apostle and his successor, they were relativized by a larger consideration. Paul introduced himself and Timothy as being in the same category—namely, “servants” or “slaves” of Christ. Their lives were no longer their own, for they had been claimed in the service of another. They knew themselves to be entirely at Christ’s disposal, in life and in death. To be a “servant” (doulos) of this Lord meant having been set apart for a special task. As with some of God’s servants in the Hebrew scriptures (e.g., Isa. 53), a peculiar authority has been invested in Paul and Timothy that is finally inseparable from suffering and death.

G. Walter Hansen: Paul considered the position that he and Timothy had as servants of Christ Jesus to be a high privilege. It is a high calling to have the same position taken by Christ Jesus, who “emptied himself, taking the form of a slave” (2:7). And there is no one greater to serve than the one who was exalted by God and will be universally acclaimed to be the Lord of all (2:9-11). Paul’s reasoning was simple: If Christ is our Lord, then we are his servants.

To be called servants of the Lord was a mark of distinction in the history of God’s people. In the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures, the term “servant” is used as a title for Moses, Joshua, and David, who were each called servants of the Lord.  By announcing that he and Timothy were servants of Christ Jesus, Paul accepted a humble yet honored position taken by servants of the Lord among God’s people.

The title of servants for himself and Timothy points to Paul’s view of relationships in Christ: when believers in Christ freely and joyfully accept the position of servants of Christ Jesus, they will be united and effective in service.  Relationships are ruined by envy, rivalry, and selfish ambition (1:15-17; 2:3), but they will thrive when friends humbly serve each other before looking out for their own interests (2:3-4). At the beginning of his letter, Paul exemplifies the attitude he calls for all believers to have, the attitude of the one who accepted the form of a slave (2:5-8).

2. Church at Philippi Receiving the Letter

a.  General Membership = Saints without Distinction

“to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi“

Not just some elite group of believers;

Fellowship in the gospel is the calling for all of us;

We have been separated from fellowship with the world and with sin so that we can fellowship with one another and with God (1 John 1);

The issue is not one of attained holiness, but of consecration accomplished by God

Frank Thielman: He wants the Philippians to know that the letter is addressed to them all, although he also wants to recognize the leaders of the church in a special way.

Gordon Zerbe: Paul adopts this plural designation hagioi (consecrated ones) as a key term for the community of those loyal to Messiah. It implies

(1)  a special status, identity, and belonging (as “consecrated”);

(2)  an alternative character and manner of life (“holiness”); and

(3)  a distinctive vocation and mission (as “devoted”).

When one considers the force of this simple designation in the context of Greco-Roman conceptions and practices, it appears that Paul is using those who are consecrated to highlight a special sense of priestly honor that all adherents of Messiah Jesus share.

Grant Osborne: Paul frequently addresses his recipients as “saints” (1 and 2 Cor 1:1; Rom 1:1; Eph 1:2; Col 1:2) or “holy ones,” one of the primary titles in the New Testament for those called to live as “set apart” from the world for God. God had chosen them to belong to himself and set them apart to be his special people. This is another title of honor, and together with “slave” it indicated that they were God’s special possession, called to a sacred task in serving and living for him.

John MacArthur: All believers are saints, not because they are themselves righteous, but because they are in their Lord, Christ Jesus, whose righteousness is imputed to them (Rom. 4:22–24). A Buddhist does not speak of himself as in Buddha, nor does a Muslim speak of himself as in Mohammed. A Christian Scientist is not in Mary Baker Eddy or a Mormon in Joseph Smith or Brigham Young. They may faithfully follow the teaching and example of those religious leaders, but they are not in them. Only Christians can claim to be in their Lord, because they have been made spiritually one with Him (cf. Rom. 6:1–11). “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,” Paul wrote, “even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:4–6). To the Galatians he declared, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). In Paul’s letters, the phrase “in Christ Jesus” occurs fifty times, “in Christ” twenty-nine times, and “in the Lord” forty-five times. Being in Christ Jesus and therefore acceptable to God is the believer’s supreme source of joy.

