Philippians (Part 1)
Bible Study Time 4-15-07
Church links:
Bible Study Time 4-15-07
In the first chapter of Philippians, Paul writes to his dear friends at Philippi to encourage and instruct them. He identifies himself as a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and says:
Philippians 1:1-2
1 To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi . .
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
It’s no coincidence that Paul begins his greeting with the word grace because it was the message of God’s grace which had brought Paul into contact with the people of Philippi.
About ten years had passed since Paul first went to Philippi to share the gospel of the grace of God, but as Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians, he called himself a bondservant of Jesus Christ because he was under house arrest in Rome.
It must have been very comforting to Paul to realize that the believers there in Philippi had loved and supported him all through the years. In the good times and in the hard times, they were there ministering to Paul and ministering with Paul.
As Paul wrote to the Philippians, he probably thought back on the time when he first went to Philippi. There were very few Jews who lived there so they didn’t have a synagogue. They simply met for pray out by the river.
Sometime after Paul arrived in Philippi, Paul went to one of their prayer meetings, and it was there at that meeting that God opened the heart of a woman named Lydia. Paul probably shared with her some of the things that we find in his early letters. I can just picture Paul saying something like:
Galatians 2:16,19,20 (NKJ)
16 " . . . a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
19 "For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.
20 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Being a Jewish proselyte, Lydia may have understood some of the shortcomings of the Law. How she must have rejoiced to think that she could be saved by God’s grace through simple faith in the gospel.
Well, what was the gospel? Obviously, it was the gospel which Paul presented in the first four verse of I Corinthians 15, where Paul said:
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (NKJ)
1 . . . I declare to you the gospel . . .
2 by which also you are saved . . .
3 . . . that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
This was the gospel of the grace of God which had been hidden in the scriptures from the time that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible, but now this gospel was being revealed to Jews and Gentiles alike through the Apostle Paul.
But Paul’s ministry in Philippi was really sort of an extension of his earlier ministry in the region of Galatia six years earlier. At that time Paul had gone into Galatia with Barnabas to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.
As Paul and Barnabas traveled from city to city, they always went to the Jewish synagogues first. There in the synagogues, Paul would explain the Old Testament passages which spoke of the Messiah’s death and resurrection. Then He would present Jesus as the One who fulfilled all of these prophesies.
It was important for Paul to prove from the Old Testament that Jesus was the Messiah. That’s why, when he gave the gospel, he would say, according to the scriptures. Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures. Christ was buried and then rose again the third day, according to the scriptures.
The fact that Paul went to the Jews first in every city provides evidence that he was presenting Jesus as the Messiah, the One who had come to establish the kingdom. In those early years, Paul said that he was a minister of the New Covenant and the earthly kingdom is definitely promised in connection with the New Covenant. When Jeremiah predicted the coming of the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31, he said,
Jeremiah 31:34 (NKJ)
34 "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
Some teach that we are in the kingdom today, that God never intended anything more than a spiritual kingdom in connection with the New Covenant, but if that were the case, we would not have to teach our neighbors about Jesus Christ because everyone would already know Jesus Christ.
If we study carefully the prison epistles such as Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians, we can see that in our present age, God has temporarily set aside the kingdom program of the New Covenant. When the Church which is the Body of Christ is raptured and taken up into heaven, then God will once again offer the New Covenant to Israel during the tribulation period, and then Jesus will return to the earth to establish the kingdom.
One of the fascinating aspects of the New Covenant is that it always did include the salvation of Gentiles. The Old Covenant Law only allowed for the acceptance of Gentiles who were willing to submit to the Law and essentially become as a Jew, but the New Covenant provided for the salvation of Gentiles who did not submit to the Law.
Therefore, when the New Covenant went into effect after the cross, God called Paul to be the Apostle who would go to the Gentiles. Accordingly, when Paul was on his first missionary journey, he went to the Jews first, but when they refused to believe in Jesus, he would go out from the synagogue to share the gospel with the Gentiles.
When the Jews saw that God was saving the Gentiles and doing wonderful miracles among them, they became jealous. But instead of turning to God in faith, they began to persecute Paul and all those who believed.
After Paul and Barnabas returned to Syria from their first missionary journey, it wasn’t long before some of the believing Jews were telling the Gentiles that they would have to submit to circumcision if they wanted to be saved.
