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.
3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Paul has been comparing true believers with those who have become enemies of the gospel, those who have taken the teachings of the grace of God and turned them into license to chase after the base desires we all are susceptible to.
Each person on this earth is dragging about the desires of the old man, those desires of self satisfaction, earthly confidences, material abundance and high reputations in this world. It is the natural way of a darkened heart.
The blessing those of us that have decided to follow Jesus is that we have choice in this battle with the old man. The reason we have choice is because we belong to a different world, and we have our citizenship in heaven.
Citizenship has rights and responsibilities, and as a Canadian who has taken on the privilege of American citizenship, I readily admit that where you decide to claim as home has a bearing on your relationships, attitudes and obligations.
As Paul reminds us of our heavenly citizenship, he does not tell the Philippians to renounce their earthly citizenship of being in a Roman colony, which definitely had its perks! No, but he does prioritize the heavenly citizenship.
And based on our citizenship, we have the obligation of obeying “the law of the land”, or in other words, to walk after the principles the Lord laid out for His followers while on this enemy planet.
One of the principles that has been challenging myself is the forgiveness we are to exercise to those who have hurt me or my loved ones. This is not in my base nature and I need to ask Him for help with this very obedience.
Do you have a struggle you are experiencing? Hopefully, for only dead people do not struggle!
Reach out to Him and seek His strength, His grace and His kingdom.
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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.
3:19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.
I admit it. I’m a bit overweight. I could use loosing about 15 lbs. I have struggled a bit with my weight to be honest with you. Oh I can drop it as I have occasionally, but currently I have been enjoying the snacks a bit much!
So is my belly my god? Is that where Paul is headed with this verse? Let’s consider where this verse takes us.
Paul starts with destruction. This is the inevitable completion (or end) of the enemies of the gospel. I wrote on the term Paul uses in this passage (apōleia, destruction) in a post a while back here, and on the general topic (apollymi, perishing) here. With this said, the general idea of this word is not “eternal conscious suffering”, as I had assumed my entire Christian life. It carries the meaning of loss, uselessness, misery, nonexistence, and ruination.
So, these enemies do not have a future! That may be fair to state. Is that because they eat a few too many chips and salsa? Yes and no.
I read Paul here as saying that their belly is their god in the sense that they comply with their sensual natures, with no regard to the commands of God for their lives. It is as if they have taken the grace of God and turned it into license, allowing any and all their desires to rule in their lives. The idea of sacrifice for the sake of the Master is not in their thoughts.
The succeeding result of allowing their desires to rule is that they have to convince themselves that the actions that should bring shame, they glory in this.
How accurate for the society we live in today! But those outside of the church are only following what they know, as opposed to those in the church who have learned of a better way, a way of sacrifice, of rejecting their base desires for the sake of others.
Paul finishes this verse, referring to the mind of the enemies. Now where did the mind come up in Paul’s thoughts before. Oh yes – back in Chapter 2, where he tells believers to “mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus”, in the context of exercising a mind of humility and unity. Note that the enemies have their mind set on earthly things. Nothing mysterious about this. The term speaks of things on the earth. Like physical, material, actual items resident on the earth.
So, are you eating too much? Are you loving this life a bit too much, taking every pleasure that is available, seeking satisfaction in the here and now?
Are you focused on things of this earth? Are you worried about your accumulations, your financial securities?
How about your status in front of your peers, your reputation in your career or amongst your friends?
As Paul has challenged other believers, this may be a good time to reconsider his challenge to the Corinthians when he wrote…
2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?–unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
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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.
3:18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Have you ever pictured Paul preaching, getting all fired up, preaching hell and condemnation, yelling about the fires of destruction falling on those lousy sinners! How if they don’t turn, they were going to burn, that every sin deserves eternal everlasting judgement. How he relished the destruction of those who didn’t toe the line. Or that he emphasized the punishment of hell, the suffering that we deserve, the constant reminder of our rebellion?
Whoa – slow down Carl – Let’s think about this. There are two audiences we should consider when we try to understand the attitudes of the apostles, and how they relate to those outside and inside the church.
When Paul was preaching to the lost, count how many times he brought up eternal judgement. Now be careful – I am asking you to search the New Testament where he was preaching to those who had not heard the gospel yet, so you are restricted to the book of Acts for this research. While you are at it, check out the other apostles message, of how often they used a turn or burn message.
Secondly, check out the Apostles attitude when teaching the church, as he is here in this passage. Those who have turned from the cross, walking as enemies must surely deserve hateful condemnation of their actions, and yet Paul by his own admission, speaks of tears flowing. What gives here?
He should be condemning them, tearing those enemies up in order to build up those who are still faithful to the message. A little bit of condemnation might actually keep the faithful faithful! By the way – If you think that, you many need to read the New Testament again.
Paul’s heart was broken for those who had walked away from the cross of Christ. He wasn’t better than them, throwing a hate filled monologue on them, pushing them further into destruction. He described the plight of those who walked away, and shared his brokenness with those who rubbed shoulders with them.
How often do we find it easier to judge than to love?
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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.
3:17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.
Can you imagine the challenge this passage was for the Philippians, for though we read of Paul’s exploits, habits, sacrifices, sufferings, preaching, teaching, disappointments, and dedication, the Philippians actually saw this man in action.
They saw a man who had been whipped and jailed but had shown forgiveness to the jailor, who spoke to women at the river, who supported himself for their sakes while sharing of a crucified One. They watched Paul in his daily life, the way he related to the believers, encouraging and exhorting them. They observed him when he left his friends for the sake of others, and the emotional turmoil he exhibited.
Do you have a Paul that you can observe? Can you be a Paul, that others might observe and see Christ in? Is someone watching you and coming away thinking the right thoughts?
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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.