Joseph Hellerman: “in Christ Jesus” — The options are:

1. incorporation (“in union with Christ Jesus” [GNB]; Hansen 40; O’Brien 46);
2. instr. or causal dat., telling “how those in Philippi came to be ‘saints,’ namely, ‘by (the work of) Jesus Christ’” (Reumann 84; O. Procksch, TDNT 1.107);
3. a locat. sense; ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ “tells us where the Christian community lives, just as the phrase in Philippi tells us where the church resides” (Hansen 40); or
4. * ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ simply identifies the recipients as Christian (Campbell 124; “those who belong to Christ Jesus” [CEV, NLT, NIV; Fee 65]).

The first view is theologically attractive, but the last alternative most naturally fits the context of a straightforward greeting.

Steven Lawson: At the same time, Paul stresses that every believer in Philippi was, positionally, “in Christ Jesus.” Before their conversion, they belonged to the evil world system with its anti-God agenda. But they had been delivered out of the kingdom of darkness and brought into vital union and communion with Christ Jesus. They were washed in his blood and given a new standing in his grace. They were made citizens of the kingdom of God. This little prepositional phrase, “in Christ Jesus,” makes all the difference to everything.

George Hunsinger: I would suggest that the phrase “in Christ” has a double aspect. It is, for lack of better terms, at once “mystical” and “apocalyptic.” In this verse it is used to suggest a status of holiness through spiritual union with Christ (the mystical side). The mystical interpretation that I suggest includes both personal union with Christ and membership in Christ’s body, the church. At the same time this holiness remains ineffable. Despite being real in itself, it is a holiness that still remains hidden apart from the eyes of faith. It is yet to be revealed in glory at the end of all things (the apocalyptic side).

b.  Specific Leadership – Two Groups

“including the overseers and deacons:”

The church leaders (“overseers and deacons“) are addressed as a subset of this community of believers — not set apart on some pedestal.

Even within this subset, the emphasis is on teamwork and plurality of godly leadership -not dominance by one superstar.

(Note: no differentiation between one pastor-teacher who is in a special category from all the other ruling elders.)

Robert Gromacki: Although the three terms (bishop, elder, pastor) describe the same person, it is possible to isolate their distinctive emphases.

• First, the concept behind ‘pastor‘ is to shepherd and to feed.  The main responsibility here is the supply of spiritual nourishment through biblical teaching.  A pastor must be a teacher, first and foremost (Eph. 4:11; I Tim. 3:2).  Pastoral care has three goals, delineated by Jesus Christ Himself; to teach the immature or new Christians (John 21:15), to teach adult believers (John 21:17), and to guide all the flock (John 21:16).
• Second, the essence of the ‘bishop‘ is to render oversight, to see that the work of the local church is done correctly by the members who have been trained by him.
• Third, the term ‘elder‘ refers to the individual’s position and to his respect by others.

Charles Swindoll: In the New Testament period, “elder”, “pastor”, and “overseer” all represented one calling with the same responsibility to shepherd the flock. All three of these terms are used together in Acts 20:17, 28. In that account, Paul calls the “elders” of the church of Ephesus to meet him in Miletus, then he instructs them, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers (episkopos), to shepherd (poimainō) the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28).

Turner: It is interesting to note that there was a plurality of both bishops and deacons. This is the New Testament pattern.

Joseph Hellerman: The inclusion of ἐπισκόποις καὶ διακόνοις is interpreted as an attempt on Paul’s part

1. to buttress the leaders’ authority in the face of grumbling among the Philippians (2:14–15);
2. to show his regard for them while at the same time preparing to challenge them to tackle the difficult issues the letter raises (O’Brien 49–50; Silva 41); or
3. to single out the leaders because they oversaw Epaphroditus’s gift-bearing mission to Paul (Hansen 42; Chrysostom, Homily on Philippians, 2.1.1–2).
4. * But recent research points to another option. The two anomalies in the salutation should, instead, be taken together since they interpret one another when read against the social background of Roman Philippi. By

(1)  deemphasizing his own status (δοῦλος sans ἀπόστολος) and

(2) honoring the congregation’s leaders with their titles (ἐπισκόποις καὶ διακόνοις), Paul intentionally subverts the honor culture of Philippi, where rank and titles were viewed as prizes to be competitively sought and publicly proclaimed, in order to enhance the holder’s social status. Paul thus begins, at the outset of the letter, to model a relational ethos he will later

(1) commend to the Philippians (2:5) and

(2)  vividly portray in his remarkable narrative of the humiliation of Christ (2:6–8).

