I. Address
Chapter 1
Greeting. 1 Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the holy ones in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the overseers and ministers:(A) 2 (B)grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving. 3 I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you,(C) 4 praying always with joy in my every prayer for all of you, 5 because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now. 6 (D)I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 It is right that I should think this way about all of you, because I hold you in my heart, you who are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.(E) 9 And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception,(F) 10 to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,(G) 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.(H)
II. Progress of the Gospel
12 (I)I want you to know, brothers, that my situation has turned out rather to advance the gospel, 13 so that my imprisonment has become well known in Christ throughout the whole praetorium and to all the rest,(J) 14 and so that the majority of the brothers, having taken encouragement in the Lord from my imprisonment, dare more than ever to proclaim the word fearlessly.
15 Of course, some preach Christ from envy and rivalry, others from good will. 16 The latter act out of love, aware that I am here for the defense of the gospel; 17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not from pure motives, thinking that they will cause me trouble in my imprisonment. 18 What difference does it make, as long as in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed?(K) And in that I rejoice.
Indeed I shall continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that this will result in deliverance for me through your prayers and support from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.(L) 20 My eager expectation and hope is that I shall not be put to shame in any way, but that with all boldness, now as always, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.(M) 21 For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.(N) 22 If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose.(O) 23 I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, [for] that is far better.(P) 24 Yet that I remain [in] the flesh is more necessary for your benefit. 25 And this I know with confidence, that I shall remain and continue in the service of all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound on account of me when I come to you again.
III. Instructions for the Community
Steadfastness in Faith. 27 Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear news of you, that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind struggling together for the faith of the gospel,(Q) 28 not intimidated in any way by your opponents. This is proof to them of destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. 29 For to you has been granted, for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him.(R) 30 Yours is the same struggle(S) as you saw in me and now hear about me.
Footnotes
- 1:1–2
- 1:1
- 1:2
- 1:3–11
- 1:6
- 1:12–26
- 1:13
- 1:14–18
- 1:18
- 1:19–25
- 1:19
- 1:27–30
- 1:30
Cross references
- 1:1 : Rom 1:1; 2 Cor 1:1; 1 Thes 1:1; Phlm 1 / 1 Tm 3:1–13.
- 1:2 : Rom 1:7; Gal 1:3; Phlm 3.
- 1:3 : Rom 1:8; 1 Cor 1:4; 1 Thes 1:2.
- 1:6 : 2:13 / 1:10; 2:16; 1 Cor 1:8.
- 1:8 : Rom 1:9; 2 Cor 1:23; 1 Thes 2:5.
- 1:9 : Eph 3:14–19; Col 1:9–10; Phlm 6.
- 1:10 : Rom 2:18; 12:2 / 1:6.
- 1:11 : Jn 15:8.
- 1:12–13 : Eph 3:1; 6:20; 2 Tm 2:9; Phlm 9.
- 1:13 : 4:22.
- 1:18 : 4:10.
- 1:19 : Jb 13:16 / 2 Cor 1:11.
- 1:20 : 1 Cor 6:20; 1 Pt 4:16.
- 1:21 : Gal 2:20.
- 1:22 : Rom 1:13.
- 1:23 : 2 Cor 5:8.
- 1:27 : Eph 4:1; Col 1:10; 1 Thes 2:12 / 4:3.
- 1:29 : Mt 5:10; 10:38; Mk 8:34; Acts 5:41.
- 1:30 : 1:13; Acts 16:22–24.
