1:1 Paul 1 and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all
the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the
a bishops and deacons:
(1) The Paul's point in writing this epistle, is to strengthen
and encourage the Philippians by all means possible, not to
faint, but more than that, to go forward. And first of all
he commends their former deeds, to exhort them to go
forward: which thing he says he fully hopes they will do,
and that by the testimony of their abundant charity. But
in the meantime he refers all things to the grace of God.
(a) By the bishops are meant both the pastors who have the
dispensation of the word, and the elders that govern:
and by deacons are meant those that were stewards of
the treasury of the Church, and had to look after the
poor.
1:5 For your b fellowship in the gospel from the c first day
until now;
(b) Because you also are made partakers of the Gospel.
(c) Ever since I knew you.
1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun
a good work in you will perform [it] until the d day of
Jesus Christ:
(d) The Spirit of God will not forsake you to the very
latter end, until your mortal bodies will appear before
the judgment of Christ to be glorified.
1:7 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because
I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my e bonds,
and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all
are partakers of my f grace.
(e) A true proof of a true knitting together with Christ.
(f) He calls his bonds "grace", as though he had received
some singular benefit.
1:82 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all
in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
(2) He declares his good will towards them, in addition showing
by what means they may chiefly be strengthened and
encouraged, that is, by continual prayer.
1:93 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and
more in knowledge and [in] all judgment;
(3) He shows what thing we ought to chiefly desire, that is,
first of all that we may increase in the true knowledge of
God (so that we may be able to discern things that differ
from one another), and also in charity, that even to the
end we may give ourselves to truly good works, to the glory
of God by Jesus Christ.
1:11 Being filled with the g fruits of righteousness, which
are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
(g) If righteousness is the tree, and good works the
fruits, then the papists are truly deceived indeed,
when they say that works are the cause of
righteousness.
1:124 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the
things [which happened] unto me have fallen out rather unto
the furtherance of the gospel;
(4) He prevents the offence that might come by his persecution,
by which different ones took occasion to disgrace his
apostleship. And to these he answers, that God has blessed
his imprisonment in such a way, that he has by that means
become more famous, and the dignity of the Gospel by this
occasion is greatly enlarged, although not all men are
happy with it, yet it has enlarged indeed.
1:13 So that my bonds h in Christ are manifest in all the
i palace, and in all other [places];
(h) For Christ's sake.
(i) In the emperor's court.
1:14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by
my bonds, are much more bold to speak the k word without
fear.
(k) The Gospel is called the word, to set forth the
excellence of it.
1:16 The one preach Christ of contention, not l sincerely,
supposing to add affliction to my bonds:
(l) Not with a pure mind: for otherwise their doctrine was
pure.
1:185 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in m
pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do
rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.
(5) He shows by setting forth his own example, that the end of
our afflictions is true joy, and this results through the
power of the Spirit of Christ, who he gives to those that
ask.
(m) Under a false pretence and disguise: for they make
Christ a cloak for their ambition and envy.
1:206 According to my earnest expectation and [my] hope, that
in nothing I shall be ashamed, but [that] with all
boldness, as always, [so] now also Christ shall be
magnified in my body, whether [it be] by life, or by death.
(6) We must continue even to the end, with great confidence,
having nothing before our eyes except for Christ's glory
alone, whether we live or die.
1:227 But if I live in the n flesh, this [is] the fruit of
my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
(7) An example of a true shepherd, who considers more how he
may profit his sheep, than he considers any benefit of his
own whatsoever.
(n) To live in this mortal body.
1:278 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel
of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be
absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye o stand fast
in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the
faith of the gospel;
(8) Having set down those things before in manner of a preface,
he descends now to exhortations, warning them first of all
to consent both in doctrine and mind, and afterward, that
being thus knit together with those common bonds, they
continue through the strength of faith to bear all
adversity in such a way, that they allow nothing unworthy
of the profession of the Gospel.
(o) The word signifies to stand fast in, and it is proper
to wrestlers, that stand fast and do not move
their feet back at all.
1:289 And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is
to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of
salvation, and that of God.
(9) We ought not to be discouraged but rather encouraged by the
persecutions which the enemies of the Gospel imagine and
practise against us: seeing that the persecutions are
certain witnesses from God himself both of our salvation,
and of the destruction of the wicked.
1:2910 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not
only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
(10) He proves his statement that persecution is a token of our
salvation, because it is a gift of God to suffer for
Christ, which gift he bestows upon his own, as he does the
gift of faith.
1:3011 Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now
hear [to be] in me.
(11) Now he shows for what purpose he made mention of his
afflictions.