B.  (:2) The Pleasantries of Typical Greetings

1. Substance of Blessings

“Grace to you and peace”

Steven Lawson: The peace that Paul is talking about here in Philippians 1:2 is the subjective peace of God. Notice how he words this as “peace from God,” rather than peace with God. He means the personal experience of supernatural peace within their souls. Only God can give this inner tranquility. This is the quiet calm within the human spirit in the midst of life’s raging storms. This personal serenity comes from knowing that God is in control of all circumstances, and causes all things to work together for our good so that we might become more and more like Christ (Romans 8:28-30). No challenge that a believer can ever face will be independent of the sovereign control of God over their circumstances.

The relationship between grace and peace is important. There is no peace until there first is grace. That is why Paul mentions grace first. Wherever there is grace, peace inevitably results. The grace of God in a life prepares the way for the peace of God to flood a heart. Grace is the root, and peace is the fruit. Put another way, grace is the cause, and peace is the result. These two spiritual blessings are like twins. Wherever you see grace, there you will find peace.

G. Walter Hansen: Grace is Paul’s adaptation of the “greetings” at the beginning of Greek letters of his day. Peace echoes the common Jewish greeting (Shalom). Paul’s combination of the Greek and Jewish greetings reflects the intersection of Greek and Jewish cultures in Paul’s expressions. This greeting, grace and peace to you, is used in all of Paul’s letters. Often referred to as a common formula or social convention in Paul’s letters, this phrase of greeting is anything but an empty cliché for Paul. In fact, it expresses in condensed form the essence of his theology. His message is one of grace and peace: grace, the unmerited, undeserved saving work of God in Christ Jesus brings believers into peace, harmonious relationships with God and with each other.  The opening grace note is heard again in the last line of his letter: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen (4:23). And the opening greeting of peace (Shalom!) is heard again in his promise of the peace of God and the God of peace (4:7, 9). All that Paul says in this letter is encompassed within this double emphasis on grace and peace. All of the outworking of salvation depends upon the gracious initiative of God, who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose (2:12-13). All who totally depend upon the grace of God will be protected by the peace of God and will enjoy the presence of the God of peace (4:6-9).

David Garland: “Grace and peace” are not ordinary good wishes from a friend but blessings effected by the new spiritual reality wrought by Christ’s death and resurrection (cf. Ro 5:1; 15:13; Eph 2:14; Col 1:20). Paul offers a wish-prayer that will be fulfilled jointly by God our Father, who graciously forgives, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who bestows peace on his disciples (Jn 14:27; 16:33; 20:21). “Grace” is the source of Christian life, and “peace” is its consummation.

2. Source of Blessings

“from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Gordon Zerbe: Here at the outset, then, Paul specifies the full titles of both God and Messiah, something he will do again at the end of the letter (4:20, 23) and at major points along the way (of God, 2:11; of Messiah, 2:11; 3:20; cf. 3:8).

Messiah Jesus is emphatically the central reference point of all three elements of the opening prescript. Paul’s opening thereby conjures up a triangulated relational dynamic: a mutual relationship of sender and recipients, intimately correlated in and through Christ Jesus. They are more than dearly beloved friends. Messiah Jesus is pronounced at the outset as the fundamental premise and relational bond of the letter. Jesus is referred to a total of 90 times in this 104-verse letter (if one adds up particular uses of the name [in whole or part], pronominal references to Jesus, and clauses where Jesus is the subject). By contrast, God is referred to only 23 times in the letter. The word Christos (Anointed, Messiah, Christ) occurs more frequently (as a ratio of total words) in Philippians than in any other letter of Paul.

I.  (:3-6) FELLOWSHIP IN THE GOSPEL SPARKS JOYFUL THANKSGIVING

A.  (:3a) The Object of Our Thanksgiving = the God who Cares for Us so Personally

“I thank my God”

God is not just an abstraction or theological proposition.

Moises Silva: Paul’s thanksgiving in this letter is distinguished by emphatic repetitions and emotional intensity. The apostle’s joyful gratitude flows from an appreciation of his converts’ consistent support of his ministry and care for his needs, from the very beginnings of their Christian experience to the most recent contribution, which in effect occasioned the present letter. Yet Paul is careful to interpret their gifts, not as intended for him personally (contrast μοι, moi, to me, 4:15), but rather for the advance of the gospel.