3:16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
Paul has just described his advancement in the gospel, careful to inform the Philippians that he had not that I have “already obtained” or was “already perfect” back in verse 12.
He has then went on to describe his state of being in the Christian life, careful to inform his brothers that he hasn’t “made it” yet. That he has growth to go through.
As mentioned in verse 13, he is focused on forgetting and straining. Forgetting what lies behind (accomplishments and failures) and straining forward to Christ likeness. He is in the process.
In verse 16, he is reminding the rest of us that we are in process. This process of moving forward includes holding onto the progress already achieved.
This is a practice that is not to be ignored. How often have I been diligent in my studies, and then got lazy? How often have I sought to pray more and then followed some other goal? How often have I sought to be a peacemaker, and then gossip about a brother? How often have I sought to serve, and then in the midst of service, been distracted.
My friends, Paul is asking us to hold true to those characteristics of Christ that we have already assimilated into our lives. To practice the heart of God in day to day interactions with those we rub shoulders with.
As I consider this short verse, I find it holds a great challenge. A good question to consider might be…
Have you maintained what you attained?
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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.
3:15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.
Paul again refers to perfection when he speaks of mature, (for it contains the same root Greek word as “perfect” in verse 12). I stumbled over this concept a few verses ago, when my mind went to a “sinless perfection” idea, when really he was speaking of the completion of a goal or task.
In those verses he claimed he was not perfect or mature, but in this verse he is grouping himself with those who are mature. What gives?
As we age in this present life, we have stages of life that are obvious to all. A baby, a toddler, a little boy or girl, a tweenager, and then a teenager. A young adult, a middle aged person, an old man and finally a fully mature being. In each of these stages, a certain maturity is reached before passing onto the next stage. My grandson, as a baby, left that stage of life when he took his first steps, thereby becoming a toddler.
I think Paul may be considering this idea as he speaks here. There is a certain maturity (an intermediate maturity) a believer should grow into within the Christin faith that becomes obvious for all to see. It was obvious in the Philippian church, for Paul was reaching out to those younger in this verse.
So much practical wisdom may be gleaned from the Word. Paul, in this verse recognizes that some within the church of Philippi may think different than Paul. Does Paul demand conformity to his thoughts? Does he rant and rave, assuming others have to think as he does in all things? Is that Paul’s concept of maturity, of a unity within the Body of Christ?
I think not. An example may suffice in describing my thought. Remember in 1 Corinthians, when Paul was requiring Apollos to perform what he wanted?
1 Corinthians 16:12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.
Paul strongly urged Apollos, yet Apollos would not bend his will to Paul’s. Can you imagine saying no to Paul? Where is the unity? There is no unity if we consider our leaders to be the one we are to circle about, for they are not the Lord.
Similarily here in Philippians, where Paul appeals to the Lord as the One who is the revealer, the One we are to be united under.
As I mentioned above, there is so much practical advise provided in the Word, and this is one place I woould do well to practice more.
When in a discussion with a peer, does their opinion offend you, cause you to want to defend your position, upset you or irritate you. It didn’t seem to bother Paul in this instance, for he simply referred back to His (and our) Master.
Of course this can’t be said about the preaching of the gospel to the lost, for as we share, we are obligated to state the truth and let the chips fall where they may. Pleading for their soul may be warranted, but sowing and reaping entails many different types of effort. But allowing them to wander off thinking they can safely have another opinion about God other than the truth of Jesus is not where Paul is coming from.
But we all know that, right?
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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.
3:14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
If Paul is carrying the topic of resurrection from amongst the dead through the last few verses, that is his completion of his service and life upon the earth, then he gives us additional descriptions of the goal of his life.
It is a Goal
Again Paul refers to this idea of perfection, or as I now understand it as a completion of a task. It is something he has not “attained” yet but he is pushing to it
It is a Prize
The “prize” also has the connotation of being an award to a victor in the games. It is an accomplishment, something that is tangible and may be remembered to prove talent or energy expending, of the ability to excel and complete a task or race.
It is an Upward Call
It is upward, not downward. This seems obvious but consider your actions in the past day. Have your actions and attitudes been on a higher scale than last year? Last month? We are to be changing, growing and straining to a better witness of our Savior. I am becoming convinced that much of this witness is never seen by man, that our witness if true, is a continual lifestyle of service, and even as we are alone with our thoughts and Savior, we are to seek higher thoughts, higher motivations, higher attitudes, that reflect the nature He has given us.
Also, note that is is a call, an invite. You don’t have to serve, sacrifice or suffer if you don’t love Him. Walk away.
It is of God
The call came from God. Incredible. An invitation from God to a sinner, a man of weakness and frailty, a man that has been distracted, disillusioned and depressed, and yet the call goes out to this man that has no claim to deserving this call. Other than the radical love of the Savior, always seeking and saving!
It is in Christ Jesus.
How fitting for Paul to finish this description of the prize as Christ Jesus. How appropriate! How good to be reminded that He is the prize, and the resurrection from amongst the dead is not a final goal of the believer but a channel through which we will enter into His presence for all of eternity.
Consider your call my friend.
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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.
3:13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
In our last post we spoke of Paul’s attitude of accomplishment, and he continues to flesh this out in this verse.
He again speaks of the sacrificial life, in that he forgets his previous service, the sacrifice and the suffering he has experienced in ministry to the Lord. To forget in this verse has the added meaning sometimes of not caring about, or neglecting something.
In your walk with the Lord, do you find yourself comparing your ministry with that of your peers? Doesn’t feel like you are forgetting what lies behind you Carl!
How about in your estimation of the service you have provided? Is it something that you remind yourself of, roll it about in your mind and find comfort in? Is that a healthy way to think Carl?
Every moment we spend in the past, whether if be in remembering our successes (or failures) we are not pressing forward, as Paul speaks of in the passage.
