PHILIPPIANS: Joy

It has always been hard for me to believe Paul didn’t have favorites because of his letter to the church in Philippi. Compared to some of his other letters, the epistle to the Philippians reads like a gushing love letter to a group of his best friends. Paul has shown us his tough sides in some of his other correspondences. To the Galatians, he was astonished, perplexed, and furious. To the Corinthians, he was confrontational and prophetic, demanding his voice be heard as a voice amongst the apostles. But to the Philippians, Paul has nothing but joy in his heart.

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Paul seems to go in and out of praise and encouraging exhortation; Paul will let his joy spill over into a charge for the Philippians to keep being all God called them to be.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Again, before the chapter is out, we find another round of praise and encouragement:

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

More joy, followed by:

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.

This exhortation flows into chapter 2, one of the better known passages of Philippians. Paul encourages them to have the mind and humility of Christ, who did not consider divinity something to be held onto, but was willing to become a servant. Paul encourages them to live lives that are worthy of such a master and imitate their teacher and Lord. He tells them to work out their salvation in fear and trembling and to do everything without grumbling and conceit. In a similar call to the one given to the Ephesians, Paul seems to be reminding them that if they don’t have love for each other, they will have very little to say to the world around them.

Paul then calls the church in Philippi to imitate him, as he’s asked so many of the other churches to do. He invites them to join him in rejoicing, no matter their circumstances. 

As far as the context to the church in Philippi, I am not aware of too many scholars who see the Philippian church as a huge and powerful body of believers. In fact, the Text would seem to suggest the opposite. This might not surprise us if we read about the church’s humble beginnings in the book of Acts. But it would appear that the body of believers here is small and possibly quite poor.

However, this does not mean they are a weak people. Consider Paul’s words in the last chapter:

I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

More joy from the Apostle! Paul speaks to them about having little and finding contentment, and he seems to hint at their current position and his amazement at their willingness to help — even when they lack. He recalls how other churches struggled to support his work. Even wealthy churches like the one in Corinth (you might remember we got to hear the other side of that coin [no pun intended]) seemed to be unwilling to give. But this body of believers has shared out of their own provision more than once. Paul brims with appreciation and healthy pride in the way they understand the Kingdom. He prays God will pour out His blessing on them for how they have been willing to bless others.

In the midst of all the harsh words and tough exhortations in Paul’s letters, I have always found the letter to the Philippians encouraging. My prayer has often been that I would do my part and belong to a body of believers who stands on their shoulders well. As we read about in Hebrews, may we remember that “only with us will their work be made perfect.”

EPHESIANS: Family Membership

The book of Ephesians is going to bring up topics that will run consistently in line with previous discussions we’ve had with Paul. The letter will open with more references to predestination, and Paul will speak in chapter three of his special revelation that he preaches in his gospel. You might remember the conversation within the book of Galatians where Paul was adamant that he did not receive his gospel from the teachings of men, but he received it directly from Jesus. Listen to his similar words to the Ephesians:

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

Paul says he has received a “mystery made known to [him] by revelation, … that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” This not only finds itself to be completely consistent with Paul’s message, but as we’ve pointed out before, continues the main thrust behind so much of the New Testament (even outside Pauline literature).

It also serves as a good transition to talk about the unique message and flavor of the letter to the Ephesians. These Gentiles have become full members of one body and fellow heirs with Israel. This will be Paul’s primary argument through the first half of Ephesians. If we pay close attention to the pronouns of Ephesians 1–3, we’ll begin to notice what Paul is saying to the Ephesian church. Look at how Paul opens his letter:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

Paul starts his letter by — as usual — recognizing the origins of the story of God that lie within the Jewish people. This one narrative God has been telling began with God choosing a partner in Abraham, shaping a nation in the desert, and calling them to live at the crossroads of the earth as a kingdom of priests. As we mentioned in Romans, this is their story to tell.

This will become even more clear in the next statement:

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

Who were “the first to put [their] hope in Christ”? The Jews. But after making this observation about his Jewish brethren, Paul will shift his use of pronouns. Watch:

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

This will become the theme of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians — a theme of family membership. His message is simple, but profound, and hard for many in his day to accept. In Christ, these Gentiles now have a place to belong — not as outsiders, but as insiders. Look at what Paul will say later at the beginning of chapter two and notice his use of pronouns and their implications:

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

It sounds as if Paul has taken a page right out of Romans. “Where, then, is boasting?” he had asked. He also uses the same argument about all of us having given in to the “cravings of our flesh” (sarx) and, just like in Romans, if this is true for all of us, then this gift of salvation comes as a free gift of grace and no one will find themselves able to boast.

Paul continues:

Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)—remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Paul says these Gentiles used to find themselves separated from the people of God. They were excluded from citizenship in Israel and were strangers to the covenant. But Jesus has changed all that and brought them near. In Jesus, God tore down any sense of division that resided between the groups and allowed the Gentiles to enter. From this new truth, God has created a “new humanity” (which is a great translation from the Greek) that is able to put on display the reconciliation of God.

But Paul isn’t done talking about family membership:

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

What fantastic news for all of Paul’s Gentile readers in Ephesus!

Paul will spend the last half of the letter applying what this means to the believers in Ephesus. If this gospel is true — this announcement of a new King (Jesus) and a new Kingdom (the new humanity) — then there is a new way the believers in Ephesus should live. In chapters 4–6, you will see Paul draw this out by calling the people of God in Ephesus to walk in the light and love others in a way that the world will see this gospel displayed. He will talk about a practical and more literal family membership in the ways people treat their spouses, their children, their parents, and everyone else in their households (that is, master and slave relationships). All of this will take into account the brilliant context of Ephesus.

Speaking of context, one should keep in mind as they read the passages about husbands and wives that Ephesus served as the neochorus for Artemis — the Roman goddess of sexual fertility (and the reader might be familiar with the riot in Ephesus [Acts 19] and the people shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”). As we saw in Corinth, this is going to play into the way Paul tells the men and women of Ephesus to conduct themselves. He says they are to live counter to the culture. In a world where women like to disrespect their husbands and flaunt their mythology and goddess worship, Paul tells them to submit to each other. In the context of Ephesus, it makes sense that Paul would make special mention of the wives, not because it is the “wifely role” to submit to the husband, but because in Ephesus it’s more important than ever.

One of my favorite passages comes in the middle of this conversation and is built around the context of the annual Artemisian festival held in Ephesus. Every year, at the festival of Artemis, the people would parade the statue from the Artemisan temple (one of the ‘Eight Wonders of the World’) down to the harbor. Once at the harbor, the Artemisian priests would wash the statue with water and begin the slow ascent back to the temple of Artemis. This procession would inaugurate a festival of sexual frivolity and debauchery that was rivaled by few festivals in the empire.

Consider this context as you read Paul’s words from chapter 5:

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

If this “family of God” in Ephesus is going to tell the world what God is like, they are going to need to love and submit to each other in a unique way. In the same way, if we wish to have anything to say to the world around us, we are going to have to find it within ourselves to pursue this “new humanity” that shows unity and love and service to those who were once far off.

It will be a battle. May Paul’s prayer be ours:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.