Who wrote it? It was written by both Paul and Timothy (1:1) -perhaps with Paul as the main author and Timothy as the scribe/editor (2:22). They describe themselves as “slaves of Christ Jesus.” (1:1)
When was it written? It was written during Paul’s imprisonment (1:12-14) in Rome (1:12, 4:22) before an *anticipated* return trip to visit these people (1:26) and after he’d spent time in Macedonia (4:15) and Thessalonica (4:16). With a little cross-referencing, we can probably even pin a date on this.
Who was the audience? It was a letter written to the saints in Christ who lived in Philippi, including the overseers and helpers/bishops and deacons, depending on your translation (1:1). These were people Paul (presumably as the lead author) loved very much (4:1), and he had visited them before (2:12) and labored among them (2:16). He is telling them some of the same things he’s told them before, either in person or in a previous letter (3:1).
Main themes of the book:
- Greetings and blessings (1:1-2, 4:21-23)
- Paul’s and the Philippian’s love in Christ for each other (1:3-11)
- Paul’s imprisonment has spread the Good News; the spread of the Good News is more important than any other consideration, both for him and for the Philippians (1:12-30).
- Instructions on becoming more Christ-like (2:1-18, 3:1A, 4:1, 4:4-9)
- News about Paul’s plans to send his assistant/s to Philippi (2:19-30)
- Our works and pedigree mean nothing. Christ is everything. (3:1B-21).
- Instructions on helping two women who have worked with Paul for the sake of the Good News (4:2-3)
- Discussion of the assistance the Philippians have given Paul and spiritual lessons from that (4:10-20)
What I think and hope I’ll get out of the study:
Paul’s boldness is astounding, fueled by his deep love for Christ. He loves Christ so much that he is willing to do and suffer anything for him, and he loves those Christ loves (everyone else!) so much, that he is willing to go through anything for them to learn about Christ. What a wonderful view of God’s character Paul must have had!
Paul reports many of the prayers he has been praying, and I hope that I can learn from this and become more dedicated in prayer - an area where I need to grow.
A verse I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” This seems to be the experience Paul is reporting in his letter to the Philippians. Paul is so enraptured in the Lord, that Paul’s desires have become one and the same with the Lord’s desires - to see the lost saved and the saved grown more Christ-like.
I hope during the course of this study to learn more about God and his excellent character and fall more in love with him so that I, too, can be recklessly bold in loving God and loving people. Matthew 22:37-40 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And a second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
...And on another topic, please pray for me because I'm having surgery on Monday.