He is straining to what lies ahead, and in this phrase he may be referring to the resurrection from the dead that he spoke of above. He is keeping his eye on the prize, for to strain for what lies ahead – the resurrection from the dead – is to look to Jesus.
It is our privilege to concentrate, focus and strain to see the One who has been resurrected from amongst the dead, into a new life. His works are the only service we are to remember, and all other service can be forgotten, if it feeds a heart of pride, consumes our limited time or distracts us from our focus.
Let us not forget Him and yet forget us!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion
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.
3:12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
Let’s remember that this letter includes some of the greatest exhortations to humility in the Bible, through the example of the Master, and of His servants Timothy and Epaphroditus. Let’s not forget Paul, in that he provides direction to live a life a humility, and that he exhibits that same characteristic throughout the letter.
This is evident in this passage, as he makes no claim to accomplishment, even though in terms of Christian ministry, very few could boast of his efforts.
Of course none have attained a physical resurrection on this side of the grave, so could he be breaching something else as he brings this truth to our attention. Is he speaking of a status within the Christin life? A perfection?
Consider the previous verse
….that I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained it (the resurrection from the dead) or am already perfect.
To be perfect! Paul uses the Greek word τελειόω teleióō, which is somewhat different than my initial understanding of perfection, or of a status dependant on character or spirituality. Somewhat akin to a sinless perfection. No Paul is not speaking of that condition, but when he brings up being perfect in this verse, he is referring to completion, or accomplishment, crossing a goal or finishing a course. This thought is very much related to Paul’s earlier use of the term “attain”. This portion of the word is speaking of crossing a goal, or to bring to an end a certain assignment.
Hence the humility, for he is not going to let the Philippians consider him to be on a different plane of spiritual life than they are, but that he is still actively working out his salvation. He hadn’t arrived yet!
That is good news, for I often think of Paul as a man that could not be related to, that was so different as a believer that he was somewhat different, somewhat unapproachable.
Yet his example of humility and desire to press on is challenging to say the least. In his maturing of service to the Lord, he did not “rest on his laurels”, an attitude that is so easy for many of us to fall into.
Consider Paul’s life and attitude in this verse and try to relate.
Have you “rested on your laurels” somewhat?
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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.
3:11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
In our last post we spoke of the resurrection, and Paul continues to in this verse, yet it is not exactly the same resurrection, at least not the same Greek word. In our previous verse, Paul uses the regular Greek word for resurrection, ἀνάστασις anástasis. In our present verse, he changes gears on us, modifying the previous verse by adding a prefix. ἐξανάστασις exanástasis
Do you see the difference? it is the little two letter prefix “ex”. In the Greek this prefix modifies the root word by adding the image or thought of being “out of” or “from”. In other words, as the verse above translates, Paul is seeking a resurrection “from the dead”
But isn’t that what is implied when we read the term resurrection? That is we are raised from the dead? Some believers see this term, which is only used here in this verse, as Paul describing a resurrection that is from “among the corpses”, from among those who are in a present state of death. Not necessarily speaking of his resurrections from his own body of death, but from amongst others who are experiencing death.
Does that help me in understanding this verse? Not much, for I am still unsure of Paul’s intent when he speaks this way.
No matter how we see this verse, it is important for us to understand the resurrection is closer today than it ever was, that those who trust in Christ will attain to this rescue, and that based on the general context of the verses we are in, suffering is the environment that this resurrection is attained.
Yes, Paul did say “by any means”, but I would be carefull to read into his phrase the idea of the end justifies the means.
In my opinion, and that is all this is, that when he mentions “by any means”, he is describing the general attitude our Lord also expressed when He prayed “Not my will but thine”
Whatever it takes!
A spirit of surrender is called for in this passage. A spirit of surrender that endures suffering, in order for the resurrections to be experienced.
May His will be our will today!
Straining toward the Goal
3:12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
Let’s remember that this letter includes some of the greatest exhortations to humility in the Bible, through the example of the Master, and of His servants Timothy and Epaphroditus. Let’s not forget Paul, in that he provides direction to live a life a humility, and that he exhibits that same characteristic throughout the letter.
This is evident in this passage, as he makes no claim to accomplishment, even though in terms of Christian ministry, very few could boast of his efforts.
Of course none have attained a physical resurrection on this side of the grave, so could he be breaching something else as he brings this truth to our attention. Is he speaking of a status within the Christin life? A perfection?
Consider the previous verse
….that I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained it (the resurrection from the dead) or am already perfect.
To be perfect! Paul uses the Greek word τελειόω teleióō, which is somewhat different than my initial understanding of perfection, or of a status dependant on character or spirituality. Somewhat akin to a sinless perfection. No Paul is not speaking of that condition, but when he brings up being perfect in this verse, he is referring to completion, or accomplishment, crossing a goal or finishing a course. This thought is very much related to Paul’s earlier use of the term “attain”. This portion of the word is speaking of crossing a goal, or to bring to an end a certain assignment.
Hence the humility, for he is not going to let the Philippians consider him to be on a different plane of spiritual life than they are, but that he is still actively working out his salvation. He hadn’t arrived yet!
That is good news, for I often think of Paul as a man that could not be related to, that was so different as a believer that he was somewhat different, somewhat unapproachable.
Yet his example of humility and desire to press on is challenging to say the least. In his maturing of service to the Lord, he did not “rest on his laurels”, an attitude that is so easy for many of us to fall into.
Consider Paul’s life and attitude in this verse and try to relate.
Have you “rested on your laurels” somewhat?
3:13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
In our last post we spoke of Paul’s attitude of accomplishment, and he continues to flesh this out in this verse.
