Podcast

We are to know the power of his resurrection and participate in his suffering–we commune with Christ in His sufferings.  We must actively work to know God better. Being conformed to a death like Christ’s. We should be ambitious to suffer as Christ had suffered. 

Paul argues that knowing Jesus Christ is more important than any earthly outward show of pious obedience. He argues that if that was the case, he is more devout than any other Jew. However, these accomplishments he counted as losses for the sake of Christ.

We begin the 3rd chapter of Philippians. Paul begins to remind the Philippians about the danger of Judaizers, Christians who want to unnecessarily push the Law of Moses on Gentiles. He points out this is unnecessary because Christian circumcision is in the spirit, not the flesh.

We must transcend our divisions to shine as light in a secularized world. Nonbelievers see when Christians squabble and they comment on it. Paul built an early Church with Jews, Greeks, and Romans, each with forces and ideologies that tried to drive them apart.  Compared to the crucifix however, every pettiness is so much less.

Paul discusses how to live and work, day-by-day, depending on God and thereby shining out against the crookedness and perversity of the world. He also mentions his two loyal disciples, Timothy and Epaprhoditus. Epaproditus nearly died from sickness and is coming back to Philippi to assauge concerns from the community about his health. These human worries, if continually brought to Christ in prayer, are fundamentally compatible with the Christian life.

Paul illustrates the humiliations that Christ endured, which contrast with the sins of Adam. These humiliations are exactly how we should imitate Christ.

Paul exhorts the Philippians stand firm with one another and to be of one mind in the strongest rhetorical terms. Unity in Christ is a witness to Christ and the lack of unity is a scandal. Real love (not sentimental love) binds Christians one to another. All of us should have the same disposition, the same love, of the same soul, and the same mind. We are to put to death our own selfishness, and put others in our Christian community first.

Paul has concerns about unity breaking down in Philippians at a spiritual level. They have suffered years of persecution and poverty. Paul comforts them in this, saying it is a sign from God. They have been granted suffering for Him, and the evildoers will be punished.

Paul calls for the Philippians’ love to grow and abound in knowledge and in understanding. He discusses suffering, giving joy that his imprisonment has led his preaching the Gospel to have such a wide reach. He argues that persecution is a privilege and a sign of one’s devotion to Christ.

Paul is incredibly thankful to God for Philippi, and thankful for God’s grace and work through them. This thankfulness buoys him as he serves his prison sentence, and is a model for us as we are called to “rejoice always and in everything give thanks.”