Philippians 1:1 HCSB  Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus: To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons.

Philippi. Philippi was a Roman colony and the leading city of the district of Macedonia (Acts 16:12). Its official name was Colonia Augusta Julia Philippensis. This rather long name reflects its history. It was first named after Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great. Later it was assigned, in succession, the names of the emperors Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar.

It was located on the main highway, called the Via Egnatia, leading from the eastern provinces (Byzantium) toward Adriatic seaports and on over toward Rome. That highway ran straight through the city and actually bisected the city’s forum! Talk about a tourist trap! It was also economically important because it was proximate to the gold mines of Mount Pangaeus.

Because of its wealth and strategic location, many legionaries who were retiring from the legions, chose to live in Philippi. This meant that Philippi had a strong Roman presence but also meant that many different languages were spoken there.

Philippi had also been granted the privilege of lus Italicum. This was a privileged status only rarely granted to cities. It basically meant that that entire city was considered to be Italian soil. Think of it as being something like the status embassies enjoy today. The city thus was:

• Ruled by Roman rather than local law
  
• Able to enjoy a great degree of political autonomy
  
• Able to grant any person who was born there automatic Roman citizenship
  
• Exempt from certain taxes
  

 Obviously, a city with these advantages tended to thrive and prosper over and above its neighbors. 

How fundamentally different is the biblical view of our day-to-day relationship with Jesus from the Culturally Christian view! Where they present Jesus as our facilitator, our personal promoter, our motivational speaker, Paul bluntly says “Jesus is our master and we are His slaves” (Romans 1:1; Titus 1:1; Philemon 1). But which view agrees more with the fact that Jesus is God? The Culturally Christian presentation of Jesus demeans Him, emasculates Him, denies His divinity. It reduces Him to our “life coach” there to “help us achieve our best life now”. Paul’s Jesus stands in power as our rightful king and demands a decision of us. Do we yield to His authority or continue in our rebellious ways?

This also sheds much-needed light on the issue of leadership. Paul also often claimed the title of apostle (Romans 1:1; 1 Corinthians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Galatians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1; Colossians 1:1; 1 Timothy 1:1; 2 timothy 1:1; Titus 1:1). However, where others sought personal elevation and glory through title, sometimes referring to themselves as “super apostles” (2 Corinthians 11:5), Paul understood apostleship to be inextricably associated with slavery to Christ. Tell me, which of these two views more closely adheres to Jesus’ teaching (Matthew 20:25-28)? 

However, notice that Paul was careful to specify that he is Christ’s slave. The elders of the church are not the congregations’ “hired hands”. We serve Christ first and foremost and we serve the congregation to the extent that that service furthers His cause and we obey His commands (Acts 5:29).
 

Overseers and deacons. The Greek word for overseers is the word episkopos and is used synonymously for elders. At times it is rendered overseers at others bishop, and yet others have it elders. The term deacon is diakonos, and can also be rendered “officers”. This is to all intents and purposes the same system that was used in the Old Covenant where leadership was divided between the Levites and the officers (Deuteronomy 31:28). These are the only two formal offices commanded for God’s people. Elders hold overall responsibility of the church but are specifically responsible for the doctrinal purity, emotional and spiritual well-being, and unity of spirit of the congregation. Deacons help meet the direct needs of the people in the church by handling the distribution of food and money (Acts 6:1-3).

Philippians 1:2 HCSB  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace to you. It was customary in Greek and Latin communities to give a similar greeting in letters. However, Paul gives the custom a uniquely Christian twist. I often use the same greeting today when communicating with fellow believers throughout the world. I feel that by using a greeting with which they are familiar (if they are reading their Bible!) it offers an immediate and spiritual bond. In a couple cases, I was trying to communicate with brothers who did not share any language I spoke. So, I pointed to phrases in the Bible, they looked up the same passage in theirs and understood what I was trying to tell them! We all laughed out of delight in the means of communication that Hashem had provided for his polyglot children.

God our Father. This is a phrase that Paul uses often in his letters (Galatians 1:2-3; 1 Corinthians 1:3; Romans 1:7).