Paul and Barnabas strongly disagreed. They could see that if the Gentiles submitted to circumcision, the Jews would view the believing Gentiles in exactly the same way that they viewed the unbelieving Gentiles who had joined the Jewish religion. It would diminish the value of their faith in the work of Christ upon the cross. Therefore, in Galatians 2:21, Paul said:
Galatians 2:21 (NKJ)
21 "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."
Then in Chapter 5, he went on to say:
Galatians 5:1-3 (NKJ)
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.
3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.
Well, some were probably having a hard time understanding why Paul was being such a stickler on this issue. After all, even Paul said in Galatians 5:6 that:
Galatians 5:6 (NKJ)
6 . . . in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
So what difference would it make if someone got circumcised? Paul could see that it would make all the difference in the world, especially for future generations. Can you imagine how different our faith would be today if Paul had failed to take a stand on this issue?
If Paul had caved in on this issue, there would be no such thing as Christianity today. We would all be a part of the Jewish religion, and very few of us would see the significance of the cross of Jesus Christ. The cross of Christ would be a mere figure of speech.
Unfortunately, today, there are many within the realm of Christianity who still pay more attention to the rituals and ceremonies than they do to the cross of Jesus Christ. Many do not know that salvation comes through faith alone in the work of Christ upon the cross. The implications and the consequences of neglecting the cross of Jesus Christ have been devastating, not only to the Christian religion but to the individuals who have missed the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
Praise the Lord, Paul stood firm for the liberty which was provided for us by the blood of Jesus Christ. When the Jews told the Gentiles that they had to be circumcised to be saved, Paul and Barnabas went down to Jerusalem to defend the grace of God. In Acts, Chapter 15, we read that Peter spoke up and told about how God had saved Cornelius even though Cornelius was uncircumcised, and then the Bible says that:
Acts 15:12 (NKJ)
12 . . . all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.
Ultimately, the Jewish leaders concluded that the Gentiles were being saved by God’s grace apart from the works of the Law, and what a victory that was for the gospel of the grace of God.
Well, after this meeting in Jerusalem, Paul decided to go with Silas and Timothy back to the region of Galatia to encourage and instruct the believers there. After doing so, they continued on to the western border of Turkey where God gave Paul the vision of the man from Macedonian who was calling for help. In response to this vision, Paul went to Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens and Corinth, and from these churches, the gospel spread throughout the Roman Empire and then ultimately throughout western civilization.
More and more people today seem willing to acknowledge the fact that it was the preaching of Paul in Europe that ultimately shaped the world in which we live today. From an historical perspective, it was the preaching of Paul that laid the foundation for what would become the Christian religion, and the Christian religion has been the primary force which has shaped western civilization.
Regardless of this fact, however, it seems that very few people are willing to acknowledge the special message that was given to Paul. For the most part, the Christian religion lumps Paul in with Jesus and the Apostles, and they try to pretend that they all preached the same message. But nothing could be farther from the truth. Paul always emphasized the uniqueness of his message and his ministry. In Romans 2:16, Paul said, there is coming a day:
Romans 2:16 (NKJ)
16 . . . when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.
Paul closed his letter to the Romans, saying:
Romans 16:25 (NKJ)
25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began
In Galatians, Chapter 1, Paul said:
Galatians 1:7-8 (NKJ)
7 . . . there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
Indeed, someday, all of the people of our present age will be judged according to Paul’s gospel. When the people of our present age are judged, they will not be judged according to the gospel of John 3:16. John 3:16 says that whosoever believeth in Jesus Christ will not perish but will have everlasting life. But that is not the gospel by which we are saved today. John 3:16 brings salvation only to those who see John 3:16 in the light of Paul’s gospel.
Most of the false religions of the world today will tell you that they accept and believe that Jesus was the Son of God, but they do not believe that He died on the cross or that He arose from the dead. Some believe that Jesus ascended into heaven without dying.
They totally reject Paul’s gospel, and that’s sad because someday they’ll be judged according to Paul’s gospel. They will be saved only if they believe that:
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (NKJ)
3 . . . Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
When Paul went to Philippi to share the gospel of the grace of God, I doubt that he had any idea as to the historical significance of what he was doing, but in reality, Paul was not concerned with changing the course of human history. The only course Paul was interested in was the course which God had laid out for him. Toward the end of his life, Paul said:
2 Timothy 4:6-8 (KJV)
6 . . . I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
Over the course of Paul’s ministry, he traveled about 13,000 miles, and most of that was on foot. Paul’s ministry changed the world forever, but that was not his goal. Paul’s goal was to share the gospel of the grace of God, which changes lives and brings salvation to all who believe.
