SHINING IN A DARK WORLD
My Philippians
Gist
Paul’s imprisonment experience in Rome is giving him a
clearer view of the convicting power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and he is writing to urge
the church in Philippi, who have been partners with him since “the early days
of the Gospel” (1:7; 4:15), to imitate the way his salvation was working out:
As he walks in righteousness under involuntary restriction, the evidence of his
salvation is becoming clearer both to himself and to others.
Though imprisoned under false charges, his grateful
joyfulness and upright conduct has convinced everyone that he is a good man put
in chains not for a bad cause, but for a different cause, which must certainly
be good. He is shining in the dark imprisonment environment.
A Desire to Depart
He is so peaceful with the Lord that he yearned to depart
from the body, and therefore had no fear of the worst possible outcome that
awaits prisoners. Indeed he would welcome death as a crown for his faithful service
(2:17). Yet remaining here for awhile would still serve the Lord’s purpose as
his authentic example is held up before them to imitate confidently (2:2; 3:15,
17; 4:19).
Life-Goal
Paul intimates that he has a 5-fold goal – (a) to know Christ (well), (b) to appreciate the power of His resurrection
(most probably, the power to walk in righteousness), (c) to share in his suffering (as should every
follower of Christ, 1:29), (d) to be
conformed to His death (most probably, to be prepared to die for the faith,
if need be), and (e) to attain the
resurrection of the dead (that is to be faithful to the end and become
worthy of the resurrection of the righteous) – 3:10. Although he is already
seeing the sure fruit of having such a goal, yet he presses on, avoiding
complacency (3:13), and invites his “partners” to imitate him in this also.
Beware of Ceremonial Righteousness and Earthly Wealth
Paul once again warns against imitating those who would
rather seek ceremonial righteousness, or rely on earthly heritage, saying, compared
to the knowledge and the reward of serving Christ, those are useless rubbish
(3:9). Also those who glorify the satisfaction of earthly needs and needs of
the flesh to the extent of even doing shameful things to attain them oppose the
message of Christ and live as enemies of the cross, whose end is destruction (1:28,
3:19).
The Example to Follow
He urges that to walk in fullness of joy that shows forth Christ, members of the church must do nothing out of rivalry, conceit, grumbling, complaining or anxiety (2:3, 14; 4:6), but rather out of humility, just as Christ did not insist of His divinity when He walked among us. They must focus rather on grateful prayer and moral excellence (4:6, 8)
He mentions some exemplary believers who were following the right example as
Timothy, who genuinely placed the interest of other church members above his
own; Epaphroditus who risked his health for the Gospel; and Euodia and
Syntyche, who contended for the Gospel alongside him.
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