He again speaks of the sacrificial life, in that he forgets his previous service, the sacrifice and the suffering he has experienced in ministry to the Lord. To forget in this verse has the added meaning sometimes of not caring about, or neglecting something.
In your walk with the Lord, do you find yourself comparing your ministry with that of your peers? Doesn’t feel like you are forgetting what lies behind you Carl!
How about in your estimation of the service you have provided? Is it something that you remind yourself of, roll it about in your mind and find comfort in? Is that a healthy way to think Carl?
Every moment we spend in the past, whether if be in remembering our successes (or failures) we are not pressing forward, as Paul speaks of in the passage.
He is straining to what lies ahead, and in this phrase he may be referring to the resurrection from the dead that he spoke of above. He is keeping his eye on the prize, for to strain for what lies ahead – the resurrection from the dead – is to look to Jesus.
It is our privilege to concentrate, focus and strain to see the One who has been resurrected from amongst the dead into a new life. His works are the only service we are to remember, and all other service can be forgotten, if it feeds a heart of pride, consumes our limited time or distracts us from our focus.
Let us not forget Him and yet forget us!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion
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.
3:10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
In our last post we considered who might find Paul in Christ and understood that Paul wasn’t concerned about who was looking at him, whether it be God or man, but that he was in Christ.
So what is it to be found in Christ? Paul continues his thought by speaking of knowing Him.
To be in Christ is to know Him, and since He is the eternal One, this is an ongoing knowledge. An intimate experiential knowledge nevertheless, for Paul uses the Greek term γινώσκω ginṓskō, (not εἴδω, eídō) to identify the type of knowledge he is speaking of.
I have written previously on this topic of experiential knowledge and refer you to an earlier post Inherit the Kingdom? Who Knew? for a personal story that may help in understanding the knowledge Paul spoke of.
We in the modern world tend to want to find ourselves, to enter into self realization, to understand what makes us tick and in that knowledge, find our place in this world. In “finding ourselves” we are able to love ourselves and then love others, or so the saying goes.
Not sure who started the requirement for believers to love themselves, but it wasn’t the Lord. You may want to read an earlier post on this subject of self love, and how that relates to the Christian life. Check out What Jesus Probably Didn’t Mean – Matthew 22:39
Per Paul, this is the very definition of not being in Christ, but of being in self. He spoke of this aberration of Christianity a number of times. Consider 2 Timothy 3:2
For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
Yes Paul’s desire was to know Christ, and since He is the eternal One, our knowing Him will be an eternal process, an ever increasing personal relational knowledge of His character, grace, holiness, humility and power.
Paul want’s to “know” Him and the power of His resurrection. Is the power that Paul refers to here a continual process as is the “knowing”? Is Paul simply speaking of the last day and of his physical resurrection to life? Might Paul be speaking of a continual knowledge of His power also? Given the
Share sufferings
Like Him in his death
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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.
3:9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith–
Paul had just mentioned of his own righteousness, a righteousness that had been granted to him by the family he had been born into and by the efforts he had expended, in order to maximize in the opportunities he had been granted.
Is that not how each of our lives are? We are in a situation, whether good or bad, that was not of our doing. We were born in a situation that we had no choice in. Out of that situation, we are granted choices. Choices to be made to determine our destiny no matter what our present condition.
Paul made a choice to give up – no – to reject that which was granted to him and that he centered his entire life on, to receive a righteousness through a completely different channel. Not through the law, but through faith. Through the life of another Man, where Paul’s pride and ego were not the fueling motivation for life, but a life of self sacrificial love to One who died for him, and that sought the best for others.
He sought to be found in him. To have an active faith that God and man would find him in.
As an aside, is Paul referring to this position he seeks to be in, that is where he may be found, to be the result of others looking of of God looking? Now before I am shut out of your thinking, when Paul says “may be found in Him” he does not mention who might find him “in Christ” This has always been an assumption on my part that Paul is referring to God finding him in Christ, in order to be justified before the Father. Yet I do not see where Paul identifies the one who would “find him”. Might it be that he isn’t concerned about the finder, and that in my mind, that opens up the possibility that Paul’s was not worried about who found him, but simply the truth of being found.
With all that said, (and I do get wordy at times), my intent is to state that truth is manifested to both God and men, and that Paul’s decision to be in Christ would be evident to both God and men.
Who ever was looking, when they looked at Paul, they found him in Christ. It was obvious he was in Christ, for he was mimicking the Lord in His life and teaching, in his attitudes and efforts.
Will you be found in Him, even today?
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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.
3:8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
Paul counts everything as loss, and then speaks of having suffered the loss of all things as rubbish. I understand “these things” as that which his detractors still clung to, the reputation and religious pride afforded them in the pharisaical religion.
Some translators replace rubbish with “dung”, that which is the refuse of an animal. Paul counts “those things” as not simply something that has no value, but that it is of a detrimental value. If I understand Paul, he is describing a balance sheet of worth to the Philippians. He is a bit of an accountant in this and the following verses. That which was highly prized is now considered a negative, a burden, a debt, a hindrance on the balance sheet of his life.
Notice how this also provides a slap in the face to those who cherish the life of a committed pharisee, who considered themselves the chosen of God, and that the dirty Gentiles were as such to God. A good pharisee would consider a gentile to be of worth equal to an off scouring of an old plate, or the refuse of a dog.
Things have completely flipped for Paul, and there is only one reason for this radical change in lifestyle and faith.
Jesus.
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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.
3:7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
Paul has just declared his gain (or advantage) in relation to those whom he lived amongst. His national, tribal, lingual, and religious history was impressive. Granted, all of this was based on his comparison of himself with others. We all do it, but for Paul, he was miles ahead in the competition business, in his efforts to find acceptance before God based on his granted and achieved attributes.