B.  (:3b) The Occasion for Our Thanksgiving Should be Our Memories of Fellowship with the Saints

“in all my remembrance of you,”

Speaking of the total picture; no sour notes;

(rather than remembrances being an occasion for bitterness or hard feelings)

James Boice: For both the root meaning of the words (used for prayer) and the example of Paul teach us that our prayers should be filled with thanksgiving.  And more than this, they should be filled with thanksgiving for spiritual things.

C.  (:4) The Offering of Our Thanksgiving = Consistent Petition with Joy

“always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all,”

root word for prayer = “I need”

G. Walter Hansen: Paul’s prayers focus on specific needs. The Greek word translated by TNIV as prayers … pray occurs twice in verse 4 and denotes an “urgent request to meet a need.” The same word also refers to the prayers of the Philippians for Paul’s deliverance (1:19). And it is translated as petitions in Paul’s exhortation to the Philippians to turn from anxiety by combining their petitions with thanksgiving (4:6). Paul follows his own counsel in his prayers for the Philippians: his urgent requests are combined with thanksgiving to God. Paul’s prayers are not a way of escaping or denying reality. The emphasis on thanksgiving does not mean that prayers included only positive items and excluded any mention of problems. The real needs of the Philippians drove Paul to his knees to make urgent requests to God on their behalf.

Characterized by a Joyful Spirit — “with joy” – emphatic by position

John MacArthur: A good definition of joy is this: it’s the flag that flies on the castle of the heart when the King is in residence. Only Christians can know true and lasting joy.

Ben Witherington: The vocabulary of joy appears some fifty times in the undisputed Paulines, making it a characteristic of the Pauline letters. The objective source of this joy is surely Christ, and the subjective means of the believer’s joy is the work of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit’s fruit in a Christian life. Phil. 4:4-5, in an echo of a psalm, says that the spatial nearness of God should prompt rejoicing. The world can neither give nor take away this joy because it is generated by the living presence of the Lord in the believer’s life, and “greater is he who is in us than anything in the world.” At the same time the Lord is the object of Christian joy as well as its source, and, as Bockmuehl suggests, there may be a hint in this discourse of believers sharing in Christ’s joy by imitating Paul and Christ. In 1:4, then, Paul speaks of making petitions with eschatological hope, confidence, and excitement, knowing what God can do. That this is in his mind is shown clearly in 1:6. Joy is so characteristic of Paul’s vision of the Christian life that one can say that a joyless Christian makes no more sense than a waterless ocean.

John MacArthur: Lack of joy reveals itself in three ways: in negative thoughts and talk about others, in a lack of concern for their welfare, and in the failure to intercede on their behalf. Joyless believers are self-centered, selfish, proud, and often vengeful, and their self-centeredness inevitably manifests itself in prayerlessness. . .

What robs believers of biblical joy?

1. First, and by far the most important, is false salvation.
2. A second factor that hinders joy is the influence of Satan and his demons.
3. A third factor that robs believers of joy is an inadequate understanding of God’s sovereignty.
4. A fourth negative element that steals joy is prayerlessness.
5. A fifth cause of joylessness is the emotional low that frequently follows a spiritual high.
6. A sixth way believers lose their joy is by focusing on circumstances.
7. A seventh negative element that robs believers of joy is ingratitude.
8. An eighth cause of lack of joy is forgetfulness.
9. A ninth factor in loss of joy is living by uncontrolled feelings, living by the flesh instead of by the Spirit.
10. A tenth and final reason for lack of joy is unwillingness to accept forgiveness.

Grant Osborne: He adds in verse 4 three further aspects of his prayer life:

1. Its frequency—Thanksgiving, Paul says, takes place “in all my prayers” as an ongoing response to his deep friendship with this church. It must be understood that “always” (Greek: pantote) does not mean unceasingly but rather denotes in this context regular prayer. Remembering the Philippians was a part of his daily prayer life.
2. Its focus—His prayer was regularly “for all of you.” He kept the Philippians always in his mind and heart and so prayed for each one as often as he could. Paul was more than a general prayer warrior; he was a personal prayer warrior who frequently brought the members of this congregation and their needs to God’s attention.
3. The joy with which he prayed—Even though the church of Philippi had many problems, as we will see, Paul was filled with joy as he reflected on the many good things God was doing among them and on all the good they were doing for him. The grace note of joy reverberates through the letter, surfacing fourteen times; it was the primary emotion Paul felt when he thought of these believers, and that is reflected in his prayers. The Christian life is by definition a life of joy, but often individual situations are filled with grief and pain (Heb 12:11). However, when we recognize the sovereign hand of God in our lives (Rom 8:28) all trials lead to joy (Jas 1:2; 1 Pet 1:6). This is how Paul felt about the Philippians. He experienced sorrow when he reflected on their problems (3:18) but rejoiced because God was in charge of even these painful areas.

Richard Melick: Three ideas support Paul’s main statement in the opening verb: “I always pray with joy” (1:4), “being confident of this” (1:6), and “It is right for me to feel this way” (1:7).  Following these structural components, the text reveals that Paul’s thanksgiving was joyful (1:4–5); it was confident (1:6); and it was proper (1:7–8).

D.  (:5) The Orientation of Our Thanksgiving and Petition is Fellowship in the Gospel

“in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.”

 Includes sharing in the spiritual blessings of eternal life and union with Christ;

as well as sharing in the work of the ministry — both through their own active proclamation and through supporting missionaries

D. A. Carson: The heart of true fellowship is self-sacrificing conformity to a shared vision.

Gordon Zerbe: The koinōnia word group in Paul is best translated with the language of partnership. The word does not designate fellowship in a narrowly religious sense, especially as interpersonal “sharing” over tea. Rather, the key notion is “participating together” in something, which is the original meaning of fellowship, “the state of being fellows.” It connotes having a share in something, holding in common, and more specifically, partnering with someone in something. In Paul’s time, the koinōnia word group could variously refer to a political alliance or league, a community or social association, a business or marriage partnership, shared coeducation, property held in common, or a charitable contribution for the common good.

John MacArthur: In his commentary on Philippians, the noted commentator William Hendriksen lists eight aspects, or types, of Christian koinonia (see New Testament Commentary: Exposition of Philippians [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1962], 51–53). His list is not meant to be comprehensive, and the eight aspects are not necessarily in order of importance. They are grace, faith, prayer and thanksgiving, love, service, contributing to the needs of others, separation from the world, and spiritual warfare. It is obvious that they overlap in varying degrees.

E.  (:6) The Optimism (Confidence) for Our Thanksgiving and Petition = the Perseverance of God

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

He is the one who enables us to labor together until Christ returns.

Gal. 3:3 uses same two words talking about sanctification (not the continuance of their monetary gifts)

Gordon Zerbe: The emphasis on final completion (consummation) anticipates Paul’s exhortation on striving to reach the final goal, not resting complacent with present arrival (1:9–11; 3:10–15). It may also specifically hint at Paul’s hope that their further involvement in mutual aid (good work) will soon be completed.

Steven Lawson: Salvation is not a matter of our working for God’s acceptance, but it is God working for us and in us. None of us can work our way into earning God’s favor, nor can any of us through our work maintain God’s ongoing favor. God already did the work for us in the death of Christ upon the cross. Further, he graciously applied this work of Christ in us by the Spirit. Salvation is not by human achievement, but by divine accomplishment through the finished work of Jesus Christ upon the cross. This free gift was applied to our lives by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. From beginning to end, salvation is entirely a divine work of grace. If God has caused you to be born again, you can be assured that he will complete this work until “the day of Christ Jesus.” As a believer in Christ, you are as certain of heaven as though you have already been there ten thousand years. God finishes what he starts.

James Boice: God Finishes What He Starts —

Philippians 1:6 is perhaps one of the three greatest verses in the Bible that teach the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, the doctrine that no one whom God has brought to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ will ever be lost…

Men lack perseverance.  Men start things and drop them.  As men and women you and I are always beginning things that we never actually find time to finish.  But God is not like that.  God never starts anything that He does not finish.  God perseveres.  Has God begun something in your life?  Have you been born again by the Spirit of God?  Then you need not fear that you will ever be lost.  Your confidence should not be in yourself, neither in your faith nor in your spiritual successes in earlier days, but in God.  It is He who calls us as Christians, He who leads us on in the Christian life, and He who most certainly will lead us home. (cf. John 10:27, 28 and Romans 8:38, 39)