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time. It’s been a pleasure studying with you, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
Philippians 1:1-2
1 To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi . .
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
It’s no coincidence that Paul begins his greeting with the word grace because it was the message of God’s grace which had brought Paul into contact with the people of Philippi.
About ten years had passed since Paul first went to Philippi to share the gospel of the grace of God, but as Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians, he called himself a bondservant of Jesus Christ because he was under house arrest in Rome.
It must have been very comforting to Paul to realize that the believers there in Philippi had loved and supported him all through the years. In the good times and in the hard times, they were there ministering to Paul and ministering with Paul.
As Paul wrote to the Philippians, he probably thought back on the time when he first went to Philippi. There were very few Jews who lived there so they didn’t have a synagogue. They simply met for pray out by the river.
Sometime after Paul arrived in Philippi, Paul went to one of their prayer meetings, and it was there at that meeting that God opened the heart of a woman named Lydia. Paul probably shared with her some of the things that we find in his early letters. I can just picture Paul saying something like:
Galatians 2:16,19,20 (NKJ)
16 " . . . a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
19 "For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.
20 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Being a Jewish proselyte, Lydia may have understood some of the shortcomings of the Law. How she must have rejoiced to think that she could be saved by God’s grace through simple faith in the gospel.
Well, what was the gospel? Obviously, it was the gospel which Paul presented in the first four verse of I Corinthians 15, where Paul said:
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (NKJ)
1 . . . I declare to you the gospel . . .
2 by which also you are saved . . .
3 . . . that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
This was the gospel of the grace of God which had been hidden in the scriptures from the time that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible, but now this gospel was being revealed to Jews and Gentiles alike through the Apostle Paul.
But Paul’s ministry in Philippi was really sort of an extension of his earlier ministry in the region of Galatia six years earlier. At that time Paul had gone into Galatia with Barnabas to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.
As Paul and Barnabas traveled from city to city, they always went to the Jewish synagogues first. There in the synagogues, Paul would explain the Old Testament passages which spoke of the Messiah’s death and resurrection. Then He would present Jesus as the One who fulfilled all of these prophesies.
It was important for Paul to prove from the Old Testament that Jesus was the Messiah. That’s why, when he gave the gospel, he would say, according to the scriptures. Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures. Christ was buried and then rose again the third day, according to the scriptures.
The fact that Paul went to the Jews first in every city provides evidence that he was presenting Jesus as the Messiah, the One who had come to establish the kingdom. In those early years, Paul said that he was a minister of the New Covenant and the earthly kingdom is definitely promised in connection with the New Covenant. When Jeremiah predicted the coming of the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31, he said,
Jeremiah 31:34 (NKJ)
34 "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
Some teach that we are in the kingdom today, that God never intended anything more than a spiritual kingdom in connection with the New Covenant, but if that were the case, we would not have to teach our neighbors about Jesus Christ because everyone would already know Jesus Christ.
If we study carefully the prison epistles such as Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians, we can see that in our present age, God has temporarily set aside the kingdom program of the New Covenant. When the Church which is the Body of Christ is raptured and taken up into heaven, then God will once again offer the New Covenant to Israel during the tribulation period, and then Jesus will return to the earth to establish the kingdom.
One of the fascinating aspects of the New Covenant is that it always did include the salvation of Gentiles. The Old Covenant Law only allowed for the acceptance of Gentiles who were willing to submit to the Law and essentially become as a Jew, but the New Covenant provided for the salvation of Gentiles who did not submit to the Law.
Therefore, when the New Covenant went into effect after the cross, God called Paul to be the Apostle who would go to the Gentiles. Accordingly, when Paul was on his first missionary journey, he went to the Jews first, but when they refused to believe in Jesus, he would go out from the synagogue to share the gospel with the Gentiles.
When the Jews saw that God was saving the Gentiles and doing wonderful miracles among them, they became jealous. But instead of turning to God in faith, they began to persecute Paul and all those who believed.
After Paul and Barnabas returned to Syria from their first missionary journey, it wasn’t long before some of the believing Jews were telling the Gentiles that they would have to submit to circumcision if they wanted to be saved.
Paul and Barnabas strongly disagreed. They could see that if the Gentiles submitted to circumcision, the Jews would view the believing Gentiles in exactly the same way that they viewed the unbelieving Gentiles who had joined the Jewish religion. It would diminish the value of their faith in the work of Christ upon the cross. Therefore, in Galatians 2:21, Paul said:
Galatians 2:21 (NKJ)
21 "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."