But, when compared with the Christ, reality came crashing down and he realized his advantage over others was actually detrimental to his soul. Upon gazing on the Christ, and as a result of this gaze, that in this realization that the Messiah had come in the name of Jesus, he could only see his own vileness. No gain. No advantage. Only selfishness, foolishness and division resided in this way of thinking.
It is interesting to consider the two terms gain and loss.
Gain
Paul has brought up the idea of gain earlier in the letter when he spoke of the gain of going home. This gain he would have realized if he had be executed, but he sought to stay if the Lord willed, to minister to those the Lord took him to. The gain in this verse is addressing Paul’s perceived advantage based on his competitive nature with others. He had a gain, or an advantage, but when seen with the right eyes, it was all loss, and not just loss, but worse than that, but I am getting ahead of myself!
Loss
The term “loss” in interesting, especially considering the theme of competition that Paul has used to describe his former life. The term “loss” has a component in it that may communicate damage, and the root of this Greek word had a sense of dominion associated with it. That which was gain, or was an advantage to Paul, actually suffered a death blow by Paul’s decision to align with Christ. He counted, or considered his advantage in the sight of man to be a detriment, and he counted it as such.
As believers, I fear we hang onto our humanly advantages too tightly, or at least I fear I do. This may be in direct relation to my understanding of who the Christ really is, and that my eyes are not as open to the wonders of His grace and person as they could be.
May we see Him a bit clearer today, because we want to!
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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.
3:6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
Paul continues with his listing of reasons he had confidence in the flesh prior to meeting Christ. As we saw in our previous post, many of his reasons for boasting in the flesh were conditions he was born into, such as of the bloodline of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Eventually he begins to write of his own efforts in the competition game of getting right with God, for it had become something he trusted in, something he could compare with others and feel he was on the right side of the curve. Of course, after having met Jesus, this desire to find worth in comparing himself with others was jettisoned into the dustbin.
2 Corinthians 10:12 Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.
The only One we can rightly compare ourselves with is the One who is incomparable. We are simply (redeemed) sinners, those who are unworthy of His grace, mercy and love.
The last two descriptors of Paul’s efforts to find worth in the eyes of God, through his own efforts are as follows
Zeal
His claim to fame in the zeal department included murder. Wait – What?? He was a persecutor of those who worshipped God in the Spirit, and his desire to chase down, persecute and haul to prison was a mark of zeal that few if any had in Jerusalem.
Imagine, the mental gymnastics Paul must have had to go through to chase fellow Israelites down, in foreign lands and haul them back to Jerusalem.
His zeal was unaccounted for. The church was growing exponentially and the more he persecuted, the stronger it seemed to be getting. Frustration level for this poor man must have been off the chart! Without this zeal, this desire to “keep the faith pure” by rooting out this heresy, Paul would have simply been a general fanatic for the Pharisaical branch of Judaism.
Righteous
Paul has mentioned the law in the previous verse, speaking of his chosen branch of dedication in relation to the law. He wasn’t a Sadducee, or heaven forbid an Essene, like John the Baptist. In this reference to the law, Paul speak of not his association, but of his righteousness under the law, and that he was blameless in this law.
Come on Paul, how can you say that?
No one is sinless, and your obedience to the law in which you trust speaks over and over again of the sinfulness of even the best of the faithful. But my friend, let us not read into this verse something that is not there. He states he was blameless, not sinless. There is a difference, and we have discussed this topic in earlier posts. An example post for my reader to consider may be Psalms for Psome – Ps 41.04.
In Paul’s listing of attributes that he was either granted or that he “worked” at, he surely had the right stuff to go up against any of the flesh mutilators that were troubling the Philippians. He had authority to have influence based on his person, his lineage and efforts that lifted him above others! Yet in comparing himself with the Christ, he simply bent the knee.
My friend, if you find yourself comparing yourself with anyone other than the Christ, take a lesson from Paul. It is a fools errand to chase self worth, to be in competition with those we ought to simply love and serve.
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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.
3:5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;
Paul refers to five accomplishments he can claim to in his life, prior to meeting the risen Savior, and that he labored in. It is quite a list of honor and status!
Circumcision
Not only circumcised, but circumcised on the correct day after his birth. Some in the nation may have been circumcised beyond that day. For example, the rare gentile who would enter the Jewish faith would get circumcised as an adult! Paul was better than that dirty convert, though it was nothing he actually done. It was done to him.
Of the correct people
Paul had the right blood in him. He could trace his lineage back to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and surely that made a difference in God’s eyes! Paul was better than those who were outsiders to the physical lineage of Abraham, though it was nothing he actually done. It was done to him.
Of a better Tribe
Paul was out of a better tribe, one that had a history of relative faithfulness to God. Paul was better than some of his own blood brothers, though it was nothing he actually done. It was done to him.
A Hebrew of the Hebrews
Here we may be entering into Paul’s efforts to attain to being “better than the rest”. I understand Paul’s intent with this phrase to say he is the Hebrew”ist” of Hebrews, not of any offshoot from the pure Hebrew life, such as the Hellenistic Hebrews, who had left behind the mother tongue and many other aspects of the Hebrew lifestyle. Paul was better than some of his own cultural brothers, though even with this claim, his parents were the ones to provide this basis for him to build on. Nevertheless, he was better!
A Pharisee
Ok – here we go! This claim is the beginning of where Paul’s chest used to go from large to gigantic in terms of pride. Paul was doctrinally pure, a condition that bolstered his previously granted situation in life with his own efforts. By his own choice he determined the correct religious party to follow after, based possibly on what seemed a higher moral or religious code. Nevertheless, his approach to the law was impeccable in his interpretation!
Sadly, the One who gave the law, and lived it perfectly interpreted the law and the prophets quite differently. But Paul was sincere to say the least!
