Commentary on Philippians 0.1–1.29

Prologue. The Apostle handed on the word of faith to the Philippians; for he was admonished in a dream, as is contained in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 16:9), to go to them and open their ears to receive the word of the Lord. Staying with them, then, for many days, he instructed them in the teaching of the Lord. And because after his departure they were not carried over to something else, as the Galatians were, but remained in the faith, not receiving the false apostles, he praises them by letter, rejoicing in the purpose of their heart. In their praise is contained the blame of others; for the Corinthians, though they heard the Apostle for a long time, were overturned by various false apostles when he left; hence these are rightly praised. Chapter one.

“Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ.” He is silent about being an apostle, because he writes to those who thought rightly about him; therefore he suppresses his dignity, for it was manifest to them; but he confesses his condition, because whoever confesses Christ as Lord is the more free and has salvation. “To all the saints in Christ Jesus.” He writes to saints in his usual way, but to those who are saints in Christ Jesus, that is, who confess Christ as God and man; for Photinus denies that Christ is God, and Manichaeus that he is man; and therefore they are unclean. So he does not write to those who suppress the truth by their own lies. “Who are at Philippi.” He indicates to whom he writes. “With the bishops and deacons”: that is, with Paul and Timothy, who were certainly bishops; at the same time he indicated the deacons, who ministered to him. For he writes to the people; for if he were writing to bishops and deacons, he would write to their persons, and he would have had to write to the bishop of that place, not to two or three, as he did to Titus and Timothy.

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” It is plain that God is father, but Christ Jesus our Lord. Does not a lord seem to be more than a father? Yes, among human beings in the world; but with God the Father and with Christ the Lord there is concord. For here, that is, in the world, a lord is more than a father, because either he is lord even of the father himself, or a father begets a son not of his own condition but of another's; but God so begot that those whom he begot are in his power, so that, born freeborn, they are yet his servants; when he hands them over to his own Son, he makes them servants of his Son too, so that he is their Lord, as he says: “Father, those whom you gave me were yours, and you gave them to me” (John 17:6, 9), so that in the Father and the Son they are servants of the one God.

“I give thanks to the Lord at every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for all of you, making prayer with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel.” First he gives thanks to the Lord, by whose will all things turn out well for the faithful. In every prayer of his he remembers them with exultation, because they have been made sharers in the gospel, as the apostle Peter says among other things: “So that you may be,” he says, “sharers of the divine nature” (2 Pet 1:4). “From the first day until now.” For the Apostle foresaw their devotion and their faith steadfast from the very beginnings, and rejoiced in them, always knowing that they would be an example to many.

“Being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus; as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, both in my chains and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel; for you are all sharers of my joy.” Secure about the goodness and righteousness of God, and not doubting their faith, he trusts that, helped by God's aid, they will persevere in faith until the day of the Lord, on which those who persist in faith are to be rewarded. Nor ought he to have thought otherwise of those whom he had always found unbending in devotion to God, seeing their course so straight and untiring, so that he would think them worthy to be sharers of his joy. For people of one faith ought to rejoice together in the hope of future immortality and glory.

“For God is my witness how I long for you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.” He calls God to witness to commend the affection of a righteous man; for one who thinks much of someone testifies, to make it believable; and by this he also provokes their longing toward him, so that those longed for may long in return. He longs for them all, then, not with human desire but in the love of Christ, not with affection of the flesh but of the spirit, so as to have them as sharers in the understanding of the mystery of the divinity and of the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“And this I pray, that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and all understanding, so that you may prove what things are useful, so that you may be sincere and without offence until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” With God's help he wants to instruct them in the order of Christian discipline; so that, since they are firm in faith, they may not be ignorant of the sacrament of their belief, and, knowing how to distinguish what is useful from its contraries, may adorn the Lord's teaching with works of righteousness, bearing the fruit of immortality to the abundance of all good things, so that the teacher of the gentiles may appear glorious in them.

“Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has turned out for the advancement of the gospel, so that my chains have become manifest in Christ in the whole praetorium and among all the others; and that more of the brothers, trusting in the Lord because of my chains, have begun to dare more to speak the word of God without fear. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but some from good will. Some from love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel; but others proclaim Christ from rivalry, not sincerely, thinking to raise up affliction for my chains.” These things need no explanation; yet, because of our care lest any come into doubt, let us follow them more plainly in order. Since above he declared them sharers of his joy, he therefore makes known to them, as to dear ones, what his preaching has accomplished: that his sufferings for Christ have become known to all. Through this humility he shows himself glorious, so that those who love him may have occasion to rejoice; for one whose chains are made manifest in Christ grows in dignity. “In the whole praetorium and among all the others,” that is, in all Judaism and throughout all the churches of the gentiles; for Judaism comes first, because the promise was made to it, as it is said: “For salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22). And therefore he says that more of the brothers, following his example, dared to speak the word of God with confidence; for his constancy encouraged many not to neglect preaching the gospel, having learned from the Apostle's example that God is present to protect those who love him. But he also says that others, false brothers, moved not by confidence nor by love of God but by the rivalry of zeal, preach the word of God, as if envious. More of the brothers, then, proclaimed Christ sincerely, but with different intentions; for some did this with good will for the glory of God alone, others moved by love of the Apostle, sure of God's protection. So again, conversely, he sets out two other kinds who did not preach with a sincere mind; for some, envying the Apostle, did this from rivalry; but others proclaimed Christ with the cunning of pretence, so as to be able to stir up seditions against the Apostle, as the author of this sect who had gathered many into his conspiracy. For greater ill will grew against the Apostle when many were seen to teach from his side.

