Philippians 1:1-11
Lesson 378
Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."
"The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Philippians."
"Living in Christ; the empowered Life."
"Serve with joy."
Authorship:
Philippi was in the Roman province of Macedonia (north-eastern Greece), ten miles from the modern port city of Kavalla (ancient Neapolis) on the Aegean Sea. It was the "chief city of that part of Macedonia" (Acts 16:12). Known for its gold mines, Phillippi was the capital of Macedonia. Philippi sat on the Roman highway, the "Egnatian Way," and became a bustling trade and political center. The "Egnatian Way" connected Philippi and Neapolis and carried people, trade goods, and the Gospel from east to west. Without busy cities like Philippi, the Gospel would have taken longer to spread. The city was originally named Crenides (Little Fountains) after Alexander the Great's father. But King Phillip II (356-336 BC) captured the city from ancient Thrace and renamed it to honor himself. Philippi was also the scene of the well-known 42 BC battle in which Mark Antony defeated Marcus Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus. By Paul's day, Philippi was a Roman colony (Acts 16:12) governed by a panel of military officers called duumviri and boasted a large population of retired Roman soldiers. As a colony, Philippi's citizens enjoyed the same rights and privileges as Roman citizens. Despite being treated "shamefully" (1 Thessalonians 2:2), Paul founded the church in Philippi around AD 51 on his Second Missionary Journey (Acts 16:11-40) and addressed "The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Philippians" to its church. Philippi is the birthplace of European Christianity, as it was the first church in Europe. The population of Philippi today is less than one thousand people.
Philippians is a warm, joyful, and personal letter where Paul shows his love for the people of Philippi. It was written by Paul (1:1) when he was about sixty-five years old and under arrest in Rome (AD 61-62). When word reached Philippi that Paul was held prisoner in Rome, the church sent Epaphroditus to offer financial aid and encouragement (4:18). Epaphroditus returned to Philippi with this epistle from Paul. Because of where it was written, Bible scholars refer to Philippians as one of the four "Prison Epistles" (along with Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon). After two years in prison, Paul was released by the Romans, then re-arrested and executed.
More about Paul:
Paul, Hebrew name Saul (Acts 13:9), was born a Roman citizen (Acts 22:27-28) in the small but wealthy city of Tarsus, Cilicia (Acts 21:39; 22:3) in modern-day Turkey. Born to Jewish parents around the time of Jesus' birth, Paul/Saul was from the Hebrew tribe of Benjamin (Romans 11:1) and was named after King Saul (Israel's first monarch). He was profoundly religious and possessed a keen intellect. Paul was chosen to study the Hebrew Canon in Jerusalem under the renowned Rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3) at the tender age of thirteen, a high honor. Paul was "a Hebrew of Hebrews" (Philippians 3:5), the son of a Pharisee (Acts 23:6), and a strict Pharisee himself (Acts 26:5). Paul was a fierce opponent of Christianity (Galatians 1:13). When we first met Paul, he was watching the executioner's coats as they stoned Stephen, the first Christian martyr, to death (Acts 7:58; 22:20). After Stephen's murder, Paul made it his mission to find and persecute Christians (1 Corinthians 15:9). Going city to city, he hunted down believers, beat them, forced many to renounce their faith (26:9-11), and threw them into prison (Acts 8:3; 26:10), where many were "put to death" (22:4). His reputation for cruelty was well known (Acts 9:13). After converting to Christianity (Acts 9:1-9; 22:6-11; 26:12-18), Paul joined the Christians he had been persecuting and spent the rest of his life traveling the vast Roman empire, teaching the word of God. Paul's contributions to the fledgling Christian church cannot be overstated. Following Jesus' instructions to spread the word (Acts 22:21), it is estimated that he walked over 10,000 miles on three separate evangelical tours and wrote thirteen of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament. Before Paul, little had been done to bring the Gospel to Gentiles. He endured many privations and hardships during the decades he spent spreading the Gospel, all the time supporting himself with donations and working as a tentmaker (Acts 18:3). Preaching earned Paul many enemies (1 Corinthians 16:9) who repeatedly tried to kill him (Acts 19:23-41; 20:3; 23:12). Paul was persecuted in almost every city he visited. He was driven out of Antioch (Acts 13:50) and forced to flee Berea (Acts 17:13-14). His enemies rose up and put him on trial in Achaia (Acts 18:12). Paul was whipped five times, beaten with rods three times, and was once stoned and left for dead (Acts 14:19). He was arrested, whipped, and placed in stocks (Acts 16:23-24). As a prisoner on his way to Rome, he was shipwrecked and lost at sea (2 Corinthians 11:24-25). He was reviled (1 Corinthians 4:12) and in constant danger from thieves he passed on the road and from brethren he trusted (2 Corinthians 11:26). Paul was often sick (Galatians 4:13-14), hungry, thirsty, beaten, and homeless (1 Corinthians 4:11). He was insulted (Acts 17:17-18; 17:32), called "the filth of the world" (1 Corinthians 4:13), treated "shamefully" (1 Thessalonians 2:2), and more than once forced to flee for his life (Acts 9:28-30; 17:10; 2 Corinthians 11:33). The years on the road left Paul in despair (2 Corinthians 1:8), weary, used up, and often in pain (2 Corinthians 11:27). Finally, he was chained and imprisoned for two years while waiting for his accusers to testify against him (Acts 23:35). After being released and arrested again, Paul was found guilty of a capital offense and beheaded. Called "the Apostle to the Gentiles," "the Apostle of Grace," and "a servant of God" (Titus 1:1), it is difficult to name a person more responsible for spreading Christianity.
