Joyful Encouragement in the Gospel
All Things Through Christ (Philippians 4:8-13)
Doing the Christian life means more than merely putting off the anxieties that monopolize one’s thoughts, it means replacing adverse thoughts with the spiritually advantageous; consuming the true, consuming the honorable, consuming the just/righteous/good, consuming the pure, consuming the lovely,…
The Peace That Passes Understanding (Philippians 4:1-7)
Herein lies the solution and the solution reveals the problem. Disquiet in soul, leading to contention with others and absence of rejoicing, which themselves indicate movement away from steadfastness in the LORD, quite often stems from taking troubles and anxieties upon oneself rather than…
Living Free in the Power of the Resurrection (Philippians 3:1-11)
Gordan Fee sums up this passage by saying, the Christian life “means to be finished with one’s religious past as having value before God or as a means of right relationship with God; it means to trust wholly in Christ as God’s means to righteousness. But such righteousness has as its ultimate aim…
As Servants of the Gospel (Philippians 2:19-30)
Such a joyful reception of Epaphroditus in honor would reveal a proper valuation of the gospel by the Philippian Church. Valuing the gospel rightly not only produces a particular righteous behavior, as Paul noted throughout the letter, but a public honoring of those who serve the gospel in…
Glad Obedience in the Gospel (Philippians 2:12-18)
Here’s the sum of Paul’s current exhortation: Since Jesus Christ is LORD, and you have been born as unblemished children of God through the Gospel, fearfully consider the offense of sin against God, and in all the activity of faith, do nothing in grumbling or disputing, and even if you were to die…
The Exalted Servanthood of Jesus (Philippians 2:5-11)
The path to gospel-worthy living comes by reflecting Christ’s own behavior toward one another. Furthermore, gospel-worthy living comes not by sheer willpower or discovering one’s innate potential, nor by conformity to law or tradition. Gospel-worthy living comes as one understands what has been…
