Greeting
1 Paul a and Timothy, b servants of Christ Jesus:
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, c including the overseers d and deacons. e
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3 I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, 4 always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day f until now. g 6 I am sure of this, that he who started a good work h in you will carry it on to completion i until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 Indeed, it is right j 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 k and in the defense l and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, m how deeply I miss all of you n with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And I pray this: that your love o will keep on growing p in knowledge and every kind of discernment, q 10 so that you may approve the things that are superior r and may be pure s and blameless t in the day of Christ, u 11 filled with the fruit v of righteousness w that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory x and praise of God.
Advance of the Gospel
12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually advanced the gospel, y 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard, and to everyone else, that my imprisonment is because I am in Christ. 14 Most of the brothers have gained confidence in the Lord from my imprisonment and dare even more to speak the word ,z fearlessly. 15 To be sure, some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, a but others out of good will. 16 These preach out of love, b knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; 17 the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, c not sincerely, thinking that they will cause me trouble in my imprisonment. 18 What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether from false motives d or true, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice 19 because I know this will lead to my salvation ,e through your prayers and help from the Spirit f of Jesus Christ. g 20 My eager expectation and hope h is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all courage, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life i or by death. j
Living Is Christ
21 For me, to live is Christ k and to die is gain. l 22 Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful m work n for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose. 23 I am torn between the two. I long to depart and be with Christ o—which is far better p— 24 but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25 Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, q 26 so that, because of my coming to you again, your boasting r in Christ Jesus s may abound.
27 Just one thing: As citizens of heaven, live your life t worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm u in one v spirit, in one accord, contending together for the faith w of the gospel, 28 not being frightened in any way by your opponents. x This is a sign of destruction for them, y but of your salvation z—and this is from God. 29 For it has been granted to you on Christ’s behalf not only to believe a in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are engaged in the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I have.
1:1. In this introduction, Paul lists Timothy along with himself, not as a coauthor but as a companion (1:1a; see 2:19–23). By mentioning Timothy’s name with his own, Paul both gives honor to Timothy and shows the Philippians how important they are to him and the church in Rome. Paul presents himself and Timothy as “servants of Christ Jesus,” who became servants for the sake of the church (see 2:6–11).
1:2. Paul concludes his greeting by first wishing them “grace,” which is the unmerited favor of God, and then “peace,” which is the result of God’s grace at work in the lives of the believers.
B. Paul’s thanksgiving and confidence (1:3–8). 1:3–6. Paul thanks God when thinking of the Philippians and prays for them with joy in spite of his position in prison (1:3–4). The reason for his joyful prayer is that the church at Philippi has partnered with Paul in the work of the gospel (1:5). This “partnership” is best understood in terms of their fellowship with Paul in his proclamation of the gospel.
1:7–8. Paul goes on to open his heart to the Philippians (1:7). Not only does he care deeply for them, but his affection for them is understandable because they are sharing in God’s grace with him, a reference to the gifts of aid the church at Philippi sent to Paul. By sharing in Paul’s suffering, they also share in the grace Paul is receiving from God as a result of that suffering. Paul is fighting for the sake of the gospel when he is on trial; but regardless of what he is doing, the Philippians have been there for him, and he holds them in his heart (1:8).
C. Paul’s apostolic prayer (1:9–11). Paul begins his prayer for the Philippians with a supplication for the congregation to grow in love and discernment and states the purpose of this love: being blameless on the day of Christ (1:9–10). Paul desires for the Philippians to have love and discernment so that they may live a life of holiness and obedience to God. This life of holiness is itself a proclamation of the truth of the gospel. In the final part of his prayer, Paul explains the basis for this holy living in that they have been filled with the “fruit of righteousness” because of their union with Christ for the purpose of honoring God (1:11). Christ is the source of the fruit that will show itself in the Philippians’ lives if they abound in love.
A. The condition and mission of the gospel (1:12–18a). 1:12–14. First and foremost, Paul wants to help the Philippians understand that his condition has not hurt the mission of the gospel but benefited it (1:12). The good news of the life, death, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus Christ and its proclamation is the central fixture upon which Paul has hung all his hopes and to which he has devoted his life. Paul tells the Philippians that people are beginning to understand the reason for Paul’s imprisonment, and therefore, the gospel is being “advanced” because of his imprisonment (1:13). Paul is in chains not merely because of Christ but for Christ. Second, Paul’s suffering for Christ has inspired many in the church in Rome to preach God’s word with boldness and fearlessness (1:14).
1:15–18a. Next, Paul recognizes that some in the Roman community might be preaching the gospel for less than noble reasons (1:15–17), reasons that are incompatible with true Christian humility (see 2:4). But Paul does not worry about people’s motives; he simply rejoices in the proclamation of the gospel. Those who proclaim the gospel “out of envy and rivalry” (1:15) are still preaching the gospel, and that is advantageous in Paul’s thinking (1:18a). It does not matter whether Paul is liked or not, whether he is suffering or not; it matters only that God’s work is being done and that the cause of the gospel is moving forward.
B. Paul’s own condition (1:18b–26). 1:18b–20. Paul now rejoices that the gospel is being advanced regardless of his circumstances (1:18b–19). He confidently states that he will be delivered/saved (the Greek word could carry either meaning; see the CSB footnote for 1:19). Paul states that his goal for his life is to exalt Christ in his body (1:20a). He desires the courage to glorify God no matter the circumstances.
1:21–26. It is in this context that 1:21 can be understood. While Paul is alive, all that he strives for and the strength by which he lives and moves is found in Christ. While he lives he will continue to serve God and preach the gospel. Yet if Paul dies, he will then be with Christ, which “is far better” (1:23). Paul prefers not martyrdom but service to the church (1:24). In this he is following the example of Christ, who became a servant (2:7). Like Christ, he would choose martyrdom only if service to the gospel and the church demanded it, not because it would be better for him. Paul is confident he will be there to see the Philippians grow in Christ and to rejoice with them (1:25–26).
A. An exhortation to a life worthy of the gospel (1:27–30). 1:27. Paul is confident that he will see the Philippians again; this confidence comes from Paul’s love for the community and the fact that he knows that they still need him as their pastor. Paul acknowledges that he may come to see them or he may only hear about them (either in prison or in death), but he nonetheless desires that they live lives worthy of the gospel of Christ. Paul calls the Philippians to stand in one spirit and as one body, contending as a faith community for the gospel as a witness to the world.
1:28–30. Paul hints at the similarities between the situation of the Philippians and his own situation in Rome. The Philippian church is meeting opposition in Philippi and is being tried and tested. Paul reminds them that their rescue is from God and that following Christ means taking up the way of suffering for others (1:28–29). Paul calls their struggle the “same” (1:30) in order to remind them of what he said in 1:7—namely, that by sharing in his suffering they share in the grace that God is pouring out on him.