“What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice, yes, and I will rejoice. For I know that this will turn out for my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my expectation and hope, that I shall be put to shame in nothing, but with all boldness, as always, so now too Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” His first joy is in the brothers who proclaim Christ with good will; then he says that he rejoices also in this, that the deceit of men had been contrived against him, so that Christ was preached to bring ill will and affliction on him. For he says that what they had prepared for his death profits him for life; for he says that this is his life, if Christ is preached to all, and that he is ready even to die so that this may be fulfilled, knowing that a great reward can be given him for this vow and its effect; for unskilled malice always contrives against itself without knowing it. To trample on the malice of those who with cunning deceit laid snares for his life, then, he testifies that he is fortified by God's protection, those whom he calls companions of his joy helping by prayer, because of their common eagerness, and by the supply of the Holy Spirit, who, against their will, would open ways to the preacher, giving grace and confidence to his words, to quell the seditions that had arisen. So he says that he is put to shame in nothing in the teaching of Christ, both because the hope of the promise is great and because there is nothing in it base, dishonourable, or deceitful, as among the pagans, but open simplicity. This is why with all constancy he does not give way to adversities, so that Christ may be magnified in his body, whether he is killed or escapes after beating. For from this it is seen what and how great a hope is in Christ, when he is ready not only to be beaten and afflicted for him but even to die. For he says that his life, whether in the present or in the future, is Christ, as the evangelist John testifies, saying: “What was made in him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:3–4). For this life he hands over his mortal body, so as to receive it for ever; and therefore he counts it gain to die for Christ.

“But if to live in the flesh, this is the fruit of work for me; and what I shall choose I do not know. I am hard pressed between the two, having the desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ, for that is much better; but to remain in the flesh is very necessary for your sake. And being sure of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy of faith, so that your glory may abound in Christ Jesus in me through my coming to you again.” What he says is plain: that if he is placed in the flesh, it is not idle that he lives; for he has the fruit of his work. “What I shall choose,” he says, “I do not know.” For he is pressed by two causes; for he has the desire to depart and to be with Christ, judging it much better, so as to be now present with God and enjoy what he longed for and was promised; but to be still in the flesh he says is necessary for the instruction of believers. And though he thinks it much better to be dissolved and be with Christ, he yet declares that he knows for certain that he will remain in the flesh for the progress of the faithful, so that their glory may abound in the Lord, contributing to the Apostle's praise when they see him again. For they grow in knowledge and are more fully founded in faith. How great an affection he had toward believers, that he does not choose what he says is much better for himself, but wills what is expedient for many, sure also that it pleases the Lord that it serves the salvation of many! Who, longing for the third heaven, would not spurn every present care? Who, in desire for the higher paradise, would not put all these things second? Who, mindful of secret words, would not avoid human speech? Who, after such deaths, would not choose rest? But because he put love before all things, he followed what would profit the brothers.

“Only conduct yourselves worthily of the gospel of Christ.” He wants them to show a way of life worthy of the Lord's discipline, so that he may not regret having wished to remain in the flesh. “So that whether I come and see you or, absent, hear of you, that you stand in one spirit, of one mind, striving together with the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by the adversaries, which is to them a display of destruction, but to you of salvation.” He wants them to be of one mind in faith and devotion against the adversaries, so that he may hear of them when absent the same things he saw when present; so that, fearing in nothing the threats or terrors of the adversaries, they may keep the faith, knowing that for those who are afflicted for Christ it profits salvation, but for those who afflict, perdition.

“And this has been granted you by God for Christ: not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him, having the same struggle as you saw in me and now hear of in me.” Although he extols the grace of God in all things, yet it serves their praise that he says that God granted them to suffer for Christ; for he does not grant or give this except to lovers of Christ. Therefore he says, “for Christ it has been granted you,” so that it may be granted by God the Father to those who love Christ, so that, as proof of their merits, they suffer for Christ and, following the examples of their teacher, strive with all confidence to triumph over unbelievers.