Lord Jesus. Paul emphasizes Jesus’ authority and power, something that is woefully missing from many Culturally Christian churches. The word is kyrios, and its other principle rendering is “master”. For example, the word kyrios was used in the Romans’ days for the Caesar and implied his absolute monarchial power. Again, the biblical view of disciples is that we are Yahweh’s slaves and He is our master. We are the subjects; He is our Lord and King. So, “Lord” should be understood as Jesus’ royal title and should not be uttered lightly or irreverently.

Lord is used as a synonym for “Messiah” (“Christ” to the Greeks), another of Jesus’ royal titles.

Acts 2:36 HCSB  "Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah!"

Philippians 1:3-4 HCSB  I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you,  (4)  always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer,

I give thanks…for you. Paul often expressed such gratitude for those who were either his converts or his supporters (Romans 1:8; 1 Corinthians 1:4;  2 Thessalonians 1:3; Colossians 1:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:3; Philemon 4). This is something that the elders and those among us who serve as ministers outside the walls of this meeting place should take to heart. It is important to express gratitude for your people. You often have to rebuke them for their sins. You often have to correct their mistaken doctrine or help them clean up their messes. Be sure that that is not the only side of you that they see. Be sure to thank the volunteers for their service. Be sure to thank someone who performs some mitzvah. Express appreciation for the fact that they take time from their busy schedules to come and hear you speak. We often teach them the importance of gratitude. We must demonstrate that importance by being models of gratitude.

The Hebrew concept we’re discussing is hakarat hatov - the Hebrew term for gratitude. In the image the Hebrew is read from right to left. Hakarat hatov can be defined as “recognition of the good [another has done for you].  To paraphrase Moses, every one of life’s curses stems from ingratitude and everyone of life’s blessings comes from hakarat hatov – grateful joy. I have repeatedly taught that pride is the root of every sin and humility is the basis of every good. Let me formally make the connection here for you. Pride leads to ingratitude, and humility leads to its opposite. Consider Deuteronomy 28:45-47.

If it is difficult for you to find reasons to be grateful...that should tell you something.

Philippians 1:5 HCSB  because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

Because of your partnership. Paul was grateful, but not because they merely accepted the Gospel and became converts to the Lord Jesus. He was grateful because they went beyond mere salvation to the more mature view of mutual service and adherence to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20). Their partnership apparently took form in financial support for his ministry (4:15). What’s really interesting was that the Philippians supported Paul when no one else would. They were remarkably constant in their loyalty, in contrast to the Corinthian church that was known for its instability and fickleness. 

The Gospel. Our principle task is the spread of evaggelion (pronounced yu-on-ggellion), which is the Gospel. All other tasks are subordinate to and hopefully supportive of this mission. Evaggelion means either “reward for good tidings”, or “good or glad tidings.” The good news is about Jesus and the message He brought us about the availability of God’s Kingdom to all humans, regardless of their ethnic origin, or the depths of their sin.

From the first day. Paul is referring to his first visit to Philippi (Acts 16:11-40).

Until now. This is considered by most to be near the end (see 2:24) of Paul’s first Roman imprisonment (Acts 28:16-31).

Philippians 1:6 HCSB  I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

He. This is the Greek letter omicron with a rough breathing, pronounced something like “haugh” in a clipped fashion. which is used as a demonstrative pronoun. In a sense, it is unnecessary because Greek, like Latin, can simply use the third person singular verb, which implies a singular actor other than the speaker or the audience. So, Paul could have simply had the verb standing alone. However, when it is seen in this way it is used to designate a person or a thing that is the only one of its kind, distinguishing it from all other persons or things. What it does not do is ascribe gender but is instead neutral (see Thayer’s article on 3588 on p.433 of Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon). So, in my opinion, a better way of rendering this particular passage is “I am sure of this, that the One who started a good work in you…” that the One who works in us and will continue to work in us until the Day of Christ” or “that which has started a good work in you will carry it on”. Who is the One who continues to this very day to work in us and will continue this labor of love till the Day of Christ? None other than the gracious and phenomenally patient Holy Spirit (John 14:16, 26; Acts 9:31).