Purpose and Theme:
In addition to thanking the church in Philippi for their help, Paul had three goals for writing Philippians;
1) To encourage Christians to put Jesus Christ first in their lives.
2) To help believers identify spiritual problems.
3) To teach Church doctrine.
Philippians contains some of the New Testament's most profound teachings.
See if you disagree, Philippians is a warm emotional letter in which Paul pours out his
heart to the Christians of Philippi and thanks them for their kindness. Philippians is a letter of joy.
Philippi was in the Roman province of Macedonia (north-eastern Greece), ten miles from the modern port city of Kavalla (ancient Neapolis) on the Aegean Sea. It was the "chief city of that part of Macedonia" (Acts 16:12). Known for its gold mines, Phillippi was the capital of Macedonia. Philippi sat on the Roman highway, the "Egnatian Way," and became a bustling trade and political center. The "Egnatian Way" connected Philippi and Neapolis and carried people, trade goods, and the Gospel from east to west. Without busy cities like Philippi, the Gospel would have taken longer to spread. The city was originally named Crenides (Little Fountains) after Alexander the Great's father. But King Phillip II (356-336 BC) captured the city from ancient Thrace and renamed it to honor himself. Philippi was also the scene of the well-known 42 BC battle in which Mark Antony defeated Marcus Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus. By Paul's day, Philippi was a Roman colony (Acts 16:12) governed by a panel of military officers called duumviri and boasted a large population of retired Roman soldiers. As a colony, Philippi's citizens enjoyed the same rights and privileges as Roman citizens. Despite being treated "shamefully" (1 Thessalonians 2:2), Paul founded the church in Philippi around AD 51 on his Second Missionary Journey (Acts 16:11-40) and addressed "The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Philippians" to its church. Philippi is the birthplace of European Christianity, as it was the first church in Europe. The population of Philippi today is less than one thousand people.
Philippians is a warm, joyful, and personal letter where Paul shows his love for the people of Philippi. It was written by Paul (1:1) when he was about sixty-five years old and under arrest in Rome (AD 61-62). When word reached Philippi that Paul was held prisoner in Rome, the church sent Epaphroditus to offer financial aid and encouragement (4:18). Epaphroditus returned to Philippi with this epistle from Paul. Because of where it was written, Bible scholars refer to Philippians as one of the four "Prison Epistles" (along with Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon). After two years in prison, Paul was released by the Romans, then re-arrested and executed.
