Philippians
Joy in Christ
Summary | About | Why You Should Read it | Author | When Written | Context | Timeline | Location | Outline | Observations | Resources
Summary
Paul’s purpose in writing to the Philippians was to thank them for their gift they sent him when they learned of his imprisonment at Rome (see 1:5; 4:10-19). He uses the occasion to report on his own circumstances (see 1:12-26; 4:10- 19) and to fulfill several other desires including 1) to encourage the Philippians to stand firm in the face of persecution and rejoice regardless of circumstances (1:27-30; 4:4); 2) to exhort them to humility and unity (2:1-11; 4:2-5); 3) to commend Timothy and Epaphroditus to the Philippian church (2:19-30); and 4) to warn the Philippians against the Judaizers (legalists) and antinomians (libertines) among them (ch. 3).
This letter is considered as a “reproof” to the Philippians. That is a letter admonishing them to correct their church doctrines. They held a number of views that were incorrect and Paul was letting them know what needed to be corrected.
The table below is a high-level look at the structure and contents of Philippians.
About
The epistle to the Philippians is the 11th book of the New Testament and the 6th book written by Paul (by order of the books in the NT, not chronologically).
Why You Should Read It
The letter to the Philippians applies to us as the believers today in that it helps us to recognize false doctrines that need to be corrected. The Philippians were from a very gentile area and didn’t have a lot of background in the Jewish roots of Christianity, but were engulfed in the worldly and pagen ways of the Romans. This is representative of the world we live in today in that we are engulfed in a very pagen society and are surrounded by false doctrines, which need to be identified and corrected.
This epistle is also known as the epistle of “joy”, as Paul uses that term 16 times in various forms!
Author
The author of this epistle is identified as Paul in verse 1 of chapter 1. Paul is the author of at least 13, probably 14 books of the New Testament. The letter reveals Paul’s typical style, authenticating its genuineness. The many personal references of the author fit what we know of Paul from other NT books.
When Written
The epistle to the Philippians was written by Paul while in prison in Rome, probably in the early part of 61 A.D.
Context
The city of Philippi was named after King Philip II of Macedon, who was the father of Alexander the Great. It was a prosperous Roman colony, which meant that the citizens of Philippi were also citizens of the city of Rome itself. They prided themselves on being Romans (see Ac 16:21), dressed like Romans and often spoke Latin. No doubt this was the background for Paul’s reference to the believer’s heavenly citizenship (3:20-21). Many of the Philippians were retired military men who had been given land in the vicinity and who in turn served as a military presence in this frontier city. That Philippi was a Roman colony may explain why there were not enough Jews there to permit the establishment of a synagogue and why Paul does not quote the OT in the Philippian letter.
Philippi was visited by Paul on his second missionary journey in the early 50’s A.D. It was written about 10 years later during his imprisonment (see 1:13-14). At the time of the writing, heavy persecution of the believers of “the way” (now known as Christianity) had begun. He was arrested in Jerusalem and appealed to Caesar in the late 50’s A.D. His appeal was granted and he was taken to Rome to plead his case before Emperor Nero. He was held in house arrest until his appeal was heard, which is when this letter was written. It was probably written shortly after the letter to the Ephesians and about the same time as the letter to the Colossians.
Timeline
The general order of events from the New Testament period of the early 50s to the early 60s is shown below.
Location
The city of Philippi is located in the eastern part of Macedonia, which is Greece today. It is located on the coast in the northern part of the bay between Greece and Turkey, or Macedonia and Asia as it was known in that day.
Outline
Greetings (1:1-2)
Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Philippians (1:3-11)
Paul’s Personal Circumstances (1:12-26)
Exhortations (1:27; 2:18)
Living a Life Worthy of the Gospel (1:27-30)
Following the Servant Attitude of Christ (2:1-18)
Paul’s Associates in the Gospel (2:19-30)
Timothy (2:19-24)
Epaphroditus (2:25-30)
Warnings against Judaizers and Antinomians (3:1; 4:1)
Against Judaizers or Legalists (3:1-16)
Against Antinomians or Libertines (3:17; 4:1)
Final Exhortations, Thanks and Conclusion (4:2-23)
Exhortations concerning Various Aspects of the Christian Life (4:2-9)
Concluding Testimony and Repeated Thanks (4:10-20)
Final Greetings and Benediction (4:21-23)
Observations
- Philippians is the most unusual letter Paul wrote. Instead of writing to correct doctrinal matters, he writes a “thank you” letter to the church at Philippi that had been so generous in supporting him over the years.
- Paul, Timothy, Luke, and Silas first came to Philippi in A.D. 51, eleven years before he wrote the Book of Philippians.
- The words “joy,” and “rejoice” occur some 16 times in the Book of Philippians.
- Epaphroditus carried the Philippian letter from Rome back to Philippi.
- Paul’s “Macedonian Call” in Troas during his 2nd missionary journey led him to his work in Philippi.
- The Book of Ephesians is one of four “Prison Epistles,” so titled because they were written by the apostle while he was a Roman prisoner in Rome at the time they were written. The four “Prison Epistles are:
- Ephesians
- Colossians
- Philippians
- Philemon
- Macedonia was in northern Greece.
- The first converts on the continent of Europe were Lydia and her household.
- The church at Philippi was the first congregation Paul established on the continent of Europe.
- Paul visited Philippi again on his 3rd missionary journey.
- The city of Philippi:
- In 356 B.C. King Philippi of Macedonia (father of Alexander the Great) took the city and renamed it Philippi.
- The Romans captured it in 168 B.C.
- Octavian turned Philippi into:
- A Roman colony.
- A military outpost.
- Philippins has four chapters, and each chapter has a major theme, and each theme has a specific text.
- Chapter 1 – Christ is our LIFE. 1:21
- Chapter 2 – Christ is our EXAMPLE. 2:5
- Chapter 3 – Christ is our HOPE. 3:7
- Chapter 4 – Christ is our STRENGTH AND SOURCE OF SUPPLY. 4:13
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13
Sections in Philippians
- Joy in living for Christ 1
- Joy in serving Christ in unity 2
- Joy in knowing Christ 3
- Joy in resting in Christ 4
Theme
- By centering our lives around Christ, we can experience true joy.
- Jesus is to be the focus of my life, be my model, my goal and my contentment.
- Philippians is a positive message to encourage the people to apply the doctrine of the church correctly.
Jesus in Philippians
Jesus is the Son of God from heaven, who humbled Himself by becoming human, who suffered for us, and who was exalted to heaven (2:5-11).
