Philippians 1
SIBVer. 1, 2. Paul and Timothy—joint servants of Jesus Christ in ministering his gospel and promoting his kingdom and glory, to all the private Christians at Philippi, who, by virtue of union with him, are renewed in their hearts and lives by the sanctifying Spirit of God, and devoted to his service,—together with their spiritual overseers, who labour in doctrine or government, and their deacons, who take care of their poor and other temporal affairs of their church, earnestly wish the most abundant manifestations of divine favour, with all its distinguishing fruits and blessings, from our Covenant God and Father, as the Spring and Fountain of all grace, and from Jesus Christ, as the Purchaser and Distributer thereof
Philippians 1:3-5
As often as I think of you, and what God has done for and by you, I cannot but bless him for putting me into the ministry, and making me instrumental in your conversion;—and, in all my stated and solemn addresses to him for each of you, I am delightfully constrained to praise and thank him for your gracious and continued admission, through faith, to all the rich and glorious privileges, promises, hopes, and enjoyments, of the gospel state; and for your familiar communion with God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and with each other; and for your readily communicating of your substance, for the support of the gospel, and to me in my sufferings for its sake
Philippians 1:6
Being assured, from the testimony, nature, purpose, and covenant, of God, and from the merits and intercession of Christ and the indwelling of his Spirit, that he, who has changed your spiritual state, and begun your sanctification, honour, and comfort, will undoubtedly, in his wisdom, love, faithfulness, and power, maintain and increase it, till it be perfectly completed in the great day, when Christ shall come to be glorified in his saints
Philippians 1:7
And, while you lie so much on my heart, in my prayers to God for you, your patient hearing of tribulations and kind Christian sympathy with me under mine, which I suffer for the cause of Christ, together with your honourable and stedfast profession and practice of the gospel truths, make me to hope this good i work of grace, is really begun in most of your hearts
Philippians 1:8
For, affected with, and in imitation of, Jesus’ redeeming love, God alone knows how earnestly I desire to be further instrumental in the spiritual and eternal welfare of each of you, whom I look on as his dear members
Philippians 1:9
And, in my fervent affection, I earnestly beg of him that your love to him and his Son, his word, ordinances, ways, ministers, and people, may still more and more increase, along with, and under the influence of, a growing knowledge, and experience of the doctrine of Christ, 10, 11. That ye may carefully examine, prove, and approve, those sentiments and practices which are truly valuable and important; that so ye may be found genuine Christians,—pure in heart and life, free from hypocrisy and deceit in your holy profession, and uncorrupted in your principles and designs, temper and behaviour,—and may, in the view of Christ’s coming to call you to account for your conduct, constantly live in the most holy and blameless manner, doing nothing to wound your own spirits or occasion the stumbling of others,—greatly abounding in the most precious fruits of all holy obedience, and in the performance of duties both to God and man, which are produced by virtue derived from Christ, and are, through his merits and intercession, acceptable to God, and tend to his honour and glory
Philippians 1:12-14
And that ye may not be terrified at, nor discouraged by, my sufferings for the cause of Christ, know that, contrary to all outward appearance or natural expectation, they have been permitted and overruled, rather for the confirmation and propagation of the gospel, than to the dishonour or hindrance of it, insomuch that the hardships and imprisonment, which the power and presence of Christ enable me to bear with becoming patience and fortitude, are well known among all the courtiers and citizens here, to be for no immorality, but merely for the sake of Christ, and have proved the happy occasion of many enquiring after and believing in him;—and, through the influence of God’s grace, many of my fellow ministers, fully satisfied of the justice and excellency of my cause, and of the remarkable support and encouragement which I have received from Christ under my troubles, have been more abundantly animated and emboldened thereby to preach the gospel with greater freedom and liberty of spirit than before
Philippians 1:15-17
There are, indeed, some judaizing teachers, who preach Christ as the true Messiah, and several important doctrines of salvation, from envy at my reputation and success in carrying the gospel in its peculiar doctrines to the Gentiles as well as the Jews, and in order to sink my credit and authority, and raise their own. Others preach the pure doctrines of Christ in their full extent, with freedom and delight, from love to him and his truths, and to the souls of men, and to me his apostle. The former, not from any sincere regard to Christ, his truths, or immortal souls, but from a contentious and envious disposition, in hopes that thereby they shall supplant, distress or grieve, me, or that, by the contentions which they foment, they may provoke the civil government to detain me in prison, or take away my life. But the latter, from a principle of love to me, as well as to the truth itself, accounting me one appointed and qualified of God, and even imprisoned and tried, for maintaining and defending the gospel of Christ
Philippians 1:18
But, however different the motives by which the preachers here are actuated, I am heartily glad, and hope always to be so, that the truths of Christ are preached, and himself made known to multitudes, by that means
Philippians 1:19
For I know, from the promises of God, the revelations of his Spirit, and my own former experience, that, through your prayers for me, and the rich communications of the Spirit of Christ, granted me in answer to them, that the very worst designs of my opposers shall be overruled for promoting my deliverance from prison, and be sanctified to my own and others’ spiritual and eternal advantage
Philippians 1:20