Frank Thielman: Paul’s second reason for joyful thankfulness to God is his confidence that God will complete the good work he has begun in the Philippians (v. 6). This work, which must be identified with the Philippians’ salvation, will reach its consummation only at “the day of Christ Jesus.” It is a work that God alone accomplishes, but the notion that it is not yet complete shows that it involves a progressive transformation of the lives of believers. The “good work” of salvation, then, includes God’s gift to believers both of the will and of the ability to do good works. The presence of these good works in turn provides evidence of real belief—evidence that God has begun and will complete the work of salvation in the person who displays them. Thus Paul says in 1:28 that the Philippians’ steadfastness in the midst of persecution serves as a sign of their future salvation, and in 2:12–13 that whereas the Philippians should “work out” their “salvation with fear and trembling,” God is the effective power behind this work. This thought also lies behind Paul’s confession in 3:12, that he presses on “to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” It is only because God in his grace has taken hold of believers and works within them to produce a life consistent with the gospel that they can in any sense “take hold” of salvation on “the day of Christ Jesus.” In other words, those who will be saved in the future live holy lives in the present, but the holiness that characterizes their lives is God’s work from beginning to end.

II.  (:7-8) JOYFUL THANKSGIVING IS APPROPRIATE BECAUSE FELLOWSHIP IN THE GOSPEL SPARKS INTIMATE BONDS OF

• (:7a) PERSONAL INTIMACY
• (:7b) CLOSE UNITY
• (:8)    DEEP AFFECTION

John MacArthur: The present text reveals five specific things for which Paul diligently prayed on behalf of the Philippians: their spiritual progress in love, excellence, integrity, good works, and in glorifying God. Those are the God-ordained spiritual essentials for which all Christians should pray on behalf of each other. Because of their indwelling sin and human frailty, believers cannot perfectly accomplish those spiritual objectives. But they are to be the unwavering goals of every child of God, especially those whom He has called into leadership in His church.

A.  (:7a) Joyful Thanksgiving is Appropriate Due to Personal Intimacy

“For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all,

because I have you in my heart,”

Grant Osborne: a declaration showing the depth of his feelings for them. Paul, in Rome, may have been separated from them both by a great physical distance and by an even more difficult situation (he was on trial for his life), but nothing could dampen his great love for these faithful friends. Friendship is a precious commodity, and Paul more than any of us (being that he was in danger of an imminent death sentence) needed close companions.

Dennis Johnson: As we observe the intensity of Paul’s love, we also need to recognize that his feelings have solid foundations in reality. Paul’s love, like Christ’s, takes its stand on truth, as he implies in commenting on his confidence that God had begun a good work in these believers: “It is right for me to feel this way about you all” (Phil. 1:7). In our ears the word feel (ESV; NIV; NASB) connotes emotion, but Paul’s Greek word has a strong mental component.  He uses this word frequently in this little letter. He will insist that the unified “mind” with which Christians regard each other (2:2; 4:2) must reflect the “mind” of Christ (2:5). The mature must “think” as Paul does, pressing on toward the goal of perfection in Christ (3:15), in contrast to those whose “minds” are set on earthly objectives (3:19). Paul feels great confidence as he thinks about the Philippians, but his feelings have a foundation in the fruit that he has seen the gospel produce in their lives. This fruit is the way in which these believers have stood with Paul as partners in grace “both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel” (1:7). Paul cherishes these Christians warmly, and he has good reason to do so.

B.  (:7b) Joyful Thanksgiving is Appropriate Due to Close Unity of Partnership in the Grace of God – Extends to Both Imprisonment and Gospel Ministry

“since both in my imprisonment

and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel,

you all are partakers of grace with me.”