Sincerity in an error simply means you are sincerely wrong, but amongst those who followed after the pharisaical life, Paul was up there amongst the best!
Wow – he truly was better! In a race of competition to see who is the greatest, it surely wasn’t Christ in Paul’s previous life. Nope, I think Paul might suggest he was the greatest.
Our next verse will continue in this vein of vanity, but let us remember this is the life and attitude of the old Paul, and of his confidence in the flesh.
To close this post, I would like to ask my readers a difficult question.
What reasons do you have to place confidence in the flesh?
Is your background purer in some regard than your neighbors?
Do you have skills that elevate you above your friends?
Have you been granted privileges that others have not, and find comfort in these privileges?
May God have His way in our lives.
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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.
3:4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:
Paul, in our previous verse discussed the churches identification and spoke of our not to trust in the flesh. Always the expert teacher, Paul gives his testimony, detailing his fleshly attainments, and his final rejection of any confidence in them in front of God,
His fleshly accomplishments are nothing to snicker at, for he has much he could trust in, more than the Judaizers who are preaching this troubling message of circumcision.
Note that by entering into a description of Paul’s list of accomplishments, a component of living under the law is exposed. Competition! This is the nature of the one who trust’s in the flesh, for it is never enough, and by comparing ourselves with others, we find some comfort, foolish as it is!
Have you sat in your pew and considered how much more dedicated you are than Sally, who only attends one service a week? Or that you have performed in the choir more than Frank – Dang he can’t even hold a note!
Paul won this competition with many of his physical equals, but he found rest in the work of Christ.
Put down the list, and find rest in Christ.
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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.
3:3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh–
In our last post, Paul was writing to his church regarding the dogs who were attacking the church, those evil workers who sought to cause the church a distraction by requiring circumcision to be included in gospel. Whether that be to get saved or stay saved, or to create a “higher level” of spirituality within the church, isn’t really the issue. All three topics were to be Christ centered.
Paul continues his warning, defining he church, as opposed to those workers who were claiming to be right with God, who had that higher level of spirituality, who were “in the club”.
Given the backdrop of circumcision Paul is addressing, he brings to the forefront of the discussion that we – the church – are the circumcision. Consider how these two parties represent the message of God.
The Judaizers message is literal, physical and brings bondage to the law. In our time, it could also be considered sexist. Might only men attain to this status? For the Judaizers to require this physical mutilation is restrictive,
Paul’s message is metaphoric, spiritual, and provides freedom. In our time, his message is inclusive , inviting both male and female to true circumcision, to a rejection of stubbornness toward our Maker and Redeemer
If only the evil workers would consider what the Old Testament teaches about circumcision.
Deuteronomy 10:16 – Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.
Early on, Moses their prophet (and ours) spoke of the true circumcision, the circumcision of the heart.
Jeremiah 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds.”
Jeremiah entered into a condition within the nation that depended on the mutilation of flesh as opposed to the spiritual renewal required by God, and spoke of the danger this false dependence created!
Jeremiah 9:25 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will punish all those who are circumcised merely in the flesh–
Jeremiah does not mince words when he defines those who depend only on the circumcision of the flesh, those who will be punished!
We worship God through the Spirit, and glory in Christ Jesus.
We put no confidence (or trust) in the flesh.
As we venture through this fantastic chapter, Paul will supply a number of confidences he has rejected in order to have the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord. Our next post will begin to discuss this topic.
Hope to see you there!
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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.
3:2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.
Now that Paul has grounded his church in the joy of the Lord, reminding them of the strength that is provided to them through Jesus, he addresses the “bad guys”.
Dogs
The Jewish population had a way of describing the unwashed, those who were not of the best blood, that were not in the club. Dogs. Oh they had other loving names for them, but this seemed to be one of the popular ones.
Jesus used the term to communicate to his audience when He spoke in Matthew 7:6 about the privilege of possessing holy truth.
Matthew 7:6 – “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
A little later in His ministry, this term came up again, with the Lord testing the faith of a Syrophoenician woman – you know one of those unwashed!
Matthew 15:26 – 27 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
For Paul to use this term in relation to Jewish preachers spreading a teaching requiring circumcision is quite shocking. After all, Paul is writing to a congregation of gentiles (read “congregation of dogs”) that in the mind of the legalizers, required circumcision to get right with God. Paul calls them the unwashed, the dogs, the ones outside of the covenant! But he goes further!
Evildoers
I tend to like the translation of evil workers, as in the RSV, NASB, ASB, and KJV, simply for the association workers have of being hired. The motivation for the spreading of evil, which modifies the type of worker we are considering here, is not love, nor grace or mercy, or in response to the grace shown to us, but for sake of filty lucre!
Regarding the modifier “evil”, the Greek word is kakos, and though it means “of a bad nature” or wicked, troublesome and destructive, whenever I come across this word, I think of my little grandbabies, before they were potty trained, and had a “kaka” in their diapers.
That stuff was of a bad nature!
Flesh Mutilators
Here we see a reference to the teachers troubling the Philippians. Paul is referring to those who preached Christ and circumcision.
These preachers saw the growth of the church and had to get involved. Prior to the church exploding on the scene, they did not have the challenge of the gentiles becoming so arduous in following after God, for they had put up enough walls to keep them out of the old boys club. Now it was a different story – It was getting out of hand, and God “needed” them to correct the gentiles in their faith.
By cutting their foreskin off!
Take a moment and consider the sacrifice of the Messiah. The eternal God, humbled to the existence of flesh and bone, hanging on a cross for the sins of the world, dying to release us from our futile life. A message of grace and mercy that beckons us to follow in the same life, a life of sacrifice and otherness, a life of following after Him.
Where does circumcision fit in? Where does the Lord Jesus speak of our needing this to get right with Him?