More about Paul:
Paul, Hebrew name Saul (Acts 13:9), was born a Roman citizen (Acts 22:27-28) in the small but wealthy city of Tarsus, Cilicia (Acts 21:39; 22:3) in modern-day Turkey. Born to Jewish parents around the time of Jesus' birth, Paul/Saul was from the Hebrew tribe of Benjamin (Romans 11:1) and was named after King Saul (Israel's first monarch). He was profoundly religious and possessed a keen intellect. Paul was chosen to study the Hebrew Canon in Jerusalem under the renowned Rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3) at the tender age of thirteen, a high honor. Paul was "a Hebrew of Hebrews" (Philippians 3:5), the son of a Pharisee (Acts 23:6), and a strict Pharisee himself (Acts 26:5). Paul was a fierce opponent of Christianity (Galatians 1:13). When we first met Paul, he was watching the executioner's coats as they stoned Stephen, the first Christian martyr, to death (Acts 7:58; 22:20). After Stephen's murder, Paul made it his mission to find and persecute Christians (1 Corinthians 15:9). Going city to city, he hunted down believers, beat them, forced many to renounce their faith (26:9-11), and threw them into prison (Acts 8:3; 26:10), where many were "put to death" (22:4). His reputation for cruelty was well known (Acts 9:13). After converting to Christianity (Acts 9:1-9; 22:6-11; 26:12-18), Paul joined the Christians he had been persecuting and spent the rest of his life traveling the vast Roman empire, teaching the word of God. Paul's contributions to the fledgling Christian church cannot be overstated. Following Jesus' instructions to spread the word (Acts 22:21), it is estimated that he walked over 10,000 miles on three separate evangelical tours and wrote thirteen of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament. Before Paul, little had been done to bring the Gospel to Gentiles. He endured many privations and hardships during the decades he spent spreading the Gospel, all the time supporting himself with donations and working as a tentmaker (Acts 18:3). Preaching earned Paul many enemies (1 Corinthians 16:9) who repeatedly tried to kill him (Acts 19:23-41; 20:3; 23:12). Paul was persecuted in almost every city he visited. He was driven out of Antioch (Acts 13:50) and forced to flee Berea (Acts 17:13-14). His enemies rose up and put him on trial in Achaia (Acts 18:12). Paul was whipped five times, beaten with rods three times, and was once stoned and left for dead (Acts 14:19). He was arrested, whipped, and placed in stocks (Acts 16:23-24). As a prisoner on his way to Rome, he was shipwrecked and lost at sea (2 Corinthians 11:24-25). He was reviled (1 Corinthians 4:12) and in constant danger from thieves he passed on the road and from brethren he trusted (2 Corinthians 11:26). Paul was often sick (Galatians 4:13-14), hungry, thirsty, beaten, and homeless (1 Corinthians 4:11). He was insulted (Acts 17:17-18; 17:32), called "the filth of the world" (1 Corinthians 4:13), treated "shamefully" (1 Thessalonians 2:2), and more than once forced to flee for his life (Acts 9:28-30; 17:10; 2 Corinthians 11:33). The years on the road left Paul in despair (2 Corinthians 1:8), weary, used up, and often in pain (2 Corinthians 11:27). Finally, he was chained and imprisoned for two years while waiting for his accusers to testify against him (Acts 23:35). After being released and arrested again, Paul was found guilty of a capital offense and beheaded. Called "the Apostle to the Gentiles," "the Apostle of Grace," and "a servant of God" (Titus 1:1), it is difficult to name a person more responsible for spreading Christianity.
Purpose and Theme:
In addition to thanking the church in Philippi for their help, Paul had three goals for writing Philippians;
1) To encourage Christians to put Jesus Christ first in their lives.
2) To help believers identify spiritual problems.
3) To teach Church doctrine.
Philippians contains some of the New Testament's most profound teachings.
See if you disagree, Philippians is a warm emotional letter in which Paul pours out his
heart to the Christians of Philippi and thanks them for their kindness. Philippians is a letter of joy.
Philippians is broken down into five segments:
1) Verses 1:1-1:2 - Greeting.
2) Verses 1:3-1:26 - Christ is our life.
3) Verses 1:27-2:30 - Christ is our example.
4) Verses 3:1- 4:1 - Christ is our aspiration; Beware false teachers, legalism, and lawlessness.
5) Verses 4:2-23 - Christ is all we need; Final Benediction.
1) Verses 1:1-1:2 - Greeting.
2) Verses 1:3-1:26 - Christ is our life.
3) Verses 1:27-2:30 - Christ is our example.
4) Verses 3:1- 4:1 - Christ is our aspiration; Beware false teachers, legalism, and lawlessness.
5) Verses 4:2-23 - Christ is all we need; Final Benediction.
Study Tip:
Read both the Old and New Testaments.
"Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian."
Aiden Wilson Tozer (1897-1963).
Read both the Old and New Testaments.
"Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian."
Aiden Wilson Tozer (1897-1963).