Started a good work…carry…to completion. The work only begins with salvation. Salvation is not an end in and of itself.

• Romans 8:29-30 HCSB  For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.  (30)  And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified.
  
• Ephesians 2:8-10 HCSB  For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift--  (9)  not from works, so that no one can boast.  (10)  For we are His creation--created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.
  

This process is described as a birth (John 3:3), and creation as groaning in empathy together with the Spirit’s labor pains (Romans 8:19-22). Creation eagerly waits in anticipation of the end of the labor pains when the children of God will be finally be revealed (Romans 8:19).

Anyway, this imagery is largely lost in Philippians 1:6 if we artificially supply the pronoun He when it is not actually present in the text. 

Paul will mention this day several times throughout the book (1:10; 2:16; 3:20-21) so it might be important to understand what he’s referring to. He told the Corinthians that this day would be the “end” and implied that it would be a day when we will be judged but found “blameless” (1 Corinthians 1:8; 5:5). He implies the same thing in 1:6 and verse 10 where he says that that day will mark the “completion” of the spiritual work being done within us by the Spirit and that we will be found “pure and blameless”. Apparently, this day will be when those who have held firmly to the message of life will be revealed and Paul expected to be able to see that all his work had not been in vain (2:16). On the Day of Christ, our citizenship in heaven will be confirmed and we will be physically transformed; given a new glorious body that will be like Jesus’ (3:20-21).  On that day we will finally, at long last, truly understand the big picture (2 Corinthians 1:14). I can only assume, based on these facts, that the Day of Christ is none other than the Bimah Seat where all believers will be judged. Our salvation will not be in question since our names will be still inscribed in the Book of Life. However, the quality of our good works for our Master will be tested in a crucible and our rewards for our labors will be revealed on that day.

Philippians 1:7 HCSB  It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and establishment of the gospel.

Partners in grace. This grace took form in sharing in Paul’s imprisonment and sharing his mission of defending and establishing Gospel. How different is this definition and application of grace from that which Cultural Christianity gives us. They define grace as God’s limitless readiness to forgive everything we do, no matter how heinous, no matter how destructive, regardless of our feeling nach’am (contrition) or demonstrating practical shuv (real change of ways). In contrast, Paul defines grace as the ability to share in imprisonment and bold testimony of the truth of the Gospel.

How did they “share” in Paul’s imprisonment? They willingly identified themselves as his supporters even when it meant personal physical risk by sending Epaphroditus with financial support for Paul while he was in jail and unable to work (Philippians 4:18). When Epaphroditus expedited this work to the point that it made him sick and he nearly died (Philippians 2:25-27), Paul ascribed part of the merit of that mitzvah to those who sanctified him to the task and supported him throughout.

This is very important to understand because it implies that when we support ministers of the Gospel, whether they be elders in our church, chaplains in our community’s jail, short term missionaries to other parts of our country or long-term missionaries to other countries, in God’s books we gain a certain merit from their work. 

Paul might have been writing from Rome because apparently imperial guards were present (1:13). If that’s so, then “imprisonment” would be the more appropriate translation here rather than “jail” as some versions render it, for Paul suffered under house arrest while in Rome (Acts 28:16,30-31). Seen here is a prison cell in Philippi from the same period that Paul spent time in jail (Acts 16:23-24). Who knows? Perhaps it is the very one in which he and Silas sat and sang hymns!

Philippians 1:8 HCSB  For God is my witness, how I deeply miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Affection of Christ. This affection of Christ goes way beyond the love shared between family members, called in Greek phileo. This love is the divine agape which drove Jesus to the cross. Agape is not dependent on feelings but is an implacable act of the will. It is from the decision to agape that the warm feelings flow, not the other way around. Christ’s love compels us to no longer live for ourselves (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). 