Kindly remember my friend that He has all authority, His message is the full and final message for mankind, and it is a message of commitment, not of circumcision, of grace, not of law, of the new covenant, not of a covenant that has ceased and that has vanished away.
But take note my friend, though the flesh mutilators are greatly reduced in numbers during our time, the same misinformation is spreading at an alarming rate.
Christ plus nothing is the message. Any mixture of our efforts in getting right with God, nullifies the grace that was abundantly provided for our sakes.
Watch out for those evil workers! They are kaka!
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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.
3:1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.
Paul is begninning a section in Philippians where he begins to warn the church of the enemy within the church, or that will come to visit the church. Instead of this section starting out with dire warnings (for they will come) or descriptions of terrible teachers pouncing on the church (for they will arrive also), Paul starts out with joy. Not a doctinal stance, or an exhortation to prayer, (which is such a required practice for the believer) but joy.
He says to rejoice in the Lord. First off, a truly joyful believer is indominable, to the extent that the believer finds his joy in Jesus. Not in religion, or church attendance, or law keeping or ceremoniual bathing or sacrificial giving, or increasing population of the church. No – the joy in tho be found in the Lord only, and this is a settled joy that increases and increases as we walk with Him and see His activity in our lives in a daily way.
The joy I experienced at salvation was intense, very emotional, and unattainable to maintain. Now don’t hear when I say the intensity of the joy was unattainable to maintain as a cop out, for as I have sought to walk with Him, He has provided a settled, calming joy, a joy that does not spike and plummit, as emotional trips so often do. This joy is somewhat unnoticable until it is touched by a sadness, by a disapointment, or by a trial. Although the joy of the Lord is resident in me, it is with the difficulties that the joy comes into full bloom.
I found a quote from the preacher F. B. Meyer, regarding our cooperation in the cultivation of this joy. We are not to consider this experience of joy to be something we are passively recieving, but based on our relationship with the Lord, and His guidance in our thinking.
“It is a duty for us to cultivate this joy. We must steadfastly arrest any tendency to murmur and complain; to find fault with God’s dealings; or to seek to elicit sympathy. We must as much resist the temptation to depression and melancholy as we would to any form of sin.” (Meyer)
Was it not even within this letter that believers were told to not gripe or complain. Complaining, murmuring, disputing and whining are joy busters, for when we complain, we are not looking to the Lord but to our problems, not seeing God’ blessings but our supposed needs.
To rejoice in the Lord is an exercise of focusing on Him, and though times may be good or bad, our eyes are to be peering to Him for our daily strength. The Joy of the Lord is not “ours” but His, and a believer’s effort to generate it independant of Him is an exercise in futility. The joy of the Lord is not something that can be generated by self help books, or by an act of the will to be happy, but to look to Him in our day to day lives, listen for His voice.
In focusing on Him (and not seeking joy), we actually recieve love joy peace…
Rejoice in the Lord. It is actually a command! Go ahead – be sullen AND in the midst of being sullen, realize you are in sin!
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
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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.
2:30 for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.
What is going on in this verse? Is Paul laying a guilt trip on the Philippians? This seems so out of character for this letter.
My first reading of the verse seems to imply that Paul was expecting a service from the Philippians that they were not willing to provide. But that cannot be the intended meaning, for this church is the one church we know of that repeatedly provided support for the apostle.
So when Paul brings up the “lacking in your service to me”, what in tarnation is he trying to say?
Let’s take a step back from the specific situation to the general lifestyle of believers. We are all to serve one another, to be a community of caring for one another whether we are 5 feet from our brother or 500 miles from our brother. But this physical distance makes it impossible to physically serve those who are a distance away form us. It is an impossibility!
The Philippians sent Epaphroditus to provide for Paul the funds from those in the church, and to supply assistance, or service for a period of time to the apostle. To be within “5 feet” from the apostle, providing a service to their loved apostle through the physical presence of the missionary they sent. The Philippians were lacking, (as all churches are) in providing service due to the physical world we live in. Paul is making a statement of fact, as opposed to laying a guilt trip on those he loved.
It is good to remember that we all are always debtors to our brothers, that we all owe love to our brothers and sisters. We all are debtors to our brothers and sisters.
Romans 13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
The only One who does not owe us love is the One who provided the most scandalous love possible. He is the One who loves the most unlovely, the most hateful, despised and rejecting people imaginable. The grace of God is uber abundant!
We must remember that He is the One who, out of sheer grace, provided this love we walk in every day, and is the example for us to follow. Out of His love towards us, we are to love others.
We “owe” it to them, for He is worthy.
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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.
2:29 So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men,
In our last post on this wonderful letter between an apostle and his church, we found him giving to the church their apostle back, for Epaphroditus was a sent one from the church to provide funds and service to Paul. Now Paul was sending him back, and in this verse he reiterates the response they are to have and express when they receive him back from the expedition they sent him on.
Rejoice. The predominant response Paul is concerned about in Epaphroditus reception back into the church is that of joy. This is the second time he has mentioned it in regard to Epaphroditus in as many verses. Yes – Rejoice!
Yet Paul adds one more response he is expecting, and that is to honor this servant. He has not simply travelled to Paul, provided the funds from the church and travelled home. He has experienced a sickness, a near death sickness, that most likely was the result of this trip.
This is another picture of the Lord Jesus, who ventured to this condemned world with the intent of experiencing suffering and death, and to return to the Father. Epaphroditus, in his mission to provide for Paul, mirrored Jesus at least in the experience of facing death.
I assume that as he ventured to Paul in Rome, he did not expect to face death. Jesus did.
He knew what was in store for Him prior to his leaving the glories of heaven, and He came anyway. He was not delivered from death, as we find out of Epaphroditus in our next verse, but he entered death, to come out of the grave three days later. Although Epaphroditus provides a picture of the Lord in his experience on earth, it is only a picture, and does not express the depth of experience the Lord travelled through for us.