Both can be technical legal terms for the courtroom; probably thinking of the recent aspects of his trial

Moises Silva: We should also note carefully how that ministry is defined: the qualification—“both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel”—is of special importance in grasping the reason Paul values so highly the support of the Philippians. If we take ἀπολογία καὶ βεβαιώσει (apologia kai bebaiōsei) in the technical sense, “legal defense and proof,” then Paul would be referring to activity coordinate and linked with his imprisonment (so Hawthorne and many others; cf. Acts 25:16; 2 Tim. 4:16). But it seems much preferable to see a contrast between the two prepositional phrases, in which case the words in question (which, contra Vincent, may well constitute a hendiadys) would retain their general sense: “You have supported me not only during those times when I have been able to set forth openly the defense that confirms the gospel, but even during this period of confinement” (cf. Acts 22:1; 1 Cor. 9:3; 2 Cor. 7:11; 1 Pet. 3:15; see also Phil. 1:16). The Philippians, who had no way of knowing that this confinement had opened new avenues for the spread of the gospel (vv. 12–14), had shown their constancy and commitment to the apostolic ministry by supporting Paul even when, to the best of their knowledge, he was not “producing.”

C.  (:8) Joyful Thanksgiving is Appropriate Due to Deep Affection Attested by God

“For God is my witness,

how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.”

G. Walter Hansen: The literal meaning of the Greek word translated affection by the TNIV refers to the physiological parts called the inward parts, entrails, or bowels. These inner body parts served as referents for the emotions of love, compassion, and affection. Paul is saying that his longing for his friends is empowered by the strong emotions of the love of Christ Jesus for them. Paul’s life in Christ Jesus brings all his relationships within the sphere of Christ’s love. Paul’s relationships were never only on the human level — human person with human person. No, they always involved the coinherence of Christ living within Paul, Paul living within Christ, Christ living within the church, and the church living within Christ.

David Garland: Paul appeals to God to vouch for the sincerity of his love for them (cf. Ro 1:9; 2Co 1:23; Gal 1:20; 1Th 2:5, 10). He longs for them with the “affection [splangchna] of Christ Jesus.” The noun splangchna (GK 5073) refers to the nobler viscera—the heart, lung, and liver. One could say that he has a visceral compassion for them, but in Paul’s usage the word refers to the total personality at the deepest level (cf. Phm 20). His love, then, is not simply a personal inclination but the result of his being in Christ (cf. TDNT 7:555). He has the love of Christ, which grips him in his very depths because he lives in Christ and Christ lives in him. Lightfoot, 85, says Paul’s pulse beats with the pulse of Christ and his heart throbs with the heart of Christ. Craddock, 18, comments that this love is not one that simply reacts to the initiative of another but is an initiating love. Paul does not simply love them because they are partners who send him gifts; his love puts their needs first.

III.  (:9-11)  FELLOWSHIP IN THE GOSPEL SPARKS PURPOSEFUL PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL MATURITY

(ABUNDANT LOVE EXERCISED IN WISDOM YIELDING THE FRUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH GLORIFIES GOD)

Dennis Johnson: The order of Paul’s prayer report is straightforward.

• First he indicates what he wants God to give his friends (Phil. 1:9).
• Then he explains why he wants this gift for them, mentioning three outcomes that will result from the gift (1:10–11).
• While profiling those outcomes, Paul indicates how God gives the gift of abounding love (1:11).

Gerald Hawthorne: And his prayer, though brief, is profound in its implications; it is a prayer for a Christian community

(1)  that it might overflow in an intelligent and perceptive love,

(2)  that it might have the ability to recognize and choose the truly essential things of life,

(3)  that it might be pure and never the means of hurting others,

(4)  that it might allow Jesus Christ to generate through it all kinds of good deeds, and

(5)  that thus it might become a community committed to honoring and praising God, and at the same time the occasion of God’s being honored and praised by others.

A.  (:9) Request – Abundant Love Exercised in Wisdom

“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more

in real knowledge and all discernment,”

They already were evidencing much love;

Love needs knowledge or it will be misdirected; knowledge alone puffs up and is worthless without love.

Frank Thielman: Paul’s basic request for the Philippians, in other words, is that they might express their love in ways that show both a knowledge of how to obey God’s will generally, and, more specifically, of how to make moral decisions based on God’s will in the give-and-take of everyday living.

Grant Osborne: The sphere within which communal love abounds is “knowledge and depth of insight.” The underlying idea is 3:10, “I want to know Christ.” Beyond intellectual comprehension, Paul had in view an experiential knowledge that begins with a living relationship with Christ. This is seen in his use of the Greek term epignōsis, which not only indicates the mental grasp of God’s (and life’s) truths, but also encompasses the concrete application of those truths in everyday living. “Depth of insight” (literally, “all insight”) stresses the moral aspect and stems from Proverbs (where it appears twenty-seven times); the term connotes practical discernment of the right thing to do in a given situation (see also Col 1:9). So Paul wanted the Philippians’ love to increase within the sphere of their experience of Christ’s love. This would result in moral discernment regarding life in the community.

