WRITING THIS COMMENTARY has been a singularly edifying experience for me. Like most university professors of biblical studies, my past work has been devoted primarily to clarifying the historical circumstances in which the biblical books were composed and showing how those circumstances help the modern reader understand the meaning of the text to its first readers. That, it seems, is a full-time job, and the work of application is usually left to the systematic theologians. A little thought reveals, however, that this arrangement is not ideal. To say what the text meant but never to say what the text means is to tie up heavy loads and to put them on people’s shoulders without lifting a finger to move them. It is to apply one’s self wholly to the text without applying the text wholly to one’s self.
By design, this commentary series prevents that from happening, and the result for me has been both exhilarating and sobering. The exhilaration has come from entering the world of the courageous early Christians who walk across the stage of Philippians. Who could fail to be inspired by Paul’s selfless commitment to the gospel despite hardship so severe that it would crush the spirit of most people? Who could not admire the courage and faithfulness of Timothy, whose commitment to the gospel led him to share Paul’s hardship? How could anyone not be moved by the constant and costly support that the Philippians showed for Paul despite poverty and persecution? The requirement to apply the text, however, has made me face the sobering reality of how far short I fall of its standard. I have had to ask at each step whether, having preached to others, I myself might be disqualified for the prize.
Perhaps readers of this commentary, having worked through Philippians with me, will have similar feelings of exhilaration and inadequacy. I have been encouraged, and others may be encouraged also, to discover that Paul himself had these concerns, and that they led him not to discouragement but to run the race more swiftly, to forget what is behind and strain forward toward what is ahead (Phil. 3:14).
Many friends have helped me clarify and apply Philippians. Students who have attended my courses at Beeson Divinity School, congregations who have heard my preaching, and Sunday school classes who have listened to my teaching have all imbibed much of the material in this commentary and helped me to sharpen my thinking, particularly on how to apply the letter to the modern church. Two dear friends and valued colleagues at Beeson Divinity School, Dean Timothy George and Professor Kenneth Mathews, supported this project from the first through personal encouragement and practical help. Editors Terry Muck, Klyne Snodgrass, and Jack Kuhatschek made many useful suggestions for improving my first draft and saved me from several embarrassments. Verlyn Verbrugge not only made my manuscript more lucid, but from his own expertise in Pauline studies, offered a number of suggestions and corrections for the book’s improvement.
Beyond my own professional circles, two close friends, Steve and Tracy Whitner, prayed faithfully for this commentary from inception to completion, read portions of the initial draft, and made helpful suggestions for improving its readability. My wife Abby contributed in ways so numerous and profound that the book would simply have never materialized without her. Her unselfish devotion to me, to our children, and to the work of the Lord serves as a living illustration of what it means to look not only to one’s own interests but also to the interests of others (Phil. 2:4).
I deeply appreciate the help of all these friends. Any success that this commentary has in clarifying the original meaning and the contemporary significance of Philippians is due in large measure to them.
The theological perspective that emerges from this commentary originated with the patient teaching of my father and mother, Calvin and Dorothy Thielman. My father was ordained to the ministry of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) forty years ago, and for thirty-three years he and my mother have labored faithfully in the Montreat Presbyterian Church, Montreat, North Carolina. Their congregation at home was always as important as their congregation at church, and so by word and deed they have shown me, my two brothers, and our families what it means to have the mind of Christ.
Philippians has been a favorite book of theirs over the years. My father preached his senior sermon at Columbia Theological Seminary on Philippians 3:10 and has made the book a special object of study through his forty years of ministry. Many of the commentaries cited in the notes to this volume came from his shelves. One of the first biblical passages I committed to memory was Philippians 4:4–8, at the encouragement of my mother. Without their persistent training, constant love, and unwavering support over the years, this commentary would have been impossible. In a profound sense, it belongs to them.
—Frank Thielman
Eastertide, 1995