In all of this, Paul has one more response the Philippians were to express to the returning soldier for Christ, and that is to honor him. They are to hold Epaphroditus, and men like him, in high regard, to prize them as good soldiers of Christ, and to relate to them as precious men of faith. We shall find that the reason for this honor in our next verse, in that Epaphroditus was on the edge of the grave due to his service for Christ.
The point is the church was not to carry any sort of feeling of failure in regard to Epaphroditus, but that they were to honor him. He was a servant who suffered in the midst of his mission, completing his task for the church and impacting the apostles life with his humilty and commitment to Christ.
This is a man who is to be honored by the Philippians. A man who is a reflection of the Lord Himself, and to this day, should be considered a soldier who faithfully served His Master.
May we also be a faithful servant to our King.
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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.
2:28 I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious.
Paul has spent the last few verses speaking of Epaphroditus, of his character, his sickness, his impact on the apostle and the expected response of the Philippian church.
But note that Paul is now stating a somewhat obvious fact, coupled with two anticipated responses. An obvious fact Carl? Yes, when Epaphroditus turns up in Philippi with this letter for the church, (for most scholars would say he was the courier), isn’t it obvious that Paul sent him back?
Or might Paul be emphasizing something other than the obvious. Maybe he is emphasizing his attitude in sending Epaphroditus, his eagerness to provide this servant back to the church, his desire to provide for his church at his own expense.
Remember that Epaphroditus was sent to Paul to provide time and money, and though the church’s missionary delivered the funds, his time of service was severely limited dues to his sickness. Yet Paul does not grasp at this lost opportunity for someone to provide a service for him. Instead, he is eager to send him back to the church, for the church’s sake, and as Paul mentioned earlier, for Epaphroditus sake.
So Paul is eager to send him back for thier sake. And he is thankful for the recovery God provided to his friend, so that he my be relieved of his own anxiousness.
Whoa Paul, I thought Christians were not to be anxious. Just a chapter later you will write
Philippians 4:6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Well, there is a simple explanation for this seeming hypocrisy, for the anxiousness Paul mentions in our verse today is a Greek word that speaks of being free from pain or grief, to be less sorrowful. Paul is speaking of the emotional environment he lives in due to the situation his brother and the Philippians are in.
An alternate reading of the passage fleshes this thought out somewhat better.
Philippians 2:28 NASB95 – Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned [about you.]
This “anxiousness” is other related!
In Phil 4:6, when Paul provides a commandment to the believers to not be anxious, he is referring to our common understanding of the cares and concerns of everyday life, of the “worrying” we enter into, that steals our joy.
This “anxiousness” is self related!
So Paul expresses his motivation in his eagerness to provide for the Philippians, his seeking “less sorrow” over the situation and that the Philippians would rejoice at seeing him.
Of course this last phrase may bring confirmation or regret within the congregation, depending on how Epaphroditus is welcomed home, but for some reason I want to think that the Philippians rejoiced at seeing their brother come home. If there were an element within the church that may still harbor feeling of disappointment in the success of Epaphroditus mission, this reminder to rejoice would hopefully quell that sentiment.
In our own lives, if there is opportunity for us to dwell on the failure of others, let us remember the definition of love, that Paul not only exhibits here, and encourages in his church, but explicitly describes for our own lives in another letter he wrote.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Help us O Lord to love one another the way you loved us!
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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.
2:27 Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
Paul has been speaking of Epaphroditus, a man who travelled from the Philippian church, a messenger sent by the much loved church Paul founded on his second missionary trip. Paul spoke of Epaphroditus longing for them in an earlier verse, and his concern for them, even though he was staring death in the eye. This is an amazing reflection of the Lord in that, even in suffering and weakness, this brother was concerned about others, and not only others, but the burden his sickness was adding to the Philippian’s lives.
Where do we find believers like this, that sacrifice an opportunity to gain pity, in order to show love?
Yet Paul speaks not only of Epaphroditus sickness and it’s impact on the Philippians, but also his own experience with Epaphroditus. I do not know of any evidence of Epaphroditus meeting Paul prior to his travels to Rome for the church. No mention of him in Acts, and he is only referred to in this epistle, yet Epaphroditus in this one mission trip has a major impact on the great apostle Paul.
Paul speaks of avoiding “sorrow upon sorrow” by the mercy of God, in raising Epaphroditus from the sick bed. Death appeared to be imminent, and Epaphroditus did not have a general hospital to visit for care. Possibly his only friend was a man who was an enemy of the state, who was in jail for preaching another King other than Caesar, waiting on his death sentence.
Both these men were looking death in the eye, and what was their response? Both expressed a compassion for others, entering into the trial of those suffering.
The term “sorrow” is well known amongst us – We have all had sorrow at some point in our lives, and to try to describe it at this time seems fruitless. One thing I do find very instructive is the physical effect sorrow can have on the body. Consider.
Luke 22:45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow,
What specifically caused the disciples to fall asleep on the night of the Messiah’s betrayal? Luke tells us it was due to sorrow. Sorrow caused the exhaustion of the disciples, resulting in their passing out when the Messiah needed them most.
Grief. Sorrow. It is not merely an emotion we suffer though at times. Sorrow affects our physical lives. Sorrow not only impacts the physical body, it also crushes the spirit!
Proverbs 15:13 – A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.
In the midst of this “sorrow upon sorrow” God had mercy on Paul by extending mercy to Epaphroditus. His mercy is abundant and one act of mercy from the hand of God ripples through to many.
Let us be merciful towards both our brother and our enemy! It is the Lord’s way, and both Paul and Epaphroditus lived in it.
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Considering the Bible 