Then in Chapter 5, he went on to say:
Galatians 5:1-3 (NKJ)
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.
3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.
Well, some were probably having a hard time understanding why Paul was being such a stickler on this issue. After all, even Paul said in Galatians 5:6 that:
Galatians 5:6 (NKJ)
6 . . . in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
So what difference would it make if someone got circumcised? Paul could see that it would make all the difference in the world, especially for future generations. Can you imagine how different our faith would be today if Paul had failed to take a stand on this issue?
If Paul had caved in on this issue, there would be no such thing as Christianity today. We would all be a part of the Jewish religion, and very few of us would see the significance of the cross of Jesus Christ. The cross of Christ would be a mere figure of speech.
Unfortunately, today, there are many within the realm of Christianity who still pay more attention to the rituals and ceremonies than they do to the cross of Jesus Christ. Many do not know that salvation comes through faith alone in the work of Christ upon the cross. The implications and the consequences of neglecting the cross of Jesus Christ have been devastating, not only to the Christian religion but to the individuals who have missed the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
Praise the Lord, Paul stood firm for the liberty which was provided for us by the blood of Jesus Christ. When the Jews told the Gentiles that they had to be circumcised to be saved, Paul and Barnabas went down to Jerusalem to defend the grace of God. In Acts, Chapter 15, we read that Peter spoke up and told about how God had saved Cornelius even though Cornelius was uncircumcised, and then the Bible says that:
Acts 15:12 (NKJ)
12 . . . all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.
Ultimately, the Jewish leaders concluded that the Gentiles were being saved by God’s grace apart from the works of the Law, and what a victory that was for the gospel of the grace of God.
Well, after this meeting in Jerusalem, Paul decided to go with Silas and Timothy back to the region of Galatia to encourage and instruct the believers there. After doing so, they continued on to the western border of Turkey where God gave Paul the vision of the man from Macedonian who was calling for help. In response to this vision, Paul went to Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens and Corinth, and from these churches, the gospel spread throughout the Roman Empire and then ultimately throughout western civilization.
More and more people today seem willing to acknowledge the fact that it was the preaching of Paul in Europe that ultimately shaped the world in which we live today. From an historical perspective, it was the preaching of Paul that laid the foundation for what would become the Christian religion, and the Christian religion has been the primary force which has shaped western civilization.
Regardless of this fact, however, it seems that very few people are willing to acknowledge the special message that was given to Paul. For the most part, the Christian religion lumps Paul in with Jesus and the Apostles, and they try to pretend that they all preached the same message. But nothing could be farther from the truth. Paul always emphasized the uniqueness of his message and his ministry. In Romans 2:16, Paul said, there is coming a day:
Romans 2:16 (NKJ)
16 . . . when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.
Paul closed his letter to the Romans, saying:
Romans 16:25 (NKJ)
25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began
In Galatians, Chapter 1, Paul said:
Galatians 1:7-8 (NKJ)
7 . . . there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
Indeed, someday, all of the people of our present age will be judged according to Paul’s gospel. When the people of our present age are judged, they will not be judged according to the gospel of John 3:16. John 3:16 says that whosoever believeth in Jesus Christ will not perish but will have everlasting life. But that is not the gospel by which we are saved today. John 3:16 brings salvation only to those who see John 3:16 in the light of Paul’s gospel.
Most of the false religions of the world today will tell you that they accept and believe that Jesus was the Son of God, but they do not believe that He died on the cross or that He arose from the dead. Some believe that Jesus ascended into heaven without dying.
They totally reject Paul’s gospel, and that’s sad because someday they’ll be judged according to Paul’s gospel. They will be saved only if they believe that:
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (NKJ)
3 . . . Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
When Paul went to Philippi to share the gospel of the grace of God, I doubt that he had any idea as to the historical significance of what he was doing, but in reality, Paul was not concerned with changing the course of human history. The only course Paul was interested in was the course which God had laid out for him. Toward the end of his life, Paul said:
2 Timothy 4:6-8 (KJV)
6 . . . I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
Over the course of Paul’s ministry, he traveled about 13,000 miles, and most of that was on foot. Paul’s ministry changed the world forever, but that was not his goal. Paul’s goal was to share the gospel of the grace of God, which changes lives and brings salvation to all who believe.
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time. It’s been a pleasure studying with you, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
Church links:
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