B.  (:10a) Reason  — Make Wise Choices

“so that you may approve the things that are excellent,”

Don’t let the good be the enemy of the best.

R. Kent Hughes: Life for everyone, and especially believers, is a series of choices. What we choose day to day will shape the course of our lives. Foolish choices will leave us unprepared for the coming King. It is the little choices that determine our spiritual vitality because they in turn govern bigger choices. Most of us have little trouble distinguishing the big issues. We know that theft and murder are wrong and that generosity and justice are right. But in the gray area, choices involve a range of options that are not so clearly moral or clear cut. It is here that we find difficulty in discerning the best. What confused lives so many Christians lead because they do not have the wherewithal to discern what is best.

C.  (:10b-11) Result — Manifesting the Fruit of Righteousness Which Glorifies God

“in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;

having been filled with the fruit of righteousness

which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

G. Walter Hansen: Paul’s repeated references to the day of Christ (1:6, 10; 2:16) demonstrate his future orientation. The day of Christ’s return cast its light over all of Paul’s life and illuminated his prayers as well as his actions. His prayer expresses his desire for the church to grow in love each day until that day when Christ will bring everything under his control and transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body (3:21). That vision of Christ’s triumph gave Paul hope to pray for growth in love even in the severe trials of the present. The ultimate future transformation by Christ’s power assured him of the present work of Christ in the community.

D. A. Carson: Put the priorities of the gospel at the center of your prayer life… It takes only a moment’s reflection to see that all these petitions are gospel-centered. These are gospel prayers.  That is, they are prayers offered to advance the work of the gospel in the lives of the Philippian believers.  And, by asking for gospel fruit in their lives, the ultimate purpose of these petitions is to bring glory to the God who redeemed them.

Richard Melick: Discerning what is best develops character. A growing love provides for character development and completion. As Paul prayed, his thoughts moved to the day of accountability. He prayed that the Philippians would live in such a way that they would be without blame at that time.

John MacArthur: The passions of a person’s heart will come out in his prayers. If you examine what you pray for and find you are praying only for your needs, problems, questions, and struggles, that is an indication of where your heart is. If you pray infrequently, briefly, and in a shallow manner, you have a cold heart because prayer is not an inner desire. The call to the duty of prayer will not overcome a cold heart because prayer is an internal compulsion not fulfilled by conformity to an external standard. Lack of prayer doesn’t mean that a person is merely disobedient; it indicates selfishness because of a cold heart….

Paul prayed that the Philippians would pursue five essentials: love, excellence, integrity, good works, and the glory of God. They are all sequential, meaning that each essential in Paul’s list produces what follows it. And even though we’ll never arrive at perfect love, perfect excellence, perfect integrity, complete good works, or perfect glorification of God, those five essentials represent what every Christian is to pursue in his or her life.

G. Walter Hansen: The context, however, supports an interpretation of righteousness as a definition of the nature of the fruit. In this interpretation, righteousness has an ethical sense and refers to righteous behavior. Righteousness is the content of this fruit. These are people whose lives are filled with the fruit of attitudes and actions that reflect the attitudes and actions of Christ (2:5-8). That kind of fruit is defined as righteousness.

Robert Gromacki: These fruits (plural) doubtlessly include

• the fruit (singular) of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23),
• the fruit of soul-winning (Rom. 1:13),
• the fruit unto holiness (Rom. 6:22),
• the fruit of good works (Col. 1:10),
• and the fruit of thanksgiving (Heb. 13:15).

Moises Silva: Paul’s ultimate goal focuses not on the believer but on “the glory and praise of God” (v. 11). We may notice here a fundamental correspondence with the Lord’s Prayer. By making the first petition the hallowing of God’s name, our Lord taught us to place every other request within the framework of our desire to glorify God. This pervasive biblical principle (cf. the prayers of Moses and Hezekiah, Exod. 32:11–13 and 2 Kings 19:15–19) finds clear expression in Paul’s theocentric view of the believer’s sanctification (cf. Ridderbos 1975: 258–65).