You may wonder at the image I have chosen to illustrate the affection of Christ; agape love. This Marine is Lance Cpl. Joseph McCarthy  who died September 6, 2004.  McCarthy was on his second deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom on Sept. 6, 2004, when a bomb-laden vehicle exploded near a U.S. military convoy outside Fallujah in Iraq’s restive Anbar province. One of seven Marines killed that day, he was due home in thirty days to join his bride of one year.
There are several levels at which this image works for me. First, you have a man who is willing to lay down his life for the right cause. That's what agape does. It drives you. It's hard. It's sometimes even brutal. It can put you in harm's way. Agape makes you understand that some things are more important than even your own life. 

Second, agape keeps you tender. Many Marines harden themselves emotionally. They numb themselves with alcohol or drugs in order to be able to do what they do. Cpl. McCarthy did not. He stayed sweet and he stayed vulnerable. He would stop and hand out candy to Iraqi children, sometimes even in the midst of dangerous situations. He would wink at his fellow Marines and say "Hearts and minds, gents. Remember - hearts and minds." He knew the war was more about gaining the Iraqi people's trust than it was about subjugating them. He was able to distinguish between the insurgents and the people. 

Too many times we lose track of who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. Like the insurgents and the Iraqi civilians, they all look alike. How do we know friend from foe? Fruit. What are they doing? Are they loving you, serving you, doing their best though they are flawed? Or are they lying, gossiping, splitting the team? Agape, in keeping you tender, doesn't just make you vulnerable - it makes you sensitive and aware. It brings insight and clarity. Does it leave you open for pain? Yes. Absolutely. But Jesus looked at us with agape love as a filter, knew the price it would cost him to love us, and stepped up to the cross of His own free will. 

Philippians 1:9-10 HCSB And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment,  (10)  so that you can determine what really matters and can be pure and blameless in the day of Christ,

Your love will keep on growing. We should all pray for ever-maturing love. Indeed love must keep growing or it will grow stale and die (1 Thessalonians 3:12; 4:9-10; 2 Thessalonians 1:3). Flourishing love is a sign of flourishing faith. We need to keep in mind the Ephesian church that was rebuked for having abandoned the love they had at first. They were commanded to repent of this sin (Revelation 2:4-5). We need to keep in mind the Laodicean church who was lukewarm and neither hot nor cold. They too were rebuked and disciplined (Revelation 3:16, 19).

Growing in knowledge…discernment. Adonaic love is not the syrupy, saccharine-sweet thing that Cultural Christianity offers. Our love is not the kind that offers meaningless encouragement regardless of performance. “OOH! You missed again! For the hundredth time! Yay you! Good job for going to bat and making a fool of yourself because you won’t listen and keep choking the bat!” No. Adonaic love is based on, and growing in knowledge and discernment. If someone hurts us, we keep loving them but we install safeguards to ensure it doesn’t happen again. If someone faithfully serves and ministers to us, we take note and provide ways for them to increase their ministry.

Determines what really matters. Does fame really matter when it is so arbitrary? Does popularity matter when it is so fickle? Does wealth, which comes and goes at the whim of circumstance? Or how about power, which so fleeting and is usually a knife that cuts both ways? In the words of the Apostle, all of this is just so much dung.

• Philippians 3:7-8 HCSB  But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ.  (8)  More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ
  

Can be pure and blameless. Nothing in the Scriptures is superfluous; not a word. These two terms, eilikrines (ay-lee-kree-nase) and aproskopos (ah-praws-kaw-paws), are not synonymous. Eilikrines is a state or condition of purity that can be ascribed to a person. If we are found to be pure on the Day of Christ, it will be through no merit of our own but because Jesus’ purity has been ascribed to us or credited to our account. However, aproskopos means to be without practical offense, to not be troubled by known, conscious sin. Leaning on the purity of Christ may be sufficient for salvation but it is not for d’vekut. A proper relationship with holy God must be based on at least the attempt to be practically righteous. We cannot continue sinning so that grace may abound! God forbid (Romans 6:1-2)!

