NIV Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition - Flipbook - Page 80
P h i l i pp i a n s 1 : 2 1
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page 2064
sufficient courage y so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, z whether by
life or by death. a 21For to me, to live is Christ b and to die is gain. 22If I am to go on living
in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!
23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart c and be with Christ, d which is better by
far; 24but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25Convinced of this, I
know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in
the faith, 26so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will
abound on account of me.
Life Worthy of the Gospel
27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy e of the gospel of C
hrist.
Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know
that you stand firm f in the one Spirit, a striving together g as one for the f aith of the gos
pel 28without being frightened in any way by t hose who oppose you. This is a sign to
them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be s aved — and that by God. 29For it
has been granted to you h on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suf
fer i for him, 30since you are going through the same struggle j you saw k I had, and now
hear l that I still have.
1:20
yver 14
z1Co 6:20
aRo 14:8
1:21
bGal 2:20
1:23
c2Ti 4:6
dJn 12:26; 2Co 5:8
1:27
eEph 4:1
f1Co 16:13
gJude 3
1:29
5:11,12
14:22
hMt
iAc
1:30
jCol
kAc
lver
2. Joy in serving
Imitating Christ’s Humility
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any com
fort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, m if any tenderness and
compassion, n 2then make my joy complete o by being like-minded, p having the same
2
a
27 Or in one spirit
in life was to speak out boldly for Christ and to become more like him.
Thus, Paul could confidently say that dying would be even better than
living, because in death he would be removed from worldly troubles,
and he would see Christ face-to-face (1 John 3:2-3). Either way, Paul
would be giving his life as a sacrifice to God. If you’re not ready to
die, then you’re not ready to live. Make certain of your eternal destiny;
then you will be free to s erve—devoting your life to what really counts,
without fear of death.
1:24 Paul had a purpose for living when he served the Philippians and
others. We also need a purpose for living that is greater than ourselves
and goes beyond providing for our own physical needs. Why are you
here? What is your purpose for living?
1:27 Paul encouraged the believers to be firmly united in the face
of attacks from within the church and from the hostile world around
them. They needed spiritual solidarity to be of one mind. Paul may have
been recalling the image of the Roman phalanx, a military formation
where soldiers would fight shoulder to shoulder as a unit. How sad
that much time and effort are lost in some churches by fighting against
one another instead of uniting against the real opposition! It takes a
courageous church to resist infighting and to maintain the common
purpose of serving Christ.
1:29 Paul considered suffering for Christ to be a privilege. We don’t
naturally consider suffering a privilege. Yet when we suffer, if we faithfully represent Christ, our message and example affect us and others for
good. Suffering has these additional benefits: (1) it takes our eyes off of
earthly comforts, (2) it weeds out superficial believers, (3) it strengthens
the faith of those who endure, and (4) it provides an example for others
who may follow us. When we suffer for our faith, it doesn’t mean that
we have done something wrong. In fact, the opposite is often true—it
may be verifying that we have been faithful. Trust God and believe that
he has a purpose in it. Paul and his fellow apostles considered it a high
honor to be identified with Christ in suffering (see Acts 5:41). Use suffering to build your character and draw you close to your Savior. Don’t
resent it or let it tear you down.
1:30 Throughout his life, Paul suffered for spreading the gospel (see
2 Corinthians 11:23-27 for a list of many of Paul’s sufferings). Like the
Philippians, we are in conflict with anyone who would discredit the
2:1; 1Th 2:2
16:19-40
13
2:1
m2Co
nCol
13:14
3:12
2:2
oJn 3:29
pPhp 4:2
saving message of Christ. All true believers are in this fight together,
uniting against the same enemy for a common cause.
Paul never urges Christians to seek out suffering, as if experiencing
pain were a virtue. But we should not forget those who do suffer. If your
cupboard is full, share your food. If you control the wheels of power,
work for justice and mercy. If you are wealthy, give generously to those
who are poor. When life is comfortable, willingly take a share of the
suffering being experienced by others, find a way to help them, and so
demonstrate to the world that the gospel is true.
2:1-5 Many p
eople—even C
hristians—live only to make a good impression on others or to please themselves. But selfish ambition and vain
conceit bring discord. Paul therefore stressed spiritual unity, asking the
Philippians to love one another and to be one in spirit and purpose.
When we work together, caring for the problems of others as if their
problems were ours, we demonstrate Christ’s example of putting others
first, and we experience unity. Don’t be so concerned about making a
good impression or meeting your own needs that you strain relationships in God’s family.
2:3 Selfish ambition can ruin a church, but genuine humility can build
it. Being humble involves having a true perspective about ourselves (see
Romans 12:3). It does not mean that we should put ourselves down.
Before God, we are sinners, saved only by God’s grace, but we are
saved and therefore have great worth in God’s kingdom. We are to lay
aside selfishness and treat others with respect and common courtesy.
Considering others’ interests as more important than our own links us
with Christ, who was a true example of humility.
2:4 Philippi was a cosmopolitan city. The composition of the church
reflected its great diversity, with people from a variety of backgrounds
and walks of life. Acts 16 gives us some indication of the diverse makeup
of this church. The church included Lydia, a Jewish convert from Asia
and a wealthy businesswoman (Acts 16:14); the slave girl (Acts 16:16-17),
probably a native Greek; and the jailer serving this colony of the empire,
probably a Roman (Acts 16:25-36). With so many different backgrounds
among the members, unity must have been difficult to maintain. Although we find no evidence of division in this church, Paul needed to
safeguard its unity as a shining light for the whole world (see Philippians
3:2; 4:2). Paul encourages us to guard against any selfishness, prejudice,