For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

4:21   Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you.

Paul is bidding farewell to his church and in this verse he is encouraging a relatively healthy church to greet EVERY saint in Christ Jesus.

How are they to know the true from the false brethren? How can the church at Philippi be sure they are not encouraging false brothers. Folks that travel through the area may claim to be Christians, but as per some churches today, they should accept someone as a believer only upon the acceptance and passing of some test, or by some commitment to a certain dogma or specific doctrine.

Paul’s encouragement to the church at Philippi to greet every saint says much about the attitude of a healthy believer. Suspicion takes a back seat to acceptance. Trust and a hopeful, expectant attitude towards others is a standard that is implied with this command.

Accept those who come into your circle of friends, care for them, give them the benefit of the doubt. Of course, as you get to know them, and there may be something of concern, the best approach to take may be to simply chat with them, ask pertinent questions, and teach the Word to them in order to find common ground. A judgement is to be a very last resort, and even if a concern cannot be worked out to continue in fellowship, hatred and animosity is not to be a part of the separation.

Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. He is all about accepting those who are less than Him. We should do so also.

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