And I firmly hope, as well as earnestly desire, that, whatever my adversaries may design or do against me, I shall never be ashamed of Christ or his truths, but be enabled to go on in his work with all liberty of spirit and undaunted courage; and as, since my call to the apostleship, I have, through grace, acted to the honour of Christ, my great Master; I trust that, now and hereafter, he will, even in my weak frail body, manifest the greatness of his power and grace, whether by my patient continuance under suffering, my further publication and defence of the gospel, and my holy life and conversation,—or by my bravely owning and honouring him in enduring the most cruel and violent death for his sake
Philippians 1:21
For Christ, my ALL IN ALL, who lives in me, and to whom I look as the source of spiritual life, is my gain in living and dying; and the glory of his name, and the winning of souls to him, is the end which I pursue in both;—and a death, after living in, on, and to, him, would but usher me into the unspeakable reward of eternal felicity
Philippians 1:22
But, if it please God to lengthen out my days on earth to preach and suffer for the gospel, it will promote the honour and interest of Christ, which, in the end, will turn to my own account; so that, were I to be left to my determination, I can hardly say whether I would choose life or death. 23, 24. For I am indeed greatly straitened and pressed in my own mind, having, on the one hand, an earnest desire to be loosed from my present incumbrances, weakness, and imperfections, and to have my soul released from this frail body, that I may enter on the immediate views and full enjoyment of Jesus Christ my Lord; and, on the other, I am willing, if it please God, to continue for a while exercising my ministry on earth, as I believe this would be most for your spiritual advantage, amidst the manifold enemies and temptations which surround you. 25, 26. In this persuasion, that my future ministrations might, by the blessing of God, be useful, I am not without intimations from the Spirit of God that, notwithstanding the present threatening aspect, my life shall be for a time preserved, that, by my preaching, prayer, or example, I may be instrumental in promoting your and others’ edification in knowledge, faith, comfort, and holiness; and that, by my wonderful deliverances from prison, and the benefits ye receive by my visit, preaching, and converse, your delightful glory in Jesus Christ, the only Saviour may be more abundant than ever. 27, 28. Meanwhile, to manifest the truth of your faith, and to promote your own and my comfort, take the most earnest and special heed that your traffic and behaviour in the world be answerable to your Christian state and character, and suitable to the directions, and ornamental to the principles, privileges, and obligations, of the gospel of Christ, and to your holy profession thereof; that, whether I should ever in this life see you again or not, I may have comfortable accounts of your spiritual concerns; that, notwithstanding all the subtle and furious attempts of your enemies, under the influence of the Holy Ghost, he may persevere unshaken in one and the same evangelical spirit of liberty, truth, and love, and concur in vigorous efforts for preserving, propagating, and defending, the pure, uncorrupted, and important, doctrines of faith delivered in the gospel, and for rendering the grace of faith in one another lively and stedfast:—and may hear that, however artful, cruel, and outrageous, the adversaries of your souls and Christian profession be, ye behave, amidst all their attacks, with a truly Christian courage and fortitude,—which to them is not a mark of your obstinacy, but an awful token that they are on the way to everlasting destruction;—and to you is an evidence that God, who calls you to these trials, will effectually carry you through unto eternal salvation!
Philippians 1:29
For, to your distinguished honour, God, on account of Christ’s merits, not only enables you to believe in him to the saving of your souls, but also patiently, and aiming at his glory, to suffer for his cause, that ye may be more illustriously glorified together with him hereafter: 30. In which ye are exercised with no other combat of trials and troubles than I myself have experienced even among you, and still am under, and yet am enabled, through grace, to sustain with holy fortitude and patience, for the same glorious cause
REFLECTIONS UPON CHAP. I.—In great kindness hath Christ furnished his church with all needful officers to take care of their spiritual and temporal concerns. Hopeful are daily fervent prayers for necessary blessings to such as are sanctified in Christ; and thrice happy those churches wherein all the members appear such. The free favour of Christ and his Father flows out delightfully in their spiritual peace, and to perfect the work begun in their hearts. It is very refreshing for ministers to observe their hearers walking in the fellowship of the gospel, and unitedly increasing and abounding in sincerity, light, love, and holy conversation, to the glory of God through Christ, and as a mean of preparing them for his second coming.—For deep is the concern which faithful ministers have for the spiritual edification and comfort of their hearers; and great is the delight they take to share with them in it, and to help in promoting it!—Alas! that ever the gospel of God’s grace and salvation should be preached from envy or contention! But how amiable when it is preached with fidelity, and with sincere affection to Christ, and to his servants, people, and cause. It is very encouraging when God makes the sufferings of his ministers to turn out for the spread and success of the gospel. And honourable is it when they rejoice to be debased, that Christ may be exalted and souls edified; and, through love to him, are in a strait whether they should desire the immediate enjoyment of Christ, or for a time to continue in a suffering state on earth for the service of his church. Thrice happy is it when, through Jesus’ merits and grace, the prayers of Christians draw down rich supplies of grace on their ministers; and when with remarkable unanimity they cordially believe, boldly profess, uprightly practise, and are ready cheerfully to suffer for, the truth!—What fearful ruin must await the adversaries of such!