This is only underscored by the fact that the Apostle relates the issues of blamelessness and practical purity to the Day of Christ when we will have to give an account for ourselves (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Philippians 1:11 HCSB  filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Filled with the fruit of righteousness. As we saw in the previous verse and as is clearly outlined in Ephesians 2:8-10, all of Jesus’ talmidim are required to produce fruit (cf. Matthew 5:20-48; Hebrews 12:1; James 3:18 and see also Amos 6:12; Galatians 5:22).

Through Jesus. This fruit cannot be based simply on our own efforts for these will never rise to the task. This is one of those things that are impossible for men but definitely possible with God (Luke 18:27; Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27).

• John 15:4-6 HCSB  Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. (5)  "I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me. (6)  If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
  

To the glory and praise of God. The evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives is what glorifies God (John 15:8). Why does this glorify God? It stems from men trying and trying and being completely incapable of truly and permanently reforming themselves. What they could not do by their own efforts, is immediately and naturally done through the vivifying presence of the Spirit and thus God is glorified. This is why it is a grace of God and why no man can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Philippians 1:12 HCSB  Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has actually resulted in the advancement of the gospel,

What has happened to me. Paul had been jailed.

Advancement of the Gospel. Paul’s enemies, because they think like mere humans, had made the same mistake they always make. The same kind of people had thought to end the kingdom of God by killing the Son of God. That hadn’t worked. They thought they could end the ministry of God by flogging Peter and the other apostles (Acts 5) but that hadn’t worked. They routinely tried imprisonment but it seemed only to inflame the passion of God’s people and the Gospel spread more and more (as we will see in v. 14). We are seeing the same effect today in many countries where the Way continues to be persecuted.

Philippians 1:13 HCSB  so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard, and to everyone else, that my imprisonment is for Christ.

It has become known..for Christ. The soldiers responsible for his imprisonment have realized that Paul is not a criminal but is instead being persecuted for Christ.

• 1 Peter 2:12 HCSB  Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that in a case where they speak against you as those who do evil, they may, by observing your good works, glorify God in a day of visitation.
  
• 1 Peter 3:17 HCSB  For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.
  

Imperial guard. The imperial guard were tasked with the protection of the emperor or other high officials. They would be the equivalent of our modern US Secret Service. That these were assigned to Paul is something of a surprise but may give us an indication of the level of importance that was given to this Jewish, Roman, highly educated but rabble rousing apostle. Whereas many would view imprisonment and being under constant guard a frustrating if not intolerable situation, Paul viewed it as a two year opportunity (Acts 28:16, 30) to witness, this time to a group of men that would be otherwise inaccessible.

My imprisonment. The Greek here is literally “mou desmos” (pronounced moo dess-moss) “my bonds”, whether he means that figuratively as the HCSB translators obviously believe, or actual, literal bonds.

Philippians 1:14 HCSB  Most of the brothers in the Lord have gained confidence from my imprisonment and dare even more to speak the message fearlessly.

Gained confidence. It's madness from the merely human perspective. Contrary to normal expectations, Paul's imprisonment for the faith encouraged others to speak out fearlessly. We often fear the unknown more than we fear the real. Once the dreaded, unknown possibility is seen, we realize that we too can face it down. 

Think of movie monsters. Through the first two thirds of the movie, the monster is snatching and eating people but is always hidden in the shadows. We only get brief glimpses here and there. But once the monster finally makes it out into the light and the clear, unforgiving eye of the camera lens, we realize "Oh! Is that all it is? That's hoaky. We can kill that." 

It's the same with the threats of the devil. They can take more weight and power than they really deserve when we fail to shine the light of the Word of God on them. When we realize that men like Paul, humans just like us (James 5:17), can face those threats fearlessly and remain faithful, then we gain the hope that maybe we too can do the same thing.  

So what is the philosophy that drives the "Normal Christian Life"? 

1. Be humbly grateful to the Lord and to His ministers who serve you well. (v.3)
   
2. Be hopeful that the process that began with salvation will result in future glory. (v.6)
   
3. Be bold in your testimony. (v.5, 7)
   
4. Be willing to associate with God's people - even when it means it will cost you. (v.7)
   
5. Show your affection for God's people. (v.8)
6. Consider every circumstance an opportunity advance Jesus' Kingdom. (v.12)